ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Much like Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Squirrel Winter was simply built for Buffalo winters.
"The old saying in Buffalo, if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes," Allen’s neighbor said on Sunday when 2 On Your Side’s Julianne Pelusi asked him how Allen handled the record-breaking snowfall that hit Orchard Park over the weekend.
The snow moved the Bills’ home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit and almost left Allen and several of his teammates stranded trying to get to a shuttle at One Bills Drive headed to the airport and off to the Motor City.
Winter, along with other neighbors, helped dig out their quarterback.
"Basically, I was just driving by… blowing snow out of people's driveways," Winter said. "I've got a farm just down the street from Josh, about a quarter mile away."
When push came to shove, one shovel wasn’t enough for Allen. Luckily, for him, the neighborhood comes with a Western New York farmer like Squirrel and some brawn.
“We finished my driveway and we did two other neighbor's driveways,” another neighbor, Marc Braun said. "I noticed there was a lot of commotion going on up at Josh's driveway."
Braun and Norm Marshall were shoveling Allen's driveway for about an hour when Squirrel drove by on his plow and stepped in.
“They had ATVs, snowmobiles, pickup trucks, and they were trying to get back to Josh,” Braun said.
Eventually, they did, with Braun leading the charge, helping Winter keep his plow centered in the driveway until a path was cleared.
"Squirrel and Marc Braun, they came with a big ole tractor and dug me out. I had a lane about this big,” Allen said holding out his hands after the Bills’ 31-23 win over the Browns on Sunday. “The radars in my car were beeping the entire way down my driveway because it felt like I was about to hit something."
Squirrel and Braun got a shoutout from Allen and the crew calling the game broadcast. Winter’s old flip phone started buzzing.
“After halftime, all of a sudden, the announcements came on, and holy cow it got wild on the phone there for awhile. It was enjoyable that I was able to be a part to help one of them team members, it doesn’t matter which one be on that field,” Winter said.
“I just wanted to see them do good.”
A win for the Bills was setup by the City of Good Neighbors, maybe thanks to Allen being a good neighbor himself.
“He’s a great neighbor,” Marshall said. “I think he pulled out a win for his neighbors.”