Moral victory

[X-Era]

Yes it exists because I just said it did.

Figured I'd start by being a fan on this board and flexing my e-muscle after a painful loss.

Now that that's over we can talk more level-headed.

I hated the loss just as much as you all did. We were right there and couldn't close the deal. To me the deal killer was the 4th quarter drive where we went 3 and out instead of eating clock and getting more points. But the truth is we gave this one away with stupid penalties. Many will say "same ole Bills" but this team is different. They have a sound, aggressive style of football that I haven't seen here in a while. They give me the impression that they will be able to play with anyone. That's what we need. Will they give away games with one big stupid play? Maybe. But I just feel more confident about this team than with previous teams.

I expected the Pats to destroy us. I said I wanted a competitive game win or lose and that's what I got.


I fully expected this young team with a new HC, OC, DC, staff, and all new schemes to come out and play sloppy at times. They did that. But, they were way better than I expected.
I expected our rookie QB to throw 2 or more INT's. He didn't
I didn't expect our backups in the secondary to play so tough.
I didn't expect our defense to play so well.
I wondered if we could get lot's of pressure, we got some theres room for more.
I thought our OL might give up some sacks, they didn't.
I thought Marrone might get rattled or do something stupid, he had a few things that were questionable but not horrible.


We have the foundation for a good team
Aggressive defense
Productive offense
Talented young QB who is playing solid
Well coached team that is ready to play and minimizes mental mistakes

Reduce the penalties
Reduce the mistakes further

"there are no moral victories"... Yeah there are. Losing by 2 points to a team that is a perennial powerhouse and should have destroyed us? When we have a rookie everything team? I'll take that. This team looked way better than I thought they would. We have an aggressive defense that plays with their asses on fire, we have an offense that can score, we have special teams that play well, and we have coaches who seem to be getting this team ready to play. Add in that Manuel is doing his job well as a rookie...

We can have a bright future with this team.

[Bone]

Well said. First game of the season we are fine. We will destroy the panthers next week.

[Pinkerton Security]

Besides some bad time management, the thing that concerned me the most was the inability to get our biggest playmaker into the open field. CJ got bottled up and I'm wondering if we're seeing some of the repercussions of not keeping Levitre

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Only a moral victory if we learn from our mistakes, get some wins, and beat those bastards in Foxboro.

[trapezeus]

moral lessons are fine. but most of these guys were on teams that lost games they should have won over the course of the last 3 years. at some point, they need to stop learning and start doing!

Also, it's fine to sugar coat it that things can get better. They definitely can. But unless the bills are looking at a good long sustainable run, you've got a team in a bad afc east fighting for its life. And it will have a home loss to a division foe that it was beating in the 4th quarter and couldn't close out. that will have a huge impact on playoff implications if the bills indeed start playing better than they did on Sunday.

that's when this would is going to be gashed open again. in november. and then you will really hate this game.

[BillsFever21]

Only losing teams use the term a "moral victory" when you lose a game. The fact is the Patriots gave us every opportunity to beat them and we have several different drives in the late 3rd/4th quarter where we had a chance to build a cushion and go up by at least a TD or even 11 points. All the penalties on the OL and overall were pathetic and is continuing from preseason. The OL didn't open up many holes and Brown was completely dominated on many occasions.

The offense was putrid and didn't even have 300 total yards and the defense still gave up over 400 yards although they did a good job bending but not breaking. We made a couple costly errors but the Patriots easily gave them right back to us and then some. Nothing like a fumble on the goal line when they are going in for a possible TD score along with a guy falling down by himself and fumbling the ball for an easy TD.

The Patriots played like crap and any decent team could've put them away in the 2nd half especially being at home. Our defense once again couldn't get off the field on 3rd down and the clock management towards the end of the game was just brutal. We go three and out in about 30 seconds and never see the ball again. That's the point in time when you want to slow the game down, pick up some first downs and put the game away. That's what good teams/coaching does and that's what the Patriots did after we gave the ball back to them. The defense never even had a chance to sit down let alone rest before the final drive.

We had our best chance to beat the Pats with Brady playing his first game with a bunch of new receivers and a ton of rookie receivers that didn't do anything. Our 150 million dollar defensive line still couldn't stop the run and was gashed all day up the middle. This is the year for Dareus to prove something if not then he goes down as another high draft pick bust when there were nothing but Pro Bowlers drafted after him.

[X-Era]

Only losing teams use the term a "moral victory" when you lose a game. The fact is the Patriots gave us every opportunity to beat them and we have several different drives in the late 3rd/4th quarter where we had a chance to build a cushion and go up by at least a TD or even 11 points. All the penalties on the OL and overall were pathetic and is continuing from preseason. The OL didn't open up many holes and Brown was completely dominated on many occasions.

The offense was putrid and didn't even have 300 total yards and the defense still gave up over 400 yards although they did a good job bending but not breaking. We made a couple costly errors but the Patriots easily gave them right back to us and then some. Nothing like a fumble on the goal line when they are going in for a possible TD score along with a guy falling down by himself and fumbling the ball for an easy TD.

The Patriots played like crap and any decent team could've put them away in the 2nd half especially being at home. Our defense once again couldn't get off the field on 3rd down and the clock management towards the end of the game was just brutal. We go three and out in about 30 seconds and never see the ball again. That's the point in time when you want to slow the game down, pick up some first downs and put the game away. That's what good teams/coaching does and that's what the Patriots did after we gave the ball back to them. The defense never even had a chance to sit down let alone rest before the final drive.

We had our best chance to beat the Pats with Brady playing his first game with a bunch of new receivers and a ton of rookie receivers that didn't do anything. Our 150 million dollar defensive line still couldn't stop the run and was gashed all day up the middle. This is the year for Dareus to prove something if not then he goes down as another high draft pick bust when there were nothing but Pro Bowlers drafted after him.
Anyone who went into that game expecting a win. With us having an all new everything and playing a perennial playoff team is unrealistic.

And I'm being nice.

We've seen the Pats play like crap in our house for years and we still lose.

This team had a hundred reasons to get blown out and yet kept it competitive.

And our rookie QB should have thrown 2 or 3 picks yet threw none and threw 2 TD's.

If you can't feel good even in a loss then you may be a ways off from feeling good about this team.

I can't fault someone for thinking winning is the only thing that matters. But, I look deeper and I like what I saw even in this loss.

[BADTHINGSMAN]

I have no issue with Bills fans having morale victories. The biggest reason I say "same old Bills" is the penalties/the mental mistakes and the inability to play 4 quarters of football. That has been the Bills the last 13 years. When are they going to use what they have learned? Why bother hiring new coaches when none of them fix the major issues. That being penalties and not playing 4 quarters.

I didn't expect a blow out loss. I expected the Bills to come out and play tough and they did for the most part. I saw some things that showed promise. That was along with the bad that hasn't changed.

[BillsFever21]

Anyone who went into that game expecting a win. With us having an all new everything and playing a perennial playoff team is unrealistic.

And I'm being nice.

We've seen the Pats play like crap in our house for years and we still lose.

This team had a hundred reasons to get blown out and yet kept it competitive.

And our rookie QB should have thrown 2 or 3 picks yet threw none and threw 2 TD's.

If you can't feel good even in a loss then you may be a ways off from feeling good about this team.

I can't fault someone for thinking winning is the only thing that matters. But, I look deeper and I like what I saw even in this loss.

Using the normal "we thought we would've lost my more" isn't a valid excuse either. The Bills had every opportunity handed to them and they couldn't seal the game with several different chances late in the game. Just because many thought we would get blown out doesn't matter. When the cards were dealt on the river we had the upper hand but folded.

I'm also glad the game was close but people being happy about a loss is what fans of losing teams do. We caught the Patriots at the right time and we blew it. Our coaching staff was horrible down the stretch and guys like Johnson choked once again and dropped a big pass late in the game. When you get to the point that a successful game is when you didn't lose by that much then that's just a losing mentality.

We came back and took control of the game when Amendola went out but when he came back ith was 3rd down conversion after 3rd down conversion. Same as last year where I think we were dead last in the league. If not then we were first or second to last in that category.

[X-Era]

Using the normal "we thought we would've lost my more" isn't a valid excuse either. The Bills had every opportunity handed to them and they couldn't seal the game with several different chances late in the game. Just because many thought we would get blown out doesn't matter. When the cards were dealt on the river we had the upper hand but folded. I don't make excuses, I look at reality. We should have lost by a lot more. I'm alright with fans not looking at it that way; but on this re-building team, I do.


I'm also glad the game was close but people being happy about a loss is what fans of losing teams do. We caught the Patriots at the right time and we blew it. Our coaching staff was horrible down the stretch and guys like Johnson choked once again and dropped a big pass late in the game. When you get to the point that a successful game is when you didn't lose by that much then that's just a losing mentality.I will never be happy with a loss. I was very unhappy that we lost. I simply accept it and can look past it to see what we have and if we have a chance to be a good team with development.

This team didn't come into the game with a full-house or 4 of a kind, they came in with a 3 of a kind and an ace or even just two pair. They did more with that set of cards in an inexperienced players hand that I expected.


We came back and took control of the game when Amendola went out but when he came back ith was 3rd down conversion after 3rd down conversion. Same as last year where I think we were dead last in the league. If not then we were first or second to last in that category.
Brady has always been able to find a guy to throw to. He will always be able to regardless of who he's playing. The way to beat him is to sack him or get in his face. We did that more or about as much as I expected. I don't think Amendola won anything. And I also don't think Brady did either. The Pats do what they do which is close out games. We're not good enough yet to do that in a game against a top opponent like the Pats. But, I think we might be closer than we have been in many years based on this game.

[GvilleBills]

Man, **** a moral victory...

[X-Era]

We lost so we suck, got it.

That means the Ravens sucked 6 weeks out of the 16 last year.

I'm not that fickle.

[GvilleBills]

We lost so we suck, got it.

That means the Ravens sucked 6 weeks out of the 16 last year.

I'm not that fickle.
Did I say that? Not a doom and gloomer.
But realistically, after 13 years, and accounting for the top end talent (depth, not so much) on this team, a moral victory isn't worth piss in a pot.
If you're cool with being "the plucky upstarts that just fell short", that's fine. I just hope Marrone doesn't feel the same as you.

[X-Era]

Did I say that? Not a doom and gloomer.
But realistically, after 13 years, and accounting for the top end talent (depth, not so much) on this team, a moral victory isn't worth piss in a pot.
If you're cool with being "the plucky upstarts that just fell short", that's fine. I just hope Marrone doesn't feel the same as you.Define "cool with".

Marrone probably sees what I see, potential with lots of mistakes and room to get better.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Did I say that? Not a doom and gloomer.
But realistically, after 13 years, and accounting for the top end talent (depth, not so much) on this team, a moral victory isn't worth piss in a pot.
If you're cool with being "the plucky upstarts that just fell short", that's fine. I just hope Marrone doesn't feel the same as you.

LMAO what "top end talent"? Spiller was the only one fitting that bill on the field for us yesterday.

[Jeff1220]

I was pretty much done with moral victories 5 or 6 years ago. I just want this team to start having some actual victories.

[Meathead]

i also wouldnt mind an immoral victory

like if marrone bumped belicheats soul off satans top rung by agreeing to also sacrifice his entire familys souls then i would be ok with that

[BillsFever21]

Bills average victories the past several years - 6

Bills average moral victories the past several years - 4

Maybe if we can add the two together then we could've been a 10 win team at some point and made the playoffs.

[GvilleBills]

Define "cool with".

Marrone probably sees what I see, potential with lots of mistakes and room to get better.

Everyone can see that. But a moral victory is worthless. This team isn't a dumpster fire devoid of talent, therefore " just missing" doesn't cut it. That's some Jauron ****.

[GvilleBills]

LMAO what "top end talent"? Spiller was the only one fitting that bill on the field for us yesterday.

Top end is maybe a little strong. :D
Spiller, Freddy, Wood, Glenn, KW, Mario(admittedly invisible Sunday), Dareus, Lawson...
Id include Byrd and Gilmore, though they didn't play. I mean team talent. You can count me amongst those that see an improvement over the DJ years.
Obviously a ways to go, but I think we're past the acceptance of a moral victory.

[better days]

It was a heartbreaking loss to the Pats* but this is a team to get EXCITED about.

The Bills are on the uptick & are only going to get better.

Does the 2-14 crowd still think they are going to be proved right? I doubt that they do.


SCREW THE PANTHERS & SCREW THE 2-14 CROWD

GO BILLS!

[Historian]

4-12

[better days]

4-12

You will be proved wrong as well.

[jills]

We had many opportunities to beat the weakest cheatriots team in a long time and we didn't.


Different team my ***