corta765

Question because I have a tortured mind: Win this year.. OR Lose four in a row.... the win eight in a row to get back to .500 I'll hang up and listen

Figured this would happen as Pack had some running success. In the end the Pack scored a grand total of 17 pts. Buffalo essentially said fine run on us but your not passing. I don't disagree there is some tightening up needed which is probably the result of a bye week as Buffalo has been pretty good this year against the run. But when the other team is stuck to 17 pts and generally can't do a ton I could really care less about how effective their run is. As for the Jets Buffalo is going to load the box all day, Wilson is a mess right now and his offense knows it. Hall is out and their best offensive lineman is out so they are going to have issues. Honestly I would expect a few turnovers and a lot of sacks.

The expectations for the next decade and the prior 2 years should always be SB or bust. That does not mean you cannot enjoy the season to the max or say it was awesome if they fall short. 2020 was a blast despite the result, 21 had some good moments, and this year has been a thrill since opening night. But fundamentally you have one of the top 2 players in the sport with a talented roster and good mgmt, the expectation should be SB or less. That does not mean I actually think they will make and win 12 SBs in a row more so that is the potential of this group. Cheers

Games really are not flexed super often. I get fans look into this more seriously, but of all the good Bills seasons recently only the Steelers 19 game and Jets last year have been moved.

Wrong Thread lol

You should've raised the bar and peed on them

I had my big ditch make me want to stout beer

100%. I remember thinking Chiefs game gives us the space we need as the game at MIA who was playing better and we played TNF is never easy (home team wins like 70% of the time). That Bryce Brown fumble hurt but the Charles TD into the McKelvin fumble was the killing stretch. Listening to it on the radio you could feel things get tight on the TD and you knew once McKelvin fumbled that was it. That was maybe the most frustrated I was after a game in the drought days as you knew it had a major impact and we were not good enough to overcome that type of loss. I agree Oakland was a bummer, but the D was spent and also banged up by the end of the game.

Looking back on the ticket cost its wild the difference now. I think we paid $75 a ticket too.

Ortons slide the week prior a yard short of the 1st down line almost made me break my TV. Thankfully Josh just runs through people now.

That is actually really awesome

That's amazing. Ironically I actually have a picture of the stadium autographed by the entire 2014 Bills squad I got that day which is also hanging somewhere in my house.

With Sundays game approaching against the Pack and the first home game vs GB since 2014 it brought me back to that Sunday 8 years ago, what it is like as I attended, and how far we have come since then: The 2014 season was a wild and I mean wild year. Ralph died, Jim got cancer, Andre went to the Hall, Jim beat cancer, and the Pegula's became the front runners and eventual new owners basically all before the season started. The team itself lost Kiko for the season due to his knee, added Sammy, and there was some optimism for a better season as the defense had shown some teeth the year prior and EJ had flashed some potential. Well fast forward to the GB game the Bills were "in the hunt" although in a better way then normal at 7-6 with a great defense and better then normal outside chance to get the wild card. The offense has transitioned as EJ failed out for Kyle Orton who sometimes could do some things in the passing game. The running game wasn't great as Spiller was out for the year at this point so it fell on Freddie who was injuried at times and Bryce Brown. On the flipside this was probably the second best Packers team over the last decade (2011 15-1 tops) as they were leading the league in scoring as Rodgers won MVP and was loaded in skill players. The defense was stout enough and Micah Hyde had 221 yds in punt return yards (MICAH!). The Bills actually limited Peyton Manning's Broncos the week prior to just 24 pts the week prior, but I distinctly remembered heading into that week that no one gave Buffalo much of a chance. Additionally Buffalo had not played meaningful late season game since 2007 against CLE so it was a foreign feeling to have any emotion in a game this late in the year let alone maybe have a playoff shot. For us drought kids (34 now) this was like the first real time as an adult to have a Bills team be remotely competitive so it meant something regardless of how small that something was. Still it was kind of like hopefully Buffalo is competitive and will see Rodgers at the height of his powers which is neat. I went to the game and we sat section 223 I believe. It was the first time I ever felt at the stadium that energy people talk of when something cool or good maybe happens. My father said during the 80s and 90s when the team started to rise and was good you could tell it had a different feel in the crowd. By this point I had been to enough games to understand the difference and my brother in law who saw the 34-31 upset of the Pats in 2011 said it felt like that day. For a wintery type day the weather actually wasn't too bad. The game itself felt like something out of a movie as things started going Buffalo's way forcing GB to punt and then holding the Packers to a FG. You could tell the crowd really started to buy in that this could be a day on Marcus Thigpens 75 yd punt return and the place was bedlam when that happened. The second half went Buffalo's way as Rodgers got picked twice by Bacarri Rambo with the second INT killing a 12 play Packer drive that was going to at least put the Pack within 3 or allow them a 1pt lead. Instead Buffalo then scored a FG to go up 19-10 and put the screws to GB mid 4th quarter. One thing that is not talked about enough despite how well the Bills D played it the Jordy Nelson dropped deep pass. On the drive which Rambo got his second INT Rodgers found Jordy Nelson deep dead to rights which probably would've been a TD... but he dropped the ball. If ever there was a sign things were going Buffalo's way that was it. Still as Bills fans how many times during that past decade and half had we lost in games to good teams late despite everything seemingly go our way. I think that is why on the final Packer possession it was so loud and out of control until the fumble/safety finally happened to ice the game. At the time that was loudest I can remember the stadium when Mario Williams force fumbled Rodgers to clinch the win. Also Mario Williams was a beast all day, in general I consider him more of a success and have good thoughts then bad. You could feel the relief exude in the stadium that the upset had been pulled and the parking lot after had more people stay to celebrate then I could remember in my time going. Of course the Bills flopped the following week to kill their playoff dreams, but it was a fun season compared to the prior 10 years. Looking back on how everything has changed to now it is really wild. The Bills offense was honesty not very good then and didn't deserve to win, yet now we run a juggernaut and have a god at QB. I don't take that for granted. The hype and excitement leading to that game/annoyance we were not primetime has given way to regularly being in the national spot light and the hype just always being at mach 5. If you told most fans in the stadium that day where things would stand this coming Sunday jaws would drop for all of these things. The fact Rodgers never made it back to SB also is pretty wild as watching him at that point the guy was so damn good. That game to me though has always been the demarcation point of the Bills finally emerging from the wilderness in the national landscape. Subsequent years the team gained attention prominently Rex/Shady etc.., broke the drought in 2017, and then all the good stuff since Josh came. But for me that was the first snowball that helped to slowly create the massive run roiling today and was a really cool moment in time.

So I will comment on what I can and with insight of what my parents and family saw as I am 34. I remember or started focusing on the Bills mid 90s as a kid and the 1998-99 teams really stick out to me as the entire area is wild about the QB controversy. You really couldn't go anywhere with that being a thing and the 99 team everybody said had SB potential with the defense if the offense could do enough. I remember that Bills stuff was everywhere and when the game was on everything shutdown there was no streaming the game. Additionally because blackouts were a big deal and we had a pretty large stadium it was actually semi normal to listen to the game regularly as some of the games which were dogs def were not on TV. My dad has said the excitement and energy now or going back to 2020 on is equivalent if not more wild in many ways. The big difference is Josh Allen is essentially the face of the league and Kelly / no one else back them could make quiet that claim. One thing he has said is the games in terms of apparel are much more commercialized. People would wear Bills hats or beanies, some had clothing, but todays stadium virtually everyone is head to toes bills stuff, that wasn't the case in the 90s. My family also said in the 90s Buffalo was a city in harsh transition as the steel industry and a lot of manufacturing had collapsed years prior and things had not stabilized. Additionally Buffalo became a punch line because of the blizzard of 77 so there was a real chip on peoples shoulder nationally because of this and the Bills being good was in a sense an identity thing that we are good in something and you can't do anything about it. Take a look at the 1980 season and the "talking proud" campaign the Bills embraced with the city (the song is atrocious but whatever it was the 80s). The city of Buffalo by no means is perfect now, but the population and area has stabilized with small growth and the city has some things going for it. People still use the Bills as a big part of the identity but I would attest it is different compared to the areas feelings back then. Concluding my thesis (haha) I think the ability now to consume the Bills in so many ways and how it is broadcast as a sport with the NFL is magnified to make things much bigger and because of Josh especially it is bigger. Josh Allen is a legitimate person in the scope of the US media and popularity and how the league markets him allows him a greater window then before. With blackouts gone and the ability to watch games in replay or real time people can do things for the team you couldn't in the past. In 2021 my wife and I did our Bills party we host yearly in August due to my son being born in Sept. We replayed the Bills Dallas game in crystal clear 1080 outside in the back yard. My brother in law to test for opening night against the Rams had us over and we rewatched Bills games outdoors Labor day weekend. Outside of VHS recording and a heck of an electronics setup you just couldn't do many of these things. The social media piece is also wild in how we connect to players and some of the best things as a fanbase we have done for charity root in social media allowing a mass message to go quickly. The NFL has went from a August - January league to a year wide thing and even out of season the advertising and events never stop. With the Bills being so good right now and having Josh you get to be part of everything in a higher bigger way then before. It is legitimately awesome and something I never thought I would see during the drought.

HOLYFIELD!

I hear that but we have enough BS with the state and people complaining about the cost

If you are referring to the red helmets a lot of teams are doing them in 23 because of delays in supply. My guess has always been the Bills wanted to but with the logistics that go into the helmet it is a 2023 thing. The Pegulas have also spoke to not going wild with jerseys and look so they have a more consistent identity. Took some time with the Sabres but they are back to what people wanted and the Bills have had a strong consistent look for a long time now. I do think the red helmets happen at some point, but that will be as wild as they go.

Oneills on corner of abbott and southwesetern is superb and they move people at tables so they can get people through

The agreement is signed and they are finalizing the community agreement. My general guess is the sitting governor and crew asked for nothing to be announced until after so it doesnt bring up attention during the campaign. The majority of the state funds are actually just casino repayment from the Seneca's.

Agreed. It really feels like a transition year across the league right now and in a year or two things will balance out with some new blood and another QB or two joining Allen, Mahomes, and Burrow. By the way what are your thoughts are Kyler Murray? He def has been an upgrade over Rosen and they are a borderline playoff team with him. He also looks to have plateau'd pretty hard and is very up and down.

Gonna be like survivor fans gonna just start voting guys off the roster and were gonna have just Von Miller, Oliver, and Millano :)

I was at the Thursday night game in Miami. Incredible atmosphere, Bills still had season despite the Bryce Brown KC loss, and a great defense... I was never more enraged after a game in my life. Swearing in a four hour car ride back to Ft Myers at my aunt's house about how bad and pathetic the offense and coaching was and why can't we have an offense that actually attacks. Thank you Josh.

Basically this ^

So from what I remember this past offseason the idea was Hackett and Rodgers were a package deal. Apparently Rodgers really liked Hackett as his dude calling plays etc.. (I know make the jokes lol) and Denver basically went full court press for Rodgers right down to hiring Hackett as a coach. My understanding from reading NFL media circles is once they didn't get Rodgers it was plan B for Wilson while at the same time internally acknowledging Hackett may not be the best coach if they get Wilson but they literally just hired him and he had good reviews at least from GB. The hype train for Hackett was he managed a middling offense for the Bills, he got more out of Bortles then anyone, and then in GB Rodgers had three incredible seasons including two MVPs. Not saying I agree with this by the way, I 100% think it was a mistake and I never got the hype for him but the NFL media spins things how they want.

Bingo