The Red King

Eh, not as hideous as the hat in the OP. I still hate it, but I don't loathe it. Still a case of trying to do too much. You meld LA with a wave with a ram's horn. Symbolic, but fugly. Exact same thing that spawned the hated buffaslug. Symbolism cannot substitute for aesthetics.

I'll take that wager! ? Just been extra-busy today. Let me clarify, I never thought Diggs was an AB or such. Nor was the point of this thread questioning how Diggs will do in Buffalo. That is bring discussed in other places. For the record, I love Diggs and the trade that got him here. The point of this thread was to discuss the potential shift in culture, and whether the Bills have moved from a position of looking for players that could help the culture by having those special qualities McBeane wanted...and have since moved to a position where Buffalo can start taking players that they instead hope their culture can imprint on and assist, much like New England does. That's all.

So, the Diggs signing left me wondering about the Bills' culture. When McBeane took over, we had culture like the kind you find in petri dishes. They began the slow and painful process of turning things around. Players were purged, and others brought in, and always the question was, how well did they fit the culture McBeane was trying to create. A key point was, what impact could this player have on the culture? Were you a "Process" player or not? And it seems to be working. Just listening to the players makes it clear. Diggs does not fit that mode. His squabbles with the Vikes show that. Two, three years ago he wouldn't have matched the image of a process player. So, have they turned a corner? Is Buffalo's culture now strong enough that we can move from asking what a player can do for the culture, and instead ask what the culture can do for the player, in a similar (but lesser) manner to New England?

After watching the Super Bowl I'm left thinking the Bills could have won it all. I didn't see a team the Bills couldn't beat, and that gives me some hope. Now, before you all rise to flame me, let me make one thing clear... The Bills could have, but wouldn't have and didn't. In four games against NE, Baltimore and Houston the Bills showed they could run with the big dogs, losing by just 6, 7, 7 and 3. But at the same time they were indeed 0-4. Remove the throwaway Jets game and the Bills only lost by more then one score once. Flip that though, and the Bills never really crushed any of the teams they were supposed to. And there in lies the problem. Buffalo has no killer instinct, and would regularly drop into "Oh please dear god just run out the clock and don't lose!" mode. Originally I thought we could make it past KC had we not choked the Houston game away. But now? No. KC battles back when down. Had we made it to them, the KC game would likely have played out like the Houston game. Buffalo jumps ahead, drops into turtle mode and watches KC claw their way to victory. I think the Bills are more competative then people think. I think they are on the cusp of top-tier and that gives me hope. But they obviously need some talented receivers and a coaching philosophy that is willing to go for the throat. I'm desperately hoping the former will lead to the latter, because this team is closer then expected.

The guy gave it his all. Nobody expected that miracle run in the Hoth game that helped get us to the playoffs. I wish the guy well, and if he gets a ring, great. At the same time, the Bills did what they had to. Shady was not immune to Father Time's gifts, and he didn't/doesn't see that. All of this...really doesn't change my opinion, of him or of how/why the end played out as it did.

Yeah, you got it exactly. I do see how it could be abused, was just a rogue thought.

Just a random thought I had...what if cap space could be used as trade currency? We already see trades that involve eating cap, but what if cap space itself could be traded? Teams up against the cap, but who like their roster might trade draft picks for increased cap. Likewise, teams with a ton of cap room could use it not only on free agency, but trades as well. Like a team trading $5 mil of 2020 cap room for a 3rd round pick or such. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about it. Could likely be abused. Just, seemed at least a curious idea and I wondered what all of you thought.

I'd say watching AB is like watching a train wreck, except we're at the point now where we've not only seen the train wreck, we've seen it derail, flip, go airborne, and then plow into the terminal...all to this song as the background tune. What a waste.

We need receivers. As I watch the playoffs that is a big hole. Watch carefully. Not every completion is perfect. The recievers bail out their QBs time to time. It's just so automatic we don't really notice it. Pass was a lil low and the receiver managed to snag it? That's what they're paid for, we say. But not the Bills. That same, slightly off pass gets dropped 99% of the time, and we then blame Allen. The Bills' WRs give Allen precious little margin of error, and when you think on it, that can mean the difference between 1st down and a 4th down punt. We also have nobody who will fight for the ball. Look at Duke Williams, and the end-zone incompletion. Disregard the arguement as to why he dropped it and look carefully. Duke at least gave Allen enough confidence to throw a contested pass into the end zone. That...never happened before. Either the receiver was wide open, or we threw it short and hoped he could run in. Not saying Duke is the answer, that's an already raging argument. Just...can we agree that is a deficiency we need addressed? This team is closer then we thought. I think if, just as an example, we had AB (without the psych issues) or OBJ on this team all season, we would have taken the East and at least made it to the divisional round. Yes, Allen needs to improve, but he also needs receivers that are able to bail him out now and then.

Which is why the calls will go against the Texans next week. NFL wanted Houston to advance. Watt's return made for the sexy storyline. Now that it's played out, it's time for Mahomes' glory. I had just meant the NFL knew not enough people would care about Buffalo, so they could screw them with impunity.

Houston and JJ are the sexier story. Besides, as we're seeing, the NFL knows the refs can hose Buffalo because we're just not a team people care about. If that game played out the exact same way but it was NE that was screwed against Houston the national media would be losing their minds right now.

It is possible to complain about the horrid officiating without completely blaming them for the loss, you know. People complaining about the officiating aren't absolving the Bills of blame. You can blame both.

San Fran? I seem to recall them being helmed by a certain QB that good 'ol #12 forced off the Pats to soothe his ego...

Duke has earned a spot. He was actually fighting for catches, and made some contested ones. Allen seemed to like him, targetting him quite a bit.

I was shocked at the media fawning over the Browns and giving them the conference title before the regular season even started. I even complained about it here. So yeah, I'll admit to taking satisfaction in watching them crash and burn. Too many egos, not enough culture and leadership. Talent isn't everything.

At this point, I am dismayed to see just how far fans will go to find a downside in something good. Two years ago Buffalo broke a seventeen year playoff drought. Some were not content with that. It was somehow tarnished or tainted because it took a Cincy win to get in. Some even somehow claimed the streak wasn't "really broken". Fast-forward two years. Buffalo addresses that critisism. 10-6, the top wild card secured with a full two weeks left in the season. They needed no help at all to get in. So...now we can be happy, right? No, no...now it's not legitimate because of a weak schedule. Because of that, some posters act like we were supposed to win 10+ games. That this season was simply meeting expectations. Or, to some, actually falling short of them. Really? During the preseason, if you would have told us that we'd be in this position, this record, the #5 seed, we would have been thrilled! How many Bills fans predicted this? And look at the media. For all this talk that 10-6 was expected with the schedule, I defy you to hit ESPN, SI or such and find any analyst that predicted Buffalo would hit 10+ wins. So no, Buffalo did not just do what was expected of them with this schedule. The Bills exceeded expectations. This is a season they should be proud of, regardless of how the postseason plays out. They are not a perfect team. They have warts. Nobody would deny that. But to handwave or dismiss this season because of them? We talk about Pats fans being entitled, but if you look inward it seems pretty clear we have some entitled Bills fans as well. Stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. Stop hunting and scouring for something to delegitimatise this team and season. The Bills exceeded expectations this season. They may not be perfect but man, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It's been decades since we've been able to.

A lot going against the Pats, but on the AFC side they are the only team with a metric crap ton of postseason experience. And they have Belli and Brady. I think they are vulnerable, especially this Saturday in what really was, to them, a surprise game sprung on them. But as much as I would like to, I cannot and will not write the Pats off. The Pats are not done until the very moment the game is over and the Pats are on the wrong side of the final score.

Tone and wording. OP is basically saying the Bills going 10-6 and nabbing a wild card isn't that big a deal. That it isn't something we should be proud of, not an accomplishment, because of how we got there. And that's a suggestion that offends and upsets some.

The Pats dropped from second to third as a result of a tiebreaker. Specifically, they lost to the Chiefs earlier in the season! They got nobody to blame but themselves.

I told my daughter that Cleveland has gone from dumpster fire to hellfire spewing fissure to hell. Other posters have it right. No culture, no accountability. Look at Allen's response after the first NE game. He owned it, and worked on it. This...dude...you just lost to the team drafting first, with a roster that had so-called analysts annointing you champions in the preseason. You deserve to be mocked for it. Suck it up Buttercup, take some responsibility. Take tyour team by the stones and turn that ship around.

Brady and the Pats thinking they might be able to rest starters after jumping to a big enough lead against Miami, then be able to rest during the bye week...all of a sudden facing the prospect of a playoff game against the Titans on a short week? Excuse me while I giggle.

Pats are already worn down. Playing again on Saturday would be brutal for them. ...which is why there is no chance the NFL would do it to them, of course. Pats will get the Sunday game, we'll get the Saturday.

Another perspective...not counting the throwaway game today, Buffalo had five losses. Four of those five came at the hands of teams that went on to win their divisions. ?

Five of Buffalo's six losses have been by seven points or less, including three against NE and Baltimore. They've proven they can run with the big dogs. Next step is beating them. Let's see if they can do it. You think Houston's not worried about Buffalo?

Biggest key is, the Pats didn't get a chance to rest anyone this week, and just lost their bye. With the Bills up their butt and jockying for position the Pats had to give full effort every game and now have to host a wild card game with no rest. I hope the NFL gives them a Sat. game, but we all know that ain't happening.