corta765

I would even add that the Rex idea was not the worst and it was the first time since Chuck Knox the Bills hired a coach who had brand name and some real respect in league circles. That to me was still a win for ownership even if it ended up going sideways. We joke how bad the Bills Rex era was but there is an alternate universe they beat MIA and then the NYJ to make the playoffs in 2016 and he ends up a hero.

I almost listed Hyde & Poyer in good as they were great I just was running too long. T Johnson for sure but I had that with my 2020 moment kind of. Yea the whole Diggs thing is wild as he still attributes Josh for so much. I really wonder what happened after that Bengals game or during that just caused everything to flip so fast. Lol REX 1000% was bad and weird

Haha it was a fun write up. Truthfully my favorite part was the Weird section as there really has been some just incredibly odd things that have happened.

I got to thinking that we are closing out the tenth year since Ralph passed and the Bills were bought by the Pegulas. Many many changes have happened so figured it would be fun to chronicle and look back as a group. The Good The team ending the drought. It hung like a dark cloud forever and then in the most unlikely of seasons as the team was clearly in transition lightning struck and it ended in the best of fashion. The 2017 season will hold a special place to me as a fan after going through the drought and attending so many games in that period. Josh Allen being draft AND developed AND then turning into a demi god of a QB that even Chief fans fear. The fact the Bills actually did their homework and drafted a QB was cool. The fact they helped to properly develop him was honestly surprising. The fact this QB then worked to become the player he is now is truly stunning and something I will never take for granted. Division titles, playoff wins, and the team turning into a perennial contender. I get it the SB win and ring is needed, but it has been awesome the last bunch of years in this time and plenty of memorable games and moments The 2020 season. For those of us who were little dudes/dudettes or not born during the 90s run the idea of playing to make a SB and the energy excitement leading up to it was something we never got. 2020 was a dream season despite not being able to see it in person and after they beat BAL it was pretty surreal to know they actually were that close. Sucks they didn't close but for a lot of us it was that first feeling of "oh wow this is awesome and completely different". Pegula's ownership and commitment to the team. Overall they have invested heavily in the team and facilities which constantly get rave reviews from players. The brand of the team is as strong as it ever has been which just feels other worldly. Ralph was fine and a good owner but the team was long in the tooth when the Pegula's took over just in terms of brand and being a 21st century team. They also have stayed the heck away from the team in terms of football decision for a while now other then writing checks which is all that is needed The evolution of Bills Mafia to something nationally that has a real vibe and connection across the board. Winning helps of course, but it does feel like the fanbase has evolved and widen which is awesome. New Stadium. Whether it ended up being a reno or a new stadium something was needed for the long term and it is nice this is done. LeSean McCoy. Major shout out to him as he was just a great player to watch in his time here and was a huge reason for the drought going away. McBeane. All they've done is stabilize the team and turn them into a consistent winner. Helping to accelerate the Patriots decline. This was quite fun to see happen and put them down. Kyle Williams getting to go to playoffs. Beating Dallas on Thanksgiving The Bad The Rex Ryan era. Buffalo wasted two years of good talent and time with Rex who looked as though the game had passed him pretty quickly. Worse was the fact the team constantly had drama leaking out that seemed never ending. 13 Seconds. I have generally avoided mentioning this much as I believe Josh and the boys will get a ring before the decade closes, but they wasted a golden opportunity with the offense at its peak because of coaching. Damar Hamlin nearly dying on the field. Happy it turned out ok, but this was just awful and it also felt like the season ended that night. Aaron Williams career having to end due to injury. Yes Landry cheap shot'd him, but the game against NE in 2015 week 2 resulted in him being carted off the field in ambulance. Just as he was turning into a truly good safety his career ended short. That sucked. Eric Woods career ending in it's prime. I hate we never got to see Wood with Josh as it would've been so fun. The two players I will hammer forever as wall of fame guys during the drought are Wood and K Williams. The incoming PSL's which are going to alter the stadium seating and fanbase in a sizable way. The stadium will be loud still, the fans will come, but you are going to lose communities of fans who have sat together forever because of this as they move to cheaper seats or worse can't go at all. It is a crappy price the fans have to pay to keep the team as it finishes evolving to todays NFL. Weather forcing home games to be moved either time or location wise. The limited amount of fans who got to see the team in 2020. The team finally evolves into its best form in 30 years and maybe 10,000 people total were live in Buffalo to see them. I understand COVID and why, but still was tough. Soul crushing losses to NFC teams for four years in a row. 2020 Cards Hail Mary, 2021 TB OT loss, 2022 Vikings OT loss, 2023 Eagles OT loss. Ironically after these losses the Bills went on runs the remainder of the year, but for four years in a row now the Bills have played in game of the year type games and lost. Turf on Thanksgiving. Successfully took Tre White and Von who were both each playing at a high level out for the year. Tre White going from future hall of famer to being cut. This one forever sucks as he had become a true all pro and his career was forever altered with the knee injuries. The Raiders loss in 2014 that took the Bills out of the playoffs. This was a fun team with that defense and it fell apart at the worst time possible. Only silver lining was Marrone left then (although I think even with the playoffs he would've tried to leverage leaving anyway). The Weird Vontae Davis retiring at half time. Incredibly weird weird thing while somewhat funny. LeSean McCoy's female only party which ended up leaking online and yeaaa god knows what was happening there The start of Bills fans throwing adult toys at Tom Brady every home game from 2016 on. Again hilarious but weird Bills fans gaining national recognition somewhere around 2014-15ish for just doing outlandishly insane things which includes breaking tables, setting themselves on fire, qui pro quo adult acts for jerseys, and many other things. We have a brand and part of it is apparently we are certifiably insane as a group Sean McD's apparent 9/11 pump up speech on team work Doug Marrone apparently meeting Tim Graham in an airport hanger to discuss his criticism of the football team and the fact he actually branded himself Saint Doug Everything related to the Rex Ryan era The color rush game where the NFL allowed the Bills to wear Red and the Jets green successfully making the game unviewable for those with seeing issues. Simple solution was available for this not to happen Weird weird weather during the 2021 season. For some reason virtually every home game that year had incredibly strong weather ranging from a monsoon vs the Texans, hurricane winds vs NE, snow multiple times and then to finish the year the frozen playoff game vs NE. Allowing a TD against the Jets in the 2016 finale as they decided on the kick return to just not touch the ball or call a fair catch. Nathan Peterman ever being a starting QB and every snap of his existence. Dan Carpenter getting laser'd in the eyes on field goals in 2014 in Detroit Kyle Orton's outfits Why the Bills were not credited for a TD against the Texans in the 2019 playoff game on the kickoff in the 2nd half. Never has been explained fully and it has felt the refs gave Houston a favor there. Both London Bills games All of the Bills away games in general against Jacksonville. Just weird weird losses ranging from heart breaking London 2016, boring playoff game with zero offense 9-3 2018, whatever the heck the 2021 loss in Jags was, and last years London loss that successfully took out half the Bills defense for the year.

For the Bills and what they paid/expected/draft position he was a bust. In the NFL he was a productive player who had a solid career.

YES... but here are the actual reasons why: Injuries: when he was healthy he was a very productive player regardless of effort. But the injuries started and by 2016 he was off the field a lot which really hampered the offenses ability to operate at full potential. It gets forgotten a lot as so much time has gone by but after 2015 he was viewed as a pretty good pick and the combo of him Tyrod & McCoy was usually ranked top 10 for QB-RB-WR. In the top 100 players in the NFL for 2015 he was even ranked 96th by his fellow players so he was pretty good at the time. The problem is 2015 was his best season ever and he never got close to that again. Effort: He himself has said that he wasted a lot of time in Buffalo where his effort never matched what he could do and then when mentally he got it together his body was failing him. The guy had a lot of mental things he had to get through that clearly hampered him and any development he had. But you could also see he cared more about being a star then working to be one as the non TD catch and run vs NYJ showed in 2014. 2014 Draft: This is not Watkins fault but Buffalo traded two 1sts to move up and get him to be a #1 WR. HAD they stayed in place they would've had the Bills could have had ODB, Bradin Cooks, Aaron Donald, Ryan Shazier etc... the amount of talent sitting there that became pro bowl caliber player whether WR or another spot haunted the Bills within a year and half after the draft along with the fact they gave up another 1st for him. As the rest of that star studded class elevated and became big things, he spun his tires only shinning a brighter light on the miss the Bills made which also added more pressure onto him. Buffalo Themselves: The Bills went through a lot of change in so many areas during his time in Buffalo. He had three head coaches Doug, Rex, & McD before trade, two GMs, three offensive coordinators. Pretty much everything from 2014 until McD was a circus around that place as winning the headlines became as much a priority as winning. I will say Roman was not a bad OC for him and once he got Tyrod he had a relatively stable QB situation for his last two years. But the Bills made the trade with the idea of Sammy pushing the team to the next level and to help EJ. Instead EJ flunked out, his contributions were just ok, and then the entire coaching staff left. Certain guys I think develop regardless of good or bad coaching, Aaron Donald was on some atrocious Rams teams with Jeff Fisher and still became the dude. IF Sammy was to hit any where close to his potential you needed a stable coach/gm/franchise that could handle someone with his talent but issues/need to focus in on that talent. Sammy to me is a bust but more in the sense of what could have been. Too many things many self inflicted, some not came together that stopped any real chance of him elevating to the potential he had. I think my reasons fairly illustrate it all but feel free to disagree or converse

I thought the article is pretty on point and those upset I think automatically assume that losses like Hyde/Poyer/Davis/Diggs/Morse are going to be replaced with equal or better production. The problem I have with that is when your only view of the unknown is equal or better you ignore it can also be worse. Previews like this are looking at years of production over time and what you could expect from that. There is a reason many people are saying this year and the prior 2 draft classes are big because you need a lot of these guys to turn into quality starters. Even with aging the Bills lost a bunch of quality starters that were part of many years of success. I still think the Bills will have a good team that wins 10-12 games, but I think those who expect things to hit the ground running may be in for a wakeup call.

You could argue their best pass rushers since we got Josh were Kyle Williams here exactly 1 year and Jerry Hughes who was on the tail end of his career

score more points

Trevor is really tough to judge as I think his three seasons basically can be described like this: Year 1: Rookie with probably the worst NFL coach possible in the last two decades Year 2: True improvement with proper coaching and the back half of the season you saw true flashes of the potential scouts believe in. Year 3: Plataeud for sure but he was doing better until the CIN injury. Can't judge a thing after as you could see he should have been shut down and that injury was a gut punch So truthfully year 2 to me was more his rookie year as Urban was so atrocious, but I can't look past last year was middling for the most part until his injury. I would also add that division is not very strong and the fact he hasn't necessarily took off and run should mean something. For all the hype about Stroud and platitudes on Lawrence the guy who looked the best and scared me the most is Richardson who unfortunately got hurt. One thing across football that happens too much sentiment wise is a QB has to be Top 5 or replace them and their garbage. I think its pretty easy to see you got Pat Josh Burrow Lamar ... and then a group of like 10 quarterbacks ranging from Stafford Dak Hurts Tua Stroud (currently he could go higher only one year of work) Herbert Love that are very good QBs you can win a SB with but they are a notch below the four at the top and their flaws are easier to stop. I think Trevor is either in the lower end of that group or on the cusp of it. That doesn't mean he sucks, it means with good coaching and a solid lineup you can see a truly good QB and win a lot with that. Again doesn't mean T-Law is trash, far from it, just that he will need a bit more stability yearly if you want to see his best version.

I have said for a while the NFL is playing a very dangerous game with US fans as they push to expand the league globally. I get doing regular season games overseas and realistically expect that the 18th game will basically be an overseas game for every team yearly. Fine I get it, not the coolest thing but also not the worst as seeing the Bills play in Berlin would be a fun experience. The major Euro soccer leagues do have matches like this here in the US and the other major US leagues do regular season games abroad too. But the playoffs and the super bowl are entirely a different animal and thing. No other sports like world wide has ever auctioned off their major title like that outside of home grounds and it would be offensive to US fans for the NFL to do that. As it is I think the way the Super Bowl has priced itself away from so many regular fans is wrong in itself. The NFL is the only major US sport where the idea of the casual fan going to the title game is basically a non starter these days. Moving the game to England which means earlier starting times, no US city benefiting from it, a million other things just comes across as tone deaf to your fans and a straight up slap in the face. The smartest thing the NFL has forever had going is the ease of watching games on national networks and the big games being here to see. Folks are already annoyed as it is with the monetization that streaming has brought and this may be the move if they ever made it that fully shakes the applecart in a way you cannot get back.

Oh without a doubt. Once they won again in 2014 vs SEA I don't think they took anything offseason or regular season seriously until the start of the playoffs and honestly probably would have been the same

I am just saying I don't live and die anymore with the offseason. Josh means they most likely are a playoff team every year and depending on the roster that window varies on the shot but it is there. Pre 2020 offseason just meant more because you needed more from the roster to dictate your success or chances of success. Don't get me wrong they need a ring to finish and fully change the narrative, but these days I just wait for the season to start and get another shot at the ring. At this point there isn't much left to prove, they have won division crowns, playoff games, made an AFC title game etc.. it is SB or bust in terms of expectations so realistically for me the offseason only adjusts maybe my perspective on their chances but in the end I expect the playoffs and another roll of the dice.

Probably less now, I understand why Patriot fans basically didn't give a flying f*ck about the offseason for two decades now. If you have a truly great QB you will be in it every year and while some years the roster will be better and others worse, you have a guy who you know can deliver the goods and give you a shot regardless. In a weird way its made it less fun just simply as during the drought days or 2017-20 as the team was on the way up hope sprang eternal and you were excited to see could they take a next step. At this point were at the last step which is winning the SB so the excitement only starts kicking once the season starts for me at this point. Also this offseason had to be lack luster as the cap got cleaned up so any major moves were limited which dampens excitement too. Next offseason if they trade for a WR or sign a name brand FA I am sure my excitement would go up a bit, but again still in the same boat because we got Josh. As for the NFL itself its probably the same. I think the draft is a week too late now and it drags things a little too long at this point.

Put it in a blimp and throw it all over WNY

Went twice, 2014 TNF game (puke of a game) and 2016 10 min collapse in 4th quarter. My answer even after losing both, ABSOLUTELY. First off if you go in Oct-Nov its beautiful outside. Sept this year will be hotter but it is at night. The tailgating is kinda surreal that is surrounded by palm trees and sun vs what we have but it is really nice to be able to wear shorts. Bills fans take over 30-40% of the stadium which is really wild so it is a blast. I found Miami fans were pretty chill and decent folk regardless of rivalry. First trip we came from Fort Myers and went for just the evening but was still fun. Second in 2016 we stayed Saturday evening and went out, Miami was a great time on South Beach and we didn't even do the Bills backers stuff. Virtually anyone whose a Bills fan that has traveled out of town has said its a blast and because our fanbase travels well (especially these days) its a very unique cool experience. Miami is prob a top 3 yearly of a visit for Bills fans of road games especially if your coming from NYS or somewhere up here. As for the city I'd see what others recommend as it was 8 years ago now and places change for best spot etc.. The one thing is the stadium is actually 20-30 mins from the beach area if you stay so plan to drive or have your uber ordered.

2011 was kind of the max though for that offense with Chan. They finished 14th overall ypg but following year fell back into late teens early 20s. The Bills talent base from 2008-2012 really lagged across the board and I am not sure any coach could have done a lot there. Missed draft picks and basically begging FAs to come here didn't go very well. If there is a time where I thought the teams uncertainty of staying really hurt them competitively it was the 2007ish time frame until the new stadium lease in 2012. We couldn't get any decent coach to come near here, the free agents signed usually were guys on the back end like TO or Merriman where it was more name then skill, and org was more focused on viability in the region the 100% focused on winning at all costs. Any time they did get a night game you could pencil a clip of Jim Kelly or some 90s HOF on the sideline as part of the attention on the team. The 2010 coaching search was really sad and depressing when any decent name said no and then it was Chan (great guy really did like him in that regard) who was quote "their first choice". The NFL really sells hope well because those offseasons you could convince yourself it was different and the drought was going to end, in retrospect they were so far away from being near a normal NFL team.

It was always weird to me that Chan who wanted a young QB never either got the ability to ask for one or threw his horses behind Fitz so fast. I remember 2011 Fitz hype was real, but heading into 2012 it was kind of like the clock hitting midnight and a lot of people thought maybe they'd draft a replacement.

Fun question which I look at like this. None of the drought coaches could even get into the playoffs which both Wade before and McD did after without Josh. So to me Josh means probably playoffs but regression of what we have seen. Here is my thoughts on each while understanding NE was NE: Greg Williams: One playoff appearance bookended by 7-9 years Mike Mularkey: Division crown year 1 as the combo of that defense mixed with the offense having Henry is enough to knock NE to a WC. But lose in playoffs at home. Year 2 is tough, if they cut the vets like they did then the team is 9-7 missing the playoffs (remember the defense lost a ton of talent that offseason). If they keep what they have playoff year and a loss followed by a strange resignation lol. Dick Jauron: Lowest of any of the coaches during the drought as he played it so safe that even with a QB like Josh at best your getting maybe a WC year. I would say the team floats around .500 for three straight years despite Joshs heroics with a token playoff appearance. They do beat the Cowboys on MNF though Chan Gailey: Wildcard year 1 at 9-7 and then the offense explodes year 2 for a 12-4 year as they hit all the right spots and win to make the division round. Unfortunately year 3 the lack of defense catches up as they sputter to 7-9. Chan's offenses were never the problem, it was his lack of defense. I really think if he ever had a QB he could get a few good years before the one dimensionless appears. Doug Marrone: 8-8 year 1, wild card 11-5 year 2 with a run to the conference title before losing in NE. Marrone resigns after as he says Josh is too aggressive on offense for his liking. Rex Ryan: Year 1 9-7 no playoffs because he wrecks the defense, Year 2 9-7 no playoff appearance when he botches an end of season call in OT. I think by the time Rex took over the game had passed him too much and even with a QB like Josh it isn't enough. Offense wasn't the problem when Rex was here, it was his defense and coaching. Unlike the earlier drought coaches the league my the mid 2010s had become very offensive driven but good coaching could unravel that quickly.

Cakewalk, 46-0 3xSB champs

It is very weird they did that.

37-0 2X SB Victory

There is legitimate reason to believe the Bears can at least compete for the playoffs. They do have some true talent on offense and if Williams is average in year 1 they will move the ball. Their defense actually was pretty decent last year and if you take a look at their losses in the first half of the year most of them were pretty close if not Bills Drought level heartbreak bad on few (ie DEN especially). Their schedule has some tough games but certainly some winnable ones. I am not saying they will be 12-5 this year, but I do think come end of DEC they either will be in the WC spot or able to win and in situation.

Keep wondering if that Detroit game becomes one of those Saturday games they do in December that they put in a spot later on

So Joe Buck said two MNF games, wonder if Chiefs is the other game? Also wonder if BUF gets 4 primetime games at this point given the reports: KC/NYJ MNF 49ers SNF and Phins TNF. BAL DET SEA LAR all 4:25 games which still gives Buffalo 8 games not at 1pm? Although I have thought forever either LAR or SEA is a primetime game just given market size