It’s been a week to remember in the Diggs’ family.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs was excited to earn his second Pro Bowl honor Wednesday night, but it paled in comparison to the joy he experienced when he learned that his younger brother, Trevon, had made it for the first time.
“I was more happy for him than I was for myself,” Stefon Diggs said Thursday after the Bills completed practice inside Highmark Stadium ahead of Sunday’s showdown against the New England Patriots. “Seeing his maturation process as far as, like, you see a player going into his first year, you want to see him make that second-year jump. We had that conversation many times. He showed a lot of potential last year. He went against every good receiver in the league. I was just like, ‘man, you've seen everybody. You've played against everybody, as far as building that confidence and being able to play with anybody.’ He had some success, too, as a young player, so I was like, 'just carry that over and go in with the right mindset.' He did it to the maximum. He was the epitome of just taking that second-year jump, maturing as a player on and off the field.
“I was just more proud than anything. I was more happy for when I heard about him, because I knew he was going, but I still wanted to see it. I saw his picture and I saw his face, I saw him in the Cowboys helmet, I'm like, ‘yeah, that's my little brother.’ ”
Speaking with reporters in Dallas, Trevon Diggs said he and his older brother FaceTimed with about 15 family members after the Pro Bowl announcements were made, calling it one of his favorite moments to share with family.
"I love him to death," Trevon said. "Just being able to go up there with him, that’s fire.”
For as much as Stefon Diggs was pleased for his brother, however, he shared disappointment for his teammates who didn’t make it.
That includes quarterback Josh Allen, who is tied for the AFC lead in total touchdowns (35) and ranks third in total yards (4,289).
“Very much so,” Diggs said when asked if he was disappointed about Allen’s snub. “I try not to get into the specifics as to why or why not, because I don't make the rules, but as far as what Josh put on tape consistently, everybody was thinking of him as the MVP, so it's hard to not put a guy like that in the Pro Bowl. You've seen him make many plays. His numbers also prove it, as well. You watch guys get snubbed each and every year, but I wouldn't have thought it would have been my guy.”
Diggs sat at a podium in the postgame media room at Highmark Stadium next to safety Micah Hyde, who was another of the Bills’ snubs (as was fellow safety Jordan Poyer).
“Ah, I've been in the league long enough. I know how this thing works,” Hyde said about not being chosen as a Pro Bowler. “It is what it is. Obviously, we're all competitors in this building. We want to go out there and we want to win. We want to get acknowledgement and all that type of stuff, but at the end of the day, it's a team sport. We want to go out there and win against the Patriots.”
Poyer and Hyde were passed over on the AFC roster in favor of Tennessee’s Kevin Byard, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James and Kansas City’s Tyrann Mathieu.
“Especially at our position, safety position, there's some dogs in this league,” Hyde said. “But I will say this, me and Po, we go out there each and every week, we're available, we're accountable, we hold each other to a high standard. We go out there, we ball. I think people see that on tape. Not having us in the Pro Bowl really doesn't mean anything as far as that. We go out there and make plays for our football team and try to help this defense get better each and every week.”
Diggs then jumped in.
“They make a lot of plays on the field, and you see that. “People say it's popularity, but what I can say is from my standpoint, I watch DBs in the league, and I know that Po, Micah, even Tre (White), everybody knows they are some of the top DBs in the league, bar none. Wherever they standing is, I don't know if they get enough love or not, but I'm giving them all the love, because I know that they play at a high level.”
Pro Bowl voting is made up of voting by fans, players and coaches, with each counting for one-third of a player’s total votes. Diggs and Hyde, however, both seemed surprised to learn that players even voted, struggling to remember the last time they had ever even done so.
“I know the one year I did it, you kind of just try to get it done as soon as possible to get out of the building, honestly,” Hyde said. “Guys with the last name starts with a 'W,' might not even be seen, because ain't nobody scrolling all the way down there. You know, that's enough with the Pro Bowl.”
Given that contract bonuses are tied to Pro Bowl appearances, perhaps the NFL should come up with a better way to honor its top players in a given season. That’s a conversation for another day, though.
After all, as Diggs said, “We got a game this week.”
It’s a big one, too.
Injury updates
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders practiced fully for the Bills on Thursday – a good sign as he attempts to return from a knee injury suffered in Week 14 against Tampa Bay.
Sanders’ return would come at a good time since the Bills will be without wide receiver Cole Beasley, who tested positive for Covid-19 and is on the league’s reserve/Covid-19 list.
“We talked about it earlier in the year – at one point, depth was going to be a thing for us,” Diggs said. “We've got a lot of guys who can make plays. You see Gabe Davis stepping up last week. We've got a lot of talent, and we knew it was going to come in handy at one point. Things turned the corner fast and as the wheels turned, we just see it as a next-man-up mindset. We're going to need ‘Bease’ back at one point. He's been trying to get all the guys ready, especially the young guys. … I think we're going to have Emmanuel back this week. That'll add another one of our horses, another one of our talented players, so we look to just try to keep the ball rolling and go 1-0.”
Running back Taiwan Jones (knee) participated on a limited basis, as did Hyde. Allen (foot) and defensive end Jerry Hughes (neck) were full participants, but defensive tackle Star Lotulelei (personal reasons) and cornerback Cam Lewis (illness) did not participate Thursday.
The Bills activated linebacker Tyrel Dodson off the reserve/Covid-19 list.
For the Patriots, running back Rhamondre Stevenson (illness) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion) did not practice.
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