How does the Buffalo media whiff so bad on the Bills?

[PromoTheRobot]

At the risk of starting another conflagration, I really want to know what the Buffalo sports media does when they are supposedly covering the team? Maybe John Wawrow could tell us.

 

I can understand the national media has 31 other teams to cover and the Bills have been such an afterthought that few if any would bother to take a close look at us. But how do reporters, who's job it is to cover camp and practices, talk to players and coaches, etc, be so dead wrong on this team's prospects going into the season? Seriously, if all of you are so "shocked" by what you saw, what the f**k do you do all day?

 

I do have a theory. Things have been so bad with the Bills the last 11 years that most of the press, thinking they are being unbiased, dismiss any good signs out of hand as being a mirage. And with the head gremlin Jerry Sullivan leading the charge, all the other reporters fall in line behind him.

 

This is the only scenario I can imagine because the Bills didn't just expose the KC Chiefs today, they exposed the Buffalo News and WGR for short-changing local sports fans.

 

PTR

[OCinBuffalo]

2 things.

 

First, as my new avatar says: it's the eat some crow show. We have buckets of crow. Gallons of it. There's plenty to go around.

 

The ESPN tool who not only dogged our team, but dogged our city? Crow. Sit down right over here. We have a 7 course meal for your sorry ass....

Mike "You don't say that you think you will win every game because that's not the 'adult' thing to do" Schopp? Crow

Bulldog...whatever. Crow

 

I haven't even begun to award the crow yet. I have the Edmund Fitzgerald double parked on Main street with nothing but Crow in her hold.

 

Second, most of these guys are more afraid of how they look to the media guys in other cities...than they are afraid of us.

 

They have been getting away with it, for me anyway, because usually with the Bills, I don't even want to talk about it, much less mix it up with some turd just so I can say: "cover the team, tool", and they can say "I am too cool", and get nowhere. Perhaps we can change this state of affairs in the coming months. I guarantee this board can be instrumental in that effort.

[AxelRipper]

Honestly, I don't think anyone expected what happened today to happen. Yes, we all hoped, but there is no way you can think that a team that is supposedly "rebuilding" and has a QB who has never started an opening day in his career will come out and blow out a team that many were/are considering to be playoff contenders. Also, for a team that hasn't had much in the tight end position in the past long while to come out and have 2 passing TD's with a TE... That's not something I think anyone was expecting to happen.

 

Go Bills!!!

[PromoTheRobot]

Honestly, I don't think anyone expected what happened today to happen. Yes, we all hoped, but there is no way you can think that a team that is supposedly "rebuilding" and has a QB who has never started an opening day in his career will come out and blow out a team that many were/are considering to be playoff contenders. Also, for a team that hasn't had much in the tight end position in the past long while to come out and have 2 passing TD's with a TE... That's not something I think anyone was expecting to happen.

 

Go Bills!!!

I agree you and I have no idea what the Bills are doing so all we can do is hope for improvement. We have no access to them so how could we? What I want to know is why the guys paid to cover the team have no clue? Do the Bills purposely look bad when the press are present?

 

PTR

Edited September 12, 2011 by PromoTheRobot

[mrags]

I agree PTR. I was at 2 training days and saw much of what we saw today. Of course there were bad things (sometmes more than good) but I at least saw some decent progression from a year ago. I saw lots of improvement from positions that were completely overlooked most of the time. I'm by no means saying I foresaw a bomb drop in KC today by the Bills but I can say I saw alot of good things we have done for a few weeks now. We all saw the preseason games where we had decent run D and decent pass rush. We saw a game where Fitz was magic. There was much more to say about THIS team and not the past 10 years teams than has been reported. The fact is Mike Scrote, Balllick, and Sulky don't know anything. They do not write or state thier OWN opinions for themselves. They are just like any national media outlet that forgets Buffalo even has a team, or in WGRs case they are butthurt they aren't even allowed to cover anymore and that's why they don't care. The fact is they don't know what they are doing, they don't have any inside people, they don't care because the Bills are not what's been making them money. It's the ball licking of the Sabres that has made thier paychecks for the last few years and they don't know how react so they just continue to say the same crap they have in the past 10 years. WGR is still bringing things up from when Wade and Donahoe were here. I don't expect them to ever get it. I do expect them to jump on the bandwagon after they win a few games though because that's thier deal. Just ride what people are saying and pretend like they know what everyone is talking about. I expect a routing of the Raiders this week and WGR saying if they beat the Pats they will be on board. If they beat the Pats they will not only be on board, they will be heading up the bandwagon. Saying they knew all along. Calling for home field advantage in playoffs. Making tailgate plans for playoff games. Saying Fitz needs a longterm deal and saying he will be in running for MVP. Saying all the WRs are so good and we never needed Evans. It's a joke we have to deal with these @ssclowns.

[bowery4]

I think after the team has looked so bad for so long and the FO and coaching was so terrible, writing bad things not only got habitual but sort helped ratings and newspaper sales. Also it was more predictable/possible that they honestly would suck. Lastly RW is a hate-able guy being rich, having a losing but profitable team and just living so damn long! Those voices won't change for a while still, bank on it. Even the 5-1 start they didn't and I am not sure we can do it again that way this year. We get 10 wins, perspectives will change.

I hope we don't get hit by injuries because we don't really have much quality depth on the Offense (line and TE) and our DBs are are bit short in that dept. too IMO.

[Geno Smith's Arm]

I think after the team has looked so bad for so long and the FO and coaching was so terrible, writing bad things not only got habitual but sort helped ratings and newspaper sales. Also it was more predictable/possible that they honestly would suck. Lastly RW is a hate-able guy being rich, having a losing but profitable team and just living so damn long! Those voices won't change for a while still, bank on it. Even the 5-1 start they didn't and I am not sure we can do it again that way this year. We get 10 wins, perspectives will change.

I hope we don't get hit by injuries because we don't really have much quality depth on the Offense (line and TE) and our DBs are are bit short in that dept. too IMO.

 

I was a little surprised by the final score, but I thought the Bills would win pretty easily. I have predicted a 10-6, 9-7 season. How anyone looks at their fairly easy schedule (compared to last years especially) and thinks they can't win more than 4 games is just being defeatist. Or, even more likely, wants to say "I told you so".

 

I can't stand watching Bills games with people that constantly harp on past years mistakes, especially since the team has had such a huge turnover of starting players. They aren't the same guys!

Edited September 12, 2011 by Matthews' Bag

[PromoTheRobot]

Bob Matthews in Rochester (D&C and WHAM) is an even bigger media troll. Back on Friday, Aug 26 I heard him say, unequivocally, that the Bills were the worst franchise int he NFL by a mile. This is a guy who brings Fred Smerlas on his radio show and polishes his knob. How do these people keep their jobs?

 

PTR

[jr1]

WGR's too obsessed with pop culture to notice the Bills

[RTW2012]

Until the regular season starts, and they start playing real games against real teams, no one can really tell how much a team has improved over the previous year. Players may look good in practice, and even look good during their brief stints in the preseason, but you just don't know. Might I remind you Trent Edwards actually looked good in preseason last year, while Fitzy look like garbage.

 

The Bills have too many questions this year for most of the media to be confident that they'll improve. Yes, based on today's game, it looks like the Bills have answered these questions in the affirmative. An impressive win, against a quality opponent (at least based on last year), on the road. All positives. After one game, though. Unfortunately, we Bills fans have been teased before in recent years- 2008, anyone? Let's see a few more games before we can lambaste the "experts."

[PromoTheRobot]

Until the regular season starts, and they start playing real games against real teams, no one can really tell how much a team has improved over the previous year. Players may look good in practice, and even look good during their brief stints in the preseason, but you just don't know. Might I remind you Trent Edwards actually looked good in preseason last year, while Fitzy look like garbage.

 

The Bills have too many questions this year for most of the media to be confident that they'll improve. Yes, based on today's game, it looks like the Bills have answered these questions in the affirmative. An impressive win, against a quality opponent (at least based on last year), on the road. All positives. After one game, though. Unfortunately, we Bills fans have been teased before in recent years- 2008, anyone? Let's see a few more games before we can lambaste the "experts."

I agree you can't predict the Bills coming out and destroying KC. But if you are a reporter and your job is to watch the Bills every day, and you come out every day and report the Bills are a crumbling disaster, how can anyone take you seriously after today? Are you saying its impossible to see any improvement, or is the local media so jaded by losing they dismiss anything the Bills do, good or bad, as crap?

 

PTR

[John from Riverside]

I predicted a 9 and 7 season from the start of this.....a couple of comments....

 

- First...lost in all of this is the fact that Buffalo was playing much better by the end of last season....and that was without all the upgrades......

 

- People are suprised by the offensive output of the offense...and they should not be....keep in mind that this offense has had to go against this improved defense this whole training camp

 

- While no where near complete....I said that this team had the makings of "the perfect storm"

 

- If Fitz can be accurate enough we already know he makes good decisions

- If the offensive line can block for at least 3 seconds

- If we can stay healthy

- If Chandler can show he can get it done when it matters

 

If, If, If

 

 

Today If's became a reality....this is not longer the undersized, get pushed around, lack of leadership, lack of coaching, injury riddled team we have seen in years past.

 

This is by far not a finished product

 

- CJ Spiller has GOT to get his head out of his ass and start becoming the playmaker that we drafted him for...this good play followed by 2 negative plays crap has GOT to stop (I know he had the TD today but still

 

- Teams are going to take notice of Chandler and start accounting for him...donald jones has got to step up and be more consistant (I know he had the TD today but still)

 

- A pass rush needs to come from someone BESIDES Merrimen....I would really like to see Batten overtake Kelsay at some point

[....lybob]

Easy- because the Bills are filled to the Brim with players who haven't done it in the NFL, a couple players who've done it one year and a couple players who have had a track record but haven't done it in a couple years- the Bills are filled with unproven players which is not the same as filled with bad players- On offense the only player who has shown that he is a high level NFL player for multiple years is Fred Jackson on Defense you have Kyle Williams maybe Dwan Edwards, Merriman was a star but most thought he was done- Look the Redskins of all teams looked pretty good, with Rex Grossman and had some second to last 7th round NT (Chris Neild) getting 4 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble- probably some Redskin fan on a board right now ranting on how their media sucks for not knowing Grossman and Neild were all stars.

[Geno Smith's Arm]

I agree you can't predict the Bills coming out and destroying KC. But if you are a reporter and your job is to watch the Bills every day, and you come out every day and report the Bills are a crumbling disaster, how can anyone take you seriously after today? Are you saying its impossible to see any improvement, or is the local media so jaded by losing they dismiss anything the Bills do, good or bad, as crap?

 

PTR

 

 

This is exactly how I feel about this subject.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Matthews' Bag

[Captain Caveman]

I agree you and I have no idea what the Bills are doing so all we can do is hope for improvement. We have no access to them so how could we? What I want to know is why the guys paid to cover the team have no clue? Do the Bills purposely look bad when the press are present?

 

PTR

 

What do the reporters do? They watch the same open practices and preseason games that many of the people on this board do. They looked mediocre for most of training camp and in the preseason games. It wasn't only our reporters that thought so.

 

I think you could have asked Chan or Fitzy if we would beat KC by 30+ points they would have looked at you cross-eyed.

[deep2evans]

I don't know, but I really hope posts like this don't come back to bite us in the ass come December. It was just ONE game. Maybe the stars aligned for us today - KC sure did look like a bunch of idiots out there. I already feel this board getting collectively too cocky, which is way too premature IMO.

[bladiebla]

Bottomline is that no one knew how good the D really was/is (and in all honesty we wont know untill after NE* and have a better grasp after Oakland) and everybody who followed camp and preseason can tell you that the o-line was a mess (well the tackle situation). This team had a lot to proof coming out today, they certainly showed a winning spirit (it was almost like KC and the Dick Jauron Bills had changed jerseys pregame). KC, coming out after a good season where they made the playoffs only had stuff to loose playing against the 3rd worst team in the NFL of last year. The staff still says we're in rebuild mode, the team looked that way too especially with trading away our top talent WR for peanuts, missing out on the big OT acquisistion and being unable able to retain one of our team captains at LB. The LB situation improved but that was about all there was to say for sure going in. Can you really blame the local press for being skeptical after all these years? Also we only played one game, ONE!

 

Does our defense look like the real deal, sure does. Our offense looked decent enough and certainly managed to put up the numbers on the board but also failed to capatilize a couple of times giving KC room to get back in it which against a team like NE* could mean you'd be looking at deficit.

 

There is enough to be positive about coming out of KC, going into KC there were a lot of question marks. Oakland will show us if it's more then a momentum thing. NE* will tell the story wether we are ahead of schedule/on the way back to the playoffs or not.

Edited September 12, 2011 by bladiebla

[Geno Smith's Arm]

What do the reporters do? They watch the same open practices and preseason games that many of the people on this board do. They looked mediocre for most of training camp and in the preseason games. It wasn't only our reporters that thought so.

 

I think you could have asked Chan or Fitzy if we would beat KC by 30+ points they would have looked at you cross-eyed.

 

BEFORE THIS GAME:

 

 

I could tell that the depth was better at linebacker, defensive back, and D-line FOR SURE.

 

I had a pretty good idea that Fitz, Bell, Wood, and Levitre would be better.

 

I could tell that Dareus would have a huge impact on the the players around him and against the running game.

 

I can guess that their schedule looks easier this season.

 

I'm not trying to read too much into this one game, because I don't have much respect for the Chiefs.

 

I'm not picking the Bills to win the division.

 

I could tell that they will win more than 4 or 5 games this season

 

Of course no one knows for sure, that's why they play the games. But my EXPECTATIONS which is what we are talking about, seem reasonable to me.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Matthews' Bag

[billsrcursed]

Bob Matthews in Rochester (D&C and WHAM) is an even bigger media troll. Back on Friday, Aug 26 I heard him say, unequivocally, that the Bills were the worst franchise int he NFL by a mile. This is a guy who brings Fred Smerlas on his radio show and polishes his knob. How do these people keep their jobs?

 

PTR

 

I believe you've answered your own question....

[LGB]

you can add the Chiefs to the list of people that whiffed on the Bills. They did not look prepared for the Bills at all (e.g. Chandler)...and even though I predicted the Bills to be 9-7 (yeah, picked KC to win their opener), there are 15 more games left to balance things out (on any given Sunday - right)?