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ESPN Around the Horn. Tony Riali calls out anti-Buffalo bias


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I have no problem with folks picking the Chiefs this weekend (assuming Mahomes plays).  They are the defending champs, had the best record in the league, have homefield advantage, a QB who has done it all, etc.  (Although I believe the Bills have a good chance, even if Mahomes plays, and I think the Bills play better when they are the underdog or being overlooked).  But I really don't want to hear about how the Ravens LOST the game.  The Bills WON the game.  Because the Bills are better.  They had a better record, earned home field advantage and played better than the Ravens in all 3 phases of the game.  The Bills' QB also played better, probably because he IS better, and Jackson is a really good player.  

 

The wind disrupted the Bills kicker just as it did the Ravens kicker, hampered the Bills downfield passing game just as it did the Ravens downfield passing game.  The Bills were up 14 points with only 1 quarter to play when Jackson went down.  No excuses for the Ravens.  The Bills flat out beat them.

Edited by msw2112
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22 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Who are they?  ZZZ list sports guys?

 

Christ, i knew ESPN was cutting its budget but my god they are bad 

 

I don't know where they came from but they've been on this show for years. 

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It depends what you watch..

 

NFL Network gives us a TON of coverage/love.  
 

ESPN gives us love on their actual NFL shows, but the mindless debate shows.. not so much.   Same for FS1 with Skip Bayless and Nick Wright. 

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3 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

I have no problem with folks picking the Chiefs this weekend (assuming Mahomes plays).  They are the defending champs, had the best record in the league, have homefield advantage, a QB who has done it all, etc.  (Although I believe the Bills have a good chance, even if Mahomes plays, and I think the Bills play better when they are the underdog or being overlooked).  But I really don't want to hear about how the Ravens LOST the game.  The Bills WON the game.  Because the Bills are better.  They had a better record, earned home field advantage and played better than the Ravens in all 3 phases of the game.  The Bills' QB also played better, probably because he IS better, and Jackson is a really good player.  

 

The wind disrupted the Bills kicker just as it did the Ravens kicker, hampered the Bills downfield passing game just as it did the Ravens downfield passing game.  The Bills were up 14 points with only 1 quarter to play when Jackson went down.  No excuses for the Ravens.  The Bills flat out beat them.

 

No doubt. It is frustrating to see and hear this constantly. My buddies all told me the Ravens would win. We talked about how Lamar can be neutralized especially if he gets down a couple scores ever since last year's playoff loss, but they didn't think that the Bills offense was gonna get it done. This despite them being on four straight primetime games and absolutely dominating every team they faced. It is telling how quickly the narrative develops and then sticks, even with dedicated fans of the sport. 

But the truth is I don't care. This team feeds on this. They are energized and they are ready to go prove it again next week.

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I guess I don't watch the shows many of you do. For about the last 6 weeks I've heard Collinsworth gushing over Allen, Diggs, McDermott, Daboll, Frazier, the fans...., I haven't heard one credible football person be negative about the Bills. Picking our opponent to win isn't an insult or sign of disrespect, it's their guess as to who might win. It's just a guess. Many people picked the Bills to win, seriously, get some thicker skin already.

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5 minutes ago, Big C said:

 

I don't know where they came from but they've been on this show for years. 

I think the concept is the guests are normally sports writers from major sports cities. Riali usually rips them for being homers with many of their takes. Not the best show, I wish Riali had a better vehicle.

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33 minutes ago, Real McNasty said:

All I keep hearing about is Tuckers 2 missed FGs which is starting to bug me.

 

How about G.Davis dropped TD and 2 missed FGs by Bass. 

Yeah, I don’t let much of this media talk bother me but the 2 missed FG thing is really annoying. Our kicker, who had one missed fg, from 61 yards in the last 10 games missed 2 fgs too.  Like they should cancel each other out to an extent right? It’s not like they lost by 1 score.  They lost by 14 points.  

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I literally don't care about an anti-Buffalo bias.  The organization has done itself no favors since the outset of 1999 -- through the 2017 season, if we're being generous.

 

However, watching this team is a joy because it's a... real NFL team.  Anyone who's been passionate about the Buffalo Bills for so long knows this.  IOW, I don't care what ESPN and/or others have to say.

 

This weekend is the game I've been waiting for -- for an eternity.  Can't wait!

Edited by Groin
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In fairness the Bills haven't played a game up to their second-half-of-regular-season level in a playoff game yet.

 

If they had come out flying in one of these games they would be getting more respect.

 

They have looked uncharacteristically tight on offense both games and the defense gave up nearly 500 yards to the Colts.

 

My takeaway really is that the Colts and Ravens are tougher than normal opponents for WC and divisional matchups than they are being credited as........the Bills being a little tight against teams of that level showed.

 

If they were in the NFC then one of them would be playing the Packers in the NFCCG or they'd be playing each other.

 

There is more juice on the AFC side and nobody has played a schedule like the Bills have so I like their chances.

 

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34 minutes ago, Success said:

He's spot on. ALL of the coverage I've seen is "well, about Lamar...."    No credit for the Bills.

 

 

They all keep saying, "Baltimore missed kicks, Lamar missed one throw, Lamar got hurt, so and so dropped a ball, Baltimore out gained the Bills" and yet I have yet to hear anybody come back and saying "Buffalo missed 2 kicks too, Gabe Davis dropped a TD pass, the wind favored a running team, many of those yards were when the Bills were up 14 points and went into a shell defense?"

 

"Experts" keep talking about the yardage differential in both playoff games without ever mentioning the Bills had 14 point leads toward the beginning of the 4th quarter in both games. 

 

It's just bazaar how they structure their narratives to make it sound like the Bills got lucky and they do it EVERY...SINGLE...WEEK. Their definition of "lucky" and mind are very, very different.

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38 minutes ago, Magox said:

The Bills just don’t get the respect that they deserve.  Will a KC win do it?  50/50.  Not until they win the Super Bowl.  That’s when they will get their damn respect.

The media is just butthurt their not so secret man crush Lamar lost.

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