If the Bills cheated like the Cheaters would you still support them?

[Meathead]

definitely no

ive sent one letter to a sports franchise/player in my life and that was to ralph wilson when i was a season ticket holder asking him to clamp down on the fan violence at the games

if the bills ever cheated like either of the two filthy Cheater cheat cheater cheats id write a letter to terry telling him im finished supporting the team until that coach and/or players were fired

how about you?

[harmonkoz]

I would be done with football more than likely. I am teetering on that anyway.

Quit paying attention baseball after the last strike (Used to follow the Brewers (Back when they were AL) and Cardinals).
Quit paying attention to hockey after the lockout (Used to follow the Blues and the Sabres)

[YardRat]

I would expect the head coach and owner to be removed with a rap sheet this long. The 'eligible receiver' thingie with Baltimore really isn't a big deal to me, I don't consider that cheating, but Spygate and deflated balls alone, even if there weren't other transgressions, is enough to justify a pattern and necessity for serious consequences. I could see myself bailing until the situation was rectified, but not forever.

[HHURRICANE]

You guys are funny. This type of stuff happens in every sport. My favorite is when the snow blower came out and cleared the patch for the field goal in Foxboro.

If the Bills were on their way to the Super Bowl and this story was about us we'd all be bragging how it wouldn't have mattered because we killed the Colts.

Get over yourselves. The story is funny but not that important.

[Meathead]

I would be done with football more than likely. I am teetering on that anyway.

Quit paying attention baseball after the last strike (Used to follow the Brewers (Back when they were AL) and Cardinals).
Quit paying attention to hockey after the lockout (Used to follow the Blues and the Sabres)

as much as id like to agree, i cant honestly say i would be 'done' with the sport

football and hockey have always been my favorite sports, but baseball was starting to really come on strong for me right when they cancelled the ws. i havent watched a complete baseball game since, and now i hardly ever pay any attention to that sport

but as much as the hockey lockout pissed me the **** off, i still went back once the games started again. same thing with football

but yeah, if the bills cheated like the dirty cheaters, i would definitely boycott the team until the dirtbags responsible were gone

[IlluminatusUIUC]

It wasn't cheating, but my favorite college football team went through a pretty massive scandal about a decade ago. Colorado was sued by several former female students because they accused the school of covering up rapes and other sexual misconduct by the team. I pretty much had to walk away from it for a while. The good news (poor way to phrase that really) is that in college pretty much everything turns over after a few years, and when the AD and coach got fired, its basically a new team.

[Skooby]

I couldn't watch a team cheat and be proud, I'd just as soon lose and have some pride versus cheating.

I bought the NHL ticket this season, it's hard to watch the Sabres get beaten bi-daily.

[YardRat]

I quit watching the Sabres completely, haven't seen one second of one game this season, literally. Not much more than that last season either. Not a fan of tanking.

[sudzy]

I'd like to say no. That's the easy thing to say. I don't know, a lot of us might try a spin it like Pats fans are now. There is all different shades of gray when your on the wrong side of right and wrong.

[Meathead]

well i dont watch the sabres games either, but i dont mind the two year tank, and idk what it has to do with cheating

[notacon]

No...no...no...

Baseball is nothing to me, in large part because of steroid use. That is cheating.

If there are no rules, or rules are regularly broken, it ruins the integrity of the game. Why bother even following because it then becomes a competition on who can cheat, and hide it better.

[Mace]

I'd like to say no. That's the easy thing to say. I don't know, a lot of us might try a spin it like Pats fans are now. There is all different shades of gray when your on the wrong side of right and wrong.

I said yes, it's only a sport anyway, because I can't say no, because I'd probably view it as Pat's fans do.

I already see it in shades of gray. To me, you just catch, prove, and punish, or get caught, revealed and punished.

As YardRat mentions, I have more trouble with what is going on with the Sabres and convincing myself they're embracing a tank, though it might seem clear as day to fans of other teams. If I do convince myself, I'm done with them, no matter how I've loved them.

I'd be angry if the Bills were caught cheating, but how angry depends on what they were cheating about.

[notacon]

I quit watching the Sabres completely, haven't seen one second of one game this season, literally. Not much more than that last season either. Not a fan of tanking.

I haven't watched a full Sabres game since they lost in Dallas on that cheating of the rules.

What are the accusations? Did the Sabres deliberately lose games? For what purpose? Improving draft position?

[Strongman]

I'd still support the Bills, but not the players or coaches involved in it.

If Jim Kelly and Marv Levy did what Brady and Belicheat did, I wouldn't support them. I'd consider their accomplishments bogus. No way would I be defending them like the chowderheads.

[cookie G]

Its a DNA thing...yes..I'd still support them, it is family..but I wouldn't look at them the same way.

And I'd expect them to come clean and take their punishment.

Much like when Bruce got a 4 game suspension, it isn't something you are happy about hearing, but let him do his time and get his treatment and own up to it.

I'd have a lot harder time watching, Marv, for instance...get up in front of the nation and play ignorant about it.

Or have Kelly try to act the part of a 4 year old getting caught doing somethng wrong and then doing a "aren't I cute?" routine.

What I wouldn't be doing is:

-claim the NFL set this up because it has it in for the Bills;
-claim its a jealousy thing;
-applaud while the coach and qb go on national TV and make some really implausible statements.

[YardRat]

well i dont watch the sabres games either, but i dont mind the two year tank, and idk what it has to do with cheating

To me it's a violation of the spirit of the competition, and by extension the integrity of game, if not specifically against the written rules.

I haven't watched a full Sabres game since they lost in Dallas on that cheating of the rules.

What are the accusations? Did the Sabres deliberately lose games? For what purpose? Improving draft position?

Not deliberately lose games per se, but deliberately fielding a sub par team that would have real challenges winning on any given night. And, yes, to improve draft position for the opportunity to draft one of two players that are allegedly the next Crosby or Gretzky.

It's a slippery slope to say the least, there is a fine line between an honest to goodness tear-down to the foundation and rebuild the 'right way' and deliberately tanking a season, but the timing of the Sabres strategy certainly lends itself to accusations of the latter.

[DynaPaul]

Absolutely not and I wouldn't be defending them with ******ed fanboy logic and spouting off inane platitudes like "They hate us 'cause they ain't us." That's for sure.

[Mr. Pink]

To me it's a violation of the spirit of the competition, and by extension the integrity of game, if not specifically against the written rules.



Not deliberately lose games per se, but deliberately fielding a sub par team that would have real challenges winning on any given night. And, yes, to improve draft position for the opportunity to draft one of two players that are allegedly the next Crosby or Gretzky.

It's a slippery slope to say the least, there is a fine line between an honest to goodness tear-down to the foundation and rebuild the 'right way' and deliberately tanking a season, but the timing of the Sabres strategy certainly lends itself to accusations of the latter.

If only Terry Pegula began ownership of the Bills back in 2011...Andrew Luck would have been a Buffalo Bill and that playoff drought would have been over.

Since we know he'll suck for McDavid, he certainly would have sucked for Luck.

And I'm sure no one would be sitting here in 2015 thinking "oh I can't get behind this team because that 2011 season was brutal and against the spirit of the rules."

[swiper]

With every NFL game played there is a 10 year old boy seeing his first game. We're all adults, but I'm sure you remember the magic from when you first found football. Cheating just ruins it for all those little guys. Roger Staubach is hero. Brady looks like a fool.

[Meathead]

well i guess you have a point about it not being in the spirit of the game since the nhl is taking steps to reduce the incentive to tank. i just dont see it as anywhere near cheating, especially in this case since what they had before didnt work and now theyve stuffed this team full of young talent learning on the job. fwiw, its going to be the last intentional total tank since the rules are going to change next year, and since other teams have done it already im sorta glad the sabres are getting theirs in before that barn door closes

if they get one of the two studs then i think they start pulling the strings next season to get some more veterans in to compete for the playoffs. with the sabres huge stockpile of excellent prospects and tons of cap room they should have the opportunity to add some nice high profile veteran talent looking to play with the next whiz kid