Bills Mailbag: Explaining the origins of the 'Bills Mafia'

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked where I think Josh Allen ranks among Bills quarterbacks in franchise history. After talking it over with Mark Gaughan and Vic Carucci, both of whom have decades of experience covering the team, I felt comfortable putting Allen in the top three with Jim Kelly and Jack Kemp.

I also mentioned Tyrod Taylor, Doug Flutie and Ryan Fitzpatrick as candidates for being in the top five. I didn’t include Joe Ferguson … and a lot of you were quick to point that out.

Ferguson played well before my time, but that’s not an excuse. He played in a different era, which explains why he threw more interceptions (190) than touchdowns (181). So did Kemp.

Ferguson belongs in the top five, and leaving him out is an oversight on my part. On to this week’s mailbag …

Joe asks: I'm a lifelong Bills fan, been going to games for over 50 years, and am a season-ticket holder for over 20 years. Please explain to me what "Bills Mafia" means. I hate that term, and I'm not even 1% Italian. It just makes no sense as a term to describe Bills fans. I have no idea what it means in that context – that we fans stick together and will eliminate any opposition? That we demand absolute loyalty? That Terry Pegula is the Godfather?

Jay: Here’s the shortened version: Ten years ago this month, Stevie Johnson infamously dropped what would have been a game-winning touchdown catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the game, he tweeted at God (yes, God) and appeared to blame the creator for the drop. Not surprisingly, that tweet became a big deal. The next day, as the commotion started to die down, ESPN’s Adam Schefter retweeted Johnson’s original tweet, reigniting the firestorm. A bunch of Bills fans then jumped on Schefter, who blocked most of them on Twitter. A few weeks later, Del Reid, one of the ‘Mafia’s’ co-founders, tweeted out some people to follow using the hashtag #BillsMafia. Fast forward to training camp in 2011, and the Bills were in the running to sign linebacker Nick Barnett as a free agent. Barnett took notice of the #BillsMafia hashtag on Twitter and responded saying he liked it. From there, the phrase took off.

Reid is one of the co-founders, along with Leslie Wille (@leslieanne94 on Twitter) and Breyon Harris (@FreeBre_88).

A more complete explanation of the origins of “Bills Mafia” can be found on the group’s website, buffalofambase.com, under the “about us” section. One line in particular stands out: “What it comes down to is, this entire endeavor is about unifying Bills fans across Twitter, Facebook, and the world.”

Long embraced by fans and current and former players, the team itself finally got on board this season, filing for a trademark of the phrase after years of seemingly distancing itself from it.

“Bills Mafia is part of our family. It’s who we are,” Ron Raccuia, executive vice president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, told The Buffalo News last month.

Some fans worried that the Bills trademarking the term might suck the fun out of what has been an organic, fan-friendly endeavor. Nothing is worse than when a corporation tries to force something on people (cough, One Buffalo, cough, cough).

Reid indicated on Twitter, however, that he did not share those concerns.

"The Buffalo Bills understand that #BillsMafia is a community of fans, not just a clever brand," he wrote. "Really looking forward to seeing what the future has in store."

Hopefully, the Bills Mafia will continue to be what it has been since the start – a rallying cry of sorts for fans who love their team, and more importantly, their community.

Grant Weber asks: Why isn't T.J. Yeldon in the lineup more often? With the Bills struggling to run the ball, Yeldon averages 3 yards more per carry than either Zack Moss or Devin Singletary. He is also bigger and more powerful for short-yardage situations. Also, when Sean McDermott wins the coin toss, he always defers to the second half. Yet we are outscored by more than a 2:1 margin this year in the third quarter. Should McDermott change his strategy?

Jay: That stat is true about Yeldon, but we should mention he had just 10 carries this season for 70 yards. Almost exactly half that total – 34 yards – came on one garbage-time carry in the dying minutes of a blowout loss to the Titans, so take that yards per carry with a grain of salt. That said, I wouldn’t be against the Bills giving Yeldon more of a shot, but I’ve been saying that for the two years he’s been here. It’s obvious by now offensive coordinator Brian Daboll feels differently. Barring injury, I don’t see Yeldon getting back in the lineup.

As for the coin toss, I wouldn’t change the strategy – both the offense and defense are underperforming in the third quarter. In that case, I would want the ball after halftime any time I could get it.

TNFP69 asks: How do you grade our first pick each from the last three years of the draft? (First player we picked no matter what round it was).

Jay: A.J. Epenesa: C. Ed Oliver: B-. Josh Allen: A. Now, the explanations. It’s really too soon to put a grade on Epenesa, so a "C" seems fair. That means average, which is the best way to describe the pick so far. Epenesa was always going to have a bit of a tough time getting on the field this year with Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy ahead of him on the depth chart. With Murphy scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this year, there is an easy path to more playing time for Epenesa. Even with that being true, it’s been an underwhelming first 10 games for the defensive end from Iowa. Epenesa has been a healthy inactive a couple of times, and even with the expectation that playing time would be hard to come by, he’s received even less than originally thought. Unfortunately for Epenesa, he suffered a concussion against the Cardinals in Week 10. He was off to a good start in that game. It’s way, way too soon to say this is a failed pick, but Epenesa clearly will need to produce more in the seasons ahead, if not the final six weeks and playoffs of 2020.

Oliver has just one sack this season, but we can’t just box-score scout his game. McDermott is quick to point out that defensive tackle is often a thankless role in his defense. Oliver is someone defenses have to account for, but you won’t get an argument from me if you make the case that a top-10 pick should be doing more to impact the game on a weekly basis.

As for Allen, he’s made huge strides in his third season. The Bills will need success in the postseason before some are 100% comfortable in proclaiming the successor to Jim Kelly has finally been discovered, but there is no doubt Allen is the closest thing to that the team has had in the last 20-plus years. I’d still take Lamar Jackson as the top quarterback of the 2018 class – he did win the MVP last season, after all – but Allen is at worst a close No. 2 and ahead of fellow first-round picks Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen.

bk asks: Has the performance of Mitch Morse declined that much that he deserves this treatment? Is McDermott just sending a message? If we cut him, how much does it save under the salary cap?

John Jarzynski asks: What’s up with Mitch Morse. Can they get out of that contract?

Jay: In my eyes, no, but I also freely admit grading offensive linemen is not easy to do. I don’t know the play call, and thus the responsibilities. There has not been anything obvious to me that would suggest Morse should have been benched. Perhaps it’s as simple as the coaching staff prefers Jon Feliciano at center. I also don’t think this is McDermott’s way of sending a message. He has always said that the best players will play. Everyone on the roster is well aware of that. If Morse were to be released after this season prior to June 1, he would count $5.5 million against the 2021 salary cap, with the team saving $4.875 million. If the Bills designated Morse as a post-June 1 cut, he’d count $2.75 million against the cap the next two seasons, with the team saving $7.625 million in 2021. Don’t rule that out given what has happened in the last couple of weeks.

Arron K. Brown asks: If Josh Allen is the team MVP thus far this season, who is second in voting?

Jay: Easy – Stefon Diggs. I wouldn’t argue against Allen as the MVP too hard, but a very strong case can be made that it’s Diggs, who is on pace to set franchise single-season records for catches and yards.

Luigi Mike Speranza asks: All the NFL teams seem to have some flaws, so I’m thinking the Bills and Steelers have the best shot to go to the Super Bowl from the AFC. Am I comatose?

Jay: You’re not comatose, but you’re sleeping on the Chiefs. The defending Super Bowl champions are still the favorites in my book. For some reason, I’m having a tough time thinking the Steelers are as good as their undefeated record would indicate. I’m very much looking forward to seeing them against the Bills in Week 14.

Gary Gruber asks: With the running game struggling, is it Devin Singletary and Zack Moss struggling or the offensive line? You would think the O-line would love to run block more than pass block.

Jay: I hate to be indecisive, but the truth is, it’s both. Far too often, Moss and Singletary have been contacted at or beyond the line of scrimmage. That’s on the offensive line for not setting up better holes to run through. At other times, though, Singletary and Moss have not been decisive in their runs. Instead of going north-south, we’ve seen both of them go east-west too often in an effort to make a bigger play instead of taking what’s available to them. Daboll shares some of the blame, too, for the design of the running plays.

Robert Goodwin asks: Ate too much stuffing on Thanksgiving. With that in mind, who was the Bills’ best run stuffer: Ted Washington, Pat Williams, Kyle Williams?

Jay: Combining Thanksgiving, power rankings and a Bills question is quite the hat trick, Robert. Bravo. If we’re talking purely run stuffer, it goes 3. Kyle Williams, 2. Pat Williams, 1. Ted Washington. All three were terrific players. One of former Bills President Tom Donahoe’s biggest mistakes was letting Pat Williams get away in free agency. In terms of their Bills career only, the ranking would be 3. Pat Williams (he flourished with the Vikings after leaving Buffalo). 2. Washington. 1. Kyle Williams.

Chris Mazella asks: Happy Thanksgiving! Which Bills player historically, or even today, could eat the most? Bonus: Favorite Thanksgiving dish. Most overrated Thanksgiving dish?

Jay: So, the biggest player in NFL history, Aaron Gibson, spent the 2006 offseason with the Bills, but didn’t make the final roster. He tipped the scales at 410 pounds! The biggest player to spend time with the Bills is Michael Jasper, who was 375 pounds when he played for the team in 2011 (spending most of the season on the practice squad). Amazingly, that was 75 pounds less than Jasper's listed college weight.

Favorite Thanksgiving dish is stuffing. Most overrated? Mashed potatoes.

Louis Stromberg asks: Jay, Happy Thanksgiving. The Bills should be well rested for the Chargers this Sunday after being off last Sunday, so please rank the following offs: "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," "Office Space," coffee, Jared Goff, playoffs?! (Jim Mora voice). Thanks. Go Bills!

Jay: Man, some heavy hitters here. 5. Jared Goff. He’s actually pretty good, but this is a tough list. 4. Coffee. I’m good for a cup a day in the morning, but I don’t feel an addiction. 3. "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off." It’s almost sacrilege to put it here, but again, tough list. 2. "Office Space." A “stop what you’re doing and watch when it’s on” movie for me – easily one of my five favorites. 1. Playoffs – Both the Mora clip, which is a classic, and the actual thing – which, believe it or not, we’re about to experience for the third time in four years.