Monday Morning Cheerleader: Omarlla of the Bills
By Steve Mazzucchi
Esquire
A veteran sideline beauty swallows another Buffalo loss to a playoff favorite just long enough to tell us who’s going to the Super Bowl.
If scientists ever want to study how much heartbreak one team’s fans can stomach, they can start in Buffalo. Forget the Super Bowl struggles of the nineties and the current Bills playoff drought — Case Study No. 1 starts with the 2010 season: five losses by five points or less, including three in overtime, capped by Sunday’s 19-16 stinger to the Steelers, in which the red-white-and-blue rallied mightily before what would have been an epic upset slipped, quite literally, through its fingers.
But Buffalo’s long-suffering throngs keep coming back. And their resilience is exemplified by Buffalo Jills line captain Omarlla, who’s donned the hot pants for nothing short of a decade. What’s even more amazing about this elementary-school curriculum coordinator? Like Michael Jordan before her, she was cut from her high-school team. “I haven’t talked to those cheerleading coaches, but I get so tempted to send them autographed cards and calendars,” she says. “Eleven years of jump-splitting, and I just continue to work out, stay flexible, and keep going.” Looking for hope? Here’s some.
ESQUIRE: Looked like a lot of Steelers fans in the house today. Is it just us, or is a “Terrible Towel” kind of a silly thing to wave?
OMARLLA: No comment on the towels. There were a ton of Steelers fans, but our fans are amazing. In the second half and overtime, we way outnumbered them in volume.
ESQ: What went through your head when it looked like Stevie Johnson had caught a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, then dropped it?
O: I immediately started cheering and screaming and going crazy. I saw it in his hands… and then it was on the ground. My heart was crushed. Players were falling to their knees like, Oh my god, what happened? — and I was right there with him. I thought we had the win in the bag, just like everyone else. Just heart-wrenching, you know? But I don’t think the whole game should fall on him. We missed a lot of opportunities, and he’s made a lot of great plays for us.
ESQ: Anyone who just sees the score won’t know the Bills came back from a 13-0 deficit, and like all season, never gave up. Do you feel like there’s something about the city of Buffalo that gives the team that kind of spirit?
O: I definitely do. We have so many diehard fans, and we’ve improved since the bye week. We made mistakes, but overall as a team, we did excellent out there, and the fans knew it. It’s tough losing by close margins. The record doesn’t show how well the team is doing.
ESQ: Fred Jackson had 164 total yards. Is he a bright spot going forward?
O: Freddie Jackson played awesome. His 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter was definitely a game-changer. From then to the end, no one sat. I don’t know of a lot of games where people are on their feet for two entire quarters.
ESQ: What’s more impressive: Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 18 touchdown passes in nine games, or his lumberjack beard?
O: That beard is fierce, I have to say. Maybe it helps keep him warm. He’s made a lot of exciting plays. He gets teased about going to Harvard, but he must be a pretty smart guy.
ESQ: How do you feel about the retro helmet? One worries that this particular buffalo is more interested in grazing than bursting into the end zone.
O: I think it’s fun to switch it up every now and then. I don’t mind it. And the Bills were pretty good back in the day.
ESQ: Buffalo’s a notoriously cold city. Got any tips for staying warm and looking good at the same time?
O: Your hands and feet are the first things to get cold, and then you’re just miserable, so you definitely need to purchase hand and feet warmers. Those will keep you super toasty. Moving around a lot helps. I’m an Under Armour fan as well. I was wearing it under my uniform at the game.
ESQ: Which of the three teams you’ve lost to in OT — Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh — has the best shot at reaching the Super Bowl?
O: I’m gonna go with Pittsburgh. They’re probably the most consistent of the three and can win in tough situations, and that’s sometimes what it takes.
ESQ: You have a master’s degree in education. How important is it that a guy who’s interested in you be, you know, not dumb?
O: Depending on their career path, they don’t have to have a degree, but they have to be somewhat intelligent, driven, and focused. A brain and some goals would be great. Looks help, but I think I’ll take brains over looks.
