Remember when Bills football used to be fun? [Archive] - BillsZone.com

OpIv37

09-20-2007, 07:14 PM

Remember when we had a chance in every game? Remember when we had reason for hope?

Of course, there were always the Super Bowl days, when "how much will we win by?" was a much more appropriate question that "will we win?".

More recently, there were some short stints, like the first two games of '03, when the team showed some issues but was generally clicking and soundly beat two strong opponents. There was the great run at the end of '04. There was even the opener in '05 when we beat Houston and JP had a decent game for his first start.

Now. I approach the game with trepidation. I have no confidence that we can win, and we play teams like Pitt and NE, I just hope we can keep it close but realistically expect a blowout.

And it's not bad enough that we're losing. Our QB of the future may be a bust. We have a slew of injuries so the bleeding is getting worse. We still have to suffer through NE kicking everyone's ass. And then there's Everett- a situation that transcends football into real life. At least the recent news on that front has been good, but it still always seems to go from bad to worse for Buffalo. We're supposed to be rebuilding, but so far there is more regression than improvement.

We don't even have any players who seem to inject life into the fans and the team. Guys like Bruce, Paup, Spielman, Spikes, Kelly, Talley, Kelso, etc. This may improve slightly when Hargrove gets back, but he doesn't have the talent of any of those other guys.

I want to get excited about this team. I want to find some reason for hope. I see the Skins fans around here getting all excited after their 2-0 start and I seriously envy them- not just for their record but for the way they feel about their team. At the moment, though, I can't find any reason for hope for this team. We have some youth, but no proven vets. We have a mediocre coach and an inexperienced GM. The pieces of our team that we thought were set- like Schobel, Evans and Losman- have yet to perform this season.

I still watch every second of every game- I just can't look forward to them or get excited about them the way I used to, and that's extremely disappointing.

BlackMetalNinja

09-20-2007, 07:17 PM

I've found myself seriously debating whether or not to even go to the bar on Sunday... It might be less painful and certainly cheaper to just stay home.

:(

Mad Bomber

09-20-2007, 07:40 PM

Remember when we had a chance in every game? Remember when we had reason for hope?
Yes, I do.

But as one who has been a Bills fan for WAY longer than you have (since before you were born)...45 years I've also seen years where we didn't stand a chance in just about any game we played.

Unfortunately, that happened more often than not in the scenario you put forth.

However, I still bleed red, white and blue. The Bills are MY team, as long as they stay in Buffalo.

:gobills:

LtBillsFan66

09-20-2007, 07:45 PM

I feel like I'm turning into Randy Quaid's character in Major League.

Mad Bomber

09-20-2007, 07:48 PM

I feel like I'm turning into Randy Quaid's character in Major League.

Ummmm....I don't believe he was even in that movie...

LtBillsFan66

09-20-2007, 07:50 PM

Ummmm....I don't believe he was even in that movie...

That fan who is always negative.

Mitchy moo

09-20-2007, 07:51 PM

Ummmm....I don't believe he was even in that movie...

Just go ahead and ask for the money Eddie, lol.

Mad Bomber

09-20-2007, 07:53 PM

That fan who is always negative.
That wasn't the original Major League movie, but I hear where you're coming from.:up:

LtBillsFan66

09-20-2007, 08:04 PM

That wasn't the original Major League movie, but I hear where you're coming from.:up:

Looked it up. It was Major League II.

Mad Bomber

09-20-2007, 08:10 PM

Looked it up. It was Major League II.
That movie sucked, but you're right about his character. :up:

OpIv37

09-20-2007, 08:45 PM

It really hit me during the Denver game because even though we had the lead, I suspected we would blow it and I knew we would blow it when JP missed that pass.

It's not like Brady or Manning. If they were in that situation, fans of their teams just know they'll find a way to ice the game, and fans of other teams just sit there and brace themselves for the knockout blow.

We don't have any players who can inspire confidence like that. Our players just leave us watching close games with our hearts in our throats.

Mitchy moo

09-20-2007, 08:54 PM

OpIv37

09-20-2007, 09:05 PM

He comes through w/ that pass & we are all talking SB, now we are talking toilet bowl.

nah, because we still played like **** that game and we still would have been killed by Pitt. But at least we'd be 1-1 and two of our key players- Losman and Evans- would have made the play to win the game and we'd have a little more reason for hope.

Mitchy moo

09-20-2007, 09:11 PM

nah, because we still played like **** that game and we still would have been killed by Pitt. But at least we'd be 1-1 and two of our key players- Losman and Evans- would have made the play to win the game and we'd have a little more reason for hope.

Presence. Confidence. Poise.

What position on a football team most needs all those attributes to succeed?

MTBillsFan

09-20-2007, 09:23 PM

Winning is mostly mental. Look at Tiger Woods, people are afraid of him and buckle under the pressure. Lefty.
Until we restore the mental edge ala those cheatin bastards in NE, we'll probably struggle.
The Kelly led teams of the Late 80's and Early 90's had that edge and pretty sweet O and D lines...

Wys Guy

09-20-2007, 09:25 PM

I see that this thread has really picked up momentum.

Irony?

Illmatic15

09-20-2007, 09:37 PM

NO I became a fan in 1999, I only remember one sort of above average year and the rest dissapointments...

raphael120

09-20-2007, 09:58 PM

NO I became a fan in 1999, I only remember one sort of above average year and the rest dissapointments...

I tell ya what, nothin beats the dissapointment of losing 4 Superbowls in a row, I'll take those devastations to this kind of hopelessness.

PECKERWOOD

09-20-2007, 10:02 PM

It's just a game! It's still fun and I love it. Life ain't always about winning, it's what you make it. That applies to not only football but to everything.

OpIv37

09-20-2007, 10:03 PM

It's just a game! It's still fun and I love it.

maybe it is just a game but the point of the game is to win. It's incredibly frustrating to be losing for so long.

raphael120

09-20-2007, 10:07 PM

It's just a game! It's still fun and I love it. Life ain't always about winning, it's what you make it. That applies to not only football but to everything.

It's only fun unless you really detatch yourself from the Bills. If I didn't love football so much or love the Bills so much, I could really not care and just objectively like the game of football, but football is an emotional sport and I bet if you ask anyone, they'll tell you that they have no plans of watching the game this Sunday because it will not be "fun" to see the Patriots, as predicted, just pound the Bills into oblivion. Sure, football is fun, but Bills football lately is like seeing a gazelle with 1 leg being nibbled on by 4 lions. Sorry, he aint gettin away with 1 leg.

MikeInRoch

09-20-2007, 10:09 PM

Remember when home games used to pretty much be automatic wins?

Ahhhh, for the good old days.

PECKERWOOD

09-20-2007, 10:11 PM

maybe it is just a game but the point of the game is to win. It's incredibly frustrating to be losing for so long.

I don't mean to be a dickhead here Op, but if it bothers you that much then maybe you should stop watching and or just lighten up a little bit. The objective is to win, but that isn't everything. There is much more in life to look forward to than a win on Sunday. I still get riled up and I probably swear a thousand times each game but after the fat lady sings I try to drop it. Personally, I get the most enjoyment by the speculation that goes on before each game. It's fun to think about the things we could be, we won't but we might.

tat2dmike77

09-20-2007, 10:21 PM

Yeah i remember

It was before the internet and video games that make people think they can run an NFL franchise better then anyone.

PECKERWOOD

09-20-2007, 10:23 PM

Yeah i remember

It was before the internet and video games that make people think they can run an NFL franchise better then anyone.

No kidding.

I swear, it's like we got a bunch of serial killers here who are infatuated with the Bills to the point in which their whole life revolves around a Bills win! Decoding every word Dick Jauron & Co., have said, it's ****ing hilarious!

OpIv37

09-20-2007, 10:38 PM

I don't mean to be a dickhead here Op, but if it bothers you that much then maybe you should stop watching and or just lighten up a little bit. The objective is to win, but that isn't everything. There is much more in life to look forward to than a win on Sunday. I still get riled up and I probably swear a thousand times each game but after the fat lady sings I try to drop it. Personally, I get the most enjoyment by the speculation that goes on before each game. It's fun to think about the things we could be, we won't but we might.

In sports, winning is everything. I'm not talking about life here, I'm talking about football. And yeah, I take it too seriously - I'll admit that. But I look forward to football season all year and during the season I look forward to the games all week (at least I used to), only to get pissed and frustrated by what I see.

If it were so easy to just stop watching, I would have. But I'm 28 years old and I've been following the team for something like 17 or 18 years, maybe longer. I can't just give up on something that's been a part of my life that long.

As far as "lighten up", that's about the dumbest expression ever. People don't decide what bothers them and what doesn't- the reaction is much more primal than that.

OpIv37

09-20-2007, 10:41 PM

Yeah i remember

It was before the internet and video games that make people think they can run an NFL franchise better then anyone.

well there are 31 other organizations that can run an NFL franchise better than the Bills, so clearly they're not all-knowing.

I really hate this logic- maybe people here know what they're talking about and maybe they don't, but just because someone is a GM or a coach or somehow affiliated with an NFL team does not automatically make them competent or more qualified. The Bills' performance over the last decade is living proof of that. Title does not dictate competence.

tat2dmike77

09-20-2007, 10:52 PM

No kidding.

I swear, it's like we got a bunch of serial killers here who are infatuated with the Bills to the point in which their whole life revolves around a Bills win! Decoding every word Dick Jauron & Co., have said, it's ****ing hilarious!

It's the nature of the beast. I was talking to my friend and we were talking about the bills and we brought up 04 when they started 0-4 and then made that run. He lives in WNY and he was telling me about how wgr has a whinner line or something and last season people would call in after sabres games and complain about how it was a pathetic WIN. Yeah people still complain even after a win.

I understand what OP says but BF is right lighten up a little. When the bills loose the rule in my house is we don't talk about it till atleast wed sometimes thurs. But i don't let it ruin my life and i always think the next game were gonna win. I'm a fan nothing more nothing less what sense does it make to just bash my favorite team? Absolutly none.

Sure i'm a homer so what does the fact that some people call themselves a realist make them any better of a fan then me? I highly doubt it. Bills games are still fun to watch if all the fans were to say screw it and quit going to games there would not even be a franchise in buffalo anymore. Then where does that leave us?

PECKERWOOD

09-20-2007, 10:54 PM

In sports, winning is everything. I'm not talking about life here, I'm talking about football. And yeah, I take it too seriously - I'll admit that. But I look forward to football season all year and during the season I look forward to the games all week (at least I used to), only to get pissed and frustrated by what I see.

If it were so easy to just stop watching, I would have. But I'm 28 years old and I've been following the team for something like 17 or 18 years, maybe longer. I can't just give up on something that's been a part of my life that long.

As far as "lighten up", that's about the dumbest expression ever. People don't decide what bothers them and what doesn't- the reaction is much more primal than that.

People don't decide what bothers them and what doesn't

Being angry/frustrated is a choice. Mind over matter, Op. Not saying that you should drop the Bills unless it ruins your life. We're going on Friday now and we're still complaining about last week. Let's move on.

tat2dmike77

09-20-2007, 10:56 PM

well there are 31 other organizations that can run an NFL franchise better than the Bills, so clearly they're not all-knowing.

.

Yeah the browns look good this year. Oh and don't forget about how the raiders are putting fear into everyone. Lets not forget about how dominate the dolphins have been. How bout them falcons thier kicking arse this year to. The chiefs they have just been a force to be reckon with haven't they?

And don't give me past stats. Past seasons mean nothing it's about now not then.

PECKERWOOD

09-20-2007, 11:00 PM

Yeah the browns look good this year. Oh and don't forget about how the raiders are putting fear into everyone. Lets not forget about how dominate the dolphins have been. How bout them falcons thier kicking arse this year to. The chiefs they have just been a force to be reckon with haven't they?

And don't give me past stats. Past seasons mean nothing it's about now not then.

Good points. Humor me here for a sec though people. Even if the Bills were the worst team in the NFL, would you let that make you miserable? I sure as hell won't. I'm just happy to have a team. I love to see this team win but the real reason why I love watching the Bills play is because it's a time in which people are brought together. Think about it. Anyone else have fond memories of watching the Bills play with your Old man and family? That's what does it for me, it's still lots of fun and I enjoy it.

tat2dmike77

09-20-2007, 11:11 PM

Good points. Humor me here for a sec though people. Even if the Bills were the worst team in the NFL, would you let that make you miserable? I sure as hell won't. I'm just happy to have a team. I love to see this team win but the real reason why I love watching the Bills play is because it's a time in which people are brought together. Think about it. Anyone else have fond memories of watching the Bills play with your Old man and family? That's what does it for me, it's still lots of fun and I enjoy it.

Yeah i remember me and my grandma watching the bills/raiders playoff game together. Me and my parents going to games and watching games i remember watching the comback game with my dad. My parents took me to my first Monday night game against the skins. And yes were going to make anther memory as we invade buffalo for the giants game. It's a christmas get together for the fam. It does stink when they loose but when you look back at how much fun we had it's worth it. Hell i remember sb25 and watching that kick go.....well you know. I screamed F*** my mom gave that horrified look and when i realized what i just said i looked at my dad and he just smiled and said you took the words right out of my mouth mike.

Philagape

09-20-2007, 11:11 PM

Winning is the reason the game is played, or else they wouldn't keep score.

shelby

09-21-2007, 04:22 AM

i haven't given up hope after two games.
We still have time to make something happen this season.
Any improvement would be a good thing.

Life goes in cycles. No one can be up all the time. Eventually things will even out....those who have been on the bottom will rise to the top, and vice versa.

Patience, and faith.

YardRat

09-21-2007, 05:47 AM

I screamed F*** my mom gave that horrified look and when i realized what i just said i looked at my dad and he just smiled and said you took the words right out of my mouth mike.

That's funny :D Nice.

Historian

09-21-2007, 06:15 AM

Some of the best games I've ever been at, were during the 2-14 years.

Those are the true fans.

Anyone can root for them when they're 13-3.

mybills

09-21-2007, 06:22 AM

Well said, Billsology. :bf1:

OpIv, I hope you don't buy lottery tickets.

Ingtar33

09-21-2007, 06:30 AM

I've found myself seriously debating whether or not to even go to the bar on Sunday... It might be less painful and certainly cheaper to just stay home.

:(

about where i am with them.

but i know i'll go.

not because i like watching them lose. but because i love watching football, so i'll go to my favorite pub. cheer the bills, and if they can't compete, i'll turn my attention to the other dozen games and enjoy what im watching, hope that it will take some of the sting out of it.

jamze132

09-21-2007, 06:39 AM

It's just a game! It's still fun and I love it. Life ain't always about winning, it's what you make it. That applies to not only football but to everything.
Yeah, we have heard that before but for some of us, like me, bleed Bills football. You think I watched any playoff game last year? Nope. When the Met's lost the NLDS last year you think I watched the World Series? Nope. I am a diehard fan of my two teams and it pains me to watch them suck ass. Someone :help!: me!!!

mybills

09-21-2007, 06:52 AM

You think I watched any playoff game last year? Nope. When the Met's lost the NLDS last year you think I watched the World Series? Nope. I am a diehard fan of my two teams and it pains me to watch them suck ass.
So you're not gonna watch, right? :D

OpIv37

09-21-2007, 08:18 AM

Being angry/frustrated is a choice. Mind over matter, Op. Not saying that you should drop the Bills unless it ruins your life. We're going on Friday now and we're still complaining about last week. Let's move on.

I don't buy that for a second- something happens and the reaction is instant. It's not a conscious "should I let this bother me or shouldn't I?" The mind and the body just react.

How you deal with the anger or frustration is a choice, at least to a certain point. But the initial feeling is not a choice.

Earthquake Enyart

09-21-2007, 08:19 AM

I feel like I'm turning into Randy Quaid's character in Major League.
You're more like the japanese groundskeepers.

OpIv37

09-21-2007, 08:20 AM

Yeah the browns look good this year. Oh and don't forget about how the raiders are putting fear into everyone. Lets not forget about how dominate the dolphins have been. How bout them falcons thier kicking arse this year to. The chiefs they have just been a force to be reckon with haven't they?

And don't give me past stats. Past seasons mean nothing it's about now not then.

The Raiders were in the Super Bowl 4 years ago. The Chiefs, Dolphins and Falcons have all made the playoffs this decade. The Browns lost their team and had to completely start over.

Just because the Bills are arguably better at the moment* does not mean the organization is run better. All these teams have had at least some success during our 8 year futility cycle. So they are run better than the Bills.

*= I'd say we're worse than them since we're currently 31st in both offense and defense.

Earthquake Enyart

09-21-2007, 08:21 AM

Some of the best games I've ever been at, were during the 2-14 years.

Those are the true fans.

Anyone can root for them when they're 13-3.
Like when they beat Dallas in December that one year. :snicker:

Jan Reimers

09-21-2007, 08:38 AM

Yes.

It has been fun many times through the years, including the mid-sixties when we won a couple of AFL championships and just missed the first Super Bowl; when we pulled out a great win against the Raiders on Monday night; when OJ was setting his unprecedented rushing records; when we finally beat the Dolphins after going 0 for the 70s; when we started building in the late 80s, culminating in our 4 straight SBs; and many other times along the way.

And it will be fun again.

Bufftp

09-21-2007, 08:40 AM

Bills football is supposed to be fun?
I thought it was a sentance to hard labour.........

I even have fun now.

OpIv37

09-21-2007, 08:51 AM

I even have fun now.

The tailgating is still fun, for the 1-2 games a year I get to go to.

What's fun about pretending we have a chance against much better teams only to be let down on Sunday?

What's fun about watching all the off-season "improvements" we made fail to pan out?

What's fun about watching guys like Evans and Losman who were supposed to be mainstays do nothing?

What's fun about watching our opponents constantly impose their will on us and just push us all over the field?