Success

I think we'd all take a 5 minute drive to end the half and a 10-0 lead right now.

We're not even 2 quarters in to 2021.

I actually love this 1st half. If the O just gets back into regular form, this team will be unstoppable. The D has caught up to the O.

Man, it's great to see a punter pin another team deep. Those kinds of kicks can be huge.

It's not so bad to have the D carrying this one so far. We can't just be offense if we want to win a ring.

1st game of the season - and it looks like it to this point. They'll settle in.

If you check the Pats boards, they think they're right back to being a SB contender. The only nod to reality that they allot is that Mac "won't be as good as Brady"...but most think he'll be close and it's right back to being top dog. Winning for 20 years straight can be both a blessing & curse, imo.

Wings, burgers, fries, beer. Otherwise known as "cheat day."

Great story. We tend to generalize about opposing fans, but like you said, there are good people everywhere. Except New England, of course.

I suppose it's inevitable. The Patriot fanbase is basically the same one who looked at Yankees fans for decades and criticized them for being "arrogant" and entitled. Then they BECAME Yankees fans. Worse, actually. I don't think we'd be as bad, though. Western NY in general is just a more grounded region. I think we'll have much more gratitude than arrogance.

Gotta love it when a player embraces the city...

The Cowboys were better than I thought - particularly Dak. That no call at the end of the game decided it. I was surprised. I was rooting hard for Dallas, which I never thought possible. Brady has overtaken them on my "never root for" list....

I figured Cobra Kai would get a new instructor eventually...

But I don't like the Patriots...

I was surprised - I saw some interview recently from the playoffs last year, and Edelman was really rooting for the Bills. If I recall correctly, he was even hoping they'd win over Brady. He had a lot of praise for our fans and the atmosphere in Buffalo.

Football is BIG money. I don't know why people get negative emojis for suggesting that Beasley be cut or traded. I mean, I'd hate to lose him too - but I'd hate to lose a season we've been waiting for literally for decades because of him. I find it embarrassing that the Bills are on the low end of this. These guys go out there every week and risk their long-term health...and they're afraid to get a vaccine? I don't really find it acceptable. I'm not for mandating it, but they're putting other people's jobs in jeopardy, and could potentially ruin the hard work of many to get the Bills back in this position, after many years. We'll just have to see how the season plays out. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised. This year, some of the protocols are much more strict. It could really cost this team.

I haven't read through the whole thread - but the "rings" argument is a bad one. There is the obvious "Is Dilfer better than Marino?" But beyond that, this isn't tennis or golf, or even basketball. Put Brady on the Packers w/ McCarthy as his coach and a less sound team overall - does he have more rings than Rogers? Does BB only have 1 ring if Rogers is his QB instead of Brady? A lot of things went wrong for Kelly to not have any rings - and most of those were things out of his control. If Norwood makes that FG, what happens? Do they easily handle the Redskins the next year, and then split w/ the Cowboys because a 10,000 lb. monkey isn't on their back at that point?

I heard other fans comment on that after a few games last year where they interviewed both guys together. It's one of the things that has helped create a personality for this team. At least right now, the Bills are pretty easy to root for.

Looks like I'm going to the pub for the opener...

Maybe - and I'd love to think that. But I also remember when the Patriots were plucky underdogs. Even I rooted for them against the Rams, and I need therapy about that team now. But you never know. It is a likable team. BB was responsible for a lot of the disdain for NE.

This is the progression. 1) We're a bad team, and no one notices us. 2) We're a good team, and no one notices us 3) We're a good team, and people are talking about us 4) We're a good team, and people think we'll win the Super Bowl 5) We're a good team, and everyone hates us

Just a head's up: if we win the Super Bowl, I may drink a bit.

I'm actually more excited about seeing where & how he improves. The trajectory is clear. I think he's only going to get better.

I've gotta believe every single poster here would be disappointed w/ anything less than a trip to the show. Everything has kind of built up to this year. The build-up feels almost identical to '90 in some ways. We've filled all the holes, and have great players in just about every unit on the field. Allen is being talked about as a potential MVP, and when any media conversation turns to the SB, you can bet Buffalo will be mentioned. Let's take in every single minute of this season. It will be one for the ages.

No one does the QB hype machine better than New England. Catching lightning in a bottle 2 decades ago has made pundits abandon reason when it comes to up & coming QB's in NE. Remember when Jimmy G was there? He's turned out okay, but he was going to be as good as Brady. They kept leaking things out of camp about how unstoppable he'd be. Then Stidham. Again - then it was Stidham. The hype on that guy was overboard - BB had done it again w/ another non-1st rounder. Then they got Cam, and he was going to be back in MVP form w/ BB as coach. Now it's Jones. I actually got scared a bit & watched all of his highlights, and a replay of the Pats/Giants preseason game. I mean, he was certainly fine - but I've seen WAY too many QB's look amazing in preseason. I remember thinking Van Pelt could seamless replace Kelly because of how good he had looked. You can't gauge anything off of preseason. 2nd & 3rd team defenses, giving QB's no exotic looks or complicated packages. Let's see Jones once he has to face a real pass rush and a defense he's never seen.