Bills veteran Andre Roberts was recently named to the 2020 Pro Bowl. His second time attending the exhibition game, Roberts is excited for the week-long event held in Orlando, Florida. In this edition of "My Daily Routine," presented by Supercuts, Roberts recaps what his first day on the scene, Wednesday, Jan. 22, was like.
Traveling to Florida
When did you arrive in Orlando?
I got to Orlando at about 6:54 p.m. yesterday when I landed from Australia.
You came all the way from Australia?
I was in Australia with my wife and little son.
Where were you?
I was in Sydney.
Is your family with you at the Pro Bowl?
No, they're still in Australia. We just got out there this month and when I got the call, I decided to make the trip. They stayed back to enjoy the warm weather – it's summertime.
What's the first thing you did when you arrived?
I got in, did all my check-ins with the AFC. I was supposed to be in a meeting at 7 p.m., but since I landed around 7, I missed the meeting. But I came in, and they had a little welcome party for us. I had some dinner, talked to Maine [Tremaine Edmunds] and Tre' [Tre'Davious White] for a little bit and took it on to the room and had a good night's sleep.
Wednesday morning
What time did you get up on Wednesday morning?
I got up around 8 o'clock, we had a 9 o'clock breakfast. So, I got up around 8 o'clock, ate breakfast at 9 a.m. and had meetings at 9:30 a.m.
What is the first thing you did when you woke up?
I definitely snoozed my alarm. Being on Australia time, I'm a little more tired than I expected. So, I snoozed the alarm a couple times. I got up and the first thing I did was brush my teeth.
Did you wait to have breakfast?
Yes, I brushed my teeth, took a shower, turned on some music, started the day.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I listen to a little bit of everything. I just had it on random on Apple Music and just let it play.
Breakfast
Is breakfast there with both the AFC and NFC players, or is it separated into groups?
No, it's the NFC and the AFC. So, we're all in one area. We're all staying at the same hotel. We got to chat it up with some of the other guys on the other side.
Did you see any former teammates?
Yes, I saw Jamal Adams. I played with him last year. I know the punter from Tennessee from last year and I know some of the other guys in the NFC. So, I saw a few guys like Kyle Fuller – he's back and I'm going to play golf with him later.
The Pro Bowl must be a good way to maintain the connections you've made around the League. Is that one of the reasons that you like going?
It's always a good opportunity to go to the Pro Bowl regardless of whatever team you're on. I think because I've been on so many teams, I do have more connections than most.
Practice
After breakfast, what's on your agenda? Meetings?
Meetings are broken down by AFC and NFC. Our meetings are real light – probably about 10 minutes. It's supposed to be a 30-minute meeting but it's pretty light, going over some plays and everything's pretty much a walk-thru. So, it's pretty easy.
Did you see Bruce Smith in your meeting?
I didn't see him in the meeting, but he was out there on the field today and I spoke with him last night. Him and his son were there last night at the welcome party, so I saw him.
Do you go right from the meetings to practice?
Yes, we just get on the bus and go straight to the practice field. We chill out for a little while, have a little fun out there at practice, do some media and then you have the day free to yourself.
It sounds like there's a big difference between a Pro Bowl practice and a regular season practice. Can you elaborate?
It's very different. It's very regimented during the season. I'm sure you know. We have those full days, but I think, for the most part at the Pro Bowl, they know guys are done for the season and they just want to enjoy themselves, enjoy their offseason as much as they can until we have to come back in April. So, they keep it light and we have a lot of fun.
Free time
It's not a strict schedule then. You have golf on the agenda for today, right?
Yes, a 1:30 p.m. tee time.
With Kyle Fuller?
Yes, I'm playing with Kyle, his brother and my dad.
How many holes will you play?
We're going to do all 18. The sun goes down early right now – it's still wintertime. I think it doesn't go down until about 5:30 p.m., so we should be able to get everything in.
Is golfing one of your hobbies?
It's one of my biggest hobbies. That's my offseason deal. That's what I do. I play golf – golf and travel.
What are you going to do after that? Do you have any dinner plans?
No dinner plans yet, but we don't have a really strict schedule like we do during the season. So, I'm just going to take it how it comes. After golf, we'll figure it out.
Are you planning on going to Disney while you're there?
Of course! How can you miss Disney? They have a Universal party for us, they close down the park on Thursday. So, I'll definitely be going to that and ride some rides.
Do you have a strategy when you go there? Are there any specific rides you want to go on?
Nope, nothing specific. I was there last year, so I think I got all the rides I wanted to get in, but it's just about doing it again.
Will you need to wake up at the same time tomorrow?
Yes, we have pretty much the same schedule every day of the week. Friday is a little different because we have some community service things we're going to do, but for the most part it's the same schedule and I plan on playing golf tomorrow as well.
Game day
Are you excited for game day?
Very excited. Hopefully, we come out with a win too – it makes it just a little bit better.
What would you say is your favorite part of the Pro Bowl?
It's got to be the game. We do a lot of talking during the week and everybody's going to have fun. Once that fourth quarter comes, it gets a little competitive because we're all trying to win. We're all competitors. I think that's the most fun part of the game, just the fourth quarter.
Where will you go after the Pro Bowl?
I'll be going back to Australia probably early in March, but after the Pro Bowl I'll probably just go to Arizona and enjoy some good weather and some more good golf.
Is that where you live in the offseason?
No, I actually live in Northern Virginia, but you can't play much golf in Northern Virginia in the wintertime. So, I have to go somewhere a little warmer.
Scroll through to view some of the top photos of Bills players participating in the Pro Bowl throughout the years. The Bills have had 93 players selected to the Pro Bowl in the team's history. DE Bruce Smith leads the franchise with 11 selections as a Buffalo Bill, followed by guards Billy Shaw and Ruben Brown with 8 selections, and wide receivers Andre Reed and Steve Tasker with 7 selections.