Deranged Rhino Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 On the eve of the season opener I thought it best to step back and reflect on how far we’ve come. Fourteen years we’ve toiled as fans of a floundering franchise that turned heartbreak into an art form. Some would call that insanity, but we know it’s deeper than that. It’s programed directly into our DNA, we can’t stop rooting for the Bills any more than we can stop the Earth from spinning. So we’ve borne witness to Greggo and his bullhorn, Mularkey’s abrupt exit, “it’s hard to win” Jauron, the interimship of Perry, the gagetry of Chan’s genius all of which has led to the obvious reign of Marrone. We lost Ralph, watched cancer try to take #12 from us too soon, The Legend of Kiko hit a snag, and currently we find ourselves adrift in a sea of uncertainty – so much so our QB situation is the literal definition of the word. Things looked grim… Then Tampa happened. Boos at Kid’s night, twitter-feuds with players, chicken-little posters clucking in forceful unison – things had become apocalyptic. Detroit didn’t do much to assuage the panic. Where does that leave us just days away from taking the field against the Bears? Too damn low I say. I’ve seen morgues that are more upbeat than most of the prognostications around here. It’s too early for the doom and gloom, the one thing every Bills fan shares is unending optimism in the face of adversity and if we give up on that we’re giving up on ourselves. It’s time to get fired up about the team, it’s time to say !@#$ it, everyone’s 0-0 anything can happen. Every year there’s a worst to first story, why not us? There’s no question this is the most talented roster the Bills’ have had in quite some time. There are playmakers all over the field on offense and defense. It looks like the front office hit on yet another sleeper with Mr. Henderson and found a superstar in Mr. Watkins. Whaley topped it off by bringing in Orton at the eleventh hour proving this is a front office serious about winning. Yes, the QB situation is a question mark (at best) but there have been more threads on that topic than even GoogleBot can count so let’s take that as a given. Even with EJ being a question mark, there are still plenty of reasons to get fired up about this team. Here are my top 5: 1. Dat D tho’: This defense is poised to have a monster season. The front seven is one of the best in the league, even with Bradham out this week. I expect this defense to finish the year in the top 10, if not the top 5, in most statistical categories. 2. Hackett: For the past five pre-season games we’ve heard that the reason the offense looks stale is because they’re holding back. That ends in Chicago. Hackett didn’t show me much last season to give me confidence, but he’s young, eager, and believes in what he’s doing so I’m curious to see how he progressed. His success is as important, if not more important, than EJ’s. 3. The Playmakers at WR: Seeing Sammy in real game action has me frothing at the mouth, but he’s not the only WR I’m excited about. Woods is in line for a huge step forward, the second year man played older than his years as a rookie and I’m certain he’s going to look even better in year 2. Williams’ homecoming is a great story and I think has sparked the chemistry on the team in a better-than-expected way. The guys on the team seem to love him and I think we are all going to love his presence in the redzone as he provides a target that’s been missing for over a decade in that region of the field. And of course there’s Goodwin who I think has gobs of potential. He’s not a track guy, he’s a football player. Tough, great hands, good routes. If he can take a step forward with his route running and stay off the training table, he’s going to take the top off a lot of defenses this year. 4. The Return of CJ Thrills: Finally healthy, second year in the system, and being in a contract year should set the table for CJ to be CJ again. I’m hoping to see Freddy and CJ on the field together a lot this season, something we all expected to see last year. Fred will get his as he’s the most dependable Bill we have, but I’m excited to see what CJ will bring in the most important season of his career to date. 5. Aaron Williams: That’s right, the two-stepping, rodeo riding Texan is positioned to take a major step forward and establishing himself as a top FS in the league. The coaches love him, he’s become a leader in the locker room, and he’s got the physical tools to excel in this scheme. I expect to see Williams lead the team in INTs this year but it will be his all-around physicality in the secondary that will make the impact. It wouldn’t surprise me to find Williams in Hawaii come February. What are your reasons to be excited, TSW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FluffHead Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Sorry to be the wet blanket but tonight is definitely not the eve of the season opener Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Poetic license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FluffHead Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Poetic license. You are a wordsmith so I'll let it pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notwoz Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 "On the eve of the opener"????? Do you realize the first game of the season isn't until Thursday and that the Bills don't play until a week from tomorrow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 You are a wordsmith so I'll let it pass It's a great example of why I need an editor "On the eve of the opener"????? Do you realize the first game of the season isn't until Thursday and that the Bills don't play until a week from tomorrow? Now I can't even edit it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkAF43 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Holy nitpicking. I like the post. I'm still drinking the Kool Aid. Let's go Bills!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Be careful not to get caught writing with a suspended poetic license. I hear they take your keyboard away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Typical Bills fans nitpicking instead of just enjoying the post. Good post Greg. Thank you for the optimism, the naysayers be gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I like your thoughts. I would like to add that I can't wait to see what Schwartz has up his sleeve for this D this year. Just as you were saying, they've been pretty nasty in pre season, lets see if it translates in a real game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I like you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufcomments Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I refuse to comment due to the fact that preseason is fools gold. But towards the end of next week I'll get amped up again because like ya said everybody 0-0. Cant wait for Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Warner Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I'm excited to see our running game. A few games this preseason the line was opening big holes. True, most were called back bc of penalty but we had some nice running plays. Then we started tinkering with the line and the results were poor. I'd like to think we could get that back and CJ and Jackson will have big years hopefully not fighting injury the whole year like last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filthymcnasty08 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Love our overall talent and look forward to our element of surprise for those that take us lightly TACKLES FOR LOSSES! - led the league in preseason…that cannot ever be a bad thing. RB's - of course, WR's: we're deep and our guys get open. Schwartz : as advertised! Spikes - thumping RB's in the middle! Mario, Marcel and Kyle: Raising Hell Bradham/Duke Williams/Preston Brown….will all be very solid contributors on a STOUT D! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipers Hair Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Sorry to be the wet blanket but tonight is definitely not the eve of the season opener ...yeah, I can't buy the eve thing...poetic or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverOutNick Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I love and feel exactly the same way as you on all of this! Hackett is the biggest question mark to our team being successful especially now with the addition of Orton because even if EJ does fail (I still believe in him), we have a very capable QB to take us to the playoffs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 getting the top pick in the second round, which is only one pick away from the superbowl winner !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjatcreek07 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Awesome post, I will take a big ol' glass of that kool-aid! If Hackett and EJ both prove they belong in the NFL this year I think we could steal a wildcard spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 ...yeah, I can't buy the eve thing...poetic or not... In a few days I'll look like a genius. Seven to be exact. Until then, I'm not sure what there is to buy... getting the top pick in the second round, which is only one pick away from the superbowl winner !!! :lol: Thank you for playing by the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Great post my man. But you really should consider getting a wetter blanket, and some more gloom, it's so much fun. Here are more reasons for optimism: 1] Spikes is big, a stud, a killer, and a leader. We havent had that kind of guy in the middle since Shane Conlan. 2] No more of this Justin Rogers or even Ron Brooks crap. Corey Graham is now our 4th CB. That's depth where you really need it. 3] The Four-Headed Monster at RB and WR. Whaley has done what no Bills GM since Polian has done (maybe John Butler but he gambled and lost). He's built a team. We didn't need Stevie even though he was good because we have four WR guys who all do different things well. Now we have a tough short yardage back and a back-up speed demon with size, and have four RBs who all do different stuff well. Sammy and CavemanMike and Woods in the red zone should be much better. 4) Orton is a huge addition if only because it proves that Whaley and Marrone are not clinically insane. Back-up QB is an important position. 5) Massive bookend tackles with talent cannot be underestimated. Hard to say if Henderson will be good right away when the real bullets fly but he looks the part, and if he is, we really could be good running the ball, which should allow for more time for EJ to throw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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