Much has been made about Stefon Diggs attitude since the AFC Divisional Round loss for the Buffalo Bills to the Cincinnati Bengals. Immediately following the game, reports surfaced about his on-field interactions and supposed unhappiness with superstar QB Josh Allen.
Shortly after, there were reports about him attempting to leave the locker room and stadium and having to be convinced to return by running back Duke Johnson. These spiraled quickly out of control when his brother tweeted a picture of what Stefon would look like in a Cowboys’ uniform. Then came the reports about Diggs scrubbing his social media accounts and unfollowing the Bills organization and players (never mind that those were not true!).
There has certainly been a very exciting and colorful stream of reports surrounding Diggs since the end of the Bills season. These reports seem to have polarized BillsMafia leading to a wild variety of responses and trade rumors. What it should do is unite Bills fans, and endear Diggs to us even more.
Buffalo Bills fans should embrace Stefon Diggs attitude
Forget trading him, he is a franchise player that we should build around and emulate. In a league where celebrations have guidelines, looking at an opposing player too long can draw a 15-yard taunting penalty, and every action by every player on the sideline or social media is viewed under a microscope, Diggs is an authentic breath of fresh air.
You see his passion on the field with his trademark skips and hurdles to throw defenders off-balance. You see it on social media where he toys with people when rumors start flying. And you see it on the sidelines where every once in a while, he loses his cool when the team’s season is coming to yet another heart-breaking end.
Sitting in the stands on January 22, I (along with over 70,000 other fans) felt that same frustration that led Diggs to boil over. In a season that started with so much promise and such high expectations, it was not just another in a string of disappointing endings. When the emotional toll of tragedy, natural disasters, and the roller coaster of emotion following the Damar Hamlin situation was added in, it felt personal and all-the-more gut-wrenching. This was our year, and every bit of adversity, turmoil and tragedy added assurance that the Buffalo Bills were a team made to overcome all of it and end the year with a parade.
As the Buffalo Bills fell short, some fans left early, kicking popcorn buckets and going eerily silent for days. Some fans took it out with irrational tirades on social media calling for the heads of anyone they could think of. Some just called it a season and didn’t watch the championship round or Super Bowl.
Stefon Diggs channeled that disappointment and the combination of anger, frustration, and failure his own way, and Bills fans should embrace that. His anger boiled over on the sideline, but Bills’ fans should love his own twitter explanation that he is not ok with losing or subpar play.
Diggs for his part seems to have moved from disappointment to focusing on how he can help the Bills get better for next season. At the NFL Scouting Combine, multiple wide receivers from Diggs’ alma mater (Maryland) reported that Diggs had reached out to advise and counsel them, as well as tell them how special it is to play in Buffalo. It seems like Diggs’ frustration has been channeled into focus on improvement, and it seems likely that these are not the only players that Diggs has reached out to about his love for Buffalo.
Bills fans have suffered too long without a Super Bowl victory. We should want players that so desperately want to win that anything short of a Super Bowl is devastating to them. We should want frustration to boil over when we don’t reach that goal. And more than anything we should want that frustration to be channeled into an off-season spent maniacally focused on how to improve an already outstanding team to get us over the hump to achieve that ultimate goal.
This team is too good to settle for early playoff exits. Diggs is too good to settle for four receptions for 35 yards in the biggest game of the season. Kick the popcorn, be depressed, call for heads, yell at the greatest QB you will ever play with, go on Twitter tirades.
Do whatever it takes, but whether you are a Buffalo Bills coach, player or fan, channel that feeling and bring that same passion and an overwhelming desire to win to every conversation this offseason, and every game next year. Stefon Diggs has shown an overwhelming desire for the Bills to be great. Let’s embrace that.