IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

[Pride]

Ok... First off... I'm not one of those fans that say "If your team wouldn't have cheated, we would have beaten you!". Instead, I can fully grasp that regardless of them cheating, they have had a better football team than us for most of this decade.

That said... I also think that 1 small advantage can snowball to a larger advantage.

Let's assume that the Pats did, in fact, video tape our Offense and Defensive calls over the last 6+ years. It is very possible that simply knowing which play was coming was enough to beat us... but there could also be a deeper level.

What if... because the Patriots were able to beat us so handily for so long... coaches systematically changed our offensive and defensive system to be more creative, or complex? It seems likely that when you are constantly chasing one particular team in the standings.. your focus switches to beating them, than beating everyone else and hoping to beat them.

Is it possible that personnel decisions were made solely based on the fact that we couldn't beat the patriots? Could season-long game plans change in the hopes of beating one team?

Just taking a look at what else may have been affected by the Patriots cheating.

[mybills]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

wait, so by them not changing it, gave the Pats less plays to steal, thus purposely not helping them, which purposely didn't help us?

[Pride]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Sorry, I re-read it and modified it a bit to make it more understandable. I think I had a double negative in there..

[mybills]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

I guess it's possible. I keep going back to how players shouldn't be traded within the division, and how the Bills eagerly took Bledsoe PLUS their corner in the hopes of maybe figuring out both sides of their team. We could've drafted a QB as there were quite a few to choose from in the 1st round.

[yordad]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Snow ball? Good therory. And, a good way to explain it. But, I think it snow balled even more. They won with their cheating. Any edge is big. Then players knew they wouldn't be as good in other systems, so they took paycuts. Then players seen how successful the Pats were, so they took paycut to join them. Then players lobbied for trades to the Pats. Before you know it, some minor cheating snowballed them into the most talented team ever.

[EDS]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Ok... First off... I'm not one of those fans that say "If your team wouldn't have cheated, we would have beaten you!". Instead, I can fully grasp that regardless of them cheating, they have had a better football team than us for most of this decade.

That said... I also think that 1 small advantage can snowball to a larger advantage.

Let's assume that the Pats did, in fact, video tape our Offense and Defensive calls over the last 6+ years. It is very possible that simply knowing which play was coming was enough to beat us... but there could also be a deeper level.

What if... because the Patriots were able to beat us so handily for so long... coaches systematically changed our offensive and defensive system to be more creative, or complex? It seems likely that when you are constantly chasing one particular team in the standings.. your focus switches to beating them, than beating everyone else and hoping to beat them.

Is it possible that personnel decisions were made solely based on the fact that we couldn't beat the patriots? Could season-long game plans change in the hopes of beating one team?

Just taking a look at what else may have been affected by the Patriots cheating.

The Bills have changed coaches so many times over the past few years that I don't think there is a big systematic impact.

[yordad]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

The Bills have changed coaches so many times over the past few years that I don't think there is a big systematic impact.

You know, there are thousands who would agree. Millions. They all live in New England.

[don137]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

I do not think the Patriot cheating affected the outcome of any of the Bills games but I think it affected other games like the AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh.

[Michael82]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

It affected us because they used all their cheating tapes from the 1st game each season to come up the perfect gameplan to crush us in the next game. Hell, look at each time they play us. Usually we keep it close in the 1st one, then they just kill us in the 2nd game.

[mchurchfie]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

It affected us because they used all their cheating tapes from the 1st game each season to come up the perfect gameplan to crush us in the next game. Hell, look at each time they play us. Usually we keep it close in the 1st one, then they just kill us in the 2nd game.

Great point. I hate those cheating ****ers even more so than ever now.

[Michael82]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Here's our history against the Patriots since 2000. Notice how for the most part, the 2nd game is more lopsided.

2000
11/5 - Bills WIN 16-13
12/17 - Bills LOSE 10-13 in OT

2001
11/11 - Bills LOSE 11-21
12/16 - Bills LOSE 9-12 in OT

2002
11/3 - Bills LOSE 7-38
12/8 - Bills LOSE 17-27

2003
9/7 - Bills WIN 31-0
12/27 - Bills LOSE 0-31

2004
10/3 - Bills LOSE 17-31
11/14 - Bills LOSE 6-29

2005
10/30 - Bills LOSE 16-21
12/11 - Bills LOSE 7-35

2006
9/10 - Bills LOSE 17-19
10/22 - Bills LOSE 6-28

2007
9/23 - Bills LOSE 7-38
11/18 - Bills LOSE 10-56

[Michael82]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

oh and to make you guys feel even better, here's a good one....

1999
11/28 - Bills WIN 17-7
12/26 - Bills WIN 13-10 in OT

[jamze132]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Here's our history against the Patriots since 2000. Notice how for the most part, the 2nd game is more lopsided.

2000
11/5 - Bills WIN 16-13
12/17 - Bills LOSE 10-13 in OT

2001
11/11 - Bills LOSE 11-21
12/16 - Bills LOSE 9-12 in OT

2002
11/3 - Bills LOSE 7-38
12/8 - Bills LOSE 17-27

2003
9/7 - Bills WIN 31-0
12/27 - Bills LOSE 0-31

2004
10/3 - Bills LOSE 17-31
11/14 - Bills LOSE 6-29

2005
10/30 - Bills LOSE 16-21
12/11 - Bills LOSE 7-35

2006
9/10 - Bills LOSE 17-19
10/22 - Bills LOSE 6-28

2007
9/23 - Bills LOSE 7-38
11/18 - Bills LOSE 10-56

Mikey, I think you hit the nail on the head with this. If you look at the last few seasons, we have remained relatively close in the first game, especially the first half of that game. But for some miraculous reason after halftime and allthroughout the 2nd game, we could do absolutely nothing right. It just seems too odd for them to be that rediculously good and us to be that rediculously bad during those time frames.

Make no mistake, the Pats have had a far supperior team to just about anyone in the NFL the last 4-5 years but there is no way in hell they won as many games as they did clean. They were obiously gaining a competitive edge in some way, shape, or form.

[jamze132]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Oh, and by the way, where the hell is NE39 to defend his beloved Patsies? I would swear the guy comes on here only to ever so slightly bash the Bills while trying so hard to sound impartial. He does a good job of it, but I see through his arogance.

[Michael82]

Re: IMO - This is how the patriots cheating likely affected the Bills

Mikey, I think you hit the nail on the head with this. If you look at the last few seasons, we have remained relatively close in the first game, especially the first half of that game. But for some miraculous reason after halftime and allthroughout the 2nd game, we could do absolutely nothing right. It just seems too odd for them to be that rediculously good and us to be that rediculously bad during those time frames.

Make no mistake, the Pats have had a far supperior team to just about anyone in the NFL the last 4-5 years but there is no way in hell they won as many games as they did clean. They were obiously gaining a competitive edge in some way, shape, or form.

Exactly! I bet the halftime scores show it even more.