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During the Donadope era a number patterns and trends developed. One of those involved the fans. The impetus for this thread is a passing comment on another thread as to a prediction that I had made regarding our rushing defense for this upcoming fall. While that particular prediction will not be belabored, the greater two overlaying backdrops will be.
First, there's been a good amount of actual football discussion here, more so than in the somewhat recent past. I have no idea why now more than before, but with minimal "noise" some good to-and-fro regarding football, interestingly, has occurred.
I have noticed that whether it be here, via e-mail, in person, or whereever, that a certain subset of fans seem to prefer to merely criticize rather than put up parallel predictions of their own. Obviously it's much easier to never ante up one's own predictions and then throw proverbial rocks at those that did later on. Or perhaps those fans don't want to make such predictions because in the process of making them, or documenting them, it forces them to awaken somewhat from their "world of bliss" amidst the ignoring of the data that would typically go into formulating such predictions. Who knows, who cares, and certainly no disrespect to anyone intended.
However, it would perhaps be nice if those taking issue with the more critical fans on predictions for the team's performances, would post predictions of their own. Otherwise, in my mind at least, it disqualifies them from criticizing others and how perhaps they were marginally of on a handful of predictions amongst a bigger picture of near perfect accuracy otherwise.
So want respect in that way? Post your own predictions. Then at season's end, credibilities can be evaluated in that way. Mine go up days prior to the season and in avid detail. Then at the end of the season I always post a revisit piece contrasting reality with predictions in that way. Anyone is welcome to join me and have their name associated with their own predictions for the world to see, literally.
Secondly, and this is a direct correlation, is evident in the way fans treated the last administration. At least MB fans.
During that period I took much heat up front for my criticism of the managerial styles and methods, as well as signings and acquisitions of certain players brought on and how and why. Players such as Bledsoe, Milloy, Vincent, Posey, a slew of OL-men swung through our revolving door as if it were a dance of some sort, coaches such as Gilbride, et al.
At that time my criticisms were laid out relatively matter-of-factly with many MB fans lambasting me for them insisting that those same people knew better than I did. In the end I could not have planned the accuracy of those assessments any better for the most part, both the player ones as well as the strategic ones. What was interesting, and this is the point, is that when they did come to pass, many of the same fans that criticized me (then in a vast minority originally), began to become Donadope's biggest nightmare. Gilbride and other's too.
Those leading this team went from having the ultimate support of those fans with cheers of them "being experts" and "knowing more than anyone that didn't coach or manage football" to being "morons," "losers," "incompetents," and many worse things even that cannot be printed.
This regime for the Bills is shaping up in the same way. While I do not expect that subset of fans to acquiesce to that, and understandably so, which isn't the point anyway, it is merely recognized for what it is.
However, it is inconsistent to me that beginning after this season, and most certainly after next season when the bigger picture of the same things happening here as occurred under the Donadope era actually become much more obvious, as I see it those that supported them and only facilitated it all have no right to criticize at that point. They gave their blessing to methodologies that had failure stamped on them even before the first steps were taken, again, a point in disagreement, as acknowledged.
That's exactly what happened during the Donadope era. Where the team is now is a more dire situation. But back then I recall, after things began falling apart, taking a position that things were not beyond salvage, and that with a new good GM and HC things could in fact be turned around rather quickly. Those fans were equally ballistic in their criticisms then as they were supportive of them at the onset. A Bipolar disorder thing of sorts. Feast or famine. At that point I attempted to be a voice of reason of sorts in a "the sky's not falling" sort of way as many fans were depicting ready to burn down the offices at OBD.
Bottom line:
If you're going to support this nonsense that the Bills are now engaged in, and again, understand that you don't think it's nonsense at this point and recognize that, but then at least carry through with consistency when the wheels come off the cart and we do not become the team that those that you support promised. At that point how about not going ballistic over results handed you by those that acted with your full faith and blessings. That's all.
After all, when you support people being put in place whose performances and results matchup with those same peoples' backgrounds, experiences, inexperiences, patterns, trends, and other indicators that speak contrary to their own stated words, then it is belittling to yourself because in doing so you impugn your own credibility.
On the other hand, when they bring us a winner and a playoff competitive team that doesn't merely make the playoffs due to a litany of walking wounded coming to the Ralph prior to getting dusted in the Wild Card round, then your support will be justified. Until then however, that was completely not the case under the Donadope era.
Anyway, I've always found it both hypocritical as well as perplexing, to have those that never put their own predictions up themselves to criticize others and then expect respect and credibility as they support those perpetuating malady on the way in but then slam them on the way out while putting a boot print on their derriers after ushering them in with open arms. It happens all the time in sports and politics. Credibility does not rest however with those that ignore history and a wealth of background information when supporting leaders in that way, but then get upset when those same histories and background information play out as is logical, and quite frankly, more expected than not expected by those applying at least a rudimentary probability analysis.
In essence, if the Ivy League Dynamic Duo era plays out poorly, as I for one have predicted so soon, among others, then those supporting this really have no room to lament over the final outcome and product. You will have fully supported it blindly. How then is criticism warranted or justifiable?
Bad for us is that unlike at the end of Donadope's tenure, we are not merely a few tweaks away from being halfway decent anymore. We're at least two seasons and two extremely well-managed offseasons away from playoff competitiveness. By then at least one of our few current impact players will no longer be an impact player, Aaron Schobel, and one or two others may not be with the team due to impending contract issues. (Evans and Peters)
FWIW
First, there's been a good amount of actual football discussion here, more so than in the somewhat recent past. I have no idea why now more than before, but with minimal "noise" some good to-and-fro regarding football, interestingly, has occurred.
I have noticed that whether it be here, via e-mail, in person, or whereever, that a certain subset of fans seem to prefer to merely criticize rather than put up parallel predictions of their own. Obviously it's much easier to never ante up one's own predictions and then throw proverbial rocks at those that did later on. Or perhaps those fans don't want to make such predictions because in the process of making them, or documenting them, it forces them to awaken somewhat from their "world of bliss" amidst the ignoring of the data that would typically go into formulating such predictions. Who knows, who cares, and certainly no disrespect to anyone intended.
However, it would perhaps be nice if those taking issue with the more critical fans on predictions for the team's performances, would post predictions of their own. Otherwise, in my mind at least, it disqualifies them from criticizing others and how perhaps they were marginally of on a handful of predictions amongst a bigger picture of near perfect accuracy otherwise.
So want respect in that way? Post your own predictions. Then at season's end, credibilities can be evaluated in that way. Mine go up days prior to the season and in avid detail. Then at the end of the season I always post a revisit piece contrasting reality with predictions in that way. Anyone is welcome to join me and have their name associated with their own predictions for the world to see, literally.
Secondly, and this is a direct correlation, is evident in the way fans treated the last administration. At least MB fans.
During that period I took much heat up front for my criticism of the managerial styles and methods, as well as signings and acquisitions of certain players brought on and how and why. Players such as Bledsoe, Milloy, Vincent, Posey, a slew of OL-men swung through our revolving door as if it were a dance of some sort, coaches such as Gilbride, et al.
At that time my criticisms were laid out relatively matter-of-factly with many MB fans lambasting me for them insisting that those same people knew better than I did. In the end I could not have planned the accuracy of those assessments any better for the most part, both the player ones as well as the strategic ones. What was interesting, and this is the point, is that when they did come to pass, many of the same fans that criticized me (then in a vast minority originally), began to become Donadope's biggest nightmare. Gilbride and other's too.
Those leading this team went from having the ultimate support of those fans with cheers of them "being experts" and "knowing more than anyone that didn't coach or manage football" to being "morons," "losers," "incompetents," and many worse things even that cannot be printed.
This regime for the Bills is shaping up in the same way. While I do not expect that subset of fans to acquiesce to that, and understandably so, which isn't the point anyway, it is merely recognized for what it is.
However, it is inconsistent to me that beginning after this season, and most certainly after next season when the bigger picture of the same things happening here as occurred under the Donadope era actually become much more obvious, as I see it those that supported them and only facilitated it all have no right to criticize at that point. They gave their blessing to methodologies that had failure stamped on them even before the first steps were taken, again, a point in disagreement, as acknowledged.
That's exactly what happened during the Donadope era. Where the team is now is a more dire situation. But back then I recall, after things began falling apart, taking a position that things were not beyond salvage, and that with a new good GM and HC things could in fact be turned around rather quickly. Those fans were equally ballistic in their criticisms then as they were supportive of them at the onset. A Bipolar disorder thing of sorts. Feast or famine. At that point I attempted to be a voice of reason of sorts in a "the sky's not falling" sort of way as many fans were depicting ready to burn down the offices at OBD.
Bottom line:
If you're going to support this nonsense that the Bills are now engaged in, and again, understand that you don't think it's nonsense at this point and recognize that, but then at least carry through with consistency when the wheels come off the cart and we do not become the team that those that you support promised. At that point how about not going ballistic over results handed you by those that acted with your full faith and blessings. That's all.
After all, when you support people being put in place whose performances and results matchup with those same peoples' backgrounds, experiences, inexperiences, patterns, trends, and other indicators that speak contrary to their own stated words, then it is belittling to yourself because in doing so you impugn your own credibility.
On the other hand, when they bring us a winner and a playoff competitive team that doesn't merely make the playoffs due to a litany of walking wounded coming to the Ralph prior to getting dusted in the Wild Card round, then your support will be justified. Until then however, that was completely not the case under the Donadope era.
Anyway, I've always found it both hypocritical as well as perplexing, to have those that never put their own predictions up themselves to criticize others and then expect respect and credibility as they support those perpetuating malady on the way in but then slam them on the way out while putting a boot print on their derriers after ushering them in with open arms. It happens all the time in sports and politics. Credibility does not rest however with those that ignore history and a wealth of background information when supporting leaders in that way, but then get upset when those same histories and background information play out as is logical, and quite frankly, more expected than not expected by those applying at least a rudimentary probability analysis.
In essence, if the Ivy League Dynamic Duo era plays out poorly, as I for one have predicted so soon, among others, then those supporting this really have no room to lament over the final outcome and product. You will have fully supported it blindly. How then is criticism warranted or justifiable?
Bad for us is that unlike at the end of Donadope's tenure, we are not merely a few tweaks away from being halfway decent anymore. We're at least two seasons and two extremely well-managed offseasons away from playoff competitiveness. By then at least one of our few current impact players will no longer be an impact player, Aaron Schobel, and one or two others may not be with the team due to impending contract issues. (Evans and Peters)
FWIW
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