What they're saying in Detroit about Bills vs Lions with Dan Miller

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: What They're Saying in Detroit About Bills vs Lions with Dan Miller

Podcast: Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills Podcast
Date: December 11, 2024
Guests: Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes (Buffalo Plus team); Dan Miller (Fox 2 Detroit Sports Director, Voice of the Detroit Lions)

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Buffalo Plus team welcomes Dan Miller—one of Detroit's preeminent Lions experts—to discuss the upcoming Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions showdown. The conversation delves into the Lions' culture transformation under Dan Campbell, the evolution of Detroit’s aggressive offensive approach, key player developments, and the parallels between the franchises. The episode also analyzes key matchups, injury updates, and what both visiting Bills fans and NFL followers can expect from this high-stakes, potentially playoff-shaping encounter.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dan Campbell Effect: Building a Winning Culture

• Culture Shift in Detroit
  • Detroit’s football culture has dramatically shifted under Head Coach Dan Campbell, moving from a place players avoided to a destination of choice.
  • "There is such a culture with this organization now...it permeates everything they do. It's the core of who they are." — Dan Miller [00:00]
• Consistency and Authenticity
  • Campbell’s approach is praised for being consistent and genuine, not just coach-speak.
  • "[Dan Campbell] is the same guy if you're talking to him at a press conference as he is...drinking a beer, just kind of shooting the bull. He just really doesn't change." — Dan Miller [01:30]

2. Aggressive Playcalling & Fourth-Down Decisions

• Detroit’s Identity on Offense
  • Campbell’s willingness to go for it on fourth down has become a core team trait—sometimes controversial, often celebrated.
  • "If he has an opportunity to put the game in their hands, he's going to do that, and he's got confidence in doing that." — Dan Miller [03:51]
• Players’ Trust in Coach
  • This aggression has fostered mutual belief between players and staff, further cementing the team’s identity.
  • "The players absolutely love it, but it's always going to be fodder for conversation because that's the nature of what we do." — Dan Miller [06:04]

3. Parallels Between Detroit and Buffalo

• Similar Paths to Relevance
  • Both teams transformed from unattractive destinations to places where players want to be, driven by strong organizational cultures.
  • "You could be talking about Buffalo here...they went through that long stretch when nobody really wanted to come." — Mike Catalana [08:12]
  • "Players talk. Players understand what each organization is like...if you have a great football organization, that changes everything." — Dan Miller [09:18]

4. Ben Johnson’s Offense & Key Offensive Pieces

• Coordinator Impact and Offensive Strength
  • "Even the best in the league just talk about the things [Ben Johnson] does to put players in a good position." — Mike Catalana [10:21]
  • The Lions’ offensive line is described as “like walking into a party...with the toughest guy in school.” — Dan Miller [10:47]
• Jared Goff’s Fit and Growth
  • Goff is thriving with high completion rates and clutch performances, shaking the perception that he’s just a “system guy.”
  • "When the situation gets to be its most intense, his heartbeat goes down." — Dan Miller, quoting Dan Campbell [15:08]
  • "[Jared Goff] said, 'I found out that I’m much tougher than I ever thought I was.'” — Dan Miller [15:08]

5. Skill Position Standouts and Development

• Amon-Ra St. Brown
  • Exceptional work ethic, clutch play, and unexpected elite production.
  • "I've never seen a player with a better work ethic...he's relentless in his desire to be great. Little bit of Jordan in him." — Dan Miller [17:52]
• Jameson Williams
  • Growing as a pro; explosive potential with increased maturity. "I’ve watched him mature so much...he loves the game, he loves his teammates...he wants to do well for everybody." — Dan Miller [19:59]
• Sam LaPorta
  • Highly reliable tight end, impacted by injuries and the team’s wealth of playmakers: "You never know who's going to be the guy...there's just so many weapons on this team." — Dan Miller [22:05]
• Jahmyr Gibbs
  • Electric rookie, mix of speed and power, real two-headed threat with David Montgomery: "He's a freak...a one-play touchdown guy waiting to happen." — Dan Miller [23:34]

6. Detroit’s Injuries and Defensive Adjustments

• Defensive Line Attrition
  • Lions have been ravaged by injuries: “If you look at their depth chart...eight players that were on that in Week 2, none of them played in the second half of the game against Green Bay.” — Dan Miller [25:26]
  • “This defense has been really good...but Glenn and his coaches never once lowered the bar.” — Dan Miller [25:26]
• Impact of Missing Aidan Hutchinson
  • His presence is deeply missed; relentless effort inspires the team: "He’s our TJ Watt...a dynamic game-changing player.” — Dan Miller [27:24]
• Secondary Rebuild and Standouts
  • Brian Branch (rookie) and Kirby Joseph form one of the league’s top safety duos. Branch is particularly noted for learning the safety position on the fly and excelling instantly [30:10].

7. Josh Allen and the Bills’ Perspective

• Respect for Josh Allen's Growth
  • Miller highlights Allen’s rare blend of passing and running threat, recognizing his improvement in decision-making.
  • "Josh Allen...he’s a big play waiting to happen...his decisions just seem to be so on point.” — Dan Miller [31:58]
• Game Outlook: Fireworks or Defensive Battle?
  • High-powered offenses could dominate, but both defenses have shown top-tier performances this season—anything is possible [34:19].

8. Fan Experience at Ford Field

• Close-Knit, Electric Atmosphere
  • Ford Field is now one of the loudest, most passionate stadiums in the NFL.
  • "It’s become one of the biggest home field advantages...it is so loud in there. These fans have waited so long for this moment.” — Dan Miller [36:09]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We overuse the word culture and we throw it around so much...But there is such a culture with this organization now that you recognize, because it was never really here before." — Dan Miller [00:00]
• "I've never seen a player with a better work ethic than [Amon-Ra St. Brown]...he's relentless in his desire to be great. Little bit of Jordan in him..." — Dan Miller [17:52]
• "Jared Goff said, 'I found out that I’m much tougher than I ever thought I was.'” — Dan Miller [15:08]
• "He's a freak...a one-play touchdown guy waiting to happen." — Dan Miller on Jahmyr Gibbs [23:34]
• "It’s become one of the biggest home field advantages, I think, in the league. It is so loud in there." — Dan Miller on Ford Field atmosphere [36:09]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Dan Campbell & Organizational Culture – [00:00] – [02:53]
• Fourth Down Aggression/Philosophy – [03:51] – [06:04]
• Parallels Between Detroit and Buffalo – [08:12] – [09:18]
• Ben Johnson’s Offense & Goff’s Performance – [10:21] – [15:08]
• Amon-Ra St. Brown & Work Ethic – [17:52] – [19:41]
• Jameson Williams’ Development – [19:41] – [21:34]
• Sam LaPorta’s Role/Diminished Stats – [21:34] – [23:19]
• Jahmyr Gibbs’ Impact – [23:19] – [25:19]
• Defensive Line Injury Issues – [25:19] – [27:19]
• Aidan Hutchinson Injury and Impact – [27:19] – [28:54]
• Secondary Improvements: Branch/Joseph – [29:58] – [31:34]
• Josh Allen & Game Preview – [31:55] – [34:19]
• Ford Field Fan Atmosphere – [36:09] – [37:33]

---

Final Thoughts

This episode spotlights Detroit’s evolution from basement dweller to NFC contender and draws insightful parallels with Buffalo's resurgence. The Lions’ authentic “player-first” culture, coach-driven accountability, and dynamic offense have transformed Detroit's football scene, while major injuries and key individual growth stories add complexity to the looming Bills-Lions matchup. For fans and analysts alike, Sunday’s game is more than just a regular season tilt—it’s a test of two franchises who have fought to change their destinies.

---

Transcript

[A]

Man, we overuse the word culture and we throw it around so much. But, but it's. And this is more than Dan Campbell, but there is such a culture with this organization now that you recognize because it was never really here before. That permeates everything they do and it's, it's the core of who they are. And I think it's, it's the fourth down thing, it's the trust thing, it's all of it. But man, these, these guys believe in him. And you know, we never saw guys that wanted to come to Detroit. We never saw guys that wanted to play here if they had a choice. And now that's changing.

[B]

Hey everybody. Welcome Back to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel, presented by Connors and Ferris. As we always ask you, please make sure to like comment and subscribe and join the team here with us now. We are really happy to have somebody who knows who the Detroit Lions better than anybody. He is the sports director at Fox 2 in Detroit and he is the Lions play by play guy, the voice of the Detroit Lions, Dan Miller. Dan, thanks for being on Buffalo Plus.

[A]

Hey, it's my pleasure. Thank you for having me. It's big week.

[B]

Yeah, very big week. A lot of people have been pointing towards the game. There is a lot to talk about with this Lions team. All of last year, all of this year, nothing they do. But when it seems like right, no matter what they've been doing. I got to ask you right off the top, first of all, what do you think of Dan Campbell when he first got hired and what do you think of him now?

[A]

You know, it's funny, he. He had his opening press conference that Everybody pulled a 15 second bite out of where he talked about kneecaps. And the thing is, it was like a 90 minute press conference and it was back during COVID so we weren't there, but he was watching on Zoom and I'm on a text thread with a bunch of other media guys here in Detroit. And we have unfortunately with the Pistons and the Wings and the Lions and the Tigers, seen a lot of managers and head coaches come and go. And everybody when that was over, kind of said, man, that was like the best one we've ever seen. He said everything that they, that the, not just that the fans needed to hear, but the people in that organization needed to hear about where they were going to go, how they were going to get there, no shortcuts. And, and it felt like more than coach speak, which is what you get a lot of those. And I'll be honest with you, he really hasn't changed since that day. There's, there's part of the magic with Dan Campbell is his incredible consistency. He's the same guy if you're talking to him at a press conference as he is, if you're sitting there in the corner of a room, drinking a beer, just kind of shooting the bull. He just really doesn't change. And I think that's kind of what makes him the leader that he is. And the players want to play for him the way that they do. There's a charisma to him and, but there's an honesty to him that people respond to and I think it's been there since day one.

[B]

Yeah, you talk about guys coming in. So you know, in Buffalo back in the day is Marv Levy, right. And he took them to Super Bowls and then, I don't know, they took a 20 year break from really doing anything and they tried to bring in Rex Ryan. Now, Rex had success in other places, but he said all a lot of those things at his first news conference, but really didn't deliver any of that, you know, and you're just explaining this, the difference with Campbell, his consistency, his work ethic, what he expects out of this team. But the thing a lot of people want to talk about is his aggressiveness. Now the first few times I saw it, and you and I have been around this league a long time, it was kind of startling because guys go for it on fourth down. It's his way of life and I love it. I've come around to like the Dan Campbell way. Every guy on that team seems to know, oh, this is who we are, and they follow his lead. Is it still that popular amongst the fan base that his aggressive stuff?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, look, there's certainly times where it gets questioned and look, here's how it works. And you know this because it's, it's the way life is. When it works, it's great, and when it doesn't, sometimes you get questioned for it. And, and here's what I'll say is a couple things. One, let me take you back to 2022, early in the seasons, like week two or week three, and they're at Minnesota. He's got a fourth and four from the 36 with the lead where if they get the first down, they're going to win the game. And he opted to try a field goal, which I think was going to put him up by six. Wouldn't even have given him a full touchdown lead. And he didn't get he didn't. They missed the field goal. He gave the ball to Minnesota. Cousins took him down, boom, boom. They scored a touchdown, won the game. He's really emotional after the game where he said, that's on me. I took the game away from my players and left it to chance. And I think since then, this offense, this offensive line, this quarterback, this wide receiver, Nomin, Ross, St. Brown and these running backs on down the line that he trusts, if he has an opportunity to put the game in their hands, he's going to do that, and he's got a confidence in doing that. And. And people don't always agree with it. It's the nature of what we do. And sometimes when it doesn't work in particular, you get called out for it. But let me say this. A lot of people point to the NFC Championship game last year, and they say, oh, man, he rolled the dice a bunch of times and it didn't work. Well, number one, if they have a couple of catches where they should have, it would have been a different conversation. Number two, people forget, if you go back to their opening playoff game against the Rams, he went for a fourth and goal, got a touchdown to Sam laporta, tight game, needed that touchdown. Next week against Tampa, tight game, fourth and goal, gave the ball to Craig Reynolds, got a touchdown. People, conveniently, when they talk about the NFC Championship, forget about the fact that went for fourth down once in each of the first two playoff games and might not have even gotten to the NFC Championship if they hadn't done it and they hadn't been successful and hadn't gotten seven instead of three. So it's a long way of saying, I don't think it's changed a whole lot. The players absolutely love it, but it's always going to be fodder for conversation because that's the nature of what we do.

[B]

Yeah, I think he's helped change the game. I mean, Sean McDermott, defensive head coach, right. Has this reputation, but who's his best weapon? His best weapon is Josh Allen. They are aggressive on fourth downs, they will go for it. Maybe not to the extent of what they've done with the Lions, but it's. It's a common thing. Now. You remember, I always think, so long ago, like three, four years ago, teams would punt, they would kick field goals. It's almost now it feels like in these certain circumstances, many coaches just have now been freed up. Maybe not to be to the extent of Dan Campbell or a Nick Sirianni or someone who goes for it all the time. But freed up a little bit more to take chances. And I think it's better for the game.

[A]

Yeah. And I think it's trust in your players. And I, believe me, I think that comes back to you in so many ways when the players know that you trust them. I mean, he's talked about the fact that when he's getting ready to go for one, he looks out at that field, he knows those guys are looking at him saying, we're not coming off. So, you know, it's. There is a belief that goes both ways. They believe in the coach, he believes in them. And it's, It's. Look, we've seen enough of the. The wrong way to run a team in Detroit, to recognize it when you see the right way to run a team. And it's really. Man, we overuse the word culture and we throw it around so much. But. But it's. And this is more than Dan Campbell, but there is such a culture with this organization now that you recognize, because it was never really here before. That permeates everything they do. And it's. It's the core of who they are. And I think it's. It's the fourth down thing, it's the trust thing, it's all of it. But, man, these, these guys believe in him. And, you know, we never saw guys that wanted to come to Detroit, we never saw guys that wanted to play here if they had a choice. And now that's changing and playing. I told this to Amon Ross, St. Brown. I said, you've made playing in Detroit cool. I mean, love Calvin, hall of Famer, love Matthew going to be in the hall of Fame, I believe. But, man, that really never happened. It wasn't cool to play in Detroit. They were just great players who happened to be in Detroit.

[B]

Yeah, you could be talking about Buffalo here in the same way because they went through that long stretch when nobody really wanted to come to Buffalo. And it was the joke, like, if the player's not playing well, we're going to ship you off to buffalo. And when McDermott got here the other day, I had asked him in the news conference about playing in the snow and the fans embracing it. And he actually, I think he almost got a little emotional, saying when I was at the combine, he's talking about himself his first year. He said, people were saying to me, it's going to be tough to get people to come to Buffalo. And he's like, well, let's see. And now you're at the point. I'm talking to Micah Hyde who's coming back to this team. He lives. Dan is. Beautiful place in San Diego. And he's telling us, he's like, I just wanted to be back here. I wanted to come back. Well, there was a long time that wasn't happening. I think you build that culture like you have in Detroit, where people think we can win. And it's a. It's where the players want to be, right? Not just for the games. Like, they want to be there to work out together. They want to be in that environment. They want to be with the fans and like Buffalo fans. I think the Detroit fans have earned a team like this.

[A]

Man, have they earned it. I mean, people come to me all the time and they're like, I'm so happy for you. Because my 20 years doing play by play, you've been through so much. You've seen so much bad football. I'm like, no, I'm happy for you because you guys, the fans have shown so much faith in this team and kept coming back and getting the gut punch after gut punch after gut punch, but they kept coming back because they love this team. So to me, it's. Man, it's what you're saying. It's wonderful to see the fans get this. This opportunity. And believe me, to your point, players talk. Players understand what each organization is like and who you want to play for and where you might want to be. And look, we may not in Detroit or in Buffalo have the most hospitable climates in the world, but they are great places to live with great people. And if you have a great football organization that makes you feel welcome and something you want to be a part of, man, that changes everything, because you can be, you know, in a beautiful place with a lousy program, and you're not very happy going home at night. And that's just. I think that's what we've seen.

[B]

Absolutely. All right, let's talk about your team and the offense. And there's so many good players to talk about, and I don't want to just make it about coaches, but Ben Johnson has been so good. Everybody thought he was maybe going to be gone last year, and he's still there. And describe what it's like to watch his offense, because even the best of the best in the league just talk about the things he does to put players in a good position to succeed.

[A]

Well, I think, again, it's trust. I think he trusts these players to do the crazy plays or the, you know, they're not that he tell you they're not Crazy because they drill them and they get them ready. But he trusts these guys to do the things that they do and he has such a relationship with golf and what they believe is the best offensive line in football. And I'm not here to argue, but it's certainly right up there with anybody you want to put it up against that he trusts those guys can control the game. You know, I've said before that offensive line, man, it's like walking into a party in high school with the toughest guy in school. Nobody's going to mess with you. I mean, they just feel like when they walk on that field they're in control because of those five guys up front. And they've put a lot into it. I mean, you're talking about number one draft picks up there, free agents. They've signed Zeitler one year contract, bring him in after a Pro bowl year in Baltimore and bringing Graham Glasgow back and then the three number one picks you have at tackles and center, man, they just, they believe in those guys and, and Ben believes in this quarterback. And they've been such a team working to build this offense together to where Jared's comfortable and invested in a free agent David Montgomery and invested a first round pick in Jameer Gibbs. And people said they were nuts to do that. You don't draft running backs in the first round and you know, finding Alvin Ross St. Brown in the fourth round and Sam Laporte in the second round and having, you know, guys that, that were elsewhere that wanted to come here and it just makes a difference when that respect goes both ways. It's the same with the head coach as it is with Ben Johnson. These guys just appreciate him, they trust him and they trust him in clutch moments that what he calls is going to work if they execute it correctly.

[B]

So on the downside for Jared Goff, I think there's a perception, again, it's a great system, talent around him and Goff is, is just a guy who delivers. I'm saying this perception because I'm looking at the numbers. 72% looks like a typo, right? And I see the 10 interceptions, but five were in the one game, right? He had the one game where just a couple of plays and it just didn't go the rest of the time. He seems so attuned to what Ben Johnson wants and basically looks like the perfect trigger man for this offense. Is he playing that way?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no doubt. And you know what, it was tough on him when he first got here because he wasn't surrounded with it. With a ton of talent. And it was Ben Johnson coming through in that second year as offensive coordinator when he really started to get comfortable. And I just think that, you know, when you look at where they are right now, people can talk. There is a perception that Jared is, you know, in a system that, that he benefits from and maybe that's the reason for his success. But, man, it doesn't work that way. Not for this extended period of time. Not when you've set a record for, you know, 80% completions in each game. And he's been outstanding. And I don't know if there's a better guy for the offense than Jared. He's learned to trust Ben. He takes whatever the defense gives him. And as he says, look, when you're checking down to David Montgomery or Jameer Gibbs, you got no problem doing that because you know, those guys can turn 4 into 30 really quickly. So, look, it's been fun to watch Jared kind of see him come through what happened in LA and the ugly way that it ended and land here, ugly to begin with, here, not necessarily his fault, but to see him come through and win and man, that playoff game last year against his former team was something else. But it's a really cool story to have had a front row seat to, to see kind of his rebirth and regaining his confidence and really his standing in the league and what he's done.

[B]

What gets him rattled. I mean, he's had very few poor games. And I don't know if it's, you know, with certain quarterbacks like the Bills play to it twice a year. Yeah, very, you know, very accurate. Does a lot of things gets off his first read and it's a different story. I mean, there's a. There's usually something. Some quarterbacks don't seem to have anything, anything that gets Goff off his game.

[A]

Look, even, even in the Houston game with five interceptions, he brought him back to win the game at the end and had a couple of key drives to do it. I mean, I'm going to tell you, Dan Campbell, what he says about him, because I think it's an answer to your question. He says the thing he loves about Jared Goff is when the situation gets to be its most intense, his heartbeat goes down. And I think that's a great, really explanation of who he is and why he's able to be successful. Look, he's human. He'll. He'll have a game every now and then where it's not great. He'll throw a pass like he did this Past weekend, a bad interception where it's not great and he'll know it. And he'll be the first one to tell you, man, he doesn't stay down, he just bounces back. And we do a training camp special every year. And last year before the season, one of our guys, when we sat down with Jared, I thought this was such a great line. He asked him what he had learned about himself in coming through the LA experience, getting to Detroit, losing, then figuring out how to win. And Jared said, I found out that I'm much tougher than I ever thought I was. I thought that was really cool because you've got to have a really thick skin, be incredibly resilient, have tremendous belief in yourself to be able to go through what he went through in la, get basically booted out of there, told you're not good enough. And to your words a couple of minutes ago, just paraphrasing, sent to Detroit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where people thought you were a filler quarterback until they drafted one, but the organization didn't look at him that way, and he certainly didn't look at himself that way. But it's, like I said, it's. It's been cool to watch and look, he's not going to win every game, but he's certainly won a lot of them since he's been here. And he's given us things in Detroit as a quarterback that we haven't had before. Playoff wins, playoff games at Ford Field. And being the super bowl favorite, or certainly one of the couple super bowl favorites in week 15 of an NFL season, we're not used to that around.

[B]

Yeah, that's pretty good. You talked about Aman Ross. St. Brown, and the Bills have a guy in Khalil Shakira. They draft in the fifth round, and he's been much better than I think people would have anticipated. And when we watch him, St. Brown looks like the kind of guy he could become because we've seen him exceed expectations and play with that toughness and run after the catch. He's a number one receiver. Right. Because sometimes there's perceptions of players and you look at them and you go, you know, we see Jamar Chase. There are. There are some players that just put up the crazy numbers and make this guy seems to be that player and wasn't expected to be that when he came in the door.

[A]

No, you certainly, when you're drafted in the fourth round, people don't have that expectation for you. And whatever it was, Amon Rock could tell you every guy's name, but 13 guys, 14 guys drafted ahead of you at your position. He's not better than he thought he'd be, I'll tell you that, because he's always believed in himself. Yeah, I've been doing this for more than 40 years. I've never seen a player with a better work ethic than him, more significant work ethic than him. He's relentless in his desire to be great. Little bit of Jordan in him in that he will find a way to be angry at the opponent. He will find a way to manifest something to get himself going. Whether it's something about him or something with the opponent or something with one of the players on the other side. It's fun to watch and it rubs off on other guys. He's an incredible competitor and I think he's had, you know, a great way of impacting other players like Jameson Williams, who I think looks at him and sees what it takes to be a pro in this league. And I can't say enough good things about him. And yeah, he's absolutely a number one. If you look at his. Where his stats are going to be through four years, there will end up being very few players in the history of this game that will have put up the numbers that he put up through four years. And it's. It's not just numbers. Man, he's so clutch. He's just so good when you need him. Second and 17 in that game last Thursday. He catches that ball to get him within six inches of a first down, the clincher against the Rams. He's right there to catch that football just so many times. It's. It's been a needed situation. And you've seen this Detroit build come through, offensive line, protects golf, delivers. Amon Ra makes the catch. And that's really how this thing is built.

[B]

You mentioned Jameson Williams. I remember talking to him at the draft in Vegas, and I knew he had been coming off his injuries. He said a lot of some missteps, some issues, some injuries, all those things. It seems to be happening now for him. We know he had the speed, but it seems to be coming around for him.

[A]

Yeah, his route trees growing. I think his understanding of what it takes to be a professional is growing. Teddy Bridgewater last year when he was here, at a huge impact on him, teaching him what it is to be a pro, that it's a lot more than just showing up for practice two hours a day. It's a lot more you have to put into it. And he's really. I've watched him mature so much from the day he walked in the door to the person he is now, he's engaging, he's got an electric smile. He loves the game, he loves his teammates, he loves his coaches. He wants to do well for everybody. I've just seen such growth in him. And look, he's got so much more potential to be an even better player than what we're seeing. We're seeing the growth. Remember, you're talking about a guy who basically played one big year of college football and that's it. So you're not talking about somebody that came in with a huge amount of experience and understanding of. Of what it is to, you know, deliver and. And be ready all the time. And I think he's learning that, and it comes faster to some guys than others. But I give him a world of credit for the growth that he's had. And you're right, there's been some missteps, and I think he's learned from those, and he's got to continue to learn from those because he had one, you know, recently in. In the past couple of months with the gun that was publicized. So I really like him. I'm really rooting for him, and I really appreciate what I've seen from him in terms of his ability to say, you know what, I need to get better at the way I approach things and all that will help me become a better football player.

[B]

You know, the Bills drafted Dalton Kincaid, and a lot of people were expecting big, big numbers from him this year. And for different reasons, he's been hurt. He hasn't been as effective as he was in the past. And I always looked. I looked at laporta as another one of those tight ends, and the numbers are down. Right. For this year. What, what has happened with laporta? I know he's gone through some things, too, but what's happened? Because a lot. I mean, there was a lot of thought that he is going to ascend to a next level, and doesn't seem to have happened this year.

[A]

Yeah, and I think he was there last year. I think he's definitely had some injuries that have been issues this year. He's been banged up. And I think this, too. I mean, look, every time they've needed Sam, he. He's been there. I mean, a couple of touchdowns recently and big games to help them win. But I think this, this offense, it's a fantasy football player's nightmare because you never know who's going to be the guy. Like this past week, back to Jared Goff. Set a record with Six different players catching at least five passes in a game. Nobody'd ever done that before in the history of the NFL. I mean, there's just so many weapons on this team that it's hard to say, okay, Sam's going to catch 88 passes again or whatever it was last year. I think it's been a combination of things. I think it's been other guys getting opportunities and I think he has not been 100%. But I don't think this is a reflection of, of something that was a fluke last year or anything to do with his talent. Man, he still makes some big catches for this team when they need him. And I think as they need him going down the stretch, he's still going to be there. And he's, he's active a player. He's not complained one bit. He just goes out there and fights, blocks his tail off and he's ready for whatever comes his way.

[B]

All right, you mentioned Jameer Gibbs a little while ago. He's got that speed, he's lethal out of the backfield on some of those routes into the, into the, in the red zone. What can Bill's fans expect to see out of this kid?

[A]

He's a freak. I mean, he really is. I mean he's just, he's a, he's a touchdown waiting to happen. He's a one play touchdown guy waiting to happen. It's. If he gets the corner on you, it's a problem because you can't catch him. And he's, he's pretty amazing to watch because there's a strength to his running ability as well. You think of him as a speed and shake guy, the man, he can run through you. So he's been everything you could have expected. And the combination of him and Montgomery and kind of watching their relationship grow and the way people have taken to them and, and them considering themselves a two headed monster, it's been fun and it's, he is, he's a, he, he's a guy that helps make this offense go because after you're done worrying about, you know, Amon Ra and Jameson and you know, Sam and Montgomery, there's this kid who's got this amazing four, three, whatever speed that if you're not careful, he's going to take it 70 yards on you. And he's fun to watch, man, it's, it's something else and really has been since the day he walked in the door. And I think he's exactly what they envisioned when they used the number 12 pick overall and man, afterwards, some people got personal with, with Brad Holmes. I do know what he's doing. Does he understand what the draft's all about? I. They have no buyer's remorse when it comes to Jameer. It's. Look, their defense has been beat up this year. This offense has kept it going and the guys that we're talking about have been the engine behind it that have, that have allowed them to win a lot of these games. When you know the defense has been down in terms of personnel, not always down in terms of performance, but I think that offense gives them an extra bit of confidence going into games that regardless of, of what it is, if it's a low scoring game, a shootout, whatever, those guys can adapt.

[B]

Let's go to the defensive side. Has Aaron Glenn asked you to take any snaps at D line this year? I mean, it's incredible.

[A]

Crazy. If you look at, if you look at their depth chart from the second week against Seattle when they were the healthiest, because that's the first game that D.J. reader played, the two man depth chart, eight players that were on that in week two, none of them played in the second half of the game against Green Bay last Thursday. Aleem was the only one active for the game and he got hurt. It's. It's incredible to see what they've gone through. They had two guys playing on that defensive line that had been here for less than a week and it's. What he's done has been nothing short of amazing. And yeah, they gave up 31 points or whatever they gave up, but they had a couple of stops when they needed them and they did just enough to help win that game. And I mean, this defense has been really good for much of the year. They've been a lead against the run for the past couple of years and Jacob's got him a couple times, but he's outstanding. And, but really before that it had been five games I think since they'd given up more than 50 yards to a back. Yeah, and it's, it's really been fun to watch and you know, I feel, I feel for AG because man, there were a lot of years where he didn't have the personnel, then this year he has the personnel and bad luck with injuries takes it away from him in some respects. So. But he, he doesn't believe that's. And I should add this, that's really part of. Again, the Lions is Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn and his coaches on that side of the ball throughout all the injuries have never once lowered the bar for that defense, they go into every game expecting they'll play just as well as if they had everybody in there. And I think that matters. They never once allow those guys to blink. And there's just something here where nobody wants to let down the guy next to him. And that's one thing the organization has said many times and I think that that permeates that defense in particular.

[B]

It's a silly question to say how much do they miss Aiden Hutchinson? But how much do they miss?

[A]

I miss him a ton. I mean look, you're still, they're still winning 11 straight, so obviously you're winning, but I mean you're talking about somebody who was a defensive player of the year odds on favorite at whatever point it was, he got hurt back in whatever it was, week five, six, whatever it was. Look, he's just a dynamic game changing player. You know, that's our TJ Watt, that's our guy that can go out and change a game on any snap. That's the guy that the defenses have to pay attention to in game plan for. And you know, you took him out of the lineup and, and they've, they've adapted and they've continued to play well. But man, you just wonder where would this defense be if they had him? Because he's a special player. And again he and Amon Rob both. I'll say this about, about Aiden as well. Man, just a relentless desire to be a great football player. Player never, ever, ever stops trying to be a great football player. Everything he does is geared towards that. And when you're two of your best players have that man, everybody else, nobody else can take a shortcut because look what those guys are doing. Those guys are at the top of the food chain. So it's a long way of saying they miss him a lot. And it, man, it just, I hope he can get back at some point. If anybody can, it'll be him. But he's a really, really special football player.

[B]

Well, I think Bill's fans would love to be seeing him back in these teams meeting again in, in a few months. Is there a chance he's back this, this season then?

[A]

You're saying they said at the beginning super bowl was a possibility and then I know Fox had the report on Saturday that now maybe the NFC Championship game is possibility. Yeah, look, I don't know. It's, it was a very, very serious injury and they're going to be sure before he gets back in there and, and you know, plays NFL football coming off that injury that he's ready to go and that no further damage can be done. But all I'll say is if anybody can do it, it's him. I, I, I'm not a doctor, I don't know, but I don't think they've ever given up hope that there's a possibility he might be able to come.

[B]

Back and to stay with injuries here a little bit before. I wanted to ask you about the safeties. Anzalone is back at some point, too.

[A]

End of the season.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah.

[A]

I think week 17, week 18, first week of the playoffs, something like that. I think they have every anticipation that, that he will be back at some point.

[B]

Yeah. And I, I loved watching Aaron Glenn play. And then I like your, love watching your secondary, especially Joseph and Branch. They have to be among the best safety duos in the league, right?

[A]

They are. And for Brian Branch, I mean, this is his first year playing safety, which is pretty incredible, and he's, he's been terrific, and he's, he's just such an instinctive player out there, and they were thrilled to trade up in the second round and get him when they got him, and I think he's been everything that they hope for and more. Kirby, the day they drafted him, they said, we like him because he's got ball skills and he's shown that since he walked in the door. I mean, he's just been an interception machine since he got here, and a guy that just gravitates to the football, and he's got a pretty incredible exuberance as well when he's out on the field. He just loves the game. The game loves him. Fans love him. He's, he's, he's a yapper. He's a great guy to talk to. He's got a big personality. And Branch, on the other hand, is kind of really reserved. So it's, it's fun watching those guys play off each other on and off the field, but when it comes down to business, they're both really good at what they do. So that's, it's exciting to have those guys back there. And it's, look, it's a rebuilt secondary from where it was last year. Carlton Davis wasn't here and Amieck Robertson wasn't here and Brian Branch wasn't playing safety and Terry and Arnold wasn't here, so they went out and rebuilt that thing and the results have been, have been really good. And I think having that thing intact right now is important because obviously in your front seven, you're really hurting.

[B]

We got to see your Friend Matthew Stafford this past Sunday in la, and you don't see that happen to a Bill's defense very often, especially in the secondary, and he torched him. But on the other side, Josh Allen just was very Josh Allen from your side, from when you're watching football. And I don't even know if you got a chance to see the game.

[A]

I did.

[B]

What do you think when you watch him play?

[A]

Josh Allen? Yeah, I mean, he's tremendous. And, you know, I mean, the dual threat that he has, his ability to take off and go at the size that he is, is just such a heartbreaker for a defense because he can run through you, he can run around you. He's a big play waiting to happen. He's obviously got a cannon. It's been cool to watch him grow and the way that he's played and the growth of that offense around him. So, look, he's. I think he presents as many problems as any quarterback in the league because of his ability to run and to throw. And Dan Campbell talked about his, you know, taking care of the football and being better with that than, you know, maybe we've seen in the past and how that's helped his game grow. And his decisions just seem to be so on point. So, look, this is. This is a heck of a team. We. We're rooting for you to maybe help us beat the Rams this past weekend. That didn't happen, but we've seen Matthew put together those kind of performances before. I think, Look, I think there's a feeling around here that, man, we don't want to see the Rams again in the playoffs. So not that we have anything against Matthew, but, man, that storyline, we've already been a couple times. Yeah, look, it's this. This is a great matchup because it's. It is two teams. I mean, Buffalo's got to feel like it's their time because they've knocked on the door and they've been close. They've had their heart broken a couple times, but there's nothing saying that this can't be it because they seem to have everything. They're winning. They've already wrapped up their division, and it's impressive to watch that team do the things that they're doing. And he's right in the middle of it, and he's just a great, great football player.

[B]

Yeah, they had a shot to win the NFC west last week because they had beaten the other three, but I tell you, that was. That was brutal. Now, you know how sometimes teams, it snaps them back a Little bit. This Bill's defense is. It's got. They had some issues rushing the passer and you look on, I'm looking at the Lions with their issues up front. In this case, fast track, indoors. People always wonder, is it. I mean, we just saw 44, 42. So I don't know if you'll see that again. Would you think from watching your Lions week in and week out, this has a chance to be a game in that vein where the offenses rule?

[A]

You know, every time I say I think it's going to be one of those, it ends up being 17, 13. Yeah, certainly. I think you have two high powered offenses here that have the ability to take the ball up and down the field and you could end up seeing that kind of game. But look, I've seen the Lions also play good defense against good offenses and, and for the most part this season play really good defense and been near the top of the league in points allowed. So I think I'm wide open to what kind of game this could be. I mean, it's hard to envision that we're going to see each team punting a lot. But you know what? I don't want to disrespect the Lions defense. I don't want to disrespect the Bill's defense. So I just think this is a really good game between two. Two really good teams that probably want to, you know, exert their dominance and show who they are against the team that they know that they're going to be compared to. So I think it's going to be fascinating to watch how it plays out. And I think it's going to be a lot of fun because it, well, could be in people's minds, a preview of a possible Super Bowl. There's a lot of work that has to be done by both sides before you'd even think about getting there. But did out of the question. Is it going to be on people's minds? Yeah, absolutely. I think it will be on people's minds.

[B]

All right. And the last thing, Bill's fans and even all of us have always been treated really well. You know, a couple of years ago we were there twice in a row to play because of the snow in Buffalo. I love Fort Field. I love the stadium. I think it's a great setup and I think fans going there and Bill's fans travel. Now, I know it's a lot tougher to get tickets these days because Lions fans aren't giving them up for these, these games. But if Bill's fans are coming. What's the experience like, would you say, for a visiting fan coming into Ford Field to watch a game like Sunday?

[A]

I think they'll love it. I mean, look, I think it's become, and this isn't me saying it, you hear it a lot. It's become one of the biggest home field advantages, I think, in the league. It is so loud in there. These fans have waited so long for this moment that we're living in now where this team is at the top of the league and expected to be one of those teams and competing like that. It's, it's, it's a wonderful stadium. I love it. I love the vibe. Even when they weren't winning, it would get loud. But now it's, it's just something else. And believe me, for this game against this team, understanding what kind of matchup it is and understanding the fact that we got that much wiggle room between us and the Vikings, even though we won 11 in a row, this is a big game for the Lions. They can't afford to give anything up. They want that home field advantage. They don't want to have to go to Philadelphia if they end up playing them in the playoffs. They want to be here. This is a big game for Detroit. So I. Look, we haven't seen many opposition takeovers. We used to see some of those. Buffalo, excuse me. Green Bay would have a good contingent. Get in there. The Bears would have a good team contingent. Get in there. It's been harder to get those tickets, so I'll be interested to see how many Bills fans can get in the building. But it's. I think they'll have a great time. The city is, you know, just in a great place right now. It's electric on game day. I think they'll have a great time.

[B]

Well, we're really looking forward to it. It's. It's the game of the week, I think, in the NFL. And you mentioned, you know, there's so much going on between positioning for the playoffs and the division. Amazing to win 11 in a row and still be fighting for the division. But that's the way it goes in the NFC North Division for this year. Well, Dan, thanks so much. This is outstanding. We, we really appreciate it. Let people know where they can find you on social media and maybe I, I know you do some other shows. Anything else they can check out before they come for Bills and Lions and watch this week.

[A]

Yeah. At Dan Miller, Fox 2 is the X handle and. And most everything I do gets linked there. So anybody that wants to jump on, we'll have Lions content on there all week. And you know, we look forward to it and it's going to be a lot of fun. So we, we can't wait. Look, we've, we can complain that we've won 11 in a row. We don't have much of a division lead, but there have been so many years where we weren't even a, an afterthought at this point in the season that, that we're just loving this and enjoying this team and, and it's fun to see that both our teams are having fun and I'm sure they're going to have fun on Sunday. One team won't leave too happy, but it's pretty cool that we get to have this matchup.

[B]

All right, well, thanks again. We really appreciate it. Dan Miller, Fox 2 Detroit sports director and of course the voice of the Lions, the play by play announcer. And he'll be doing the game on Sunday. That's going to do it for us. We thank all of you for being with us again. Make sure to like, comment and subscribe and we will see you the next time on the Buffalo plus channel, presented by Connors and Ferris.

[A]

You in the time it takes you to actually board a flight from Group.

[B]

8 now boarding Premier Altitude Elite Club members.

[A]

You could have bought a Hyundai on Amazon. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Limited availability pickup through participating Hyundai dealer and select markets.