corta765

It wasn't until his injuries in Carolina. The All or Nothing series highlighted how bad his arm got messed up. I think Cam could do pretty decent in the offense and while his arm may not be 100% what it was, if it has healed properly and has no lingering issues he should be fine. Last night I thought he looked pretty solid.

"We won the offseason. I know other teams did their thing and some did well but I really believe we won the offseason" Just remember we won the offseason no one can take that from us when he was here

Let the hate flow through you! #theEmperor

Is it bad I thought it was Buffalo Bills F*cking Suck

Players are human and anyone whose plays sports knows its easy to buy into something that makes sense and when it doesn't its really hard not to ask what are we doing. Rex did a great job of taking his most talented players and creating that exact situation.

I've actually thought that had Mario been with McD he would've flourished.

So in my opinion the true worst part of the drought where my opinion and lack of faith in the team was at the max was 2005-2011. During that time the coaches were retreads that was nothing of brand due to Buffalo's unwillingness to pay or reputation, the players flamed out who were suppose to be the new core, and in general they became hyper irrelevant outside of a TO signing here or a Bill inducted in the HOF. They also had a string of absolutely brutal drought style losses ranging from the Dallas MNF game, the NE SNF blow out, the NE fumble loss, the CLE MNF loss the CLE 6-3, etc.. where in bigger stages we failed spectacularly. Mix in the lease expiring and uncertainty of the team in Buffalo it was a REALLY hard to time as a fan. My opinion started to change in 2012 when they got Mario. He was not a burnt out old name FA like TO he was a legit top impact player and he choose Buffalo. I think nationally it was the first brick to the team starting its climb back up. I've always laughed when people say he was a bust considering he never missed a game, had 43 sacks in 4 years, was a Pro Bowler in 13/14, 2nd All pro 13, and 1st All Pro 14, plus the teams record increased. Anyhoo that was the start of "ok maybe we are actually back in this thing and expectations should raise". From there I think it was gradual for me as Marrone was viewed as a decent hire that wasn't a retread, the Pegula's buying the team in 2014 solidified the long term out look, and the Bills drafting improved as they did add Gilmore, Dareus, Woods, Watkins, and Wood while trading for McCoy and Hughes. That finally gave them a decent roster where for me you could realistically say they were not meeting expectations and they have playoff worthy talent as opposed to well maybe will get lucky. All that said it was still drought and yea PTSD came back hard at points where you threw you hands up and said "come on just one time let it go our way". I just did my 2016 Defining Moments thread and the Seattle and Miami games were both moments where faith was broken as they failed the big test. But yea 2017 was the big year as they finally slayed the dragon. To be 100% honest I thought they were going to suck that season. Things changed with Atlanta as the team had a chance to be 3-1 and win a big road game against the defending NFC champs. In the prior 17 years they lost this game every time and every break went against them. But finally Taylor makes a big throw to Clay, Hyde's INT counts, and they close when it gets tight. At that point I at least bought the coaching staff had an idea what they were doing. The KC win after losing three straight to go 5-5 was equally as important as previous Bills squads faltered after hot starts and when the pressure came to bounce back they couldn't. Instead young guys like Tre's INT and Milano stepped up and they gutted it out. Making the playoffs changed my belief but it was " a process" with the coaching staff. After that I was confident they could make some legit headway, but even I probably didn't foresee how they developed Josh to this point or Diggs addition etc.. They really proved it and their success in 2017 made it easy to believe. Nationally Dallas 2019 Thanksgiving full stop. Up until then the narrative was "well the Bills got lucky in 2017 and they have some talent and McD is decent but they haven't shown much". The way they beat Dallas and resiliency throughout spoke volumes and was the Bills kicking the door down that yea were back and good and notice is now served. Anything I've expected since that game they've surpassed and at this point I believe they will win the SB this decade so I am just sitting back and enjoying the ride and even if it gets bouncy I don't doubt with the leadership, coaching, and Josh they will be ok.

Yea fan treatment of Gilmore was really frustrating. He had a superb year on a defense that constantly was breaking down all around him, I think anyone would've gotten frustrated at the lack of support. When I he signed in NE I told people you will end up not respecting how good he is and they didn't want to buy it until he proved them wrong. Buffalo lucked out with Tre, but they legit blew it in a sense letting a homegrown top guy like that walk. Aaron Williams will forever be a "what if" Bill in terms of his career and where it could've went as he really emerged his last three seasons both in play and leadership.

Once Aaron Williams went down against Miami the secondary got exposed badly on a regular basis. He was the lynchpin as he had grown into a probowl caliber player back there and the replacements were far less effective.

Oh I can't wait. Today my facebook reminded me that this was in 2017 when we trade Watkins and Darby and I pretty much lost it saying how the team had no idea what their doing and weren't going anywhere fast. WHOOPS haha

It is coming! I think by the start of 2016 most fans saw the truth that Rex wasn't all he was cracked up to be, but the talent was there and off a 9-7 and then 8-8 season it was just get to the playoffs and will worry about the rest mindset. Once he couldn't even do that the fans and team thankfully said were out and redoing it better

lol won't lie 2015 and 2016 all felt like one long season together with Rex I understand people saying guys quit on him or the egos were too big etc.. But imo part of being a good coach is having guys buy in and adjusting to fit their strengths. McD has been a great example of this and the 2017 was case in point to maximizing a roster to its strengths regardless of how limited it is/was

It was peak drought Bills and fitting conclusion to the last drought year. Being Xmas Eve we all got to the party early to watch the end and everyone was really excited we might have a shot the next week. Then the team blew it and the party took a noticeably bummer vibe the rest of the night. Carpenter was a really weird kicker, 48 yards + out he never missed, but up close he really was shaky.

They would've moved up to 8th if they won the last two, but I am a believer that in the butterfly effect. If Buffalo wins maybe Denver who wouldve take 6th and maybe Houston plays to beat the Titans more who were 7th. Its widely insane that they went 1-5 that season in division with their one win over NE of all teams and the fact they couldn't close vs Miami.

2010 to 2016 was exhausting but we are finally getting to the fun

2016 Bills Defining Moments Last one before things get fun and good. After the frenzied hyped 2015 offseason, 2016 was decidedly more tame, had more pressure, and uneasy as expectations sat unfulfilled. Rex Ryan was target number 1 after taking over the NFLs 4th ranked defense and seeing it plummet to 19th overall. Rex in his words went “full pregnant” and hired his brother Rob Ryan as an assistant coach. Additionally after being buyers in free agency from 2012 on the Bills suddenly felt a cap crunch. This forced them to either cut or lose in free agency starters Pro Bowl DE Mario Williams, Leodis McKelvin, former lacrosse star Chris Hogan, Ron Brooks, and solid LB Nigel Bradham. There was one free agent signing which long term proved important to the Bills future in LB Lorenzo Alexander. The draft saw the Bills try to get younger upfront with DE Shaw Lawson, LB Reggie Ragland, and DT Adolphus Washington all get selected in the first three rounds. Unfortunately Rex Ryan ended up losing Shaq for basically half the season and Ragland never played a down tearing his knee in preseason. Still despite the losses and step backs expectations for the team were breaking the drought and the defense bouncing back. Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens, 13-7 loss: Both teams came in with big expectations but the game was expected to be a defensive battle. Well for my money it was the boringest opening game of probably the last two decades. Honestly there was literally one note worthy play which was Mike Wallace 66 yd TD from Joe Flacco to give the Ravens a 10-0 lead early in the second. So there is your defining moment because something actually happened. There were 10 punts, 2 FGs, a missed FG, a turnover on downs, and an 8 play drive at the end to literally run the clock. This game sucked and when opening week is suppose to be exciting, watching the grass get painted for the game had more action. Anyway Bills 0-1 and Rexs hot seat get warm. Week 2: New York Jets Thursday Night Football, 37-31 loss: The Bills only home primetime game and 1st at home since 2012 was a rematch with the Jets who the Bills ended their playoff hopes a year earlier. Each team was 0-1 and the game had a hightened importance as teams staring 0-2 only make the playoffs 20% of the time. This game was a barn burner as Fitzpatrick had one of his great games torching the Bills defense for 374 yds and a TD but more importantly converting any big play when needed. The Bills offense held in with deep TDs to Marquise Goodwin had a 84 yd TD and Greg Salas had a 71 yd TD. The game felt like it swung to the Bills when the defense scored on a fumble recovery by Nickel Robey Coleman for 36 yds to go up 24-20. The Jets took the lead back 3 plays later on a Matt Forte TD to go up 27-24. The defining play came at the start of the 4th quarter when Tyrod Taylor got INT on an under thrown deep ball to Sammy Watkins on 3rd and 1. Being at the stadium you had a feeling like they just blew it as the Jets offense was virtually unchecked all night. Buffalo failed to respond and fell 37-31. Additionally Sammy Watkins was lost for the first half of the season due to a foot injury. Week 3: Arizona Cardinals, 33-18 win: After the loss it felt like the season was over. Media and fans were ready fire Rex, he dumped offensive coordinator Greg Roman after just two games, and the NFC finalist Cardinals came to town a team many picked for the SB. Yet the Bills throttled the Cards running for nearly 200 yds and 3 TDs. The defense got some timely turnovers none bigger then Aaron Williams 53 yd TD fumble recovery with the Cards on the Bills 12 on 4th and 6. Up 30-7 Buffalo never really looked back. Quick note Patrick Peterson had the best INT I’ve ever seen that day along the sideline on a great deep pass by Tyrod Taylor. Week 4: at New England Patriots, 16-0 win: With Tom Brady suspended the first 4 games and backup Jimmy G out for the year with injury the Patriots were down to Jacoby Brisset and Buffalo had a real shot to get back to 2-2. The Bills offense came out fast going up 13-0 thanks to a Tyrod Taylor to LeSean McCoy TD Pass for 7 yds and two FGs. After that the Bills offense basically just ran the clock as NE never mounted much of a threat. The defining moment of the game was Zach Browns forced fumble on Pats QB Jacoby Brissett as he ran in 3rd and 11 in the Bills red zone down 13-0. Had he scored a TD or even a FG perhaps the game goes different but that was NEs best shot all day. Oh yea pre game some Patriot punk coaches intentionally got in the way of the Bills cbs which caused a scene. Week 5: at Los Angeles Rams, 30-19 win: Buffalo came in feeling good at 2-2 with an Arnold Donaldless Rams team coaches by Jeff Fisher. Buffalo got out to another quick start (13-3) thanks to a TD rec by Justin Hunter and a TD by Mike Gillislee which LeSean McCoy went off on a 53 yd rush a few plays earlier. The Rams rallied and a Todd Gurley TD closed it to 13-13. Tied at 16-16 mid 3rd quarter Nickel Robey-Coleman made the big play when Rams QB Case Keenum stared down WR Pharoh Cooper and his pass was INT for a TD by Coleman. The Rams tried a fake punt with 3:47 left in the game which failed miserably and the Bills got a Mike Gillislee TD to go up 30-19. If you ever watch highlights of this game LeSean McCoy was unreal and in general his 2016 season was sublime. Week 6: San Francisco 49ers, 45-16 win: At 3-2 the Bills played a bad and drama filed 49ers team with Chip Kelly running the ship. Controversy surrounded the game as Colin Kapernick was in the middle of his kneeling protest during the anthem. The defining moment was the anthem and the controversy around it. After a very tense energy during the anthem the Bills absolutely laid waste to the 49ers. Buffalo ran for a team record 312 yds with LeSean McCoy going for 140 yards and 3 TDs. Even Reggie Bush had 6 yds! The big play of the game itself was actually Bills WR Justin Hunters 30 yd TD rec late in the 3rd quarter which broke the game open for good. I’ll say this if ever there was a point you thought hey maybe Rex actually has an idea what he is doing it was after this game. At 4–2 the offense was clicking behind the running game and the defense was doing enough where the Bills being a playoff team didn’t see dumb. Additionally the schedule looked to have some winnable games with two of their toughest games at hone (NE/PIT). Week 7: at Miami Dolphins, 28-25 loss: at 4-2 the Bills came in flying high with a real chance to get to 5-2 against a resurgent 2-4 Dolphins team. The Bills were fine in the first half doing what they had done for success in the previous four games running the ball a lot with some timely passing. The Bills defense suffered a huge loss as Aaron Williams got cheap shotted by Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry. Williams never played again as the hit ended his career. The high watermark for the Rex led Bills happened when mid 3rd quarter Tyrod hit Marquise Goodwin for a 67 yd TD to go up 17-6. Everything by looked like the Bills were on their way to 5-2 and being the team Rex always envisioned. Then it unraveled. Like a dam bursting the defense allowed a 5 plus minute TD drive and the Dolphins we’re back down 17-14. The Bills offense stalled and then Miami scored another TD drive to go up 21-17. Within 12 minutes the Dolphins erased an 11 point deficit to go up by 4. The offense was reeling going 3 and out in 29 seconds. The defining play then hit as Ryan Tannehill threw a deep pass on 3rd and 6 to Kenny Stills for a 66 yd TD effectively ending the game. The Bills needed someone to make a play and it never happened. Week 8: New England Patriots, 41-25 loss: In a rain soaked battle with their rivals the Bills failed to matchup with Brady back. The Bills defense played like a unit whose spirit broke a week prior and the offense could only do so much. The defining moment was now Patriot WR Chris Hogan scoring a deep TD pass right in front Bills CB Stephon Gilmore who famously looked back at his secondary as to say what are you doing. The game was over by mid 3rd quarter. Shout out to Bills FB Jerome Felton for a nice first down conversion on a catch in the 1st quarter. Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks Monday Night Football, 31-25 loss: If ever there was a dark horse for worse/most BS/frustrating losses in Bills history this is the game. The Bills were losers of two straight after getting to 4-2 and didn’t get a lot of supporters that they had a chance. Yet throughout the first half Buffalo mostly had their way with Seattle’s vaunted D as the offense kept up. Special teams came up with a block on the 1st Seahawks punt to give the Bills great field position which they used for a Tyrod Taylor TD run. The issue was the secondary which Russell Wilson throw all over and Ronald Darby who couldn’t stop a beach ball as Jimmy Graham toasted him for deep touchdowns. Still at the end of the half the Bills offense drove into FG range when controversy struck. On Dan Carpenters FG attempt Richard Sherman hit him after a whistle blow injuring him. Buffalo then took an illegal formation penalty as Carpenter made his 30 yd kick. Back five yards Carpenter missed his FG after making the prior two and Buffalo still trailed by two scores at 28-17. The refs 1000% botched this and it would proved crucial later. Both defenses tightened in the second half but the Bills got a Mike Gillislee TD late in the 3rd to get it to 28-25. The Hawks got a FG early in the fourth and Buffalo got the ball back with 2:41 in the game. Taylor had some crazy conversions and moved the Bills to the Seattle 10 yard line. The Bills offensive line failed on the first three plays and it all came down to fourth down. Would Taylor break 300 Yds passing finally as a TD would do it? Could the Bills get a legit big win to help their playoff chance? Nope. On fourth down Sherman “legally” apparently cheap shoted Walter Powell and Taylor’s pass in the end zone to Robert Woods who had a superb game (10 rec 162yds) went incomplete as Seahawks safeties Thomas and Chancellor kept anything from him. The crappy part was Buffalo would've tied the game with a FG if the refs didn't mess everything up at the end of the 1st. I won’t lie I remember this game vividly and when Taylor’s pass went incomplete I fell to the couch broken. I couldn’t see how they would make the playoffs or Rex would survive or how Taylor would ever be the guy. It was a legit gut punch that made you realize the team was closer to rebuild then contention with that group. Week 10: Bye Week: The Sabres probably lost a game or five during this week. Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals, 16-12 win: Against a descending Bengals team this was a defense struggle as both teams turned the ball over. Stephon Gilmore had a tremendous game with 2 INTs and 3 PDs. LeSean McCoy had to leave early as did AJ Green taking the two biggest offensive stars out early. The defining moments of the game were Bengals Kicker Mike Nugent missing two extra points which forced the Bengals to have to go for a TD on their final drive instead of a game tying or winning FG. Nugent was later released after missing his 6th extra point kick in December. Week 12: Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-21 win: At 6-6 the Bills took on Doug Marrones Jags with a shot to get back in the playoff race. The first half was very defensive as both teams front lines hit Taylor and Bortles a lot. LeSean McCoy got a TD to get the Bills to 7-6, but Carpenter missed the extra point. Out of half McCoy ran a 75 yd TD on the first play of the half to put Buffalo up 13-7. The Jags and Bills would go back and forth as Marquise Lee put the Jags ahead with a TD and Sammy Watkins beat Jalen Ramsey for a 62 yd catch which led to a Taylor TD run and a Bills 20-13 lead. The Jags would respond to take the lead with an Allen Hurns TD as both offenses kept making plays. Taylor put the Bills ahead with a Justin Hunter TD with 10:52 which was the big play as the Jags couldn’t respond and the Bills walked out with a 28-21 win and 6-5 record. Week 13: at Oakland Raiders, 38-24 loss: In the Bills final game in Oakland they fell apart against the upstart Raiders who were 9-2 coming in. Despite that the Bills offense got the team up to a 24-9 lead early in the second half on the legs of a Mike Gillislee TD. Raiders QB Derek Carr quickly went down the field and found Michael Crabtree for a TD making it 24-16. Buffalo never found their footing after that as Oakland kept scoring thanks to Carr and the Raiders defense kept making plays thanks to Khalil Mack. The game ended down 30-24 with ten minutes left Tyrod Taylor went for a deep pass only to have his throw hit by Khalil Mack which caused it to be intercepted by Raiders CB Nate Allen’s as Marquise Goodwin never had a chance. The Raiders iced the game with a TD right after. Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-20 loss: At 6-6 with three of their final four games at home the Bills had a look (while difficult) at the playoffs. The Steelers came in at 7-5 and ran all over the Bills in bitter snowy and cold game good for 240 yds as Le’Veon Bell had 236 yds and 3 TDs. The Bills offense never could do much when the game was close outside a Watkins TD midway in the 2nd to make it 14-7 Pittsburgh. The game officially swung on Tyrod Taylor INT to open the 4th quarter as he missed on a deep pass to Marquise Goodwin as Steeler CB Artie Burns picked it off. Next drive Bell set the Steelers single game rushing record and a FG iced the game for PIT now up 24-7. The Bills wilted again in a big moment for the playoffs and after the game calls we’re loud for Ryan to be gone. Probably the most memorable thing of this game was the field delay after half time when the snow machines accidentally popped all of the black pellets up causing a mess that took 20 mins to get fixed. Week 15: Cleveland Browns 33-13: The Browns came in 0-13 and the Bills made sure they didn’t become the team that lost to them. This game has a bunch of TDs for the Bills although none super memorable. Brandon Tate had a cool pitch handoff run for 30 yds and the Bills had a nice 101 yd TD drive capped off by a good diving catch by Charles Clay for a TD. Truthfully the most memorable piece of this game was seeing RGIII playing as a shell of himself just 4 years after taking the league by storm. Week 16: Miami Dolphins, 34-31 OT loss: with some playoff hopes the Bills took on the Dolphins who themselves had their eyes in the final playoff spot. The game was effectively Rexs last stand as it was reported if he lost he was basically out. So here’s the recap of the last true droutastic game which the two teams combined for over 1000 yds of offense and 65 pts: Did the Bills allow Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi to run for over 200 yards? yes, the second time the Bills allowed 200 yds to a running back in three weeks Did the Bills spot the Dolphins a 14 pt lead twice? Yep 14-0 and 28-14. Did the Bills rally despite these deficits? Yes. In fact the Bills play of the day was a flea flecked with 2 mins to go that resulted in a 34 yd catch by Robert Woods down at the Dolphins 7 yd line. Did Tyrod Taylor finally throw over 300 yds? Yep Taylor had a marvelous day for 329 and 3 TDs showing great composure leading the team back. Did the Dolphins kicker Andrew Franks make a 55 yard kick to tie the game with seconds left? Yep. The Bills defense allowed Matt freaking Moore to pick them apart past mid field in just 1:14 at the very end. Did Dan Carpenter miss his second FG of the day which would’ve won the game in OT? Oh yea. Despite the offense moving down field in OT to the Phins 27, Carpenter again shanked his 45 yd kick left. Did the Bills defense only have 10 men on the field during Ajayi's backbreaking 57 run into Bills territory in OT? Yep. Two years into his coaching Rex still couldn’t even get the proper number of players on the field. Week 17: at New York Jets 30-10 loss: Rex was dismissed early into week 17 and his reign as coach came to end. Video of his bills painted truck leaving exists as his final exit from the team. As for the Bills they went to NYC in a game before the season many thought could decide a playoff spot. Instead the Jets also crashed and were playing for nothing. Intern head coach Anthony Lynn took the bullets as the team benched Tyrod for salary cap reasons so he didn’t get injured in case they cut him that off season. EJ Manuel started the game and he was generally ineffective which allowed rookie QB Cardale Jones to play. Buffalo got beat 30-10 in a pretty lifeless game which included an all time great special teams blunder by the Bills. Jets kicker Nick Folk boomed the ball to bounce in the end zone and the Bills returners never recovered the ball. The Jets easily went over and recovered it for a TD thanks to the Bills special teams literally doing nothing and just watching. Jets RB Bilal Powell had a nice day against the Bills with 1 TD and 137 yds. The one true Bills highlight was Lorenzo Alexander getting his 12 sack of the season a new career high. He had a superb year and went to the Pro Bowl.

This one specifically is vastly more likely then I think a lot of people want to admit. It is very very difficult to sweep the division, even Brady with the Pats would lose one to Miami or NYJ. I actually have the game at NE as a loss (even with me thinking they go 14-3) and I think it is very fathomable that the NE is a game back last week which requires us to win to clinch division. Also the new schedule will keep more teams in wayyy longer then before. I have ran simulations and unless a team is at 12 wins plus by week 17, it will make teams artificially closer.

What am I missing lol

BOLD Predictions NFL Wide Bengals take the last wild card thanks to Burrow and the offense being sublime top 5 and not killing him Seattle misses the playoffs and finishes 4th as the defense lacks the goods to stop anyone and the offense regresses further. This prompts legit discussions of Wilson leaving as he demands a trade and won't return Carolina takes the last playoff spot out west thanks to a quietly good offense and weaker division with ATL rebuilding and NOLA taking a step back without Brees Cleveland makes the playoffs but they are not the juggernaut people think as Baltimore wins the division Rams beat the Packers who lose again in the NFC title at home Justin Fields has a better rookie season then any season Mitch has taking Offensive ROY. The Bears just miss the playoffs but optimism is legit in Chi town Dak Prescott's return is OK but not to the level people have hyped The Cardinals make the playoffs but JJ Watt's impact is far more minimal then expected Bills Wise -Bills win the SB. I get they are a favorite but even typing that feels bold after everything we have been through -Allen finishes 5th in MVP voting. The offense is more balanced and even though his play is improved the numbers dip a little -Basham has 10 sacks and wins DROY -The Bills beat KC on SNF AND in the AFC title to make the dance. - Plastic table production cannot keep up with demand and the price goes up to $100 per table

The way Tyrod played the last quarter and half made me believe he could lead the team to the playoffs and at that time it was still easy to believe the defense would rebound. Tyrod did eventually help get the team there but man things changed on that path haha

it goes both ways. Players certainly failed Rex because they didn’t buy in, but his ego also had a tough time putting them in the right spot. But yea def too many egos and bad attitudes. Those teams when they won acted like rockstars and when they lost shelled up and couldn’t hack it I always thought with Tyrod healthy they would’ve made the playoffs. We don’t know how much the injury hurt his play when he came back.

Rex 1000% ruined Gilmore in Buffalo in the sense his defense was a mess and caused that resentment

2015 Bills Defining Moments If the 2014 season was chaotic to the max the 2015 season literally picked it up from day 1. As a recap the defining moments series recaps look back at each season and go game by game with a small recap and moment which defined the game for one reason or another. The Bills entered 2015 feeling good about their team after their first winning season in 10 years. The good vibes literally lasted three days as on December 31st 2014 Doug Marrone opted out as the Bills head coach. This blindsided pretty much everyone as it was only within the few hours leading up to the actual announcement that it was learned Marrone had an opt out clause built into his contract. A coaching search commenced as candidates like Kyle Shanahan, Hue Jackson, and Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz all interviewed. In the end ex Jets head coach and rival Rex Ryan won the job and was officially brought in on January 12th 2015. Hopes were high that Rexs defensive mind mixed with the Bills talent would be sublime. Rex famously proclaimed the Bills were going to the playoffs which energized many Bills fans. The big question was how the offense would do and who the QB would be as former incumbent EJ Manuel had been benched the prior season. The first offensive addition added was Richie Incognito in February someone who fit the bully persona Rex wanted. Free agency was roster altering as the Bills acquired All Pro RB LeSean McCoy from the Eagles for Kiko Alonso, added talented WR/Kick Returner Percy Harvin, traded for QB Matt Cassel, splurged to sign TE Charles Clay out of Miami, and quietly a backup QB out of Baltimore named Tyrod Taylor. The preseason of 2015 was a frenzy with the QB battle raging, record attendance and stupidity at training camp from fans, season tickets sold out, and EJ Manuel successfully completing a pass to the hospitality tent at St John Fisher (it’s only reception to date). Fred Jackson was controversially cut. In the end Tyrod Taylor’s dual threat ability easily won out and the table was set for the most hyped Bills season in over two decades. For the record I will argue the Bills 2015 team was the most talented team they had of the drought and their most talented since the Kelly led teams until last years 2020 squad came and took the cake. Figure they had Pro Bowlers in McCoy, Kyle Williams, Mario Williams, Eric Wood, Richie Incognito, Harvin as a returner, future All Pro talent Gilmore, and a really talented WR Corp with Sammy Watkins coming off a nearly 1000 yd rookie year. If Taylor could just manage the offense the sky was pretty high you would’ve thought. Week 1: Indianapolis Colts, 27-14 win: In the most hyped up home opener since 2000 the Bills took on a Colts team that had Super Bowl hype as they made the AFC title the year before, had Andrew Luck, and had added all pros RB Frank Gore and WR Andre Johnson. Instead the Bills blew the doors off the hinges and coasted to a win with all facets performing well. Capsulating this game was Tyrod Taylor’s beautiful 51 yd TD to Percy Harvin in the rain who my a great catching laying out for the ball. At the end of the game fans were chanting “We Want Brady” as rival NE came to town the following week. Week 2: New England Patriots, 40-32 loss: ESPN was in town and the energy was bedlam as the Bills fans tried to break the stadium sound record. Unfortunately Tom Brady had an unreal game picking the Bills thought to be vaunted defense to pieces for 466 yds and 3 TDs. The Bills defense looked as disjointed as you’d ever seen to the point you could see players yelling at each other before the snap. The defining moment of this game was Julian Edlemans TD in the 3rd that saw Bills safety Aaron Williams injure his neck and get taken off in ambulance. Williams was never the same player and despite an attempt to comeback the next year, Jarvis Landry reaggrevated the injury on cheap shot effectively ending his career. Week 3: at Miami Dolphins, 41-14 win: Looking to reset after a bad loss to the Patriots the Bills absolutely throttled the Dolphins in their home opener. Pretty much anyone who touched the ball made a play including Bills LB Preston Williams who got a 41 yd INT return for a TD. But the defining moment was Bills rookie RB Karlos Williams busting out a 41 yard TD late in the fourth quarter. With LeSean McCoy coming back from a groin injury there was questions on how the Bills depth could handle his limited action early on and Williams answered it. Week 4: New York Giants, 24-10 loss: The Bills came in with hopes to jump out to a 3-1 start to gain early footing in the playoff race. In this loss a common theme emerged as whatever facet of the Bills team had been doing well faltered when they loss. After scoring over 30 ppg in the previous three games the Bills offense had a penalty and turnover driven game that gave them just 10 pts. Kyle Williams had an illegal formation penalty on a Giants FG that led to a TD thanks to a fresh set of downs, Charles Clay bobbled an INT to Giants LB Devon Kennard that set up another TD for the Giants, and in general the Bills took 17 penalties on the day. Non was more damaging though then a holding penalty on Keith Irbik which nullified a gorgeous TD run by Tyrod Taylor that would’ve got the Bills back to a 16-10 deficit late in the third quarter. Instead the Bills FG attempt was a miss and the Bills couldn’t close late on offense or defense falling to the Giants. Week 5: at Tennessee Titans, 14-13 win: If ever there was a game that defined Bills fans love hate relationship with Tyrod Taylor it was this game. Against a rebuilding Titans team starting Marcus Mariota the Bills offense was nonexistent to the point they didn’t even look enthused. But down 10-0 late in the 3rd Taylor rallied the Bills with play after play scoring on a 22 yard TD run. The Titans scored a FG and Taylor again went to work. The defining moment was on 3rd and 18 from the Bills 31 when Taylor ran for 24 yds and the 1st. He would’ve gone farther but he was caught and horse-collared by Titans LB Zach Brown. The Bills scored on a Tyrod TD to Chris Hogan, but the injury would take Tyrod out of the next two games. Buffalo won 14-13 thanks to a Stephon Gilmore INT and Buffalo was back above .500 . Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals, 34-21 loss: The Bills ran into an AFC leading Bengals team that was having their best season in decades. The Bills hung around with EJ Manuel at QB for the 1st half including a late touchdown to Sammy Watkins at the end of the half to make it 17-14. But Watkins was injured on the play aggregating a calf injury that was plaguing him. The defining moment though was a 42 yard pass to Marvin Jones despite the Bills double coverage and top CB Stephon Gilmore being there. It was clear at this point the defense was not the same and has issues with just 9 sacks through the first 5 games and none in this game. Week 7: at Jacksonville Jaguars but in London, 34-31 loss: Ah yes one the great drought losses which added another unique way to lose. The Jaguars weren’t very good and at 3-3 this has an early season must win type feel to the Bills if they wanted a decent playoff shot. Instead EJ Manuel’s London Bridge/Career fell at once as he spotted the Jags with three straight turnovers including a pick 6 AND a fumble 6 to put the Jags up 27-3 with 8:34 left in the 2nd quarter. To the Bills credit and EJs they rallied and got the score to 27-13 by half. The Bills defense helped in the second to give the Bills offense numerous chances as they got it to 27-25 Jacksonville with 6:41 left in the game on a Marcus Easily 58 yard TD. 4 plays later Bills DB Corey Graham intercepted Blake Bortles for a touchdown and the Bills actually had a 31-27 lead. Would this be an all time great comeback for the Bills? NOOO. Instead defining this game was one of the worst pass interference calls you ever saw. On 3rd and 17 the Jags were at their 47 and Bortles heaved desperation pass mid left to Jags WR Bryan Walters who tripped with Bills CB Nickel Roby Coleman and fell down. The officials threw a flag claiming Coleman interfered despite it clearly being Walters own fault. The Jags scored two plays later and the Bills couldn’t tie or win the game. Despite playoff type expectations heading into the season, the Bills entered their bye 3-4. Week 8 Bye Week. October 27th on social media Sammy Watkins decided to mouth off about the fans critical of him not playing injured and his lack of offensive targets. He later said it was just frustration and not directed at Bills fans but all fans. Didn’t matter relationship wasn’t the same with the fans and Watkins. Week 9: Miami Dolphins, 33-17 win: The bye week allowed the Bills big three of Tyrod, Sammy, and McCoy to heal as they all started in this game. In a more spirited contest then the first game the Bills offense still ran over the Dolphins for 266 yards (McCoy and Williams each had over 100yds) and three TDs. The defining moment though was the defensive line finally making as big play as Jerry Hughes strip sacked Ryan Tannehill at the Dolphins 42 yard line. The Bills scored a 44 yd TD from Tyrod to Watkins right after to go up 26-14 breaking the game open. Back at .500 the Bills had a showdown with Rexs old team the Jets on Thursday night for rights to the last playoff spot in the AFC. Week 10: at New York Jets Thursday Night Football, 22-17 win: In the first year of the NFL color rush experiment the NFL brilliantly had the Bills play in red unis and the Jets in Kelly green unis making colorblind people have a very difficult time watching the game. At the kickoff Rex famously had ex Jet and Geno Smith knockout artist IK Enemkpali go out for the coin toss. As for the game the Jets were a surprising 5-3 and in the last playoff spot, but a Bills win would put them in the final spot. Buffalo came out strong thanks to some key plays including a Duke Williams TD on a fumble recovery on a kickoff and Karlos Williams 26 yd TD catch and run early in the 3rd. Old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick brought the Jets back and closed it to 22-17 thanks to a 31 yd TD to Eric Decker. The key moment though while not flashy was Sammy Watkins first down on 3rd and two with 2:47 left. He burned Darrell Revis on a quick out pass on the catch which allowed the Bills to run out the clock. Week 11: at New England Patriots Monday Night Football, 20-13 loss: Concluding the Bills primetime schedule was a rematch with New England. Rex and Bills D had a much better night keeping Brady under 300 yds with just a TD and actually getting an INT. The problem was the offense kept misfiring. The game swung late in the 1st half with Buffalo driving with the game tied 3-3. In 3rd down at the Patriots 30 Tyrod Taylor threw a perfect deep pass left in the Patriots end zone that hit McCoy in his hands that he dropped. Instead of being up 10-3 Buffalo had to settle for a FG which Dan Carpenter missed. The Patriots roared down the field with 50 seconds left for TD and the Bills played catch up the rest of the game. Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs, 30-22 loss: At 5-5 the Bills needed a win to stay firmly in the playoff race against a Chiefs team also in the playoff race. Instead the Bills blew an early 10-0 lead and the defense couldn’t stop a beach ball as they allowed the Chiefs to rush for over 6 yards a carry. If there was ever a time Bills fans and media bought into Sammy is being an elite WR it was around this time. Sammy had 6 rec for 158 yds and 2 TDs with his second TD putting the Bills up 16-7. In the prior two games he has been over 100 yds against the Phins and made a crucial catch against the Jets. The second problem in this game came in the second half when the Bills stopped targeting Watkins in the passing game because he was doubled covered. The Bills offense stalled as KC took the lead. The game swung for good when Alex Smith on 3rd and 6 hit Jeremy Maclin for 11 yds with 6:57 left. It allowed KC a much easier FG as it poured all game and the Chiefs to run the clock limiting the Bills to one final possession. Buffalo couldn’t tie the game and fell 30-22. Week 13: Houston Texans, 30-21 win: At 5-6 any playoff hopes needed a win. This game honestly was pretty non-discript as the Texans stayed in it thanks to Brian Hoyer and DeAndre Hopkins having a good game and the Bills kicking game having issues (Carpenter missed a FG and XP). The big moment came tied 21-21 late in the fourth when Tyrod Taylor found Charles Clay for a 40 yd TD in the middle of the Texans secondary for the game winning score. Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles, 23-20 loss: At 6-6 the Bills had a look at the playoffs with 3 games against an NFC East division that was struggling bad. LeSean McCoy came home with revenge on his mind and the game was back and forth as Sam Bradford kept the Eagles ahead throughout. Robert Woods had a big game going over 100 yds in the game and Watkins had 81 yds and a TD. The problem for the Bills was finishing drives to get points. In the fourth quarter Leodis McKelvin had a great INT as the Eagles were in the Bills red zone. The Bills offense didn’t do anything with the ball and the Eagles broke through with the big play of the day on 3rd and 3 at midfield with Zach Ertz going for 41 yds on a short pick pass. The Eagles scored a FG by Caleb Sturgis to go up 23-20 and Tyrod threw a bad interception as the Bills tried to tie the game ending the Bills hopes. Week 15: at Washington Redskins, 35-25 loss: Basically out of the playoff picture the Bills looked like a team that had no interest in playing as Kirk Cousins threw for 4 TDs /319 yds including two TDs to Jordan Reed and one to DeSean Jackson who went off for 153 yds. The Bills defense struggled in pass coverage all over. The defining moment of the game was the Redskins drive after the Bills got it to 28-17 mid 3rd quarter to make a game for it. Washington drove right through the Bills defense on a 13 play 7:32 minute drive capped by a Pierre Garçon TD from Cousins. That TD was directly after two straight penalties by the Bills defense on LB Preston Brown and DT Stefan Charles. A year earlier the defense had delivered one of the best wins in a decade and a year later it was a trainwreck. Week 16: Dallas Cowboys, 16-6 win: Out of the playoffs and with LeSean McCoy out after a leg injury ended his season the prior week, Buffalo wasn’t playing for much as Dallas was also having an awful year. The highlight of the game was the fact the Bills ran for 236 yds and 2 TDs despite McCoy being out. Mike Gillislees 50 yd TD to ice the game late in 4th was really nice. Week 17: New York Jets, 22-17 win: If ever there was a true revenge game this was it. The Jets came in 10-5 and a win clinched the playoffs something Rex took pleasure in trying to stop. For a game that was meaningless for Buffalo, the team and stadium had a true energy throughout. The Bills got an early lead thanks to a Taylor TD run but the Jets paced the Bills throughout and heading into the 4th quarter a Fitzpatrick TD to Eric Decker for 21 yds closed it to 19-17 Buffalo. But then Fitz we’ll Fitz’d for the Jets. I wouldn’t say the defining moment was a singular INT, it was all three as Fitzpatrick couldn’t stop turning the ball over. Leodis McKelvins INT which was the first of the 4th quarter was the most timely as the Jets were at the Bills 14 and near the end zone. AJ Tarpley clinched the game with the last INT with 17 seconds left at midfield.

watching that game it really was stunning. Like sitting on the couch you literally said just run the ball…. And the Atlanta kept trying to pass. It was mind blowing to the max

I bought a Bacarri Rambo jersey when he came back in 2017 because he had a fun last name for a jersey and he had a few fun moments. I no longer own that jersey after the crimes he commited