FOXBORO — Stefon Diggs knows what it’s like. After four years with the Bills, he’s seen teams visit Orchard Park and briefly lose their faculties thanks in part to the environment stirred up by Buffalo’s fanbase.
“It’s crazy because, you know, being on the other side of it, I saw it,” Diggs said Wednesday. “I witnessed it, multiple times, week in and week out just being on the other side.”
Diggs and the Patriots will play in front of what’s expected to be a raucous crowd on Sunday Night Football — a crowd which may be particularly riled up to see the receiver they once used to cheer for. Diggs made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons with the Bills, racking up over 100 catches, over 1,100 yards and at least eight touchdowns every season.
Diggs knows first-hand what kind of home field advantage Buffalo boasts, and he says there’s only one way to combat it: execute.
“Going in there, only way you control the environment is staying in the green,” Diggs said, indicating there will be a premium placed on staying ahead on down and distance.
“Getting behind the eight (ball), the fans and everyone else, they feed off it. Just like any other fan base. But that fan base in particular. They’re going look to get rowdy on certain downs, early downs, put you in mistakes, put you in bad spots.”
Mike Vrabel has been going into Western New York as an opponent for years, dating back to his playing days.
“I love the ride up,” he said. “I love the passionate fans, coming up into that thing, driving down the road and seeing the same things you saw for 20 years in this league. It’s a great sports town, and we’re excited to go there on Sunday night.”
With a strong performance against a Super Bowl favorite on the road, Vrabel has an opportunity to add some high-octane fuel to the optimism roaring in New England after their blowout win over the Panthers. But this week’s opponent — and their fans — represents an entirely different challenge.
“Going in there and handling it well is going to be big for us,” Diggs said. “It’s another test for us. I feel like we’ve had multiple tests throughout this season, some of them we answered, some of them we didn’t.
“We’re going to do everything in our power, going in there with the right mindset. I [was] there for a while so I’m trying to give them everything, at least a little bit, that might help.”
