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What "type" of fan are you? Coming clean


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I am a Bills fan from the day I started watching football.  There was no father who was a fan telling me who to watch or teaching me the intricacies of the sport.  I liked all sports & cheer for the local teams.

 

I have no deep knowledge of the draft or know all the starters at each position or get very excited about trades or drafting on the offensive line or linebackers & DB's.  I want them to perform and cheer for them.

 

I will see who the Bills drafted, the scouting reports, rating draft picks by team (i.e. ABC....) & that's about the end of it for me.  

 

I do not & will repeat it play fantasy football.  I do a weekly pool vs. the spread & that is it.

 

I am however a fan of QB's, passing yards, WR's & having a productive exciting running game (not 3 yards & a cloud of dust).  I want to see the offense score 35 points, throw for 300+ yards & move the ball up & down the field.  The Kelly K-gun Bills were the best.  The Buffalo Vs. SF No punt game was the best game I ever saw.

 

So yes when I hear McDermott talk about "THE PROCESS" and "CHARACTER" players and intimate they want to grind out games, make few mistakes & his idea of a great win is 14-10 (and we do know that is his attitude) it rankles me.

 

I am a fan and exciting is 35-31, not 17-14.  

 

And yes I think Allen can be that franchise QB, because if he is not, the Bills are back to square one.

 

Some of you just want wins (of course we all do), but again I too want to be entertained, and frankly the Bills are not a fun team to watch.

 

So tell me why you watch & what you want from the Bills.

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For bills I just want to see wins, doesn't matter how they win. For entertainment there are other high scoring teams to watch. I wouldn't mind seeing bills being a high scoring team but if they couldn't stop anybody than that would not be so much fun. 

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My dad was a big soccer guy, I hated it. I saw football on TV a few times and I gravitated towards Jim Kelly and the Bills and just kind of stuck with them since. I grew up in the Bronx. I remember taking a football stars book out of the school library in like 1990 and reading about Jim and being fascinated. football became a huge part of my life. I watched a ton of it, played through middle school, high school, and college, and am a varsity football assistant coach, and have been for 12 years and I focus on linemen. I love the game, teh strategy, the chess match. As a coach I understand that you aren't going to win pretty all of the time and sometimes it's going to be a grind and a war. I love watching games like that. I watch the coverages on the back end, what the offensive linemen are doing, who is blitzing etc. I for one loved the defensive slugfest that was last year's Super Bowl. I watch because I love the game as it is the best team game around. 

 

That said, the best way for this team to win is to grind out games and win 17-14. They ain't gonna blow people out. They simply do not yet have the horses to do this. And while this team perhaps is a bit boring to watch, one of the reasons they struggle from time to time is because they don't do enough boring stuff, like establishing the run game and playing gap sound defense. Those are the boring things they are not doing well. This team is built to grind, and there is potential to do more as well. I'd like to see them take a few more shots down the field and blitz. But again, those big plays will come with play action once they establish the run.   

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Other than when a game is actually being played, I am a fan who is anticipating the next game, and generally reviews past performance as it applies to the next game(s).  This is why a well played game and a close loss to the Patriots is much more satisfying than a poorly played game that resulted in a win over the Dolphins.  In this particular example, the Dolphins game was a clear barometer that the next game against the Eagles could  be a disappointment.    Even though the Eagles game was a debacle, the entire Redskins season is a debacle, so the Bills should appear to bounce back against the Redskins.  I hope the Bills win and play a well game planned well executed game this week. 

I don't understand fans who think there is no connection between past performance and future performance. 

Edited by PlayoffsPlease
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Ok, I'll play.

 

I was 4 years old sitting in the stands for the first game at the Rockpile, so I've been a fan as long as the team has existed.  Unlike the OP, I like old fashioned football.  I like defense, I like guys imposing their physical will on the opponent.   I don't think a  35-31 loss if we throw for 300 yards is better than a 17-14 win, as has been expressed by some on the board this week.  The best game I ever saw live was the first AFL championship game, and the best play I ever saw was Stratton's hit on Lincoln.  Not that I don't appreciate offense, like many I sat in awe of OJ in his heyday, and with Jimbo, Thurman, Andre, and the K gun.  But as long as football has been played, the team that physically beats the other team wins games and wins championships.

 

I sit in my basement with the NFL package and scream at the TV every Sunday afternoon.  I can't tell you how many times I've screamed "Throw the ball!!" this year as I watch Josh Allen figuring it out.  Unlike some, I did not play a lot of football in my younger days, and thus I do not pretend to think I know more about the game of football than the guys coaching the Bills, who have dedicated their lives to the sport.   I have my doubts about certain things, like play calls, etc., and express my opinions.  But I am realistic enough to know that the coaches have reasons for what they do, even if it sometimes doesn't work.  Ultimately the management of the team will be judged on wins and losses; do good and they stay and do bad and they'll get fired.  I hope for the former, and if the latter happens it happens.

 

I am not one who is prone to wild swings in emotion.  I don't think the Bills were a phenomenal, can't miss team, last Saturday, and I don't think they were a dumpster fire at 4:30 last Sunday.  They stunk last Sunday, it happens, now we see how they adjust.  When I read the negatives on this board after games like the past Sunday, and how the over-reactions occur (ifre this guy, cut that guy), I just kind of smile and shake my head.  Because I have the blessing of history, and I think of what would have happened back in the late 60'/early 70's if the Internet had been around, and what would have been said about Harvey Johnson and John Rauch, or the early 80's with Hank Bullough. 

 

I tend to be optimistic about my team because I see no compelling reason why I should be negative.  I don't see what one gets out of being constantly negative about a team one purports to root for, other than it being some kind of psychologic defense mechanism.  I believe that every successful organization has a plan, or call it a process if you like, to become so.  I believe every successful organization I have ever worked for and/or seen also has a successful organizational culture that defines what the organization stands for, and how they drive their success.  So I believe criticism of our current staff and their emphasis on process, is completely misplaced.

 

I hope that the Bills win one Super Bowl before I die.  And that the Sabres win a Stanley Cup.  I hope that the Bills marketing department saw my daughter's video and that they bring her in to sing the anthem one time before a game.  I hope the young guys on this team become stars, and that McD becomes our best coach of all time.  So basically I have hope.

 

I am a Bills fan now and until I die.  Because they embody so many things that are right and good about my hometown.  They made my hometown a major league city, and for that I will be always grateful.

Edited by oldmanfan
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10 minutes ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

beaten, battered and broke down. if they don't turn it around soon I wont live to see a competitive team?

 

basically a bills fan.

Serious question: are you beaten, battered and broken down because of your job and life or the Bills? Not meant to be a joke, I just can't tell from your post.

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Been a Bills fan since Kemp and Lincoln days. Loved Lustig's soccer kicking.

Never missed a home game tailgating for 17 years through 80s and 90s. Hated many Mondays but loved Sundays.  Still have the first t shirt from the stadium wall tailgate party. All that was ruined  first by Donahoe then Dick Jauron. Could not put up with lack of passion and the diassappointment. 

Today I read about Bills everyday. I follow Twobillsdrive. I even buy jerseys ( got Josh's this year). I even have 2 copies of the Canton newspaper from the day Kelly was inducted.

I struggle to watch many games because I hate dissappointment. I p.v.r. every game on tv and watch only if they play well. Call me fairweather fan, that is ok but I have found that life is too short to feel that much dissappointment. It does not make me less passionate.

Go Bills.

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Just now, Dopey said:

Serious question: are you beaten, battered and broken down because of your job and life or the Bills? Not meant to be a joke, I just can't tell from your post.

as a bills fan only. life outside of football has been the total opposite, couldn't of been better. the OP was asking "what type of fan are you" and if you're a bills fan and you haven't been beaten, broke down and battered then I don't know what you've been watching?

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I am a Buffalo Bills fan through and through. NOT an NFL fan but, a Buffalo Bills fan. If the Bills were to ever leave WNY so would my interest in the overpaid man baby league that is the NFL. That being said my Bills roots run deep... dare I say before birth.

 

It starts with my father. I have family photos from before my memory can recall in full blown Bills regalia. Infant photos in Bills shirts, toddler photos w/ helmets and shoulder pads and even photos from ye old Rockpile w/ the old man. Of course I don't have any memories of this, but photographic proof exists.

 

I remember crying as a child when we traded OJ (in likely was one of the best trades in NFL history 2x 1st's for an old washed up Juice). I remember back to back 2-14 seasons not stopping us from attending games. I remember season tickets during the 90's hayday, I remember Jimbo diving over the goal line to beat Miami in a turning of the tides game in an otherwise meaningless season. In fact some of my best memories in life are associated w/the Buffalo Bills. Games, events, banter, travel, tailgating all of it and soo much more.

 

Oh I probably don't follow every minute detail of every minutia regarding the Bills these days, but I assure you that doesn't lessen the flame. It's really the primary reason I come here is to stay up to date on the latest happenings. Some of you guys here are great at keeping us up to date (Many thanks).

 

Over the years my fandom has sort of been the joke of the family (In-laws are from Steeler Country). They joke about me never missing a game, or how Id delay my own funeral to watch the end of the game, my eternal optimism, all the jerseys I have of players no longer here etc. (Dareus, Alonso, McCoy, Watkins, Taylor) are a few recent ones that come to mind. None of this dampens my love of Buffalo Bills football and I don't expect it ever will. Thats my fandom in short.

 

Go Bills!

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Been a Bills fan for nearly 60 years now. As diehard as they come. Many of my friends don’t call me a Bills fan, they call me “the Bills fan”. Kept my allegiance while living out of state for nearly ten years back in mid 70’s - early 80’s. Seen it all except that elusive SB win, but remain optimistic that will happen before I leave the planet ?. Sit and watch the game every week with my Bills jersey on. Always wear the same color the team is wearing that game. I just live and die with this team. A minor miracle my heart remains as strong as it is. Obviously like seeing the team win more than anything, but really just glad to have the same team to root for all these years. Thank you Ralph Wilson and the Pegulas.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, Your Brown Eye said:

giphy-downsized-large.gif

 

Is that you?

 

No?   

 

Good, cuz   You can't fix stupid 

 

 

If it is ..  Hey Good Job!! 

LOL 

5 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

I'm not a moron that jumps through a table.  i am emotionally invested in the team.  I feel depressed when the Bills lose.  I want to punch people that talk shitabout the team :)

 

Another reason I despise the DC sports media.  Always mocking the Bills 

 

Truth be told,  the Foreskins have been just as crappy a team as the Bills had prior to the hiring of McDermott. 

 

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I'm a fan of football.  I love the game itself, and I love it more when the Bills win.

 

I want players that I can root for, guys that McDermott to wants to have.

 

Long term winning isn't built overnight.  They're building a core that can grow and tech new comers the right way in the future.

 

Maybe the guys we have won't all still be here if/when the win a championship, but the teaching of their way from player to player will be the scaffolding.

 

Now, do you give every coach and GM the time and patience like that?  Is every good guy also going to be a winner?  

 

No, but you can look for a sign...

 

 

Image result for 2017 NFL playoffs game

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, oldmanfan said:

I tend to be optimistic about my team because I see no compelling reason why I should be negative.  I don't see what one gets out of being constantly negative about a team one purports to root for, other than it being some kind of psychologic defense mechanism.

 

Nailed it.

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I have been a fan of this team for over 50 years through good and (mostly) bad. It is in my blood (as are the Sabres) and there is nothing I can do to change it - nor would I want to. I am also a man who understands what is important in life and how to keep my fandom in perspective. It wasn't always that way and it took a long time to find my way there. I look forward to each season and each game with optimism because that is who I am, and I do not get too high or too low with the outcome (withthe exception of notable moments) - and I rarely let it, emotionally, affect my life in any way.

 

I have so much in my life to be thankful for and, truthfully, having a team that I love to root for makes the bottom of the list somewhere - how they ultimately do in any particular game or season doesn't make the list at all. Would I love to see a SB championship (or more than one)? Of course, I am a fan. But, if they don't, I will be fine.

 

However, I can tell you this: For a team that has never won a Super Bowl, and that has had far more bad years than good, they have provided me with incredible memories  and wonderful moments I was able to share with my children, and a budding fan in my grandson. Those are the importantant things in life.

 

Go Bills!

Edited by billsfan1959
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What kind of question is that?  I'm a Hapless bills fan, of course!

 

One of my first memories is watching Bills games in the '60s on a grainy black and white TV with my grandfather.  Never played. 

 

I've lived out of state for 40+ years now.  Being a Bills fan never left me even when the local team here was succeeding and the Bills sucked.   Before internet and streaming, family in B'lo used to send me VCR tapes of the games that weren't nationally televised.  It used to be warmer here, so the windows would be open in late Oct/early Nov and I'd be yelling and screaming midweek watching them to the puzzlement of the neighbors.  That's when I started teaching myself some of the intricacies of the game from being able to slo-mo and rewind and a whole new football world opened up to me.  Pat Kirwan's "Take your Eye Off the Ball" was helpful and now of course there's a lot of great film breakdown online plus Coach's Film.  I love Coach's Film!  Being self-taught, I know what I see but I don't always know what to call it. 

A low-scoring game can be fascinating if you understand or appreciate the chess match that is defensive play, and we have had some AMAZEBALLS defensive play this year.  It also makes the game much more enjoyable if, as a fan, one understands the timing aspect of routes and can appreciate the impact of OL play on the QB position.  A lot of times when people are complaining that a guy is open and was missed, he wasn't open until too late after protection broke down, or what they're seeing as "open" is initial separation but the route will run into coverage downfield at the point where the WR starts looking for the ball (of course, other times the guy is open and that was missed).  Or people will say "the QB is inaccurate" but don't realize the ball was deflected at the line or may have been thrown for a different route than the WR was running.

 

I'm also a bit of a stats geek and I enjoy slicing and dicing things statistically.  So if I say something like ">300 yd games aren't correlated with winning" it would be because I've done a regression analysis over 5 years of data at some point.

 

I do not do fantasy football at all.  I think it's telling that people who don't know crap about football can win at it.  It's all about the parameters that get tracked for fantasy leagues and choosing which players excel at them, not about the team game, and it's the team game I enjoy.  I am not a big college football fan.  The college I attended had no football team at the time!!!!

And in closing, GO BILLS!

 

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

tenor.gif

 

51GyHkfi+9L._SX466_.jpg   af35fb89a73d839cd23cecb2434cca65.jpg

 

 

 

 

Where can I get that DNA one?

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37 minutes ago, Aireskoi said:

I'm a fan of football.  I love the game itself, and I love it more when the Bills win.

 

I want players that I can root for, guys that McDermott to wants to have.

 

Long term winning isn't built overnight.  They're building a core that can grow and tech new comers the right way in the future.

 

Maybe the guys we have won't all still be here if/when the win a championship, but the teaching of their way from player to player will be the scaffolding.

 

Now, do you give every coach and GM the time and patience like that?  Is every good guy also going to be a winner?  

 

No, but you can look for a sign...

 

 

Image result for 2017 NFL playoffs game

 

 

You had me 10 by 10 until the outdated  graphic.

 

21 minutes ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

Great answer!  Same here!

My style:

 

image.png.e7ff64cc6062513aeb08d1b7ea609449.png

 

LOL  

 

For the record ... the dancing Glass Half Full was just for comedic effect.

 

My cup runneth over with giddiness 

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

I've lived out of state for 40+ years now.  Being a Bills fan never left me even when the local team here was succeeding and the Bills sucked.   Before internet and streaming, family in B'lo used to send me VCR tapes of the games that weren't nationally televised.  It used to be warmer here, so the windows would be open in late Oct/early Nov and I'd be yelling and screaming midweek watching them to the puzzlement of the neighbors.  That's when I started teaching myself some of the intricacies of the game from being able to slo-mo and rewind and a whole new football world opened up to me.  Pat Kirwan's "Take your Eye Off the Ball" was helpful and now of course there's a lot of great film breakdown online plus Coach's Film.  I love Coach's Film!  Being self-taught, I know what I see but I don't always know what to call it. 

 

Holy ?.  How old are you??? 

 

Or are you just to hapless to get DirectTV?? 

 

:lol: 

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I want to see an offense that can light it up and a defense that is tough as nails. I can't bear watching a game on TV with fake fans or someone that is not a Bills fan. Often I watch games by myself so there will be less distractions.

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17 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Before internet and streaming, family in B'lo used to send me VCR tapes of the games that weren't nationally televised. 

Yep. I had a box of VCR tapes of almost every game between 1987 and 1994 :lol:

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2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I am a Bills fan from the day I started watching football.  There was no father who was a fan telling me who to watch or teaching me the intricacies of the sport.  I liked all sports & cheer for the local teams.

 

I have no deep knowledge of the draft or know all the starters at each position or get very excited about trades or drafting on the offensive line or linebackers & DB's.  I want them to perform and cheer for them.

 

I will see who the Bills drafted, the scouting reports, rating draft picks by team (i.e. ABC....) & that's about the end of it for me.  

 

I do not & will repeat it play fantasy football.  I do a weekly pool vs. the spread & that is it.

 

I am however a fan of QB's, passing yards, WR's & having a productive exciting running game (not 3 yards & a cloud of dust).  I want to see the offense score 35 points, throw for 300+ yards & move the ball up & down the field.  The Kelly K-gun Bills were the best.  The Buffalo Vs. SF No punt game was the best game I ever saw.

 

So yes when I hear McDermott talk about "THE PROCESS" and "CHARACTER" players and intimate they want to grind out games, make few mistakes & his idea of a great win is 14-10 (and we do know that is his attitude) it rankles me.

 

I am a fan and exciting is 35-31, not 17-14.  

 

And yes I think Allen can be that franchise QB, because if he is not, the Bills are back to square one.

 

Some of you just want wins (of course we all do), but again I too want to be entertained, and frankly the Bills are not a fun team to watch.

 

So tell me why you watch & what you want from the Bills.

 

I watch because I love the game. Most weeks during the season I watch at least the 40 minute condensed version of 10 or more games. I support the Bills for a long-winded reason relating to my Polish grandfather and a chance meeting in a shop in Poland that led to a family friendship with a Bills fan and when I started watching the sport they were obviously going to be my team.

 

I would describe myself as by and large an analytical fan. And I don't mean a guy obsessed with analytics (though I certainly find them interesting) I mean a guy who is always asking the "why" and the "how" not just the what. I get angry and frustrated and occasionally elated like every other fan during games but once they are finished I am in collect thoughts and rationalise mode. I say it how I see it whether that is positive or negative. I am not obsessed with any style of winning, I love seeing a team play good "team defense" and I enjoy watching an offense put up points too. I want the Bills to be the best and I want to be able to buy into their plan (and they have had a few in my 17 years of fandom) for getting there.

 

EDIT: Oh and despite having only ever seen them live in that horrible Jaguars - Wembley game, I consider myself pretty dedicated. I have watched Bills games on my phone during my niece's Christening party, I have been up at 4 in the morning watching pre-season games and I have already interrupted two weekends away with fiends or family this season to lock myself away with my ipad and GamePass to see us beat the Titans and lose to the Eagles.

Edited by GunnerBill
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