| September 18, 2003 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 09:58 PM |
The Buffalo Bills started the 2003 campaign with a 31-0 embarrassment to the New England Patriots. Leading the charge for the Bills, were former Patriots Drew Bledsoe, and most notably Lawyer Milloy. While Drew's day was ordinary, 230 yards, a pick and a TD, Lawyer made it known to his former team, with his sack, that he is here for one reason, and one reason only- to shut down opposing offenses. Many people have mentioned that this could very well be the start of a new rivalry. Bad blood is starting to boil.
Will this become our new rivalry? I think not. I still get more pleasure out a fish squishing, than I do out of a Patsy shellacking. The victories are all the sweeter when the Fish go down.
There is something deeply etched in our memory that makes us cringe whenever we hear the words Fish, Fins, Miami, Dolphins, etc. However you say it, the mere mention of the fish exudes contempt, hatred, and a burning desire to vomit. Nothing can replace the emotions that come to the surface during Miami week. Twice a year we look forward to the Fish Fry. It is such a deep seeded rivalry nothing can compare to it.
The New England fans may try to get a little trash talk going amongst us, and it could work, it will work, but only in the short term. Yes we have two of their key players in Lawyer Milloy and Drew Bledsoe. They also hove a couple of our former stars with big Ted Washington and Antowain Smith. There are a couple of players who had minor roles with both teams, most notably Larry Centers, who spent a couple of seasons with the Bills. We have one of Miami's 1992 draft picks in Dave Moore, who is proving a valuable addition to the TE position. All the components are in place for a good old rivalry. We'll enjoy it for now, but it will be short lived, and no where near as passionate as the Dolphins Bills rivalry.
The first year the Miami Dolphins entered the league, we beat them in both games, setting a team record for scoring in a 58-24 win in the inaugural gane and then shutting them out in Miami. Although the Bills didn't meet each other in the post season until 1990, the seed had firmly been planted in regards to a rivalry. The differences between cities are stark- Miami is hot and sunny, Buffalo, cold and snowy. Working class people versus the rich and snobby. There are several more differences which I won't get into, cause I am not here to challenge anyone’s cerebral abilities. We have a postseason edge of 3 wins to 1 loss, but on the other hand Miami has a commanding lifetime record, 46 – 27- 1. The Buffalo Bills still have a long way to go to even those stats up. It's time to pick up where we left off last season and continue adding 'W's.
Bottom Line: Nothing can ever replace the satisfaction, personally and as a whole, I, you, we all do when the Buffalo Bills defeat the Miami Dolphins. We could be in the midst of a 1-15 season, and as long as that one victory came at the expense of the Miami Dolphins, 99% of us would stick with the team. The Patsie's rivalry is a good one in the makings, but it will never replace the Buffalo Bills versus the Miami Dolphins.