Bills Central

Bills LB Joe Andreessen answers the important question: Has he ever broken a table?

Has Buffalo Bills linebacker (and known Bills Mafia member) Joe Andreessen ever gone through a table? He's answered the burning question.

Kyle Silagyi

Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Few NFL fanbases have representatives on the teams they support themselves, but if ever a club were to employ one of its fans as a player, the Buffalo Bills seem an apt choice. The team’s fanbase, affectionately referred to as ‘Bills Mafia,’ is known nationally for its unwavering passion and willingness to support the team through thick and thin, regardless of record, weather, or any other circumstances.

A native of Depew, NY, Joe Andreessen grew up a Buffalo fan, tailgating outside of Highmark Stadium before a home game as recently as two years ago. This isn’t an extraordinary story in and of itself, as plenty of Western New York residents tailgate ahead of Bills games; what makes the story a bit remarkable is that Andreessen now plays for the team.

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The 24-year-old linebacker tried out for Buffalo at its May rookie minicamp after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft, this after transferring from Division 1 FCS School Bryant to his hometown University at Buffalo for a 2023 season in which he tallied 90 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He was an extreme long shot to make the Bills’ 53-man roster, but he made the most of every opportunity he was given throughout training camp and preseason, particularly flashing in a Week 2 preseason win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he recorded 12 tackles and generally didn’t look out of place amongst starters. The unbelievable story became fact when Buffalo released its initial 53-man roster of the 2024 campaign on Tuesday, with Andreessen making the squad.

Andreessen’s journey is one of the more memorable preseason stories in recent memory—a hometown kid who not only tried out for and made his boyhood club, but did enough with his opportunities to stretch his tenure into the regular season. It’s a Hollywood-esque tale that’s still being written, but there’s a question that remains on everyone’s mind: did he ever break a table at a Bills tailgate?

The Buffalo faithful are known for a number of strange pre-game traditions, among them going through tables in one of the various parking lots surrounding Highmark Stadium. A known fan of the Bills, some have wondered if Andreessen has ever taken part in the ritual; Good Morning Football host (and honorary Bills Mafia member) Kyle Brandt asked the rookie the burning question during Friday’s episode, with Andreessen providing a perhaps disappointing answer.

“To be honest, no, I haven’t [broken a table],” Andreessen said. “A lot of my friends, I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen people jump off buses through the tables. Like I said, when it starts snowing out, that’s when the tailgates start getting crazy. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff happen at Bills tailgates.”

Andreessen won’t have the opportunity to break his first table in the parking lot this season, as he’ll instead be suiting up for the team inside the stadium. The rest of Bills Mafia will have their next opportunity to tailgate on September 8 as Buffalo kicks off its regular season slate against the Arizona Cardinals.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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