"The Culture of Failure"

[BillsFanNC]

This is an absolutely ridiculous comment. The Ralph was loud and it was rocking. The fans were outstanding. When EJ was waving his hands to pump up the crowd it was because he was trying to lead his team, and the fans responded loudly to his gestures with a chant of "EJ" reverberating throughout the stadium. I agree with GG's comments about the atmosphere in the stadium, it was great.

 

The best way to counteract the constant media negativity that permeates this franchise is to start winning. W's cure all, and until that happens you can expect more of the same.

 

RTB

 

You didn't sit where I was. The fans were sitting quietly in their seats when the defense needed them most. The place simply isn't as loud as it once was. How many false starts do you see from opposing teams compared to the old days?

[CodeMonkey]

He's right about the lack of passion in the fans. I sat in the Kelly club and 90% of the fans sat on their hands in the 4th quarter. The 12th man, for the reasons it went up on the wall in the first place, is dead.

The club seats are not where the hardcore fans tend to go so you cannot make a statement about the 12th man where you were.

They were sitting on their hands in the club seats because they didn't know what else to do, or their hands were cold.

 

Watch a replay on TV where they show the people not in the club seats and see if you want to make that same statement.

Edited September 13, 2013 by CodeMonkey

[VADC Bills]

"The Culture Of Failure"...this would be a great name for the Bills documentary outside of the 90's decade, which we could call "Almost Winning, The Aberration"

[GG]

You didn't sit where I was. The fans were sitting quietly in their seats when the defense needed them most. The place simply isn't as loud as it once was. How many false starts do you see from opposing teams compared to the old days?

 

I have heard this commentary about the club seats for a while now, and it may be correct there. But in the general seating it seemed as loud and raucous as ever. We should also recognize that the stadium holds 15,000 less than in the heyday, and that also contributes a lot to a different atmosphere. Still, Brady had a difficult time getting the play off. If it was a different opposing QB and OL, then there would have been more procedural calls. You have to recognize the opponent too.

 

Maybe all Gleason saw was the club seats. It was definitely not the case in the regular seats.

[PromoTheRobot]

(As I expected) Those who agree with the article are missing my point...

 

First the headline: "Bills fight losing battle against culture of failure." We are one week into the season. How are we "losing the battle" already? Because we lost one game?

 

Second: Yes the Bills suck but how are we supposed to turn the corner when Bucky Gleason starts painting our rookies with the failure brush one week into their careers?

 

If this were week 13 of the season and the Bills were 2-11 and our players were terrible then I can see writing this column but not going into week 2.

 

PTR

[BillsFanNC]

The club seats are not where the hardcore fans tend to go so you cannot make a statement about the 12th man where you were.

Watch a replay on TV where they show the people not in the club seats and see if you want to make that same statement.

 

That's the point though, the place can never be as loud as it once was because of those apathetic fans. I don't care if the Bills have a 12-4 season, the fans in the club seats will always be mostly sitting on their hands. I'm not suggesting that they stand up the whole game and lose their voices either, but in the 4th quarter in a tight game, show some frigging enthusiasm and help out the defense. Collectively, compared to how that place used to be, the 12th man is dead.

[8-8 Forever?]

If the good play continues, it will build. Looked pretty rockin' on the replay I watched. Beautiful day.

[JohnC]

I think his point is that nothing really changed. The people who were calling the shots in the past are still the ones calling the shots now. As he mentioned, Whaley has been assistant GM the past 3 years and had a lot of influence. Now he is GM.

 

And the "it takes time" speech is really getting old and its bogus if you ask me. Especially when teams go 5-11 one year and 11-5 the next. Why can't we do that? Especially when Russ gave us a spiel back in January how the roster is much better than the record indicated, praising Buddy Nix and his 16-32 record as GM before he retired. If thats the case, then we should be competing for a playoff spot come December no?

 

The Buddy Nix tenure was not a success. The 16-32 record surely doesn't indicate a success (as you indicated) and the roster he assembled needs to be bolstered. When I say it is going to take time my time frame is three years. The roster needs to be reworked. The primary way to rebuild the roster is through the draft. That is how all teams that have had sustained success build a successful team.

 

The Russ Brandon praise of Nix was pro forma politeness. What did you expect him to do? Publicly crucify him? The real message was thanks for your services and he then directed him toward exit door. What was meaningful was Whaley assuming full authority as a GM, not as a subordinate. Where I strenuously disagree with you and Tasker is your assumption that Whaley is an extension of Nix. You believe that he is; I don't. When he took over the GM position he brought in his own head of college and pro scouting. Only time will tell whether those selections will translate into an upgrade in personnel decisions.

 

Of course no one likes the "it takes time speech". Sometimes the truth is unpalatable, but if it is true then it is true. What do you want him to say? I offer you instant success because I am magically endowed. If you inherit a limited roster you are not going to rework it in one year to the point that your weakling roster becomes a muscular roster. It doesn't work that way.

 

What this franchise doesn't need is to act out of desperation by making short term immediate upgrades at the expense of long term sustained success. It may not sound sexey, especially to a frustrated fan base, but if a team drafts well and makes sound personnel decisions (mid-tier free agent pickups) in three years the sluggish franchise can be back into being a serious franchise.

 

The one thing that accelerates the rebuilding process is acquiring a high quality franchise qb. If EJ falls into that category of a player then the prospects for this franchise are good. If he isn't the right qb, then you continue on with the search.

Edited September 13, 2013 by JohnC

[BillsFanNC]

If the good play continues, it will build. Looked pretty rockin' on the replay I watched. Beautiful day.

 

Yes it was, and 1/3 of the club seat holders sat inside and watched on TV.

[8-8 Forever?]

That's the point though, the place can never be as loud as it once was because of those apathetic fans. I don't care if the Bills have a 12-4 season, the fans in the club seats will always be mostly sitting on their hands. I'm not suggesting that they stand up the whole game and lose their voices either, but in the 4th quarter in a tight game, show some frigging enthusiasm and help out the defense. Collectively, compared to how that place used to be, the 12th man is dead.

The franchise has done its best to kill him, though. New players cannot understand how fans feel about the franchise ......., players come and go. Fans are under contract for life... that's a long time. Feelings change ... right now, the 12th man perhaps is tired and out of gas after 17 years and now in "wait and see" mode

[birdog1960]

This, as painful as it might be, is the most honest assessment of the difficult situation before the franchise. We don't reward our good players, the climate is simply not very good and the fans, while passionate, will turn on you quicker than a rabid dog.

it's not the weather. new england's is just as bad. so is pittsburg's and green bay's. but i agree with everything else.

 

Yes it was, and 1/3 of the club seat holders sat inside and watched on TV.

that is truly bizarre.

[8-8 Forever?]

Yes it was, and 1/3 of the club seat holders sat inside and watched on TV.

Well, the club seat types will never be blasted on their feet screaming. Not their deal. Country club crowd. Good fans, blah blah, but not going to change a game.

[papazoid]

one game in and he is already writing negative ?

 

 

as far as crowd noise goes, there is significantly less noise than years ago. the primary reason for that is the so called "dugout" suites which took many of the very top rows of the lower bowl.

 

seating capacity 80,020 (original) and now 73,079 (current).

 

and of that current number, many more are noise insulated inside suites instead of the louder outdoor fans.

Edited September 13, 2013 by papazoid

[BillsFanNC]

one game in and he is already writing negative ?

 

 

as far as crowd noise goes, there is significantly less noise than years ago. the primary reason for that is the so called "dugout" suites which took many of the very top rows of the lower bowl.

 

seating capacity 80,020 (original) and now 73,079 (current).

 

and of that current number, many more are noise insulated inside suites instead of the louder outdoor fans.

 

You're right, that certainly plays a big part in it.

[birdog1960]

Well, the club seat types will never be blasted on their feet screaming. Not their deal. Country club crowd. Good fans, blah blah, but not going to change a game.

maybe, but isn't that like playing virtual golf in the clubhouse when you're a member of oak hill? just can't understand that. what's the point of going to the game at all?

[mrags]

While I disagree with the "short on talent" comment, I 100% agree with this entire article.

 

Part of the reason why I sit in the end zone in game days. The crowd is rowdier. They are more in tune with football knowledge and the play in the game.

 

Not saying anything about knowledgable fans in the Jim Kelly Club, Box seats, or heated chairs between the 20s, but generally those are fans that go watch the games for the wrong reasons. They get free tickets, they only go when it's nice weather, they sit down for the entire game except when the Bills score or make a great play.

 

In the end zones we still bleed Bills blue. We stand the entire game. We know what's going on in the game without having to watch the Jumbotron. We know when to stand up, flail our arms and get loud, get the crowd pumped up and cheer on your team.

 

The article is spot on and the Bills 12th man isn't dead. It's just hibernating. It needs to be woken up. We need to show the NFL that Buffalo is what NFL is all about, but in order to do that, we need this team to wake us up sooner than later.

 

This is the way we should hope the NFL feels about us:

 

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

 

-Isoroku Yamamoto

 

[BillsFanNC]

maybe, but isn't that like playing virtual golf in the clubhouse when you're a member of oak hill? just can't understand that. what's the point of going to the game at all?

 

I asked that very question to many of the fans around me. Blank stares.

[GG]

(As I expected) Those who agree with the article are missing my point...

 

First the headline: "Bills fight losing battle against culture of failure." We are one week into the season. How are we "losing the battle" already? Because we lost one game?

 

Second: Yes the Bills suck but how are we supposed to turn the corner when Bucky Gleason starts painting our rookies with the failure brush one week into their careers?

 

If this were week 13 of the season and the Bills were 2-11 and our players were terrible then I can see writing this column but not going into week 2.

 

PTR

 

His point is that the team needed that one little push to turn the corner in that game, which was there for the taking, and no one stepped up. You can make an argument that on a franchise that's so used to losing, it's almost like you're waiting for something to go wrong, instead of having an attitude that this game rightfully belongs to us and we are going to take it. In a sense, the Bills didn't have the amplifier that goes to 11, and they really needed it.

 

Gleason, though was out of line in going after the fans. There he borrowed a page from your book in blaming the fickle fans for sowing the losing attitude. We all know that WNY revels in negativity more than other regions. Yet the fans still sell the place out.

 

To me, the atmosphere was very reminiscent of 1986. The fan reaction to the on the field product was exactly the same. There was new optimism about the young QB, yet the team around him kept making dumb mistakes to snatch windy defeats out of victories' sails. Last Sunday was carbon copy of those '86 frustrating holding calls and fumbles. Yet, the players embraced the change and suddenly the team started picking up first downs even when set back to 1st & 20. It was also at that time that the fan expectations changed.

 

Gleason is right. Negativity permeates OBD. The fans half-expect the team to somehow blow the lead in the fourth quarter (which is exactly what they did on Sunday). It is up to the new regime to change that culture.

[Best Player Available]

You didn't sit where I was. The fans were sitting quietly in their seats when the defense needed them most. The place simply isn't as loud as it once was. How many false starts do you see from opposing teams compared to the old days?

One reason is many fans are tweeting pics of how ****ty the hot dogs taste, etc. The culture has changed. No different at a big concert when 2 thousand tools in front of you are filming videos they will never watch. The Bills haven't been relevant for a very long time, it's something many people go to kill a few hours on a Sunday.Some Hardcore fans spend more on their video/Audio setups for their man caves rather than buy a $25 ticket to sit in the Rockpile section.

[HankBulloughMellencamp]

(As I expected) Those who agree with the article are missing my point...

 

First the headline: "Bills fight losing battle against culture of failure." We are one week into the season. How are we "losing the battle" already? Because we lost one game?

 

Second: Yes the Bills suck but how are we supposed to turn the corner when Bucky Gleason starts painting our rookies with the failure brush one week into their careers?

 

If this were week 13 of the season and the Bills were 2-11 and our players were terrible then I can see writing this column but not going into week 2.

 

PTR

 

PTR, I am one who completely agrees with your point about the timing of this article.

 

More and more, Gleason really seems like Sully's impressionable protege' ... and I really wonder what these idiots are going to write about when the Bills actually start winning? Puff pieces aplenty, I presume. Or maybe more of this nonsense in the form of "OK, but they just couldn't win the big one."

 

And I agree 100% that a negative mindset will all but guarantee a failed result. Consistently achieving success is hardly an accident, and rarely arrived at if one is wired with a pervasively negative outlook.

 

As in golf, if you keep thinking of negative outcomes such as "OK, don't hit it into the water on the right" just before you pull the trigger, you are quite likely to steer a wayward Titleist in that exact direction.

 

No surprise, then, that a hack writer like Sully is also a hack on the golf course!