Devin McCourty expects ‘a lot of middle fingers’ from fans in Buffalo this weekend
"It’s not really friendly for us up there."
Bills fans have, let’s say, a certain reputation. So when the Patriots visit Buffalo this weekend, Devin McCourty is expecting nothing but their best.
During a press conference Wednesday, the Patriots safety and defensive captain was asked about playing in Buffalo, which a reporter described as “a smaller, more intimate setting.”
“When you say intimate, it makes it seem so friendly,” McCourty responded. “It’s not really friendly for us up there.”
By some measures, the Bills have among the best home-field advantages in the NFL. And their fans’ die-hard, if convivial, support for their team is well–documented.
“When we pull into that stadium, there’s nobody happy to see that bus pull in there,” McCourty said Wednesday. “A lot of middle fingers, a lot of mouthing words.”
McCourty added that though the players can’t hear the fans’ words from inside the bus, they don’t “seem to be compliments of any sort.” But that didn’t mean the defensive back didn’t have compliments in turn for the Bills fan base, calling New Era Field (formerly known as Ralph Wilson Stadium) one of the “most underrated stadiums.”
“Their crowd comes and they come loud and energized for Buffalo, but it’s been fun to go there and get that atmosphere and be kind of in that stadium where everyone else is against you,” he said. “We know we have to kind of play well and get going early, or they really get into it and it makes it even harder to win there.”
The Patriots, however, haven’t had too hard of a time recently against the Bills. Since Tom Brady took over as quarterback in 2001, New England has won 28 of their 32 games against their AFC East rivals.
