jmb1099
08-14-2007, 08:52 AM
I've only been on the Zone a short while and for the most part it is a pleasure to be here.
But in the short while I've been here I have been able to pick up on a few things through simple observation as I'm sure most of you have also been able to do.
Let's be honest about something...we've been a losing team for quite some time now. Let's be honest about something else...it is unpleasant to be on the losing side of the ball.
But because we've all been in this "losing mindset" for so long it causes us to think some pretty irrational things from time to time, some overly optimistic and some overly pessimistic. We're either great or we suck, there is no middle ground and anyone in the opposing mindset becomes a causality of "fan war".
To be honest I was not real impressed with what the first team did against the saints and this coming from an eternal optimist. But the entire thing needs to be kept in proper perspective: it was the first preseason game and it did resemble pretty much every preseason game we had when Levy was coach. Still we need to improve and I don't know as if anyone here thinks otherwise.
But again we've been losing for so long that its hard for some to be optimistic about anything. So we grow impatient (although the argument could be made that we have been plenty patient) and what happens is we as fans want a superbowl right now and nothing else will satisfy. What develops from this thinking is Dan Snyder mentality. We need to sign as many big name, high-payroll players as we can and then we'll have our success. Now we know from our own recent history that this does not work, but it also hasn't worked for Dan Snyder. Singing TO didn't bring Philly or Dallas a championship, Edgerin James didn't make the Cardinals contenders.
This isn't to say that we shouldn't bring in a big name talent if the opportunity and price are right, but it is quite simply impossible to fill every position of need with a big money player and doing so still holds no guarantee.
While the Bills have had many needs over the past few seasons, one could make a solid argument that the largest area of need has been stability. How many different coach's and systems have we seen? How many different philosophy's? It wasn't long ago that we were so undisciplined that we were watching movies and eating cheesburgers for practice.
So one preseason game down and again I state we need to get better. But, and its been said a few times now, we had one enforced penalty. We went from eating cheeseburgers and watching movies, from our star players spitting on opposing players, to having one enforced penalty in our first preseason game. If this trend continues I just may have found my justification for being an eternal optimist. I guess more patience are in order.
But in the short while I've been here I have been able to pick up on a few things through simple observation as I'm sure most of you have also been able to do.
Let's be honest about something...we've been a losing team for quite some time now. Let's be honest about something else...it is unpleasant to be on the losing side of the ball.
But because we've all been in this "losing mindset" for so long it causes us to think some pretty irrational things from time to time, some overly optimistic and some overly pessimistic. We're either great or we suck, there is no middle ground and anyone in the opposing mindset becomes a causality of "fan war".
To be honest I was not real impressed with what the first team did against the saints and this coming from an eternal optimist. But the entire thing needs to be kept in proper perspective: it was the first preseason game and it did resemble pretty much every preseason game we had when Levy was coach. Still we need to improve and I don't know as if anyone here thinks otherwise.
But again we've been losing for so long that its hard for some to be optimistic about anything. So we grow impatient (although the argument could be made that we have been plenty patient) and what happens is we as fans want a superbowl right now and nothing else will satisfy. What develops from this thinking is Dan Snyder mentality. We need to sign as many big name, high-payroll players as we can and then we'll have our success. Now we know from our own recent history that this does not work, but it also hasn't worked for Dan Snyder. Singing TO didn't bring Philly or Dallas a championship, Edgerin James didn't make the Cardinals contenders.
This isn't to say that we shouldn't bring in a big name talent if the opportunity and price are right, but it is quite simply impossible to fill every position of need with a big money player and doing so still holds no guarantee.
While the Bills have had many needs over the past few seasons, one could make a solid argument that the largest area of need has been stability. How many different coach's and systems have we seen? How many different philosophy's? It wasn't long ago that we were so undisciplined that we were watching movies and eating cheesburgers for practice.
So one preseason game down and again I state we need to get better. But, and its been said a few times now, we had one enforced penalty. We went from eating cheeseburgers and watching movies, from our star players spitting on opposing players, to having one enforced penalty in our first preseason game. If this trend continues I just may have found my justification for being an eternal optimist. I guess more patience are in order.