What's Your Definition of a Successful 2017 Bills Season

[SlamnSam]

I think success would be at the end of the year the NFL didn't ask to remove thier logo from our jerseys

[Direhard Fan]

9 and 7 would make me happy. Stay healthy is our friend. Than 11 and 5 the next year would be possible.

[Kirby Jackson]

How's this for a best case scenario?

 

The Bills win 10 games, a playoff game and Tyrod emerges as a franchise QB. Lawson, Ragland and Tre White look like future pro bowlers. KC tanks and finishes with the 4th worst record in the NFL. The Bills have picks 4 and 24. The Cardinals freak out because they are going to miss their QB. They trade the Bills pick 13, the Honey Badger, a 2018 2nd and a 2019 1st for pick 4. The Bills get Christian Wilkins at 13, Cortland Sutton at 24, Billy Price and Troy Fumagalli in round 2.

 

The Bills would add a star s, a starting interior OL, Kyle's replacement, a starting caliber TE, and a potential star at WR. They'd do this while adding an extra 1st in 2019.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Kirby Jackson

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

I'm going to say: playoffs. Because even getting to the dance gets you an outside shot at winning it. The Ravens and Giants were wild cards in 2011 and 2012.

 

But if we don't, I honestly hope for a top 5 pick bad season. Agonizing as that would be, with the KC pick and the 2018 pick we could have almost anyone we want

[PromoTheRobot]

It was an interesting retort.

 

He essentially said well at least we aren't the Browns.

 

We should be so happy! We aren't the Browns!

To me anyway, the Bills are disappointing. The Browns are a disgrace.

[Agent 91]

Well said Gugny, spot on the way I feel too.

 

The 6-10/7-9 BS needs to end. Playoffs or bust

Gugny is 1000 percent right. that middling crap is for the birds. a year or 2 of injuries of bad luck should get you 7-9. that shouldnt be an expectation. Thats my whole beef with the Tyrod gives us our best chance arguement is- our best chance at what? to middle again? if the expectation isnt that tyrod can get us to a bowl then lets move on. we always pick between 9-12 and we miss out on people every year while puttin a band aid on important issues. everyone preaches the next man up philosophy but we cant do that. we still cant identify all the starters on defense namely lb and even worse, WHEN someone on this team goes down the next man up is questionable at best. this is playoff or bust. if you dont think you can make a playoff run its time to bust out and make your team the way you really want it to be

[Agent 91]

TT = 3500 yds+ , 25+ TDs, < 10 INTs. That is success for me. Means he is a top 10 QB and we can ride him for 5 years.

that would be a great season for him but whst about the progress of the team. as much as I'm not a fan i would LOVE to use 2 firsts elsewhere so I'm rooting HARD for him now.

[Bills!Win!]

10-6 nothing less

[Estro]

Success = 1 of 2 things: The Playoffs, or Josh Rosen on this roster next year.

 

One scenario requires 10 wins, the other requires 3 wins. Anything in between will be a total waste, and unfortunately we have about an 80% chance of landing in that wasteland of 5 to 9 wins. Bad enough to miss the playoffs for an 18th straight season, but good enough to miss out on blue chip QB prospects.

 

And Josh Rosen is a blue chip QB prospect. He will be an All Pro in the NFL. Much better prospect than Sam Darnold, despite what you may hear in the media. Stronger arm, better accuracy, quick setup and release, great footwork. I see a Drew Brees or Eli Manning skill set when I watch Rosen play. I'd be thrilledto land him, but I fully expect him to be the #1 overall pick so chances we get that lucky are slim.

[Thurman#1]

I'm looking forward to this upcoming season because my expectations aren't very high. This is an experience year to me for our rookies and Coach. It's rare to have rookies contribute in a way that changes a teams path. Rookies Head Coaches always go through their growing pains. The Pats look stacked moreso than last year. Our schedule doesn't have many easy wins. This season reminds me of our 3-13 season, which was one of my favorites. Not because I think we will only win 3 games, but because I knew we were going to learn and get better.

 

So for me, here's what I'm hoping to see this season:

1. Tyrod solidifies the job, or they finish with a top 5 pick and we get our QB (Either Way, I think the QB question is answered going into 2018)
2. The rookies show enough promise to be solid starters going forward. Jones at WR is the most crucial to me if Sammy doesn't earn his payday. However.....
3. Sammy earns his payday. I hope he stays healthy all year and earns a pro-bowl spot
4. LT position is solidified
5. We are in all of our games and keep it close against the Pats by the season end.
6. The season ends with us drafting Best Available, not for need again
7. Dareus earns his contract
8. Lorax continues his dominance
9. Hauschka misses less XP's than Carpenter
10. Brady gets hurt

For those who think this is a beaten down attitude, maybe. But I don't think any team with this much transition and in our division would that great. Just my humble opinion

 

 

 

LT? Do you mean RT? And I love the Hauschka point. I've been questioning this move because Hauschka has had the same problems as Carpenter. Hope you're right here.

 

Interesting thread.

 

I, like you, don't expect a very good season in terms of record but think this could be an important one in team history if McDermott and Beane turn out to be keepers.

 

I like some of yours, though not all of them. I'd add that it would mean a lot if both the offense and defense start playing better in the new schemes near the end of the season.

 

I think requiring us to be in all games as a benchmark to success will lead only to your own disappointment. Years like that are rare for bad to mediocre teams.

 

Anyway, interesting thread. Thanks for posting it.

To me anyway, the Bills are disappointing. The Browns are a disgrace.

 

 

Assuming the Browns are competitive for Super Bowls within two or three years, I don't think anyone will remember. I know I won't.

[Thurman#1]

To me a 'successful' season is one in which you made 'improvements' from the prior season, in the chase for the ultimate objective, which is both winning the division, and or making the playoffs - So IMO winning 8-10 games will be a 'success' even if we do not make the post season

 

However if our Bills only win 3-7 games there's no way anybody can call the season a 'success' unless you use context and a ton of personal opinion to make excuses as to why our Bills didn't improve our W-L record from the previous season, however the 'success' is only fleeting if you cannot use the building of having improved one's record, from say 7-9 to 9-7, to gain more continued success by eventually winning even more games and making the playoffs

 

No offense, but going 3-13 can never in way be called a 'success', neither can 6-10, unless of course you only won 2-3 games the previous season, there is the optic of 'success' in moving in the right direction, complete 'success' can not be achieved with out at least winning a min 9 games and thus ensuring a better than .500 season

 

I still view our 2014 season of 9 wins as have been a 'successful' season despite not making the playoffs because we improved our win total by 3 games that year, yet it is still the only season in the last decade I could deem that

 

jc

 

 

 

This is the kind of thing I disagree with. Was it a success when the 1987 Cowboys who went 7-8 regressed the next year to go 3-13? You betcha it was a success. It allowed them to pick Aikman with the first overall pick that next year and thus served as a building block for a true dynasty. It also gave them the 29th overall pick, the first of the second round and Steve Wisniewski, a cornerstone of the OL and another in Stepnoski as the first pick of the third round.

 

Were the 2-14 1979 49ers a disappointment? They'd gone 2-14 the year before as well, so by your theory they showed no improvement. But in fact they had brought in Bill Walsh that year and spent that year starting to internalize his systems and methods. That year was a huge building block towards winning the 1981 Super Bowl. They didn't even get a good draft in 1980 out of that awful win-loss record in 1979, but it was still an absolutely crucial year in their path to dominance.

 

Improvement doesn't always show up in wins or even visible improvement right away.

[atlbillsfan1975]

Playoffs or top 3 draft pick. Either one will make me happy

Playoffs for the Bills.

Side note- Chiefs have the worse record and forfeit the pick to the Bills through the trade for Mahomes.

[Jasovon]

For me it's quite simply fixing the defense. Less stupid penalties less 200 yard rushing games given up, less leads blown.

 

I am sick of the lack of discipline on defense for this team and i want that fixed more than anything else.

[GunnerBill]

Improvement doesn't always show up in wins or even visible improvement right away.

100% agree. Especially true in a league where you play 16 games and year to year 10 of those games are different.

[Kirby Jackson]

100% agree. Especially true in a league where you play 16 games and year to year 10 of those games are different.

Absolutely and football is a funny game. Think of how many games are decided by one key play. The margin for error is so small that a team with 10 wins may not be that much better than a team with 6 wins. A team with a .625 win percentage in other sports is typically way better than a team with a .375 win percentage. It pretty much the gap between a top 3 team and a bottom 3 team. In the NFL those team could EASILY flip places the next year. We see worst to first stuff all of the time.

[SoTier]

Either 9 wins and a playoff spot or 10 or more wins even without the playoffs (because sometimes poop happens because of tie-breaking rules). The Bills have accomplished neither in this century so this would be a major accomplishment. I am expecting neither, however.

[chris heff]

Playoffs, for that to happen no drama, after the first two disappointing games last year, Roman a highly touted hire was fired. The mistake was it should have been Ryan, but in either case it was drama. This team needs to stay healthy. I know this is stating the obvious, but they need to find out about a bunch of players.

[Buff808]

New coach, new players, new attitude shot at the playoffs. I'd say it's already a successful season!

[Rico]

Obviously playoffs, but I don't think that's going to happen. McD/Beane get a mulligan from me this year, but I want to see the team show improvement from Week 1 to Week 17.

[Elite Poster]

Drafting top 5 or playoffs.

[CommonCents]

Obviously playoffs, but I don't think that's going to happen. McD/Beane get a mulligan from me this year, but I want to see the team show improvement from Week 1 to Week 17.

Ditto

[Straight Hucklebuck]

You start to type Playoffs....then realize that's not going to happen, so then you make some excuses about new schemes and write 8-8. At that point, who cares?

 

Limp to the usual 6-7 wins.

[SoCal Deek]

A successful 2017 will be less about Wins and Losses and more about how the Team looks. I don't think anyone thought Rex had the Team's act together. They were a mess on the field. This season will be judged on whether:

 

1. They have the right number of players on the field for each play

2. Jerry Hughes can STOP jumping off-sides...and pay some price when he does

3. The defense can stop running around pre-snap, as if they have no clue where they're supposed to be

4. Players actually tackle, in lieu of trying to protect themselves so they can leave next off-season

5. The Coach will only challenge calls that have a chance of being over-turned

6. Stop taking time outs because the QB doesn't seem to know the play call

7. Stop beating themselves with horrific game management decisions

8. Add your measuring sticks here....

 

Go Bills

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

 

LT? Do you mean RT? And I love the Hauschka point. I've been questioning this move because Hauschka has had the same problems as Carpenter. Hope you're right here.

 

Interesting thread.

 

I, like you, don't expect a very good season in terms of record but think this could be an important one in team history if McDermott and Beane turn out to be keepers.

 

I like some of yours, though not all of them. I'd add that it would mean a lot if both the offense and defense start playing better in the new schemes near the end of the season.

 

I think requiring us to be in all games as a benchmark to success will lead only to your own disappointment. Years like that are rare for bad to mediocre teams.

 

Anyway, interesting thread. Thanks for posting it.

 

 

 

Assuming the Browns are competitive for Super Bowls within two or three years, I don't think anyone will remember. I know I won't.

Other than stockpiling picks I don't see anything indicating the Browns are on their way to a dynasty. This is a team that flubbed both first round picks.

[wilcoam]

Considering Rex took over a 9-7 team, the most 'successful' Bills team in a decade, I could not understand why Rex was given a mulligan by the fans after year 1, and in the same consideration of Sean, I apply the same logic

 

If the team only wins 7-8 games this year then he didn't do a better job than Rex, and all the off season moves he made will have amounted no a nothing burger, and he wins even less, then come Jan 2018, looking back, it will time to a admit his moves failed

 

On the other hand if he wins a minimum 9 games clearly our HC made moves that led to more wins, regardless of making the playoffs, in this scenario I'd extend the mulligan, he should get credit for a winning record

 

Yes how the team looks, in terms of on field preparation, may make fans feel better going into 2018, but it won't change that this years season wasn't 'successful' if we only go 6-10 and or 7-9

 

jc

[C.Biscuit97]

Playoffs or a top 5 pick. I spent many years pumping up meaningless victories. There will be positives even in a bad year but I'm sick of 7-9.

[nucci]

Playoffs

I'm looking forward to this upcoming season because my expectations aren't very high. This is an experience year to me for our rookies and Coach. It's rare to have rookies contribute in a way that changes a teams path. Rookies Head Coaches always go through their growing pains. The Pats look stacked moreso than last year. Our schedule doesn't have many easy wins. This season reminds me of our 3-13 season, which was one of my favorites. Not because I think we will only win 3 games, but because I knew we were going to learn and get better.

 

So for me, here's what I'm hoping to see this season:

1. Tyrod solidifies the job, or they finish with a top 5 pick and we get our QB (Either Way, I think the QB question is answered going into 2018)
2. The rookies show enough promise to be solid starters going forward. Jones at WR is the most crucial to me if Sammy doesn't earn his payday. However.....
3. Sammy earns his payday. I hope he stays healthy all year and earns a pro-bowl spot
4. LT position is solidified
5. We are in all of our games and keep it close against the Pats by the season end.
6. The season ends with us drafting Best Available, not for need again
7. Dareus earns his contract
8. Lorax continues his dominance
9. Hauschka misses less XP's than Carpenter
10. Brady gets hurt

For those who think this is a beaten down attitude, maybe. But I don't think any team with this much transition and in our division would that great. Just my humble opinion

How is Brady getting hurt a successful Bills season? Brady gets hurt, Bills go 4-12 and you're happy?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

You start to type Playoffs....then realize that's not going to happen, so then you make some excuses about new schemes and write 8-8. At that point, who cares?

 

Limp to the usual 6-7 wins.

....sounds like you support the Viagra and Cialis NFL sponsorships then...............

[Virgil]

Playoffs

 

How is Brady getting hurt a successful Bills season? Brady gets hurt, Bills go 4-12 and you're happy?

Yes. I'm happy watching his smug ass on the sidelines in pain.

[3rdand12]

New coach, new players, new attitude shot at the playoffs. I'd say it's already a successful season!

I approve of this post

[nucci]

New coach, new players, new attitude shot at the playoffs. I'd say it's already a successful season!

this happens every couple of years...Bills must be most successful team in the league

[JMF2006]

6 -2 at home with 8-10 wins would be nice.

[teef]

If we are being realistic, winning the division is likely unattainable this year....we are not taking it away from NE...they won the SB and actually got better in the off season. Our playoff hopes lies with the WC....can we make it ? yes, of course...but IMO, it won't happen this year....I want coach McD to use this year to mold the team to his liking...to install a philosophy that garners winning....I actually don't really care about the W-L record this year....I do want to see progress and intelligent football...I see us at 7-9, 8-8 or 9-7 this year.....2018 is when we break the drought.....this year is all about the new regime putting their stamp on the team...weed out the bad stuff and solidify the good stuff....

i'm just going to piggy back off this, because it's more or less how i feel about the up coming year.

Obviously playoffs, but I don't think that's going to happen. McD/Beane get a mulligan from me this year, but I want to see the team show improvement from Week 1 to Week 17.

this also is along the lines of my thinking. i certainly don't expect playoffs, but that would be an easy way to define a successful season.

[Peevo]

I agree with the above posters about NE. It's borderline impossible to compete with them in the AFC. There are MAYBE two teams in the entire conference that could potentially beat them in the Conference title game.

 

B + B have set an incredible, unattainable standard for NFL success.

 

Similar to the western conference in the NBA, the best you can hope for is to get into the playoffs and maybe win one game against the Warriors. There's literally no hope for 29, maybe 28 NBA markets. How the leagues of both of these powerhouses throw their hands up at at it and refuse to act speaks volumes.

 

What can you do? The only option available is to realign the conferences or divisions and make the Patriots someone else's problem every year. And that's only to help the Bills end their playoff drought.

 

Seriously, no snark, who can beat NE in the playoffs? Pittsburgh? Maybe Denver? Who else? What's the point of following this stupid sport if there's virtually no hope for a team to win besides fans of New England? It's utterly hopeless.

 

If you can't tell, this whole 17 year playoff drought has changed my attitude about the world for the worse.

[richardb1952]

My definition of success for year one under the new coaching staff/ organization will be seeing the Bills beat the teams they are supposed to beat, beat some teams they shouldn't and be competitive in the losses. From year 2 onward, success should be measured in progress beyond year one and the playoffs.

[reddogblitz]

this also is along the lines of my thinking. i certainly don't expect playoffs, but that would be an easy way to define a successful season.

 

Why do so many think playoffs are only a pipe dream in 2017 for us. Other teams have gone from toilet bowl to playoffs in short order.

 

We don't have to look far in either distance (Division) or time (last year).

 

Fish were a train wreck in 2015. In 2016 they got a new rookie HC and made the playoffs.

 

I see no reason we can't do something similar on 2017.

 

Go BILLS !! PLAYOFFS BABY !!