It was father-son bonding at its finest at this year's NFL Scouting Combine for a pair of Bills Season Ticket Members and their kids. A welcomed surprise for Joseph Daniels and Bryan Scott, the longtime fans were ecstatic for the opportunity to represent Buffalo at one of the league's premier offseason events. While on the scene, Joseph, who brought his seven-year-old son Brayden along for the adventure, and Bryan, who was accompanied by his 15-year-old son Max, enjoyed quality time together and VIP access to watch NFL up-and-comers in action.
"It was kind of unique. I was shocked that they picked us to be honest," said Daniels. "…It was such an exciting opportunity for us to go…"
"It was great [being able to represent the Bills]," said Scott. "We had all our Bills gear on and everyone else had their gear on. You would see Bills fans and wave and give them a high-five. The first day we were there, we stopped by and talked to Steve Tasker and John Murphy right after their show. They were super nice and professional and took pictures with us. They were great."
As expected among Bills fans, the Daniels and Scott boys quickly became friends.
"We spent quite a bit of time together," said Joseph. "It was really fun. it was kind of cool. We hadn't met until that morning on Friday. Just being Bills fans, it's almost a natural bonding. You know, it's almost like you've known each other forever."
Spending most of their trip in Indianapolis together, the group was thrilled to meet NFL greats such as Fred Taylor, Santonio Holmes and Trent Richardson.
"Before we went into the Combine, they had a meet and greet the first day, which was really interesting because they had NFL Legends explaining why they were there," said Daniels. "[They were there] to help the guys on the field get through the workouts and to give them advice from their [own] experiences..."
Their exclusive introduction to the ins and outs of what it takes to become an NFL athlete continued as the guys were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at a few drills.
"The Combine itself was great," said Scott. "Seeing the guys that are going to be drafted soon and seeing their athletic ability [was exciting]. We liked watching the bench press and the passing drills with the receivers and the quarterbacks, that was really interesting."
The 2021 NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Click through to see photos of current Bills players from when they performed at the Combine.
Jerry Hughes at the 2010 NFL Combine.
Safety Jordan Poyer at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine.
Poyer (Oregon) measured in at 6-0, 191 pounds, with a 31 3/4-inch arm length and 9 3/4-inch hands. He recorded a 11.51 seconds 60 yard shuttle, 118-inch broad jump and a 30.5-inch vertical jump.
Safety Micah Hyde at the 2013 NFL Draft.
Hyde (Iowa) measured in at 6-0, 197 pounds, with a 31.48-inch arm length and 9 3/8-inch hands. He recorded a 4.56 40 yard dash, 6.78 3 cone drill and a 33-inch vertical jump.
Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Cornerback Tre'Davious White at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine.
White (Louisiana State) measured in at 5-11, 192 pounds, with a 32 1/8-inch arm length and 9 1/8-inch hands. He recorded a 4.47 40 yard dash, 32.0-inch vertical jump and 119.0-inch broad jump.
Tackle Dion Dawkins at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine.
Dawkins (Temple) measured in at 6-4, 314 pounds, with a 35-inch arm length and 9 7/8-inch hands. He recorded a 7.30 3 cone drill, 26 reps on the bench press and a 106.0-inch broad jump.
Linebacker Matt Milano at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.
Milano (Boston College) measured in at 6-0, 223 pounds, with a 32-inch arm length and 9 3/8-inch hands. He recorded 24 reps on the bench press, a 126.0-inch broad jump and 35.0-inch vertical jump.
Quarterback Josh Allen at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.
Allen (Wyoming) measured in at 6-5, 237 pounds, with a hand measurement of 10 1/8 inches. He recorded a 70-yard throw.
Cornerback Taron Johnson at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.
Johnson (Weber State) measured in at 5-11, 192 pounds, with a 30 7/8-inch arm length and 9 1/8-inch hands. He recorded a 4.5 40 yard dash, 33-inch vertical jump and 118-inch broad jump.
Safety Siran Neal at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.
Neal (Jacksonville State) measured in at 6-0, 206 pounds, with a 31 1/8-inch arm length and 9 7/8-inch hands. He recorded a 4.56 40 yard dash, 40.5-inch vertical jump and 122.0-inch broad jump.
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.
Edmunds (Virginia Tech) measured in at 6-5, 253 pounds, with a 34 1/2-inch arm length and 9 3/8-inch hands. He recorded a 4.54 40 yard dash, 19 reps on the bench press and a 117.0-inch broad jump.
Stanford defensive lineman Harrison Phillips runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 4, 2018, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver does the bench press drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Oklahoma offensive lineman Cody Ford runs the 40-yard dash during the 2019 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Friday, March. 1, 2019. (Perry Knotts via AP)
Florida Alantic running back Devin Singletary runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, March 1, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi tight end Dawson Knox participates in the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Miami defensive back Jaquan Johnson runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Boston College tight end Tommy Sweeney runs a passing drill during the 2019 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Saturday, March. 2, 2019. (Perry Knotts via AP)
Central Florida wide receiver Gabriel Davis runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa runs the 40-yard dash during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
Pittsburgh defensive back Dane Jackson runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Utah running back Zack Moss runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
When their weekend in Indy was over, both Daniels and Scott were thankful for the chance to get to know one another and to have shared the experience with their sons.
"We like to go to the games", reflected Scott. "My son really enjoys it – he's really into sports. He loves the Bills like I do, [how] my mom loved the Bills, [as well as] my grandparents [and] my uncle. So, we're a family of lifelong Bills fans."
"It's so easy to be a Bills fan and Season Ticket Member, especially since the Pegulas have taken over the team…I've loved this team since I was my son's age and I'm almost 50, so it's been my lifelong passion watching the Bills," said Daniels. "It's kind of fun doing it with him [Brayden] now. He's getting a little bit older and he's getting more into the [players] – he loves Josh Allen and certain players he's very excited about."
With the 2019 NFL Draft and the season on the horizon, the Bills fans left with a sense of anticipation and optimism for what's to come.
"…I had a better appreciation of the talent in this year's draft and to get to see them up close I think really exemplified a lot of the talent…," said Scott.
"It's kind of ironic," said Daniels. "We ran into the Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff as we were walking down to the stadium for our Saturday experience and he said, 'Yeah, I kind of grew up in the Buffalo-Cleveland area when I was a kid' and he was super complimentary of the area and the team, which was kind of neat [to hear] his perspective...He was talking about the Bills and Josh Allen…"
