Perception of the Team. From an Ex Bills Fan

[mead107]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Judas

good one

[MDH]

You sure know a lot about the Bills for someone who doesn't care about them.

 

Hah, that was my first thought as well.

[buffaloriles]

More from the "voice of reality":

 

Hi all. The voice of reality 'weighin in'. I know, I haven't posted in a long time. To explain, about a year ago, after being a Bills fan for a bizillion years and going through the last 13 or so years of futility... the absolute worst stretch of football in Bills history, I came to the realization that it's likely not going to change for quite some time, if ever... at least probably not in my lifetime. So, I viewed my allegiance as a Bills fan as if it were a marriage gone sour and it was time to do something about it. Of course, no marriage is ever perfect. It has its ups & downs and bumps in the road. But, something satisfies or fulfills you emotionally attached enough to keep you in it, whether it's actually love, friendship, kids, money, sex, stability, yadayada. In a lot of marriages gone sour, it sometimes starts with a separation and then gradually you get used to it, begin to move forward and sometimes find another old lady before you're even actually divorced. That's where I'm at. I finally had enough and bailed on the Bills after last season. By summer, I found a new old lady... the Steelers. After the first 5 weeks of the season, I was thinking WTF? Am I cursed? Why does it seem that I follow teams that suck? Well, I decided to hang in there with the Steelers and was rewarded. In the end, although the Steelers didn't make the playoffs, they were relevant right up until late in week 17, and looking forward, their prognosis with the Rooney's in charge is much better than the Bills. But enough of that. I just decided to get away because there wasn't much evidence to convince me the Bills would pull it together and be competitive. You might not like it, respect it, or care that I flipped. I'm not disparaging Bills fans, and won't, or am I pitting Bills fans against Steelers fans or any other team. Just sharing how I dealt with the Bills suckage.

 

So, now I'll get on the topic of the Bills. What's the problem? Trust me, it ain't Marrone or Hackett, or Crossman (what coach or OC is going to the playoffs with Manual, Tuel, and/or Lewis). As far as Marrone, I haven't seen a Bills coach shake up a roster during the season as much as he has, ever... maybe Saban. I actually think Marrone's continual in season shakeup is indicative of the true lack of talent that Buddy and Brandon tried to convince everyone that the Bills had. Marrone is doing the best he can with what he's been given (a lot of players that have never seen more than 7 NFL wins in a season and seem to be quite comfortable with that). He doesn't have much say in free agency or what they'll spend or how many draft picks they have, and maybe not a whole lot in who they draft. So, where I see the problem, looking at the past 14 or so years is twofold... it comes down to two common denominators...

 

1) the first common denominator is "Buffalo". The area has been in consistent economic decline since the mid sixties. There was a brief uptick in the mid to late 80's and then freefall. NFL teams aren't financially viable in that type of environment and free agents don't want to come there or want more money than their fair market value to do so. Most big cities in economic decline have turned it around... Pittsburg, St. Louis, Cincy, Cleveland, Baltimore were once in similar decline as Buffalo but found their way back. Buffalo is different. Turning Buffalo around would almost be akin to turning water into wine because it has to contend with Albany... the NYS political dysfunction and corruption machine. There are 19 million New Yorkers. 11 million of them live below the northern boundaries of Rockland and Putnam counties, roughly 400 miles from Buffalo. The other 8 million New Yorkers living north and west of that don't matter to the politicos and they don't give a ****. As long as they got NYS taxpayer money in their pocket, that's a cash cow for them. Sure, they might throw a bone or two or some candy to upstate once and a while, but absolutely no significant or long term measure to turn things around is ever going to happen. And, wait until the casino money starts rolling in if you don't think the corruption can get any worse. The NYS population is aging, retirees gradually moving out of upstate because they can't afford to live there, and the younger ones are moving out of state as well because there aren't any jobs... and loads of you transplanted WNYers on this board know exactly what I'm talking about. So, will the team move? Eventually, I believe it will. But, within the next 10 years, I don't see any venue that the Bills could move to and provide new ownership a significant ROI for what they'll need to have to pay for the team and make it competitive if the team is purchased in the next three to four years... and certainly not in LA where no one gives a rats a$$. You're looking at between $1.2 - $1.5 billion to buy this team... and then the expense of relocation at a time when taxpayers are fed up with opening their wallets to big profit centers that do nothing but continually suck money out of them? (PS. the $120M taxpayer money for the improvements at the Ralph was only political payback for the $5 billon Barclay Arena and Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn)

 

2) the second common denominator is Ralph Wilson and Russ Brandon. We all know Ralph's age, and, who knows if he'll be around in 3 or 4 years. God will make that call. And, Brandon is nothing but an extension of Ralph. This crap about Brandon having no restrictions to run the franchise is exactly that, crap. Ralph Wilson is still the owner and the Bills will, and do, operate within the parameters he sets forth. Only things within those parameters are in play. Kind of like a deck of cards, there are still only 52 cards. Not 53, 54, 55... etc. , play em. Brandon, in particular, is a mystery man to me. He's in his 40's and top dog of an NFL franchise with one of the worst W/L records during his time on the Bills payroll. And, he probably will still be Pres. for at least a couple more years. After Ralph passes, what is Brandon's future? I mean, his legacy is one of failure in terms of W/L record. That has to work against him in the NFL or any other winning sports organization. I can't imagine him working for the new owner, whomever that may be. What other team owner is going to give him a shot at a position like he has now if the expectation is W's or even a moderately competitive team? I mean... he hasn't demonstrated he's had "W" success anywhere that I know of. So, basically what I'm saying... 1_ as long as Ralph is the owner, W's are a mirage, and 2_as long as Brandon is in charge, ditto That is not to say that if Brandon bolts to take a high level executive position at Walmart or other corp. that the next Bills pres. will be any different. Ralph is still holding the same deck of cards, and they are stacked against anyone that has a passion for the "W"... And, Whaley? If he's any good, why is he wasting his time with the Bills? He's in a no win situation. I don't understand why he would he allow himself to be put in that position at his relatively young age and risk his reputation and football future. I don't get it.

 

So, there ya have it, my take, for what it's worth. Now that I'm shacking with the Steelers I don't worry about the Bills, but just like 31 other teams, I keep an eye on em. However, I do feel bad for you guys. There's still a connection and I have nothing against you. I didn't flip because of you or anything you did. You definitely deserve a hell of a lot better, and, certainly the drafting of Manual must have been one hell of a roundhouse kick to your gut as a Bills fan. Unfortunately, you'll have to live with that pick for a couple of years before the next guy comes in. I wish you well, but for me, I'm looking forward to a big Steelers rebound in 2014.

 

DUDE-- YOU ARE INSULTING TO THE CITY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BILLS FAN. YOU ARE THE DEFINITION OF A BANDWAGONER. YOU BROKE WITH YOUR COMMITMENT. YOU PICKED A HOTTER WIFE. NOW LEAVE US IN PEACE. GO. Can you not see that you aren't welcome here? There's is so much condescending BS in your post i didn't even know what to bold.

Edited September 2, 2014 by buffaloriles

[1billsfan]

By the length of your post - which I doubt most will read....you seem like you are trying to validate your decision to become an ex-fan. I am not sure how anyone becomes and "ex" Bills fan if you were one to begin with....

 

 

I think he's worried that the Bills have a real team on the rise and his Steelers are in a downward spiral that will last past Ben's "sell by" date. Rothlesberger has nobody other than Antonio Brown to throw to and the defense's best player will be a rookie. That's not a good sign.

[stony]

Whoa Dr. Tooth, you know more about the Bills than most of the posters on here. Kinda fishy...

[Buffaloed in Pa]

Your take on the Bills and EJ are truthful. But I would just stop watching the Bills ,instead of front running. If we ever get a franchise QB watch out. It`s sorry that the rest of the team has to suffer because of QB play.

[stony]

More from the "voice of reality":

 

Hi all. The voice of reality 'weighin in'. I know, I haven't posted in a long time. To explain, about a year ago, after being a Bills fan for a bizillion years and going through the last 13 or so years of futility... the absolute worst stretch of football in Bills history, I came to the realization that it's likely not going to change for quite some time, if ever... at least probably not in my lifetime. So, I viewed my allegiance as a Bills fan as if it were a marriage gone sour and it was time to do something about it. Of course, no marriage is ever perfect. It has its ups & downs and bumps in the road. But, something satisfies or fulfills you emotionally attached enough to keep you in it, whether it's actually love, friendship, kids, money, sex, stability, yadayada. In a lot of marriages gone sour, it sometimes starts with a separation and then gradually you get used to it, begin to move forward and sometimes find another old lady before you're even actually divorced. That's where I'm at. I finally had enough and bailed on the Bills after last season. By summer, I found a new old lady... the Steelers. After the first 5 weeks of the season, I was thinking WTF? Am I cursed? Why does it seem that I follow teams that suck? Well, I decided to hang in there with the Steelers and was rewarded. In the end, although the Steelers didn't make the playoffs, they were relevant right up until late in week 17, and looking forward, their prognosis with the Rooney's in charge is much better than the Bills. But enough of that. I just decided to get away because there wasn't much evidence to convince me the Bills would pull it together and be competitive. You might not like it, respect it, or care that I flipped. I'm not disparaging Bills fans, and won't, or am I pitting Bills fans against Steelers fans or any other team. Just sharing how I dealt with the Bills suckage.

 

So, now I'll get on the topic of the Bills. What's the problem? Trust me, it ain't Marrone or Hackett, or Crossman (what coach or OC is going to the playoffs with Manual, Tuel, and/or Lewis). As far as Marrone, I haven't seen a Bills coach shake up a roster during the season as much as he has, ever... maybe Saban. I actually think Marrone's continual in season shakeup is indicative of the true lack of talent that Buddy and Brandon tried to convince everyone that the Bills had. Marrone is doing the best he can with what he's been given (a lot of players that have never seen more than 7 NFL wins in a season and seem to be quite comfortable with that). He doesn't have much say in free agency or what they'll spend or how many draft picks they have, and maybe not a whole lot in who they draft. So, where I see the problem, looking at the past 14 or so years is twofold... it comes down to two common denominators...

 

1) the first common denominator is "Buffalo". The area has been in consistent economic decline since the mid sixties. There was a brief uptick in the mid to late 80's and then freefall. NFL teams aren't financially viable in that type of environment and free agents don't want to come there or want more money than their fair market value to do so. Most big cities in economic decline have turned it around... Pittsburg, St. Louis, Cincy, Cleveland, Baltimore were once in similar decline as Buffalo but found their way back. Buffalo is different. Turning Buffalo around would almost be akin to turning water into wine because it has to contend with Albany... the NYS political dysfunction and corruption machine. There are 19 million New Yorkers. 11 million of them live below the northern boundaries of Rockland and Putnam counties, roughly 400 miles from Buffalo. The other 8 million New Yorkers living north and west of that don't matter to the politicos and they don't give a ****. As long as they got NYS taxpayer money in their pocket, that's a cash cow for them. Sure, they might throw a bone or two or some candy to upstate once and a while, but absolutely no significant or long term measure to turn things around is ever going to happen. And, wait until the casino money starts rolling in if you don't think the corruption can get any worse. The NYS population is aging, retirees gradually moving out of upstate because they can't afford to live there, and the younger ones are moving out of state as well because there aren't any jobs... and loads of you transplanted WNYers on this board know exactly what I'm talking about. So, will the team move? Eventually, I believe it will. But, within the next 10 years, I don't see any venue that the Bills could move to and provide new ownership a significant ROI for what they'll need to have to pay for the team and make it competitive if the team is purchased in the next three to four years... and certainly not in LA where no one gives a rats a$$. You're looking at between $1.2 - $1.5 billion to buy this team... and then the expense of relocation at a time when taxpayers are fed up with opening their wallets to big profit centers that do nothing but continually suck money out of them? (PS. the $120M taxpayer money for the improvements at the Ralph was only political payback for the $5 billon Barclay Arena and Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn)

 

2) the second common denominator is Ralph Wilson and Russ Brandon. We all know Ralph's age, and, who knows if he'll be around in 3 or 4 years. God will make that call. And, Brandon is nothing but an extension of Ralph. This crap about Brandon having no restrictions to run the franchise is exactly that, crap. Ralph Wilson is still the owner and the Bills will, and do, operate within the parameters he sets forth. Only things within those parameters are in play. Kind of like a deck of cards, there are still only 52 cards. Not 53, 54, 55... etc. , play em. Brandon, in particular, is a mystery man to me. He's in his 40's and top dog of an NFL franchise with one of the worst W/L records during his time on the Bills payroll. And, he probably will still be Pres. for at least a couple more years. After Ralph passes, what is Brandon's future? I mean, his legacy is one of failure in terms of W/L record. That has to work against him in the NFL or any other winning sports organization. I can't imagine him working for the new owner, whomever that may be. What other team owner is going to give him a shot at a position like he has now if the expectation is W's or even a moderately competitive team? I mean... he hasn't demonstrated he's had "W" success anywhere that I know of. So, basically what I'm saying... 1_ as long as Ralph is the owner, W's are a mirage, and 2_as long as Brandon is in charge, ditto That is not to say that if Brandon bolts to take a high level executive position at Walmart or other corp. that the next Bills pres. will be any different. Ralph is still holding the same deck of cards, and they are stacked against anyone that has a passion for the "W"... And, Whaley? If he's any good, why is he wasting his time with the Bills? He's in a no win situation. I don't understand why he would he allow himself to be put in that position at his relatively young age and risk his reputation and football future. I don't get it.

 

So, there ya have it, my take, for what it's worth. Now that I'm shacking with the Steelers I don't worry about the Bills, but just like 31 other teams, I keep an eye on em. However, I do feel bad for you guys. There's still a connection and I have nothing against you. I didn't flip because of you or anything you did. You definitely deserve a hell of a lot better, and, certainly the drafting of Manual must have been one hell of a roundhouse kick to your gut as a Bills fan. Unfortunately, you'll have to live with that pick for a couple of years before the next guy comes in. I wish you well, but for me, I'm looking forward to a big Steelers rebound in 2014.

 

DUDE-- YOU ARE INSULTING TO THE CITY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BILLS FAN. YOU ARE THE DEFINITION OF A BANDWAGONER. YOU BROKE WITH YOUR COMMITMENT. YOU PICKED A HOTTER WIFE. NOW LEAVE US IN PEACE. GO. Can you not see that you aren't welcome here?

 

Or, you know, just draft a good QB and #'s 1 & 2 don't really matter.

Edited September 2, 2014 by stony

[MarkAF43]

I could never quit on this team. Unless the first name is no longer Buffalo, It'll be my cross to bear, just like so many others.

 

 

19-0 BABY!!!!!

 

Lets Go Bills!!!!!

[Bill from NYC]

I don't understand. You don't get to choose these types of things. Being a Bills fan is the equivalent of having a 50-pound iron ball chained to your leg by your dad when you're 2 years old. And all he says to you is, Sorry, I've been carrying this around my whole life, now you've got one too, best of luck with it. And there is no key. Choose? There is no choose.

Best post of the thread!

 

My daughters are now Bills Fans, and it's my fault. They tell draft day stories about me, and call me after the first round of every draft to this day to hear me lament, and try to soothe the pain I am usually in from stupid moves.

There is nothing we can do. There just isn't. We are in this mess together unless they leave town. Then of course all bets are off.

 

Good luck to the OP, I could just never quit. The truth is, I don't want to either.

[Nervous Guy]

BOOOOOOOO

[SwampD]

More from the "voice of reality":

 

2) the second common denominator is Ralph Wilson and Russ Brandon. We all know Ralph's age, and, who knows if he'll be around in 3 or 4 years. God will make that call.

He already made that call.

[What a Tuel]

I don't know about the rest of you, but the last 14 years have been bad, but I have still had a good time rooting for my Bills day in and day out, and will continue to do so. We will make it back to the playoffs, and we will win a Superbowl. I don't need to attach myself to another team to make sure I get that experience. I am just fine rooting for my team, and I will leave it with this:

 

Fight on, my men,” Sir Andrew Said

“A little I’m hurt but not yet slain.

“I’ll just lie down and bleed a while,

“And then I’ll rise and Fight again.

Edited September 2, 2014 by What a Tuel

[Buffaloed in Pa]

History channel stuff Tuelie. I want results now.

[drinkTHEkoolaid]

Everyone reaches their breaking point sooner or later. Cant fault anyone from getting burned out after decades of ineptitude and failure. Who knows if there is another 5 years of this crap I may be there. At some point in my adult life I would like to be a fan of a team playing meaningful games in December.Think of that. There is an entire generation of lost bills fans who have never witnessed success.

 

Well im still here and much to my wifes disappointment im still emotional invested in rhe bills

 

 

[YoloinOhio]

I don't understand. You don't get to choose these types of things. Being a Bills fan is the equivalent of having a 50-pound iron ball chained to your leg by your dad when you're 2 years old. And all he says to you is, Sorry, I've been carrying this around my whole life, now you've got one too, best of luck with it. And there is no key. Choose? There is no choose.

This. If we could choose, we wouldn't be Bills fans, I assume.

[mead107]

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/revenge-of-the-rust-belt/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

 

 

Pittsburg not the best turn around.

Edited September 2, 2014 by mead107

[YoloinOhio]

Your take on the Bills and EJ are truthful. But I would just stop watching the Bills ,instead of front running. If we ever get a franchise QB watch out. It`s sorry that the rest of the team has to suffer because of QB play.

Also too bad the rest of the team suffers when the D gives it up like its prom night, but whatev.

[thebandit27]

I'll second what a lot of you have said.

 

We are Bills fans, period.

 

If we fall, we fall together.

[Dirtbag]

Well im still here and much to my wifes disappointment im still emotional invested in rhe bills

i'm fairly confident that the op would suggest you divorce her immediately.

[nucci]

No such thing as an ex-Bills fan.