1. Brett Favre gives Brian Daboll his endorsement
Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre, who hosts a Sirius XM NFL Radio show with Bruce Murray, recently had a fellow Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly on their show to talk about the Bills AFC East title this season. The two also discussed the merits of Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who is being mentioned in league circles as a head coaching candidate.
"He was my quarterbacks coach with the Jets and I really thought a lot of him," said Favre. "I've bragged on him and his coaching abilities since then. I think he's finally getting his due. He's very creative and fun to work with and I'm sure Josh (Allen) has got to love playing for him. All that stuff adds up.
"The guy that's calling the plays has to make sure it fits with what the quarterback does well, but the rest of the team as well. That's what Brian does. It's nice to see them producing and competing the way they are."
Kelly confirmed that Daboll has been instrumental in Allen's development as a quarterback, but isn't ready to let the Bills' play caller entertain the prospect of leaving Buffalo for a head coaching gig in the offseason.
"I got to spend a lot of time with Brian last year we got together and sat and watched film when I was playing with our no huddle offense," Kelly said. "Looking at some of the plays that I ran a lot because I liked them and they were an easy read and you can utilize all your receivers that you need to especially the one-on-ones that I had with James Lofton and Andre Reed. And Josh now has (Cole) Beasley, (John) Brown and of course (Stefon) Diggs.
"And he also has a quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey, what he's done with Josh has been unbelievable. What they've done with Josh is unbelievable. But I went to Brian and told him, 'I know there's all this talk about you becoming a head coach. You're not done here! Don't even think about leaving for a couple of more years! You've got things to do here!'"
2. Stefon Diggs calls his first Pro Bowl nod a "team award"
Stefon Diggs was a very successful NFL receiver long before he came to Buffalo via trade. But his first season with the Bills also became his first that resulted in Pro Bowl recognition, as he was named to the AFC all-star squad earlier this week.
For Diggs, however, he sees his first Pro Bowl as a team award more than an individual one.
"When I got the news, I was super excited, I'm super thankful," Diggs said. "I was happy, but it was like more so in that very moment I was thinking it was a collective effort. It wasn't all me. It was more having everything geared to my quarterback success and the O-line blocking their a-- off. It was a long time coming with that thing and the situation is different now. I'm more thankful for the people that I'm around to be able to get put in that position. From coach Daboll drawing it up and calling the plays. To be in a position to be successful and Josh making all the throws and the O-line blocking. That's a team award. That's not just me."
Diggs currently leads the league in receptions with 111 on the season, which has already set a Bills single-season record. He's also third in the league in receiving yards behind Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins and Kansas City's Travis Kelce.
3. Poyer moves past not making Pro Bowl
Jordan Poyer likely thought this was the year. After four extremely productive seasons as a starting safety for the Bills, this would be the time his NFL peers and coaches around the league would recognize his talent and value as a player for Buffalo's defense.
But Poyer once again was denied his first Pro Bowl nod.
"I've had some time to think about it," said Poyer. "I can't say I wasn't disappointed. At the same time I know what I bring to this team. I just control what I can control. My old high school baseball coach had this acronym, WIN. I had a bad game and he told me what it stood for was, 'What's Important Now?' So basically control what you can control. Whether you had a bad game or didn't reach your goal, what's important now? We still have a lot of football left to be played. We still have everything in front of us and that's what is important now. It's not to change who I am as a player, which is to help this football team win."
The Bills strong safety intends to use the Pro Bowl snub as fuel for the rest of the season and the playoffs.
"I use these situations to help drive me," he said. "I was a consensus All-American in college and didn't end up getting drafted until the seventh round. Got cut by Philadelphia. So I've had struggles throughout my career, but it doesn't define who I am. I'm going to continue to work and show this league who I am as a player. That's just what I've got to do."
Poyer said the love he got from his coaches and teammates about how important he is to the team helped him get over the disappointment of not making the Pro Bowl. He also credited all the support from Bills Mafia as well.
