Home Field Advantage Is About More Than Just Sundays

[The Plunge]

Before I get started, I want to go on record as saying that Josh Allen was not in my top 3 QB choices for the Bills at this draft. That said, I’m going to support this guy with everything I have, and I’d like to explain why.

 

Sometimes, we as fans easily forget that these young men are people, just like you and I. They have the same fears, anxiety, doubts and emotions we do. No amount of money will change that. And those emotions will affect them the same way they affect you or I.

I’ve always viewed my role as a fan as being an important one. I’m not going to tell anyone how to be a fan. You can choose to support, or not support, your team in any way you choose. It’s a free country. But my dad taught me how to be a fan and I’ve always followed his guidance in this area.

He taught me to be loyal. He taught me to cheer with passion. He taught me to do my part in the stands. When to be loud and when to be quiet. How to make it uncomfortable for the other team. How to be respectful and passionate at the same time. In my mind, I do a great job as a fan.

Now, he also taught me that you don’t have to blindly agree with every single thing your team does. It’s one of the best parts about being a fan. We get to sit at work on Monday morning and debate what should’ve been done. What WE would’ve done in the same position (which in itself is laughable, but it’s still fun to talk about). Again, we are all allowed to question our team. It doesn’t hurt anyone. And it’s fun. No issue there.

That said, I do have an issue with fans who go out of their way to make players uncomfortable. First off, it’s low class. And if you wouldn’t say it to their face, you shouldn’t say it on social media. But second, what do you think this accomplishes?

When I learned to be a fan, it was really just about how I behaved on game days. But times have changed. Now, players are far more involved in their communities than ever before. They are now connected to fans 24 hours a day through social media. And now, the relationship between fans and players is constant. It never stops. It’s about far more than just what happens on Sundays. And because of that, I view my role as a fan as something that has changed too.

You tell me, as a human being, do you perform better at your job when you feel supported? Have you ever been in a position where you feel everyone is coming after you? Or where they don’t trust you? It’s hard to be good at your job when that is happening. It is not possible to play well as a quarterback without confidence. I’ll say it again…NOT POSSIBLE. Other than goaltending in hockey, I’m not sure there is a position in any sport where confidence is more important than the QB position. So why would we, as fans, do anything to hurt the confidence of any of our players, let alone the QB?

If your desire is to see your team succeed, then you should do things that will increase the confidence of the players on that team. Will it help them win? Maybe, maybe not. But it won’t hurt, that’s for sure. But I can guarantee you sending negative hate will NOT help. It’s hard enough to play QB in this league. A 21 year old kid shouldn’t have to overcome negative hate before they’ve played a single down for the team.

And before you can say it, please save me the argument of “These guys get paid millions of dollars. I buy my ticket. I can say whatever the hell I want.”

You are correct. It is 100% within your right to cheer, boo, or anything in between. It’s a free country. But if your goal is to see your team succeed, I would challenge you to ask yourself this question…will behavior like this help the team? Or hurt the team?

Last point I’ll make is this. And again, I’m not trying to be positive just for the sake of being positive, but it’s a point that needs to be made. At what point do we trust Beane and McDermott? As a fan, I questioned every trade they made last year, with the exception of maybe the Benjamin trade. I was upset at each move. I questioned each and every trade and actually questioned the motive of some of those moves. Tell me you didn’t think they were tanking when they traded Sammy and Darby right before the season started! I sure did.

But you know what? I was wrong! Each move proved to be a legit football move. Each one designed to get this team heading in the right direction. And each one proved to be a good move. They took a team most thought wouldn’t win 5 games last year, then traded away some of their most talented players. They brought this team together in a way we haven’t seen in almost 20 years. They are proving to know what they are doing. Yet when they draft a QB that many experts had going 1^st overall, many fans are not just upset about the move, they are acting in ways they’ve never acted before! Threatening to quit on the team. Sending brutal tweets directly at Josh Allen. I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it.

If you think you know more about Josh Allen than Beane and McDermott do, you are wrong. I’m sorry, but it’s true. This doesn’t mean he will work out and be our franchise QB for the next 15 years. It’s hard to find that guy. But I like their chances of finding “the guy” than I do from the twitter tough guys who are acting like their living room is filled with old Lombardi trophy’s and Superbowl rings.

None of this is meant to be preachy. And I’m not saying we all need to be hyper-positive with everything that occurs at One Bills Drive. But we also don’t need to act like we know better than the team of experts that are doing everything we’ve wanted our club to do for the last 20 years. Josh Allen was not my first choice. But if he’s good enough for Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, he’s definitely good enough for me!

Go Bills!