Q and A with Buffalo Bills Author Scott Pitoniak
I recently sat down with longtime author and columnist Scott Pitoniak for his new upcoming book, co-authored with Buffalo Bills voice John Murphy, titled:
If These Walls Could Talk: Buffalo Bills: Stories from the Buffalo Bills Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box. No one knows more about the Bills and their past, present and future than Scott and Murph. Enjoy.
ML: You start the main book with Josh Allen…not the 90’s Bills or AFL title days. Says a lot about #17, doesn’t it?
SP: Yes, it does, and that was intentional on our part because we wanted to draw strong parallels with the past. Like Jack Kemp and Jim Kelly in previous glory-day eras, Josh has been a transcendent and transformational figure. Just as Kemp was the missing piece of the puzzle that enabled the Bills to win those back-to-back American Football League championships in the mid-1960s, and Kelly literally saved the franchise and lead Buffalo to an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls in the 1990s, Josh has helped erase memories of that 17-year playoff drought and has become not only the face of the Bills, but also one of the faces of the NFL. We love the way he’s embraced Bills Mafia and the way he interacts with fans, especially kids. As Murph says early in the book: “His temperament seems perfectly aligned with Buffalo’s. He got us, we got him, and in short order, he would become one of us.”
ML: What was it like to write this book with Bills PBP man John Murphy?
SP: It was a labor of love and a trip down memory lane for both of us. Murph’s been covering the team since the late 1970s and following them since the AFL days. And I’ve been following the Bills since I was a kid, and writing about them since 1985. You obviously get to know fellow media members when you cover a team because you spend so much time with them, and Murph and I hit it off from the start. He’s from Lockport, just north of Buffalo, and I’m from Rome, so we both hail from small Upstate cities. Murph’s such a down-to-earth guy, with a great sense of humor. Sitting down with him over the course of several months, while preparing the book, was an absolute blast. There were a lot of laughs as we reminisced about the ups-and-downs that occurred while covering the Bills.
ML: Favorite story?
SP: Don’t necessarily have just one. I loved the stories about Murph’s roots, which I think are essential to the theme of this book. Unlike many major sports play-by-play guys, he’s Buffalo born and bred, so he understands on a deep level what it means to be a Bills fan and a Buffaloanian – how you need to have thick skin, and be resilient and strong. I love the story in the introduction to the book about how Murph’s first Bills game was the AFL Championship game against Kansas City at old War Memorial Stadium. The Bills were favorites, but wound up getting crushed, so they blew a golden opportunity to play in the first-ever Super Bowl. Murph joked that experience helped prepare him for the glory and heartbreak that would follow. I also love his stories about his idol and friend, Van Miller; the coaches – from Chuck Knox to Sean McDermott – and the times the Bills have risen from the ashes to become contenders. Of course, the most poignant stories, are the ones about Murph’s efforts to come back from his stroke. He was quite candid about the challenges, and extremely touched by the outpouring of love he received.
ML: Most underrated Buffalo Bill ever?
SP: Wow. Good and tough question. I still feel that guys like Darryl Talley and Kent Hull don’t get as much due as they deserve. I believe Joe Ferguson deserves more recognition for his role in Bills history. He had the team on the precipice of the Super Bowl in the early 1980s, engineering a rocking offense reminiscent of Kelly’s No-Huddle and today’s Air Allen attack. AFL-era greats Cookie Gilchrist, Booker Edgerson and Tom Sestak, as well as drought-era gems Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams and Eric Wood also are in the conversation. And if I can throw a coach in the mix, Lou Saban saved the franchise twice, but also quit twice.
ML: Thoughts on the 2023 season?
SP: The Bills are good enough to win the Super Bowl. I believe the roster is better than a year ago at this point when they were the oddsmakers’ favorites. It all comes down to health, and some lucky bounces of that pointy, oblong ball. Josh needs to stay in one piece and make better decisions, particularly in the red zone. It would be fabulous if Von Miller could return to form and if the Bills can keep their secondary intact, and find a suitable replacement at middle linebacker. McDermott, with a huge assist from general manager Brandon Beane, has done a marvelous job building this team from scratch, but the pressure is going to ratchet up on Sean, who is only 4-5 in the post-season, and is taking on the added burden of calling defensive plays.
ML: What do you hope people say about the book?
SP: I hope they gain a greater appreciation for Murph, and how he’s been a most worthy successor to Van Miller as the Voice of the Bills. I hope readers, especially from the current generation, learn about the importance of those AFL title teams and those Super Bowl squads, and the connection to what’s happening now. I hope readers laugh in some sections of the book and shed a few tears in others. I hope they enjoy the hell out of it.
ML: Thanks Scott. I appreciate this and your friendship.
SP: Thank you, Mike. The feeling is mutual.
Music & Events Calendar
