ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — So many cities across New York state are filled with a diverse population. That goes for where your family comes from and just a bit of what pro sports teams you root for.

Steve Tasker used to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan, long before he became a Buffalo Bills legend and seven-time All-Pro.

"Every time the Chiefs pop up on the schedule it's a big game," said Tasker, a legend to the Bills Mafia for his tenacious play on the field, primarily on special teams.

The sentiment is as true now for one of Buffalo's favorite sons as it was when he grew up in different parts of Kansas.

"We were Chiefs fans. And right when I was 6 or 8, 10 years old, the Chiefs were Lenny Dawson and Otis Taylor and Buck Buchanan and Willie Lanier, Ed Pollock," Tasker listed. "They had some dudes."

Of course, one fateful day he went from Kansas to Northwestern University, made it to the NFL and then Western New York became his new home.

"I got 'adopted' almost in 1986 and I've been here ever since. I've been in the building in some way, shape or form for almost 38 years," he explained.

Tasker donned the blue, red and white, and brought a whole separate fanbase into the mix.

"My family were huge, are huge, Bills fans," he remarked. "Well, they all live in Wichita, Kansas and around down South Central, and every single person they know is a Chiefs fan. But they're diehards. When I retired, they didn't stop."

But there's plenty of friends and family in his former home with reason to celebrate.

"The Chiefs Kingdom. It's a special group, no question about Arrowhead as a special place," Tasker remarked. "It's loud, it's hostile and it is a lot like this place, Highmark Stadium. Those fans, you know, have a relationship with that team now. And in this day and age of social media, when fans can interact and, and cross paths, it's become way different than it was at the time I played."

Tasker is firmly a 'Buffalo guy' now, having been a part of this organization for almost four decades. He's tuned in to the team and how they're planning on tackling a difficult playoff opponent.

"They know what they're up against. This is not going to be new to them. It's not going to be startling like it would be for some team who doesn't play in there all the time," he noted. "The Bills are in there every year, so they're going to understand what they're getting into. It's a long, hard road to earn your right to go in and play these guys, and I know that they cherish it. It starts with Sean McDermott and the culture he's created. Brandon Beane and and Sean being on the same page."

Tasker is less of a believer that the Chiefs are a 'hump' that Josh Allen and company are looking to hurdle.

"Certainly the Bills are good enough to beat anybody in the league. If they play their best, the Chiefs will tell you the same thing," he said. "Who's going to make the most mistakes or who's going to be able to to make a great play or take advantage of the mistake?"

There's something that feels different this year and it's been building every playoff run the Bills go full boar on, from the 1990s to the new roaring '20s.

"You're young and you're excited about playing, and it was just fun to be a part of something that you felt like was headed in the right direction," he said.