Success

He is, right? I mean, I get "critical" Bills fans. But he's here to talk everyone out of having any hope.

6 straight years? You're sure about that?

That's a goalpost move. Beating a team, no surprisingly, is beating a team.

Nah - not even close. It's unenjoyable because it's a "this should be us" feeling. But nothing will ever likely match the stark hatred I had and have for the Patriots, and how much I did not want them to win.

Watching the game - I fully feel like the Bills could be out there, and even w/ our flaws, compete for the title. We're no better or worse than either of these teams. So much of it is getting hot "at the right time." I don't know how a team does that - but we got hot too early. We need to be in this game next year

I blame Minnesota often for the fact that we don't have at least one ring. They gave those teams to Dallas. One of the worst trades in the history of sports.

Just wanted to say "thanks" for starting this thread. I don't watch the college game, and I've seen a ton of mocks w/ the Bills taking a receiver 1st. Which I'd be happy with. Seems like we could get a good one w/ our pick in the 1st, though I hope we trade down. Still, lots of good info in the OP & on this thread.

It's kind of weird. I don't hate the Chiefs & Mahomes like many here do. I like Mahomes as a guy and he's so fun to watch as a player - and I've always pulled for Reid after he was so criticized in Philly. Kelce is tough, but every team has a guy like that. I don't hate either team - which is a really nice change of pace for a SB. The Pats Super Bowls were always tense, because I hated - HATED - the idea of them winning. I don't have any team that feels even close to that these days.

Color me bitter.

I've had a vision of Diggs catching the SB-winning catch with under a minute left for years now. I still do. He will not be a "haunted" player, like so many of our guys from the '90s. He & JA will make it happen.

No comment.

Reid has only been a little luckier, imo. From a certain perspective, he has almost had the same futility as the Philly teams he was so criticized for. They were down 20-10 in the SB they won, pretty late in the game. If not for a fantastic throw from Mahomes on 3rd and long, and a missed long throw from Garropolo, he might be getting looked at the same way. McD needs better coordinators. With Daboll last year, we arguably should have gone much further, and could have won it all. I'm hopeful Dorsey develops & can give him a pass on coming up short his 1st year as OC.

Not really - more happy for both. Gotta admit - once in awhile, I think that we probably did have a better HC on our staff. I don't think there was any way we could have made him OUR HC - it would have been dramatic and weird to fire McD and elevate Daboll to the top job. But I also think that's a hot take. Daboll had a great year, but who knows if he'll be consistent. He had some things go his way this year. And I'm generally happy w/ McD.

Fans in general get too negative. If you no longer have hope - why continue being a fan? If I was really hopeless about this team, or McDermott, or whatever, I'd just move on. But I'm not; we got some bad breaks this year, but we'll be back. I plan on enjoying every second of Allen's career, and feeling excited as long as we have him at QB. We probably won't get another guy like this in my lifetime, and we're very fortunate to have him.

People used to think of Reid the same way some talk about McD now. Philly fans couldn't wait to get him out of town at a certain point. Could coach a great regular season, but couldn't win "when it counted." He's obviously a good coach. If fans want to hold out for a "great" one, we might be waiting decades.

He saw the same thing we all did. I even said during the game that it didn't look like the team had "juice." I don't care if people call it an excuse. They were emotionally spent. They didn't just "not show" or "choke." It was a crazy season, and there was just a bit too much adversity. It can reach a tipping point, and we saw that. The Bengals had more of a chip on their shoulder, too. I reject the "window" argument that centers around having to win while you still have an elite QB on his rookie contract. NFL history says otherwise, and while Beane has had his misses, I trust him to work the cap, draft & FA to keep a competitive team around JA. We'll have better teams than we had this past season.

Can't do cream cheese on the cinnamon raisin. Always butter. Cream cheese on the sesame or everything for sure.

Those are all quite extreme options. More just something that nags at me sporadically.

Hey - I'm in the majority! After what happened w/ Hamlin, a successful season was just him being healthy again. That was a hell of a thing for the team to get through - the idea of putting together a playoff run after that was always a longshot.

And if he, JA and Diggs can all be healthy this time next year - we'll still be playing in '24....

I truly appreciate the responses. Things weren't getting to me as much until the past couple of years. I think 13 seconds sent me into a whole new realm of questioning how I feel about this whole thing. I realize on the surface that letting it affect me beyond game day is completely irrational, and kind of immature. I'm working on it.

Reggie White was signed by the Green Bay Packers when he was the same age as Von. He played w/ them for 6 years after that, and was effective right up until the end of this time there. He helped them win a Super Bowl. I think "Old Man Miller" will be just fine when he gets back from injury, and do the same for the Bills.

Veruca Salt The Cranberries Nirvana Oasis

Just curious to see if I'm a deranged loser, or if my own experience is normal for sports fans. My main teams are the Bills and Knicks. I started liking the baseball & the Yankees about 7-8 years ago, and don't watch hockey. I don't count any Yankees past championships as "mine," so I've never seen one of my teams win it all. I'm in my late '50s, and particularly w/ the Bills, the longer I'm in it, the more it all affects me. I definitely feel like I've invested so much time at this point, I'm just all in until we get one. I would say without feeling embarrassed that I don't think my life will feel complete until the Bills win a title, and each failure gets worse for me. I'm still dealing w/ the Cincy loss, and will be for at least a few more weeks, if not longer. It's all a bit of an obsession. My younger self would have thought that I'm pathetic today. I would have been like "get a hobby...get a life." I have hobbies, and a great life, with a family I adore, lots of interests, and a job that I really enjoy. Anyone else? Or do I need professional help?

I wish there was not a Carolina connection. It really begs the question - are you only comfortable hiring guys you already know?