rockpile Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 (edited) Here is my post tailgate "blog". I thought others might want to write their TBDAHOT game day experience without having it get lost in the main thread. Moderators, move it if you must! Opening Day 2018, Orchard Park, NY It was a beautiful sunny day, with temperatures in the 80's. I saw a thermometer on a garage that read 99 degrees in the sun, so I assume that is close to what it felt like in a concrete stadium, on a metal bench at kickoff time. Luckily we were not on the sunny side, so we had shade the whole game. It was nice to have a jet plane flyover, instead of propeller driven cargo planes, or para-sailers. They honored first responders, including service men, police men, national guard, local fire and ambulance departments. No one took a knee during the National Anthem. From a tailgate perspective I had a wonderful time: chicken wings, home made stromboli, beef on weck, grilled sausage, jello shots, a bowling ball shot, and a couple IPAs, spaced with lots of water. The primary reason I went to the game was my friends, who tailgate together every year. The Bills home opener is an event unto itself, attended by locals as well as many out of state fans or fans with homes in New York but hours away. It has been described as a party or reunion that starts on Saturday and continues until hours after the game on Sunday, with three and a half hours in the middle when there is a football game. Next year will be our 20th anniversary as fans of the Buffalo Bills, Two Bills Drive, Hammer and his famous lot, a mysterious Red Pinto, and good people who come together as a family. The game was a loss as perhaps expected, but in ways that were unexpected. The defense did not show up for the first half, and I had thought Buffalo would put up SOME discernible resistance. The Bills new rookie QB, Josh Allen, did well, considering he was probably averaging 2.0 seconds per play before being heavily pressured. I expected the offensive line would play poorly, but they were just terrible. With no holes in the defensive front there was no way to establish any kind of running game or even a set up a screen pass, I just hoped no one broke our young quarterback. Needless to say the crowd was as quiet as I have ever hear it, just before halftime trailing the Chargers 28-6 . Things were slightly better in the second half, but not enough to bother spending much time on the details. The Bills defense put up a better fight, and the offense was pumped up, but this team does not yet contain enough talent to be a real contender. Special teams were erratic, but for one brief moment in the second half, it seemed that the Bills might come back into the game. The upper deck fans started a "wave", which was embarrassing, but at least they did it when the Chargers had the ball. Josh Allen made several scrambles (some planned) and refused to call it quits. It was all too little too late, and mistakes and a very good opponent took the game. This is a team you can cheer for, but cannot expect many victories from in 2018. Over the next few years, I would expect this team to finally start resembling the monsters they were in the nineties! Edited September 17, 2018 by rockpile corrections and clarity 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 You rock ? man. Great time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts