Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills Offensive Lineman

Fantasy Football Leagues are one on the waiver wire and with trades and with savvy starter sit decisions. The Fantasy Football Today Podcast will help you along the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league. With eight episodes per week, Fantasy Football Today is the only resource you'll need. Start sit, grade the trade, Fantasy Cops to settle your league disputes and so much more. Check out Fantasy Football Today anywhere podcasts are found. Fantasy Football Leagues are one on the waiver wire and with trades and with savvy starter sit decisions. The Fantasy Football Today Podcast will help you along the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league. With eight episodes per week, Fantasy Football Today is the only resource you'll need. Start sit, grade the trade, Fantasy Cops to settle your league disputes and so much more. Check out Fantasy Football Today anywhere podcasts are found.

Our number three of our radio program, that's right, it is the Zach Gelb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. We're coming to you live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios. Whether you're looking to purchase a new home or refinance yours, Rocket Mortgage could help you get there.

For home loan solutions that fit your life, well Rocket can. We've been waiting for this game all week. It is the game of the NFL season so far and it kicks off Sunday at 4.25 PM Eastern.

It's the 4-1 Buffalo Bills going to Arrowhead to square off against the 4-1 Kansas City Chiefs. So now joining us is a Pro Bowl left tackle from the Buffalo Bills and my dear friend Deon Dawkins. Deon, how you been my man? Zach, what it do brother man? What up bro? Long time, actually not long time but couple days no talk.

What it do? Yeah, everything's been great. I see you rocking out in that locker room each and every Friday. How did that start about on your Instagram Live where you and a teammate are dancing like crazy guys in the locker room? Yeah man, it's truly been a Friday thing for a little while. When I first got here it was Freestyle Friday.

We used to just freestyle rap but that was before Instagram Live was a big thing so we really never did it. But, you know, me and Isaiah are very vibrant guys in the locker room so we just clicked our Live one and then we started to jam out and then Taiwan came and joined in and it's been a nice vibe for real. I know you always have great dance moves but I've never seen an offensive lineman dance with a putter the way that you did today. Yeah, you've seen the putter? The putter's great! That was actually all pro Poyer's putter man. Poyer is a huge golfer.

Poyer's locker is next to mine and I borrowed his putter and I hope he's not upset at how close I had that putter to my body. Man, we just dimed you out. We just ratted you out here.

For sure, definitely just threw me under the bus but it's all good. Poyer is for sure a team player. Dion Dawkins here with us from the Buffalo Bills. So you guys have been rocking the last few years and from afar it looks like that culture and the Bills team is just such a fun group to be a part of. You being in that locker room, you being a leader, how do you describe the culture of the Buffalo Bills? The culture is beautiful right now, Zach.

Brandon Bean and McDermott have done a great job of getting the right group of guys here. We all mesh really well, bro. We mesh really, really well and I'm really excited and really honored to be on this team because everything has been going well. Everything has been flowing well.

Everybody has been meshing and bonding and it's been a good feeling and I can almost guarantee it's not like this everywhere. All we do is have fun, literally. That's all we do. We have fun, we play football, we lock in when it's time to lock in and then we have a blast. I remember a tweet that you sent out in 2018 when you guys just beat the Lions and you were in the midst of only having six wins that season and you kept on saying something special is brewing here in Buffalo.

This is different, we're building something that's going to be good for a while. What did you see back in 2018 that many other people didn't because what it has become now is the Buffalo Bills are right at the top of the NFL. It's funny that you mention that, but literally it's just like when you're a person that really cares about people and you really see what's going on and you don't look at the small, small, small stuff that really doesn't matter.

People are saying the Bills suck and this and that and the Bills are still the same old Bills. Then you have somebody who's in the building and watching everything from first sight like myself. You see the bigger picture. I've seen the bigger picture.

I've seen exactly what McDermott was trying to do. As you know, when we were at Temple, it still has that feeling of how Temple was. We didn't really win a whole lot in the beginning, but we just stuck to it.

Eventually, we got the job done. It's a beautiful feeling. It truly is. It's just seeing what was brewing before the world. It was just the process before the process.

Coming from Temple with that saying, trust the process, it was really just me saying trust the process in a tweet. Dion Dawkins here with us. Is it tough to stay in the moment because whenever someone talks about the Bills this season, it's Super Bowl or bust, they're playing for Lombardi Trophy. How do you guys just focus week by week? We just focus on ourselves. We understand the window of opportunity.

We understand how hard it is to win in this league. We just keep everything in house. We worry about ourselves. We focus on ourselves. We truly just leave it all up to the people in house.

We don't really look outside for any joy or any love. We have all of the sources that we need in the building. When you need somebody to tell you that you're doing a great job, it's there. When you need somebody who's telling you that you're not doing a good enough job, it's there.

When you need a laugh and you need anything, it's all right there. We don't look outside of the building for anything other than our immediate families. Dion Dawkins here with us. This is a huge game this weekend. It's all we've been talking about the entire week. Do you guys sense how big of a game this is with the history between these two teams or do you not try to treat this game any differently? The world, Zach, is going to make this the biggest thing ever, but it's still a football team. There's still 11 people against 11 people at one time. We don't make it bigger than what it is. It's exciting.

Yes, a lot of people are brewing it up to be something different than what it is. It's just two great teams playing a football game and that's truly just what it is. A football game is still 60 minutes. It's not 80 minutes. It's not 100 minutes.

It's 60 minutes. Either way, we understand that we have to play until that clock hits zero and the world is going to make it bigger than what it is, but we take it. It's our next game and it's, of course, a big one because it's just that next game.

Dion Dawkins, I'm sure quite a few times this week that AFC Divisional Game has come up in questions and speaking to the media. Is that still motivation with how that game ended last year or are you guys moving on from that and have you flushed it? No, but you can't really, truly overly flush it. I can lie and I can sit here and be like, yeah, it's over with. We flushed it, but that still burns in our hearts, man.

We're competitors and it'll forever be a sour feeling in our mouths and in our chest and in our brain. I understand what happened last year and what it is, but we have a different team. Everybody that's playing isn't going to feel the same emotions, but we're all on the same mission and that's to simply leave with a W and not an L. Dion Dawkins here with us. Gabe Davis is off to a really good start to this year. We've seen him have some big games going back even to that Divisional Round Game. Hey, I saw the guy make plays at UCF. He's a heck of a player. How do you kind of view Gabe Davis and his importance to this team? Gabe is my dog, man. He is a young stallion that is just stepping, man. He's really stepping. He's really trading a lane for his own. He's already traded it and Gabe is a huge factor to our team and I'm honored to have him as a teammate. He's truly himself.

He's a dude, man. He really is. Gabe has a heart of a lion and he cares and he cares about people.

When you have a good person that knows how to play ball and also cares about people and not all that glitter and glam, that's what creates a special player mentally, which creates the special player for the world to see. And he's on the right track and I'm happy for him. Gabe is a superstar and I'm happy that he's my receiver and gets a block so Josh can comfortably get Gabe the ball. When you take a glance at Von Miller, not only is he a four still on the field, but he brings that Super Bowl experience to Buffalo winning two championships and a Super Bowl MVP.

How has that transition been? Von coming into locker room and what has he really brought to that team in your view? Von is that guy, man. I love Von. Von is everything and he's made everybody around him better.

You feel his overall presence when he walks in the building, when he walks through meeting rooms and in the cafeteria and on the practice field. You can just feel Von's presence and that presence is a winning presence. Everybody that's around him wants to be just as good as Von. So when he is around, you want to play great just like Von so you're nothing less.

So you can kind of see eye to eye and you're kind of on that same level of greatness in a way. But Von has made me drastically better. His speed is still unreal. He's taught me so many things that I never even thought of in a game of football and it's only been five weeks plus the four weeks of camp. So it's really only been nine weeks and he's already done things for this football team that is overall amazing. Deion Dawkins for the Buffalo Bills here with us for a few more minutes on the Zach Gelb show.

You know how this game gets built up. It's Josh Allen against Patrick Mahomes, the two great quarterbacks in this league. You've told me from the start right when you met Josh that he was special. Take me through that journey on what it's like to see him go from someone at first that was a little inconsistent and now he's one of if not the best quarterbacks in the NFL. You know, and just to correct you right Josh was never really in consistent, you know, it takes a second for a football team to get the right tools for their quarterback and Josh when he first like got in like like it was a it was a unfinished puzzle. When Josh first got his opportunity to show what he can do then every year, you know, Brandon Bean and the crew like they've been getting the right guys here to make Josh comfortable from Josh's first start his first jump over somebody from his first step on from his first rushing like touchdown from his first people, you know, it's been a gradual increase for Josh. And Josh is showing it every week that he's that guy and he's making incredible leaps every week and he's showing the world why he's our MVP and he's truly who he is, which is Josh Allen that guy.

Yeah, obviously he's in the MVP conversation is the alpha dog of your team, you know franchise quarterback face of that organization. I just wonder is there an emphasis to try to take a little bit off his plate because through the first five games. He's been a leading rusher. Do you feel like you guys got to help out Josh a little bit more running the football.

Everything is game plan that as you truly know everything is game plan. You like you can look at stats, like you can look at Josh is doing too much or, or anything but Josh was playing ball, he's he's playing ball and we're winning. So I don't think that the recipe should ever change when the recipe that we've been having is a winning recipe, and not to say that with any cockiness with any thing at all, but just with with with confidence and Josh knowing his in confidence. He's, he's a running fan in the pocket, run around throw quarterback like he's all of it, all in one so you'll, you'll always see Josh's numbers up on every on everything, whether it's rushing passing, whatever. Josh is going to do it because Josh does what Josh does that I can that's, you know, take, take over games and be yourself. There's been a lot of rumors this week about maybe the Buffalo Bills and branded being adding Christian McCaffrey Have you heard any of those rumors and what are your thoughts on them.

Yeah, I haven't heard no rumors, I seen him. But I don't get involved in any of that stuff man that is a whole different world. And as you know, that is way greater than our pay grade. I just get paid to block and lead a football team so I'm gonna stick to my role and help in helping Josh get that ball to the tower stars. I don't know Dion you got some clout in that organization I hear Vaughn each and every week chirping about bringing an Odell Beckham I think you could start chirping about Christian McCaffrey if you wanted to. It's so funny that you are truly funny man but you know I, I'm a huge Devin is saying is Singletary fan. I'm a huge Zach Moss fan, you know, Cook fan like I love our and running back so you're with us. You guys are with us.

I'm rocking with them so there's nothing against anybody, truly. And once again, that is beyond my pay grade. You've learned something from me how to handle the media throughout all these years. So before we let you run this week, the mentality, I know it's always want to know want to know want to know what's the mentality like though inside that locker room, as you guys get set for this game up against Kansas City. So, as you know right as you've been my, my good friend for a long time that. Why would it ever change now but tell me why would it ever change now, and we could probably say it together. The mindset is literally be want to know every week, and it will never change.

That is the game plan there's no the same physics, the same science the same rocket science, you know, the mindset is leave want to know every week, and the rest will fall into place. Well you've never changed you've been the same person since I met you at Temple and I'm so happy and thrilled you know that for your success but definitely wanted to say that on the show and to see the player you become has been absolutely awesome. Kick ass this weekend. Good luck in a safe travels to Kansas City is that you already know better, and forever love, and it will always be man.

And I love you better. Much love, you already know fantasy football leagues are one on the waiver wire, and with trades, and with savvy starter sit decisions. The fantasy football today podcast will help you along the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league with eight episodes per week fantasy football today is the only resource you'll need start sit grade the trade fantasy cops to settle your league disputes, and so much more. Check out fantasy football today, anywhere podcasts are found fantasy football leagues are one on the waiver wire, and with trades, and with savvy starter sit decisions, the fantasy football today podcast will help you along the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league with eight episodes per week fantasy football today is the only resource you'll need start sit grade the trade fantasy cops to settle your league disputes, and so much more. Check out fantasy football today, anywhere podcasts are found fantasy football leagues are one on the waiver wire, and with trades, and with savvy starter sit decisions. the way with the best advice on how to manage your team and dominate your league with eight episodes per week fantasy football today is the only resource you'll need start sit grade the trade fantasy cops to settle your league disputes, and so much more. Check out fantasy football today, anywhere podcasts are found, finding a perfect suit can seem impossible, but finding a suit that's perfect for you is simple with Indochino choose your favorite fabric and customize every detail, then submit your measurements online or get measured in store for a custom made for you fit at an incredible price and with Indochino fall collection featuring new colors and premium fabrics, you'll be in style all season long Indochino makes it easy to craft a look that suits you perfectly suits start at just $449 and fitted shirts start at just $89, and you can fine tune every detail lapels linings monograms and more create a personalized wardrobe that doesn't cost a fortune with options like shirts casual wear and outerwear want to elevate your look Indochino lets you make any suit a tux design your perfect suit today with Indochino get $50 off any purchase of $399 or more with promo code fall update at Indochino com that's i n d o c h i n o.com promo code fall update.