Bills LB Joe Andreessen talks about his journey to the draft and his roots on “Good Morning Football”

Buffalo Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen made his first national media appearance at the NFL Network‘s “Good Morning Football” show as a member of the 53-man roster. Andreessen spoke with Kyle Brandt and the “GMFB” crew about his unusual route to the NFL and his experience as a member of the Bills Mafia before playing for the team.

He was introduced with footage of his former high school team, the Lancaster Legends, chanting “Buffalo Joe” in response to hearing that Andreessen had been added to the Bills’ roster. He noted that he’s “super grateful… it’s a lifelong dream of mine and I just want to continue to do it.” Andreessen was also asked about his Bills Mafia roots, with a photo of him in a Matt Milano jersey at a tailgate before the Bills’ 27-10 win over the Jets in 2022 serving as reference.

However, Andreessen indicated that he himself has never broken a table during a tailgating game with the Buffalo Bills.

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A native Western New Yorker, Andreessen said his friends and family have been pressing for details about the Bills players they all used to watch together — his friends were eager to know about quarterback Josh Allen, and his family was eager to know about all the players he now calls teammates. The rookie linebacker made the interesting observation that the media attention he receives likely has a greater impact on his family, since he at least gets to be at the training facility every day and has a scheduled media presence, while his loved ones are bombarded with a spike in personal and social media interactions.

Andreessen described himself as someone who has always “just glided through life” in his football life, as he reflected on playing at small college football programs and not getting drafted. Bryant was the only school to offer him a scholarship out of high school. The University at Buffalo was the only program to offer him a shot during the transfer portal, and he was only able to make the Buffalo Bills’ preseason roster thanks to the NFL team’s annual tradition of local tryouts.

Now Andreessen can do more than just sneak in. He can extend his story from feel-good to legendary by becoming an integral part of a team’s defense that’s in contention. Andreessen says he’s aiming to be “a sideline-to-sideline linebacker — (a) three-down linebacker who makes plays on the ball and is always on the ball.”

You can watch the full interview by clicking on the video below, which will take you to the GMFB page on YouTube.