Shaw66 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66 “Dreams Sports fans have their dreams. For some, the dream becomes an obsession: Cubs fans, Red Sox fans Eagles fans and Bills fans, probably others. Red Sox fans had their dream come true in 2004, and several times since. For Cubs fans, it was two years ago. The Eagles did it last year. Bills fans are still waiting. We live in a fantasy world, believing out team will find the magic for one dream season, or even better, one dream team. When I was packing to move a few years ago, one of the movers caught me wistfully looking at my Jim Kelly bobblehead. He asked what it was, and all I could say was “the stuff dreams are made of.” For Bills fans, the dream is to win the Super Bowl. The details of the dream keep changing. Bledsoe to Price and Moulds. Losman and Edwards and Jauron’s stingy defense. Manuel fools his critics. Rex’s bravado. When you’re dreaming, your dreams are all you have, and you want to believe them. But dreams aren’t real and as Bills fans know, dreams often become nightmares. It’s as though we’re in the State Farm ad where the father gives his daughter her first car and she shouts “is THAT my car?!!!” We’re the other guy in that ad, the guy who finds his car up on blocks, the tires gone, the guy who shouts “is THAT my car?!!!” The most recent nightmare ended when Rex departed, followed by Doug Whaley. Bills fans could begin to dream when Sean McDermott was hired, but for most of us, he wasn’t enough to get us fantasizing. A young, unproven bald guy talking about the process isn’t what we imagined. Then the Bills asked us to buy the magic Beane. “Not so fast,” we said. “We’re not some kid named Jack.” Even when the Bills made the playoffs , Bills fans were joyous but knew it was no Cinderella story. Yes, the Bills were going to the ball, but it felt more like they were parking attendants at a Herman’s Hermits revival tour than the prince’s dance partner. The 2017 playoffs were only the slightest hint of a new dream. Bills fans’ latest honest-to-goodness fantasy began with the 2018 draft. Just like 2004, the Bills traded up for a strong-armed quarterback. Maybe THIS quarterback, with THIS coach and THIS GM can do it. Maybe this Beane stalk will grow into the clouds where we will find the goose that lays Lombardi Trophies. But we’d seen too many dreams turn into nightmares, and whenever we found ourselves starting to dream about Josh Allen, we pulled ourselves back to reality. It will be midnight soon enough, and that carriage will turn into a pumpkin. And then …, and then there was that touchdown pass against the Panthers in the Bills’ first preseason game. We watched it over and over. Did a Buffalo quarterback actually find THAT receiver and make THAT throw? Am I dreaming? Pinch me. Yes, it WAS a Bills quarterback and he actually DID make that throw. But wait - Trent Edwards made a nice throw once in a while, too. Calm down. Come back to reality. You’re still just a wooden puppet, dancing to strings in the hands of Roger Goodell and Bill Belichick. And then it happened again. The touchdown pass against the Browns in the second preseason game. Was THAT guy actually wearing a Bills uniform? He made THAT move in the pocket and THAT throw on the run? Yes, Wyoming, there IS a Santa Claus. A coach who teaches and leads men? A GM with guts and savvy? A quarterback who looks like the QBs who have dominated the playoffs for the past 20 years? I take a quick look in the mirror – no, my nose isn’t growing. I can dream, can’t I? GO BILLS!!! The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team. 17 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVilanch Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Great post, I always appreciate the time you put into these. That wooden puppet controlled by Goodell and Belicheck had me rolling. I think the dream will be real soon! I billieve. Go Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Thanks for writing this Shaw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Great write up Shaw! The title of this matches this song and it actually matches perfectly to the tone of the article. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 I can never die until the Bills win the Superbowl. So I feel I am going to live forever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 16 minutes ago, Pete said: I can never die until the Bills win the Superbowl. So I feel I am going to live forever! Unfortunately, I am not going to live forever. I need the Bills to get the job done pretty soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figster Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: Unfortunately, I am not going to live forever. I need the Bills to get the job done pretty soon. lol, you and I both Nice posting OP (Dream on by Aerosmith comes to mind) Edited August 20, 2018 by Figster 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyBatty is alive Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Great write up as always Shaw but the shameless plagiarism from the Maltese Falcon, ".... caught me wistfully looking at my Jim Kelly bobblehead. He asked what it was, and all I could say was “the stuff dreams are made of.” I have NEVER been this excited for pre-season in my life, not even close. What J Allen has demonstrated thus far stuns me. Yes it is only 2 pre season games but this is the most hope I have had since the Kelly years and it is even close. I think we have a POTENTIAL QB that is going to match the greatness of Kelly. After this long long drought it really does fell like it is almost a dream. And thank God Kelly has already annointed Allen as the new franchise QB for the Bills, he has done that multiple teams, last one was EJ and look how they al worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 21 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said: Great write up as always Shaw but the shameless plagiarism from the Maltese Falcon, ".... caught me wistfully looking at my Jim Kelly bobblehead. He asked what it was, and all I could say was “the stuff dreams are made of.” The whole thing was shameless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyBatty is alive Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 13 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: The whole thing was shameless. "And then …, and then there was that touchdown pass against the Panthers in the Bills’ first preseason game. We watched it over and over. Did a Buffalo quarterback actually find THAT receiver and make THAT throw?" THAT play and in particular that throw that changed my mind, i probably watched in 20 times. I was wondering if he knew how tight that would be, did he get away with one? It is hard for me to recall a throw that was that good. How many NFL QBs would even dare make the throw, a handful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxx Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 1 hour ago, Shaw66 said: The Rockpile Review – by Shaw66 “Dreams Sports fans have their dreams. For some, the dream becomes an obsession: ... ...I can dream, can’t I? .... nice post, Shaw. somehow this seems appropriate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoBills808 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Terrific. My feelings are a little different though...I got caught up in the Pegula-to-Marrone/Manuel days in a way I hadn't been in a long time. When that fizzled out, I thought I was done. When the Ryan era began, I was totally apathetic. Didn't expect anything, wasn't disappointed. Those two years were a write-off for me personally, zero expectations. Then last season I felt something again. It started with some moves that the pundits dubbed tanking but were pretty clearly designed w/ the future in mind. A big departure from the previous 3-4 seasons' philosophy. Then the season started and you could tell the players had bought in, and the staff and FO rewarded them with a consistent, professional approach week in and week out that you see from teams used to competing for playoff spots. I started feeling a sense of stability in the franchise, from the top down to McD, that (most importantly) had begun resonating with the team. It felt like everyone was on the same page, and the ones who weren't or didn't quite fit were traded for future assets. Just felt like a totally professional approach to me. Playoffs was just a bonus. So my feeling isn't one of excitement so much (I got that fix last season w/ the admittedly fortunate playoff push) but of contentment. I have no idea whether this iteration of the Bills is going to win a Super Bowl, but it doesn't matter to me. What we appear to have is a GM acting as the perfect conduit between staff and ownership, a motivated and savvy HC, and buy-in from all levels on the direction of the franchise. Oh and what looks to be a possible 15 year franchise guy in Allen. And a cornerstone type LB picked by the guys who identified Kuechly. And a second year DB with the drive to back up his all-pro caliber talent if reports are to be believed. Haven't felt this way about the team in a long, long time...hard to put into words but I feel like I'm watching an evolution (or process if you will) instead of a bunch of isolated moves and games. There's a cohesiveness that makes it a lot easier to stomach the inevitable pitfalls like preseason injuries or heartbreaking losses because you know there's a clear plan moving forward and the right people in place to achieve it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayjent Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Last year was nice, but I'm still in the wait and see mode with the GM and coach. They've done a lot of things I don't really understand: they put the team in a bit of a talent deficit getting rid of guys like Glenn, Tyrod, Watkins, Dareus and letting other guys move on they amassed a lot of draft picks but then used a lot of them to move up for Allen they haven't addressed the OL enough and I don't understand why they think Juan Castillo is a good OL coach. Last year was the honeymoon, now its time to see if the marriage is worthwhile. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine-iac Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Nice post Shaw. I'm not there yet but I feel it. Allen has shown some things. The new offense has shown some things. I already believed McDermott could put a defense together but post Dareous I want to see how the run D holds up. All that said, as skeptical as I've been, I could see things coming together. Like I said I'm not all the way there yet but maybe, just maybe we can put it together. It's possibly the Charlie Brown syndrome that these same Bills have given us for so many years. If I had a dollar for ever year we've finished the first 5 or 6 games looking like this year was the year only to fall flat. Still I'd settle for that excitement and the hope that we don't. Just need to see some regular season games and signs that when things count we can do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Pete said: I can never die until the Bills win the Superbowl. So I feel I am going to live forever! if only we could get 4 chances at a win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottebillsfan2 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Shaw well done buddy well done. But we can all stop dreaming and accept reality. The Bills are back and ready to roll!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 19 and 0 baby!!! GO BILLSSS!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Diver Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 "Having dreams is what makes life tolerable". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Good post Shaw. My dream sees Josh beating Darnold just like Jim beat Dan. Once the B's are finally gone we can reclaim the AFCE and more...someday we'll all walk into that corn field and see a Championship on the other side... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Shaw, being an old timer like you I stopped dreaming a while ago now. But...I am always excited at the start of every new season to see if the players and coaches actually care as much as I do, or if it’s just a job as they pass through WNY on their way to their next gig. I have high hopes for new coaching staff. Mainly because I think our head coach is so new that he’s still trying to win. (I never thought that of Jauron or Rex.) If the Bills ever do make it back to the big game I’m vowing to just enjoy it in the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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