rockpile

The last "official" Bills team Jersey I got was Kyle Williams. I did not want to pay for a player jersey and have to toss it in the pile of draft failures or players who became free agents and left for greener ($) to another team, or morphed into psych cases. I selected jersey on an "old reliable" player I respect and will really miss watching. Like most on the Wall of Fame, I believe I can wear his number for many years to honor his service to the Bills.

You got that right! My daughter and son-in-law are my heroes. They deal with this 24 x 7 and do not complain. She gave up her career to care for him and son-in-law now has two jobs. This makes my MS seem like a cake walk! p.s made it through his lumbar puncture today!

Cheeky was able to get through his latest treatment and come home to celebrate Christmas. Life is a roller coaster, though for his whole family. Nicole told me she cannot tell me in the morning what her calendar will be for the afternoon. She is a fighter though, and has passed that on to "Cheeky". Looking forward to a positive New year, as his chemo treatments continue. He filled out quite a bit, and has had fewer melt downs. I imagine chemo is like steroids, his moods sometimes are Banner keeping the Hulk at bay! He is learning to say "football", Buffalo" and "Ay-Ay Ay Ay! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year to all. Rockpile

You are too modest, but either way, my point is the same. The threads are interesting AND promote conversation because they are somewhat open ended, which promotes debate.

Shaw66, I always look for threads you start because you put some thought into what you want to say, accept opinions different from yours without tossing barbs, and seem to set the tone for a rational conversation that rises above name calling. Regarding the running game, I think the repetitive running tightened up the defensive "wall" and relaxed the defensive backs just a bit, which set up a few nice passing plays. I had to miss the second half due to family commitments and a defective DVR, but the game ended the way I wanted. I am also a Josh Allen fan and hope he continues to grow into a QB we can be proud to have on our team. I really hope the Bills can make Brady look old Sunday. A win would be my Christmas gift! Rockpile

Naaman is home after three days of intense chemo treatment. He is understandably irritable and cannot keep food down. Most food tastes bad to him anyway! He and his parents are fighters and aggressively treating his leukemia. His story (journal), a link to GoFundMe, and information about childhood leukemia can be found here: https://teamnaaman.com/ Naaman is Old Testament, Doc! I never noticed the Bills Naaman football player until you pointed it out! Ironically Naaman was a warrior cured of Leprosy after being told by the prophet Elisha to bathe seven times in the Jordan River. I wish it was that easy today. He will be in therapy for a few years, and odds say he can be cured.

I stand corrected! If you read my full post again, it was not a shot at Ferguson. I liked him!

Props to Pancho Billa, as a true fan and cancer fighter!

For many of his years, his interceptions and sacks exceeded his touchdown passes, but he was good enough to be the Bills starting QB for twelve years. That tells you the miserable TEAM play was not all on him. His career stats make him a perhaps average QB on a poor team. Imagine him on the 70's Steelers or Dolphins! BTW, in Ground Chuck's five years as head coach, he had only TWO winning seasons. But under Knox, Fergie had his four BEST career QB ratings, when he played 16 games. He played backup for the Lions, Bucs and Colts after leaving Buffalo, Just shy of 30,000 passing yards. I am a Ferguson fan, too! I always said they cut Ferguson, wearing #12 in 1984, in the hopes of signing Jim Kelly, who took #12 to the Houston Gamblers. Ferguson has said that the head hanging was misinterpreted. He said he was already thinking about what he would do when he got the ball back, and was making plans. Someone should have told him how that was perceived negatively by anyone looking at him. His career INT rate was almost 15% per attempt too.

Sorry to hear that, I lost my father in the late 1980's. He grew up in South Buffalo (Keppel Street). He joined the Navy at 18 years of age and fought in the Pacific. He married his sweetheart in 1949 and lost her to cancer in 1960. He raised two boys during the "Leave it to Beaver" years (imagine how rare that was) and neither of us was ever arrested. He was a founding member of the Buffalo Bills Boosters Club, Inc. He took us to the Rockpile often. A combination of growing in South Buffalo pollution, war, smoking, beer, steel plant air (blast furnace = coal mine) ended his life in his early 60's. Always took care of us, and he was a good man. I hope my family can summarize my life with that last line - a long time from now!

Naaman is a trooper, but a couple months of tests, shots, transfusions and chemo are not easy on him or his family! Please keep him in your prayers!

It was clear.

Actually, when I was about 16 or 17, I was thrown out of the Rockpile by security for throwing snowballs at the Dolphins players. In the uncovered end zone, you could reach the field from the top row. Yes, I was wrong. A hard packed snow ball can be like throwing a stone at someone. I could have hit a kid! I was a burb block hero for a couple of days among my peers, though!

I understand. My children are in their 30's and 40's and barely remember those days. I was just saying that there ARE bandwagon fans, and you will see them with price tags still on their Bills gear, if given a reason to come back. Also, the only last straw for me would be if the team ever left Buffalo.

I do. When the Bills were annual playoff contenders and AFC Champs, every Monday was started with positive talk about the team at "the water cooler". Every store had a large display of Bills various types of Bills merchandise. On a stroll trough the mall, almost everyone was wearing Bills jerseys, coats, hats, scarfs, ties, sneakers, etc, Now when I wear clothes with a Bills logo, some people actually mock me or say something encouraging, like you would hear at a funeral. Let the Bills tear up the league with a couple winning seasons and the bandwagon fans will come out of their closets. I survive by being a fan, but expecting nothing from them in return.

Joe Ferguson was color blind and all AFC East teams had white helmets. Joe could tell the difference between white and red, so Joe knew who his receivers were!

That was my thought when they did not go to (what is now called) Super Bowl I in 1967. There have been some good runs but 50+ years and FOUR SB losses was all I had to look forward to!? Still a fan but I swore off the kool aid.

They have created a new website, where you can read about my Grandson Naaman's progress, donate to his GoFundMe account, share your stories, and provide information to you about childhood cancer and treaments. I am taking a BIG risk sharing it on this forum, so please do not make me regret it! https://teamnaaman.com/ Thanks, Rockpile

Here is my post tailgate "blog". I thought others might want to write their TBDAHOT game day experience without having it get lost in the main thread. Moderators, move it if you must! Opening Day 2018, Orchard Park, NY It was a beautiful sunny day, with temperatures in the 80's. I saw a thermometer on a garage that read 99 degrees in the sun, so I assume that is close to what it felt like in a concrete stadium, on a metal bench at kickoff time. Luckily we were not on the sunny side, so we had shade the whole game. It was nice to have a jet plane flyover, instead of propeller driven cargo planes, or para-sailers. They honored first responders, including service men, police men, national guard, local fire and ambulance departments. No one took a knee during the National Anthem. From a tailgate perspective I had a wonderful time: chicken wings, home made stromboli, beef on weck, grilled sausage, jello shots, a bowling ball shot, and a couple IPAs, spaced with lots of water. The primary reason I went to the game was my friends, who tailgate together every year. The Bills home opener is an event unto itself, attended by locals as well as many out of state fans or fans with homes in New York but hours away. It has been described as a party or reunion that starts on Saturday and continues until hours after the game on Sunday, with three and a half hours in the middle when there is a football game. Next year will be our 20th anniversary as fans of the Buffalo Bills, Two Bills Drive, Hammer and his famous lot, a mysterious Red Pinto, and good people who come together as a family. The game was a loss as perhaps expected, but in ways that were unexpected. The defense did not show up for the first half, and I had thought Buffalo would put up SOME discernible resistance. The Bills new rookie QB, Josh Allen, did well, considering he was probably averaging 2.0 seconds per play before being heavily pressured. I expected the offensive line would play poorly, but they were just terrible. With no holes in the defensive front there was no way to establish any kind of running game or even a set up a screen pass, I just hoped no one broke our young quarterback. Needless to say the crowd was as quiet as I have ever hear it, just before halftime trailing the Chargers 28-6 . Things were slightly better in the second half, but not enough to bother spending much time on the details. The Bills defense put up a better fight, and the offense was pumped up, but this team does not yet contain enough talent to be a real contender. Special teams were erratic, but for one brief moment in the second half, it seemed that the Bills might come back into the game. The upper deck fans started a "wave", which was embarrassing, but at least they did it when the Chargers had the ball. Josh Allen made several scrambles (some planned) and refused to call it quits. It was all too little too late, and mistakes and a very good opponent took the game. This is a team you can cheer for, but cannot expect many victories from in 2018. Over the next few years, I would expect this team to finally start resembling the monsters they were in the nineties!

It all comes down to expectations. I have been saying "Wait until next year" since the Bills lost to Kansas City in 1967 and did not go to the first Super Bowl. I would spend the off season optimistically thinking it would be better next year. I guess I am worn down! I try to watch every game (or DVR it). I go to as many games as I want, but the only thing I expect for a season any more is that the Buffalo Bills will play 16 games. Anything beyond that means they EXCEED my expectations. I wear my Bills shirt on Monday. I try not to look at next year UNTIL next year. I try to stay emotionally detached post-game after a loss. I am a Bills fan and always will be. This is how I survive!

I agree about the game, but the annual tailgate and seeing friends is the only reason I even GO to the home opener!.

We MUST have a 20th Anniversary T-shirt!

I know you were not asking me, but this was my delicious breakfast and lunch, along with jello shots, a bowling ball shot, and three IPA's. Paced myself by drinking lots of water!

Good group today! JÂy RÛßeÒ, Aussiew, Just Jack, Rich and Rev n Joisey, R.Rich, and Rockpile.

Very good post. Yes, even if they only win two games or none, we will still be Bills fans. I find survival as a Bills fan is to LOWER your expectations. I hope for more but I only expect the Bills to play 16 games this season.