Throughout the past eight months in Buffalo, changes have come as often as napkins requested by the patrons of local chicken wing spots. For those who don’t understand the sheer quantity of that, it’s a lot.

Lumped into those changes is the Bills secondary, a far cry from the faces who played under Rex Ryan in his two seasons as head coach of Buffalo. The only Bill who returned from last years group is safety Colt Anderson, who’s entering his second season with the team.

With all the changes going on around One Bills Drive, the pessimism grew a bit this offseason. Familiar faces were shipped away, but even through all of that, Buffalo showed up strong to root for the Bills Sunday.

Bills fans are known for being dedicated and committed to their team, through thick and thin. It’s a college atmosphere in a smaller city who loves to eat and who loves their football team. It’s familiar to one of Buffalo’s newest players, Micah Hyde. After spending his first five seasons with the Packers, Hyde signed a five-year, $30.5 million contract to be a leader on the Bills new-look defense.

When asked about the crowd volume during the game, Buffalo safety Micah Hyde made it clear that he relished it.

“It was loud, but that’s how we like it. It’s harder for their offense to communicate,” Hyde said. “It’s awesome. It’s my first regular season game playing in Buffalo, I’ve played here before in the past, and I remember it being just as loud. It’s an amazing place to play and we definitely cherish that.”

Other players new to Buffalo took notice to the crowd as well. Running back, Mike Tolbert, who came over from the Carolina Panthers in the offseason, finished with 42 rushing yards and one touchdown and helped the Bills rumble to a victory during the season opener. He commented on the intensity of the “Bills Mafia” at New Era Field after the game.

“The fans were amazing. You really don’t have the appreciation for it until you’re in the game. Until you feel the energy. So major shout out to Bills Mafia man.”

Both Tolbert and McDermott will take on their old team next Sunday as Buffalo will take on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. It’ll be McDermott’s first time facing off against his previous employer after leading a stout Panthers defense the last six seasons which included a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season.

newsletter Get 10 hot stories each day Thanks for signing up.

Please check your email for a confirmation. Thanks for signing up.

Please check your email for a confirmation.