Jimmy Ciarlo leaves Bills legend Steve Tasker stunned with story of Army football’s pregame ritual
Steve Tasker was stunned by Jimmy Ciarlo’s response.
It’s not every day that legendary special teamer Steve Tasker gets shocked on a broadcast, but that’s exactly what happened when fan-favorite linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo joined the “One Bills Live” show.
The segment was shared on Twitter (X) with Ciarlo opening up on a pregame ritual dating back to his days at Army. Tasker was floored by his response, as Ciarlo and his special teams unit, before every game, would watch Tasker’s highlights from his special teams days.
Ciarlo’s legend grew even more with the one-minute clip, further cementing his spot as a fan-favorite in the hearts of Bills Mafia. He blew Tasker away when he told him that the Army special teams unit would watch Tasker’s highlights in the hotel room before every single game.
“They were long tapes; we’ve seen all of them, we’ve seen every blocked punt you made, every tackle you ran down on punts,” Ciarlo said. “You’re a legend [ . . . ] This is in the, if I remember correctly, I think it’s the special teams, at the end of the special teams meeting. We threw up the fist and everything in games, I’m telling you, you’re a legend [ . . . ] if you walk into the Army football locker room, every single person would know who you are as soon as you walked in.”
Friendly reminder that Tasker deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and it’s a shame he isn’t already.
Jimmy Ciarlo is beloved, already
It didn’t take long for the Bills Mafia to fall in love with Ciarlo, who was featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” During the show’s run, the fanbase got a closer look at the talented linebacker.
What stood out immediately was that Ciarlo was the first one in and the last one out of the building. He joined the team late into the offseason and could be seen spending hours watching film inside the facilities. While trying to achieve his dream of making it in the NFL, he didn’t even have his car with him and was living out of a few pairs of clothes in a hotel room.
While he was part of the roster cutdown, Ciarlo immediately returned to the team and signed to the practice squad. That was until, ahead of the Week 5 game against the Patriots, Ciarlo was signed to the 53-man roster, marking the first time in his career on an active roster. In his one game against New England, he appeared on 13 special teams snaps, a number that’s certain to grow.
For a player who’s already won over the Bills Mafia and locker room alike, moments like this only add to his growing legend. Buffalo has found another fan favorite to root for every Sunday.