Can anyone remember

[Charles Romes]

Right before the 09 season we got rid of our LT and decided to start essentially a rookie with no game experience in that position and then fired our OC. We had no chance in that opener. And while we still lost we almost won.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

The last two years of the Stephenson era were brutal, but this team could be on par if Fitzpatrick regresses at all. There are holes all over this team...

 

OL - trainwreck

WR - Very little experience. Now counting on a guy who last year struggled with the dropsies to be your #1 guy.

LB - Those that were counting on Merriman to save this woeful group have come back to earth

TE - We don't have one

 

Except for Williams and Dareus, there isn't a player on this roster who is within a country mile of being a star.

 

Freddy Jackson and Stevie Johnson are special, IMO.

[Fan in Chicago]

Freddy Jackson and Stevie Johnson are special, IMO.

Methinks you are in the wrong thread

[erynthered]

Its nuts. We have not even played the season opener yet this year. I think I'll wait to pass judgement until maybe wk 4.

 

What was the name of that team a few years back? Oh yeah, the Lions went 4-0 in the pre-season, the went 0 fer 16 the rest of the way.

 

Christ, let them play a couple of games.

[BuffaloWest]

After scanning the topics on this board it was really dawned on me how bad things look for the Bills right now. While the team is making some strides in some areas there really has been very little done in the past year to improve this team.

 

Some of the negative stuff:

 

1. Ownership issues - more than any other time there seems to be a lack of a winning comittment. They will make tons of money no matter what.

2. No known succession plan for the inevitable passing of Ralph.

3. Lack of respect from the national media has reached an all time high. Maybe today's journalists have more insight or is it our culture now?

4. Just when we think we have a football man running the show a story leaks that maybe that is not so. (Overdorf and the Evans trade)

5. Front office taking a slow deliberate approach to rebuild, almost a reluctance to bring in better players and depth.

6. Not since the early 70's (prior to Lou Saban's return) have we had so little talent on the roster. At least relative to the rest of the league and especially our division.

 

 

Are things that bad for the Bills or could it be the mass communications blasting away at us? Think about how things are today - sports radio, all sports TV, internet, blogs, tweets, youtube.

 

Seems like the focus is on the negative. I even find it to be happening to me.

 

 

Don't forget to add #7:

What is going on with some sort of lease extension/ stadium revitalization plan?

After next season-2012, there is no lease agreement in place. Why-who is discussing it and with who? Why don't we know as taxpayers who support that stadium know what the hell is going on? they can leave -scott free after 2012 and NO ONE is talking about it.

 

I know The Bills organization is tight lipped and rarely shares with the media, but damnit someone needs to work on some sort of journalistic piece to expose what is going on over there. I am curious what players who BEGGED To get out of Buffalo (and were able to get out) have to say about playing up there...McGahee, Evans, Peters, Lynch, Kwaika Mitchell and so on. I assume Fred Jackson's posturing this week will probably get him a ticket out of town at some point in the near future. He saw it work with Evans and Lynch and they are both in better places.

 

The Bulllough / Stephenson era was like what 3 years? That is not a comparison to the Phillips, Greg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Dick Juaron, Chan Gailey Decade Plus!

 

I'm telling you guys...They are ATTEMPTING to turn you fans away so they can relocate this team. If they can get the tickets sales, suite sales, merchandise to continue to drop every year , they can say-The team want supported anymore because Buffalo is a dying town so we HAD to move them. The problem is-They have been trying to do this for years, but we are too stupid and loyal to be turned away....You just cant make this many bad coaching picks, draft picks, free agent hires and The Toronto deal without some sort of plan. The Buffalo Braves did it. They sold off everyone-and they had serious talent too-People stopped going, and they moved.

 

Someone-Please expose this organization for what they are trying to do-Go make a name for yourself!

Edited August 24, 2011 by BuffaloWest

[RTW2012]

You are correct. Go to any message board and I think you'll find that to be true. But Bills fans really crave misery. Even when things go well they are drawn to the negative. e.g...Who talks about Dareus and Merriman any more?

 

PTR

 

Another gem of a post generalizing Bills fans.

[BuffaloWest]

Read my post again. Bills fans ALWAYS find something to whine about. It doesn't matter how we do on the field. It comes from the victim mentality that living in Buffalo generates.

 

PTR

 

Not true...ALL teams do this guys. Trust me Chargers fans are more optimistic about their season, but upset about a lot of things too...That is just sports fans for you, there is always something to B word about. Has nothing to do with being "Pessimistic Buffalonians" by nature-that is just garbage that becomes a self fulfilling prophecy when people start believing that crap..

 

The team MAY not actually be that bad this year...It is the top level management and ownership that most people are upset with. This organization has not been run well. If it were selling widgets-they would have been out of business since the mid 70's...only because the NFL is bullet proof does Wilson continue to rake in money.

Edited August 24, 2011 by BuffaloWest

[Alphadawg7]

I can remember a more negative time...every time Trent Edwards stepped on the field. Made me nauseous watching that pansy completely cripple this team with his retardation and pussification of this offense on a weekly basis. I cant think of a time I enjoyed watching the Bills less than I did watching that sissy play...

Edited August 24, 2011 by Alphadawg7

[BuffaloWest]

I can remember a more negative time...every time Trent Edwards stepped on the field. Made me nauseous watching that pansy completely cripple this team with his retardation and pussification of this offense on a weekly basis. I cant think of a time I enjoyed watching the Bills less than I did watching that sissy play...

 

Trent's favorite actor is Dakota Fanning....

Nice guy, total pus-say!

[Mark Long Beach]

I can remember a more negative time...every time Trent Edwards stepped on the field. Made me nauseous watching that pansy completely cripple this team with his retardation and pussification of this offense on a weekly basis. I cant think of a time I enjoyed watching the Bills less than I did watching that sissy play...

 

By the end, I hated watching him play as well. Of course I hated the _entire_ offense, it was dreadful. No imagination, no execution and little skill. DickyJ's teams were brutal to watch. I hated not ever having the ability to win a game, just to hope that the opponent would lose the game. Ugh.

[skibum]

I think the perceived historic peak in negativity has a lot to do with the existence of message boards.

 

The Bills have put far worse teams on the field, but most of that was before the internet era, when there was no open forum for fans to express their grief in such massive volume.

[jumbalaya]

Things have been worse for the Bills but this is easily the Lost Decade.

 

We need a slogan like "Bring professional football back to Buffalo!"

[DrDawkinstein]

Im sure this franchise, over its 50+ years, has been in worse situations.

 

What I havent seen before now, is this level of despair and anger from the fans so early in the year. Heck, its even early in preseason.

 

You have a LOT of people gnashing their teeth over a couple of roster shuffling moves in the middle of preseason. You have fans wishing actual, literal death upon the owner. People are calling out the new GM 20 MONTHS into his massive project.

 

I get that people are frustrated. Having been a die-hard Bills fan for 25+ years I get WHY people are frustrated.

 

But our choices are: 1. Find another team, 2. Go along for the ride and see what happens.

[Mike in Syracuse]

I think the perceived historic peak in negativity has a lot to do with the existence of message boards.

 

The Bills have put far worse teams on the field, but most of that was before the internet era, when there was no open forum for fans to express their grief in such massive volume.

 

There was a time when TSW was a bit more mature. The people who owned computers and were able to post were largely adults who could afford $2k desktops. Now every idiot has a laptop hence the explosion of idiotic posts and the demise of rational discussion and debate.

[billsfan714]

IMHO this is the worst stretch in team history, without a doubt. I became a fan in the late 60s when we really sucked, that gave way to the 70s and OJ. We had one playoff appearance, the rest of the decade was seeing how many yards OJ would get. Oh yeah we lost 20 in a row to the Dolphins to boot. Knox came in and gave us one playoff appearance and then poof, he was gone. That led to some of the worst Bills team. Then you had the Polian glory years. So you had Bills championship teams of the AFL 60s, in the 70s you OJ and 2000 yards with a playoff appearance, the late 70s early 80s you had the bermuda triangle and knox, the late 80s and 90s you had Polian building a great team and the superbowl years.

 

So this is the longest stretch in team history without a playoff game. We will most likely break the consecutive loss record to a divisional opponent we set against the Dolphins except this time it will be at the hands of the Patriots. I think of some 6 year old that starting following this team in 2000 and now they are 18 years old and have NEVER seen a Bills team in a playoff game. Thats a generation of nothing to hang your hat on. At least back when I was kid you had a playoff appearance every 5-7 years of so. This year will be a dozen years and ZERO playoffs . When you're working on 2 decades of futility, yes this is the worst Bills era ever(and thats saying something with this team's history) and there isn't a lot of hope in the near future for things to change. I just wonder what are the fond memories of the 2000s Bills, what the 9-7 team that crapped the bed in week 17 to miss the playoffs? Thats pitiful.

Edited August 24, 2011 by billsfan714

[EasternOHBillsFan]

There was a time when TSW was a bit more mature. The people who owned computers and were able to post were largely adults who could afford $2k desktops. Now every idiot has a laptop hence the explosion of idiotic posts and the demise of rational discussion and debate.

 

In PPP, however, it has always been rife with 'idiotic posts and the demise of rational discussion and debate'.

[Bob in STL]

I think the perceived historic peak in negativity has a lot to do with the existence of message boards.

 

The Bills have put far worse teams on the field, but most of that was before the internet era, when there was no open forum for fans to express their grief in such massive volume.

 

 

I think that the internet communication certainly amplifies the problem and the negative feelings.

 

 

I have sufferd with this team through all the lean years and like all of you out there remain a die hard. Just cannot imagine me not being a fan and going to Buffalo a couple times a year to watch them.

[tennesseeboy]

This is a pretty crummy situation and it would be hard to find a worst situation over time. The inability to recognize basic team weaknesses (OFFENSIVE LINE) and get good free agents (Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, Clabo, etc. ad nauseam) and to trade effectively ( a FOURTH round draft choice for a probably number one receiver?) or to keep quality players (Whitner, Poz, Evans, Incognito et al) or to draft quality players (Maybin, Spiller) or keep players who might have played (Schobel).

 

nine wins buddy and chan..nine wins..or you are out of here.

[DrDawkinstein]

This is a pretty crummy situation and it would be hard to find a worst situation over time. The inability to recognize basic team weaknesses (OFFENSIVE LINE) and get good free agents (Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, Clabo, etc. ad nauseam) and to trade effectively ( a FOURTH round draft choice for a probably number one receiver?) or to keep quality players (Whitner, Poz, Evans, Incognito et al) or to draft quality players (Maybin, Spiller) or keep players who might have played (Schobel).

 

nine wins buddy and chan..nine wins..or you are out of here.

 

LOL at almost everything in this post. Dont even know where to begin, so I'll just laugh and let it go...

[Coach Tuesday]

There was a time when TSW was a bit more mature. The people who owned computers and were able to post were largely adults who could afford $2k desktops. Now every idiot has a laptop hence the explosion of idiotic posts and the demise of rational discussion and debate.

 

I resemble that remark.

[HeHateMe]

Please stop saying we have plenty of talent on this team and then name drop Merriman... He is already injured and has been done for 3 years. He will likely sit out the rest of preseason. If he actually plays in more than a game or two in the regular season I will be shocked. This is a talent depleted roster, if you can't see that you are blind.

[GG]

What will this thread turn into if there are more veteran departures before season end?

 

In PPP, however, it has always been rife with 'idiotic posts and the demise of rational discussion and debate'.

 

Which proves the sadistic nature of the idiots who choose to post & get flogged on the dark side.

[CookieG]

Good points. I was going to mention that the era between Chuck Knox and Marv Levy was very grim.

 

Never under-estimate what adding a HoF QB (Kelly) and an all time great defensive player (Smith) can do. Each of this men helped to make the people around them better.

 

 

This is different than the 80's. The bleakness lasted for about 3 years, not 11. In the 1986 season, you could at least sense a turnaround. It wasn't just Kelly. They rebuilt their Oline in one year. They had just come off one of the best drafts in recent history. You knew the defense still needed work, but you knew that was coming. And it did, the following year.

 

They rebuilt once in the 80's, it wasn't a continuous 3-4 year rebuilding plan. And maybe more importantly, the visions of playoffs past weren't a distant memory. Damn, my youngest son was born in the year of the last playoff berth. He just started middle school.

 

This is different...now you're talking about hitting a high water mark of 7 wins, replace the old regime, trash the old regime, get rid of everyone from the old regime, start again, and hope that within 3-4 years...you get to 7 wins.

[Bills!Win!]

None of the three you listed are bonafide NFL stars. Johnson has had one good season, as a #2 receiver, with Lee Evans drawing the majority of double teams, he has to prove he can do it consistently and as the #1 guy. Dareus has played in two preseason games? Really? Merriman has to prove that he can stay healthy and that he has anything left in the tank. If there is a star on this team it would be Kyle Williams, and he is just approaching that level. I do agree with the other poster, this is one of the, if not the worst NFL roster I have ever seen.

 

Don't forget Moorman... Maybe Jairus Byrd will turn into a star sometime soon.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Bills!Win!

[DrDawkinstein]

This is different than the 80's. The bleakness lasted for about 3 years, not 11. In the 1986 season, you could at least sense a turnaround. It wasn't just Kelly. They rebuilt their Oline in one year. They had just come off one of the best drafts in recent history. You knew the defense still needed work, but you knew that was coming. And it did, the following year.

 

They rebuilt once in the 80's, it wasn't a continuous 3-4 year rebuilding plan. And maybe more importantly, the visions of playoffs past weren't a distant memory. Damn, my youngest son was born in the year of the last playoff berth. He just started middle school.

 

This is different...now you're talking about hitting a high water mark of 7 wins, replace the old regime, trash the old regime, get rid of everyone from the old regime, start again, and hope that within 3-4 years...you get to 7 wins.

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/

 

Here's a link to the Bills regular season records for the team's entire history.

 

I'm not sure that the only bleak time was 1982-88...

[CookieG]

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/

 

Here's a link to the Bills regular season records for the team's entire history.

 

I'm not sure that the only bleak time was 1982-88...

 

Yeah, I know, I watched most of it...at least the 70's onward.

 

The post I quoted was referring to the early 80's.

 

I can't go back to the 60's, but I can go back to the mid 70's. As late as 1975, the Bills had a very potent offense, they just didn't have a defense, and missed badly on a bunch of draft picks.

 

But after 2 years of completely falling apart, they brought in Chuck Knox, a guy that came from a winning organization, who brought in a new culture. With him, you knew it might take two years, but you could sense a difference in how things were run.

 

I just can't say that right now, I wish I could.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

What will this thread turn into if there are more veteran departures before season end?

 

 

 

Which proves the sadistic nature of the idiots who choose to post & get flogged on the dark side.

 

I refuse to participate there because it mirrors the problem with politics and reflects the worst about modern society. Bills and Sabres talk is much, much, much more enjoyable and stimulating despite the state of the Bills.