ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — "Buffalo Joe" is officially a Buffalo Bill.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Joe Andreessen said Wednesday.
The hometown kid playing for his hometown team is one heck of a story, but the story isn't what is keeping Andreessen on the team.
“Some people are ready for their opportunity and others are not,” Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said a day after keeping Andreessen on the roster.
“Every step of the way he checked a box, checked a box,” Beane added.
“How can you not cheer for him? There’s a lot of guys that we cheer for that don’t make it, so we still have to make the best decision for the Bills. To this point he’s done what’s asked and he earned the opportunity to make our initial 53.”
Andreessen's path to get to this point began back during a Pro Day the Bills hold for local colleges and players from the area.
The Lancaster high school and University at Buffalo alum hit both criteria.
Little did he know it would be the start of this improbable journey.
“That was the goal, so to say no to that question would be a lie because then I’d just be wasting my time," Andreessen said. "I came in here to try and prove that I can play football. But to say that there was no doubt or anything like that would be lying. Obviously you have bad days and stuff like that where you get down on yourself. I had belief in myself and just happy how it worked out”
You could tell Andreessen was toeing the line Wednesday with soaking in the fact that he actually made the team with the reality that his work to stay there is just beginning.
“I wouldn’t say pressure’s the right word, but something to lock even more in for," Andreessen said. "God willing, if I’m out there on Sunday, I’m going to have to make plays for this team and I’ve been a fan of this team for a while, so there’s even more than maybe the average player, I want this team to win. No doubt.”
Nothing average about what Joe Andreessen's accomplished so far with the Buffalo Bills.