ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Highmark Stadium was a place of joy and optimism after the Buffalo Bills’ 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Fans outside the stadium both before and after the game felt the team may have finally found its missing piece.
Sunday was the first game that new Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper played in after being traded from the Cleveland Browns last week.
After a quiet first half, Cooper made some noise in the second half, hauling in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen.
Through one performance in a Bills uniform, fans liked what they saw.
“Amari's got that veteran presence,” Brady Thompson said. “He's going to, he's going to be big stuff, man.”
“Now that we got a No. 1, everybody eats as well,” Joe Amoretta said.
Despite his loud impact on the field, Allen’s new No. 1 target is actually known around the league for being a quiet guy. His college coach, Nick Saban, from Alabama said the same about Cooper shortly after the trade.
“He’s such a quiet guy,” Saban said a few days ago on the Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, he went three or four years at Alabama, however long he was there, and I don’t know if we ever had a conversation.”
Bills fans had no problem with his introverted nature.
"Hey, Amari, you know what? Read your books. Do whatever you need to do, but keep doing what you're doing,” Thompson said.
And fans are hopeful that his addition will be a game changer for the remainder of the season.
“I’ve got a buddy back home, Cleveland Brown fan, thank you,” Amoretta said. “Thank you for him. We appreciate that, and we're going to roll with it. Coop!”