Wade Mania has hit the Western New York area in recent weeks. But the man himself is pumping the brakes.

Christian Wade, the former international rugby superstar from England, has captivated all football fans over recent weeks for his highlight-reel plays. He has a long rushing touchdown and a 48-yard catch in back-to-back preseason games.

Wade said he appreciates all the support, but he knows things are not all that simple in regard to him making the Bills’ final roster. There’s playmaking, yes, but blocking, reading an NFL defense, and plenty of other under-the-radar things are still new to him and because of that, he thinks his big plays are distracting fans from realizing the deep aspects of the game.

“I don’t know if they’ve been educated and they know the full background. I think people are obviously seeing a football player out there doing football stuff, but they don’t really know the full background,” Wade told NYUP.com.

Whatever you see on GAMEDAY is a product of the WORK we put in, Day in and Day out! Trust the PROCESS! It’s a Real Grind 🏈🏈🙌🏿 #MyFirstCatchThough 🤗 pic.twitter.com/mCXdoOJuUd — Christian Wade (@ChristianWade3) August 19, 2019

Wade came to the NFL via the International Player Pathway Program and it’s a very complex system for him. Can he make the final 53-man roster? In a word, yes.

Then the Bills have a few options. They can use the IPPP rules and add him to the practice squad as an extra player in that group without costing the team a roster spot. But if the Bills do that, they cannot bring him up to the team’s 53-man roster at any point of the season, like they could with traditional practice squad player.

In order to call him up, he has to be a regular practice squad member, but that subjects him to waivers, meaning any NFL team can claim him. It’s a crazy system that we’re only actually learning about now because he has impressed.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott doesn’t openly discuss whether or not Josh Allen – who absolutely roster spot – has roster spot, so it’s no surprise that he wouldn’t comment on that situation for Wade.

But he is impressed, like the rest of Bills Mafia

“To sit here and think how far he’s come and to go back to his first day in the meeting room — (it’s) crazy,” McDermott said.

McDermott and the Bills have two more preseason games to figure out whether Wade’s uncanny running ability outweighs the learning curve he faces in other aspects of the game.