WNY Vibe: 1990/1991 vs 2022 Bills

[Mikie2times]

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

Edited October 27, 2022 by KzooMike

[SoCal Deek]

3 minutes ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

You picked the wrong years. The current Bills would be best compared to the 1998 or 1999 teams. The current group hasn’t been to a super bowl. Most people forget that the Kelly era Bills lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship and to the Browns in a playoff heartbreaker as well before they broke through in 1990.

[WotAGuy]

 Very difficult to compare; the world is so different in so many ways - social media, attitudes, media coverage, the economy and nature of the fan base, etc. 

 

I was 31 in 1990. I would say it’s a more intense vibe now just because everything is ramped up across the board media-wise. And the length of the drought means a couple generations of Bills fans never got to see them be good. In 1990, we were only 10 years away from a really good, Super Bowl-caliber team. 
 

The current team has only one or two HOF-potential players, and the turnover makes it tougher to really bond with individual players. But Josh is head and shoulders above Kelly and that carries all the weight for this team with the fan base. Josh is worth every penny and more. 

[BullBuchanan]

I don't think societally football is as impactful as it was 30 years ago. there are so many more draws for people's attention now that even winning the Super Bowl doesn't carry the weight it did back then. It used to be that nothing was bigger than winning a Super Bowl and people would talk about it for months or years. Now, April rolls around and it's on to the next year.

I still would very much like the Bills to win one, but I don't think it'll feel remotely close to the way it did in the mid 2000s and prior.

Edited October 27, 2022 by BullBuchanan

[strive_for_five_guy]

I’m a similar age as the OP.  My memory is that in 1990, there was still skepticism around how good the team was until we beat the Raiders in Week 5.  After that, we were considered to be right up there with the 49ers and Giants as the best teams in the league, boosted further when we beat the Giants later in the regular season.  Is it accurate to say that the team today is more highly regarded/feared than the 1990 Bills were, prior to even making any Super Bowl?  

[BullBuchanan]

Just now, strive_for_five_guy said:

I’m a similar age as the OP.  My memory is that in 1990, there was still skepticism around how good the team was until we beat the Raiders in Week 5.  After that, we were considered to be right up there with the 49ers and Giants as the best teams in the league, boosted further when we beat the Giants later in the regular season.  Is it accurate to say that the team today is more highly regarded/feared than the 1990 Bills were, prior to even making any Super Bowl?  

Every talking head has had us penciled is as a champion since last January, so I'd say that we're definitely more highly regarded. If other teams don't fear us the way we've been dismantling the league, they're foolish.

[Ga boy]

The Kelly and Bruce Bills ramped up energy in Bills nation.  Larry Felser and BN provided primary news about that team.  Those were great times and teams.  Looking back it’s hard to believe we didn’t win multiple SBs with those big time players.  If you compared each position, I think many would say the 90’s teams were better. However, the difference may be coaching.  The “process” approach seems to have everyone on board which seems to put an emphasis on we not me.  That was an issue with the 90s teams.  This current team may get over the hump.  Hope so.  It’s great to see the Bills being relevant again.  Go Bills 🦬

[AlfaBill]

23 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

You picked the wrong years. The current Bills would be best compared to the 1998 or 1999 teams. The current group hasn’t been to a super bowl. Most people forget that the Kelly era Bills lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship and to the Browns in a playoff heartbreaker as well before they broke through in 1990.

Did you mean 88-89 Bills?

[In Summary]

Biggest difference may be about the RB. Thurman led the league in total yards for 4 years in a row. Team identity and fan buzz was very much centered on Thurman and the run game. He was a gem.

[Marcus Aurelius]

Old guy here who also remembers the AFL Championship years. The biggest difference in my opinion between todays Bill's team and the team of the early 90s is twofold:

✔ Todays team has a better QB

✔ Todays team has better coaching

[otagoyellow]

I was 12 the last time the Bills were this good and remember, at least locally in Buffalo, there was tremendous enthusiasm and excitement. I agree with all the comments above that it was much different compared to the 24/7 of social media, but it was still palpable. I remember nearly every week on 97 Rock there would be some kind of parody Bills-themed song celebrating the team's success. The Bills dominated the Buffalo News headlines after every win. I very clearly remember, after the comeback against the Oilers, one of the local TV networks throwing up a "Congrats Bills! You're Unbilleivable" in the middle of regular programming set to EMF's "Unbelievable." 

 

Those incredible years sustained me, as I'm sure they did many, through the drought simply because we knew they could happen again. It's surreal and familiar all at the same time to be this good again. Older, wiser, and with more emotional football scars, I know not to take any of it for granted. 

[BillsPride12]

19 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I don't think societally football is as impactful as it was 30 years ago. there are so many more draws for people's attention now that even winning the Super Bowl doesn't carry the weight it did back then. It used to be that nothing was bigger than winning a Super Bowl and people would talk about it for months or years. Now, April rolls around and it's on to the next year.

I still would very much like the Bills to win one, but I don't think it'll feel remotely close to the way it did in the mid 2000s and prior.

This might be true from a societal perspective overall(I think many would agree the NFL was in it's prime during the 70s-90s)but I don't think that's true from the perspective of Western New York.  I'm a local and it's Bills all the time, everyday, everywhere you go.  Drive through any neighborhood in WNY right now and you will see Bills flags, yard signs etc...driving on the thruway you see Bills decals on every other car, go to the local grocery store and everybody is decked out in Bills gear.  It's all people are talking about.  Winning the Super Bowl would absolutely carry it's weight in Western New York.

[Einstein]

In my opinion the aura of the Bills in the early 90’s was greater than it is now. Pre-internet football felt a bit more magical than it is now.

 

My hypothesis is that social media has given us such instant close-up access to the team like never before, at the consequence of there now being little to no mystery.

 

I miss the excitement of waking up and watching ESPN and all the pre-game shows that came on before the game started and hearing all the injuries, inactives, news, and even 1 on 1 player interviews.

 

All those same things exist, but they’re now spread out along the previous 6 days because of the internet. Less magical and a lot of it gets lost in the noise.

[BullBuchanan]

1 minute ago, BillsPride12 said:

This might be true from a societal perspective overall(I think many would agree the NFL was in it's prime during the 70s-90s)but I don't think that's true from the perspective of Western New York.  I'm a local and it's Bills all the time, everyday, everywhere you go.  Drive through any neighborhood in WNY right now and you will see Bills flags, yard signs etc...driving on the thruway you see Bills decals on every other car, go to the local grocery store and everybody is decked out in Bills gear.  It's all people are talking about.  Winning the Super Bowl would absolutely carry it's weight in Western New York.

It was exactly like that back then. I'd say more so, just because it was the only thing to do besides bowling.

[BillsPride12]

2 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

It was exactly like that back then. I'd say more so, just because it was the only thing to do besides bowling.

I'm not disputing that but I'm just saying it would still be a MAJOR deal around here if Buffalo won the Super Bowl.  

 

A good analogy would be in my opinion the Bills winning the Super Bowl would be a much bigger deal in Buffalo than say Pittsburgh winning a Super Bowl in 2022 v.s. the 70s or even early 2000s.

[TheCockSportif]

This kind of reminds me of the 1990-1 squad, but simply because they missed the boat in 1988 and 1989, and 1990 was their coming out year.

 

Otherwise, different team, different era, different ethos, different ownership, different FO, different coaching, different everything else.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

 

Back in the 90’s I barely had any access to Bills info. Bills Digest, and a couple sentences in the USA Today once a week. It was hard to find a game on TV. 

 

Now? If you are lousy you can catch it live or on YouTube replay, on your phone, unless you want the all 22, or the away teams announcing crowd, or anything else. My how things have changed. 

 

 

 

.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Augie

[mabden]

As a long time fan, the 1988 season was one of the best to watch.  

 

During The Super Bowl years it was Bills frenzy even without the internet.  I remember taking my kids to the local sledding hill on Sunday mornings to wear them out so I could enjoy the games while they napped.  The hill was covered in Red, White, & Blue parents doing the same, all wearing their Bills gear talking about the Bills.

 

These days, I see a lot more Bills signs and flags hanging from poles and in yards.  This is on par with the excitement generated with the exception that with today's team, the expectation and confidence is much much more.

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

This is a very cool question…. From what I  can recall as a kid, fans were a bit more confident than today.  There definitely was an excitement which I think is starting to show currently in WNF.  
 

It seems like a portion of the fan base (myself included at times) feels that despite how good the Bills look one week, at some point the other shoe will drop.   This is what happened after losing 4 SB’s, the music city miracle, and of course 20 years of horrible football.   I don’t feel that there was as much skepticism during 1990 and 1991.

 

It’s hard to get a sense of the media exposure because the landscape of the media has changed so much.  Really the only exposure was ESPN Sportscenter,  newspapers, magazines or local news.  Today you have a million different outlets with internet based media plus traditional methods.  
 

I do vividly remember during the 1991 season, waking up to watch CBS this morning to find that the Chiefs crushed the Bills 33-6 at Arrowhead on MNF handing them their first their first loss of the year.  Pretty sure the games kicked off at 9:10 or so and I wasn’t allowed to stay up.  I remember the news anchor saying “a bad thing happened to a good team last night” when sharing highlights.   So I think that might speak to what the national media thought of the 1991 team.

Edited October 27, 2022 by JohnNord

[Buffalo Boy]

   Different eras both sports wise and where we are as a nation and civilization.

   Technology has changed SO much that it is an apples to oranges comparison.

    However, regarding the teams , Kelly was very good but it was the K gun/no huddle that was half of the equation.
    Also, That team had more bonafide HOF players. Bruce Smith and Reggie White were in a class by themselves and everyone knew it at the time. Add Thurman , Reed , Kent Hull and Loftin and that team was a combination of talent.

    Todays team, in terms of national recognition is  Allen, Diggs and Miller and maybe White. Sure, they talk about Hyde and Poyer but how many Pro Bowlers did our D have last year? 
    IMO This team is primarily understood to be Allen and Diggs on O and everyone else. And Miller on D and everyone else.

    I don’t remember the Earlier team being preseason SB favorite on the magnitude of this team.

    Also, Kelly wasn’t considered the best QB in the league much less the MVP. Allen should win it and may win multiple times. He is the face of this franchise where as Kelly, Bruce, Thurman and Reed shared that in their day.

[Mikie2times]

So one thing I think I am qualified to some extent to speak about the national side. In the early 90's, if you didn't have an AFC team in your market, NBC saturated you with Buffalo games. So that was one big way the league gave us exposure. Thurman Thomas winning the MVP in 1991 along with the excitement of the no huddle. The league liked to showcase us at that time. I see that aspect as similar to this year.

 

A tangible shift happened after the AFC Championship. We not only became the universal favorite, but it's almost as if the NFL said, ok, we like Josh Allen as being the face of our league. We like Buffalo being the image of the league. I don't recall the early 90's being that way. We had great exposure, but I don't remember this many people, including the league itself, wanting us to do well. Perhaps they did back then, if so, it was overshadowed by so many not wanting us to do well in our 3rd and 4th Super Bowls. Appreciate the replies. Some really awesome perspective for those not in the area.  

Edited October 27, 2022 by KzooMike

[billsfan1959]

28 minutes ago, Einstein said:

In my opinion the aura of the Bills in the early 90’s was greater than it is now. Pre-internet football felt a bit more magical than it is now.

 

My hypothesis is that social media has given us such instant close-up access to the team like never before, at the consequence of there now being little to no mystery.

 

I miss the excitement of waking up and watching ESPN and all the pre-game shows that came on before the game started and hearing all the injuries, inactives, news, and even 1 on 1 player interviews.

 

All those same things exist, but they’re now spread out along the previous 6 days because of the internet. Less magical and a lot of it gets lost in the noise.

Good post. There was a completely different feel to being a fan before the internet. It is also hard to compare different times, as an old guy, because my experiences as a fan and the ways in which I express my passion have changed along the way as well. I guess, for me, it is less about comparing the different times and more about having a greater appreciation for what we have right now in Allen and this team. Special moments, players, and teams have come along so seldom during the 50+ years I have been a fan.

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, SoCal Deek said:

You picked the wrong years. The current Bills would be best compared to the 1998 or 1999 teams. The current group hasn’t been to a super bowl. Most people forget that the Kelly era Bills lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship and to the Browns in a playoff heartbreaker as well before they broke through in 1990.

 

Which would be the exact same track as this team would take...

 

AFCCG loss followed by a season where they had trouble dealing with other teams giving them their best shot every week and going out in the Divisional round in a heartbreaking loss.

 

This would be the SB breakthrough year 

[SoCal Deek]

1 hour ago, AlfaBill said:

Did you mean 88-89 Bills?

Ha! Yes the 88 and 89 Bills. But I guess one could compare the current roster with the 90 Bills….but what I remember about the 90 team was that going to the Super Bowl was not a reasonable expectation until 51-3 happened, and then it sunk in. Why not us? 

[Boatdrinks]

2 hours ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

I’m a similar age as the OP.  My memory is that in 1990, there was still skepticism around how good the team was until we beat the Raiders in Week 5.  After that, we were considered to be right up there with the 49ers and Giants as the best teams in the league, boosted further when we beat the Giants later in the regular season.  Is it accurate to say that the team today is more highly regarded/feared than the 1990 Bills were, prior to even making any Super Bowl?  

It is accurate. There were many questions about the 1990 team fresh off the “ bickering Bills” year. There were doubts whether the team could overcome internal strife and become consistent winners. The no huddle wasn’t used exclusively until later in that season ( Philly game? ). The NFC had won something like the past 10 Superbowls ,so the AFC was seen as the weak sister conference by NFL observers. This years Bills entered the season as big SB favorites so yes they are more highly regarded. 

[Billznut]

2 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

You picked the wrong years. The current Bills would be best compared to the 1998 or 1999 teams. The current group hasn’t been to a super bowl. Most people forget that the Kelly era Bills lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship and to the Browns in a playoff heartbreaker as well before they broke through in 1990.

I think you meant to say 1988 or 1989. Not 1998 or 1999. 

[US Egg]

Lot less overnight corner Bills stands popping up than in the early ‘90’s.

 

Grocery stores loaded with Bills goodies and displays is unprecedented.

 

Bills fans spending big. Bills flags flying everywhere. Bills fever is fierce.

 

 

[KDIGGZ]

Although the outcomes of the past 2 seasons are similar to 88-89, the Bills were never considered the overwhelming favorite going into the 1990 season like we are this year. The 49ers seemed unstoppable and the Giants had a great defense. And then there was a bunch of AFC teams in the mix.

When the Bills beat the Giants in the regular season it was like ok maybe this team is for real. Then they demolished the Raiders in the AFC championship and meanwhile the Giants knocked off SF but were down to their backup QB and suddenly the Bills are the favorite to win the whole thing.

 

The Bills went into 2022 as the best team in football and haven't done anything to dispute that. It's either them or KC is what it feels like, and on paper the Bills are a better overall complete team. That game will probably be the actual Super Bowl.

 

Josh Allen is top 2 QB in the league and very likely the MVP. Jim Kelly was good but never that good. Montana, Marino, Elway, Simms, Esiason, Moon, Aikman... lots of HOF QB's during that era. Bills also had a top 3 defensive player in Bruce and a top 3 RB in Thurman. Was Kelly a top 5 QB? Maybe, maybe not. Definitely never top 2 like Josh.

 

This year's team is very well balanced in that they have a very good offense with 2 really good HOF type players, a defense with a 1 maybe 2 HOF type players, and then a bunch of very solid guys that do their job.

The 90's teams were never balanced in that they had a quick scoring 2 min drill type offense, and then a tired defense that was usually on the field for much of the game so they were never a dominant group.

 

So not a lot of similarities at all. The 90's Bills went to 4 straight super bowls and were never the overwhelming favorite to win at any point except for the week before the first one. This year's Bills team might be the best Bills team ever but that's why they play the games.

[Punching Bag]

One part of the team which was better for the Classic team was special teams. 

There were truly 3 teams with stars on each then and sometimes when a spark was needed the special teams gave one.

This was recognized by media as well.

 

The Classic Bills were also conditioned better and this was recognized by media as well.

Part of lack of conditioning is due to restrictions by the NFLPA.

 

Media had its sourpusses like now but most of them were recognized as extreme and little exposure by mainstream media.

@ssholes were called @ssholes.

Today one media member with a microphone or a twit-ter feed can get be spun up by mainstream media these days to get clicks and then is buried without acknowledgement of how ridiculous it was with excuse they were just reporting.  Lots of media now reporting what other media are saying when source is just idle speculation or made up sources.

 

 

[Tommy Shelby]

4 hours ago, I am the egg man said:

Lot less overnight corner Bills stands popping up than in the early ‘90’s.

 

Grocery stores loaded with Bills goodies and displays is unprecedented.

 

Bills fans spending big. Bills flags flying everywhere. Bills fever is fierce.

 

 

I was going to mention about the tents set up selling Bills merchandise such as "Machine Gun Kelly, The Thurmanator or Bruuuuce" at different corners.

I was just out of high school during the early 90's from my recollection it seemed there was more true passion to being a Bills fan than now. Maybe it is because of social media, even the branding of Bills Mafia or the NFL being recognized as a business that sports is less pure. Maybe it was me being 19-20 years old 🤔. But I really hope the Bills win and we finally get our parade.

Go Bills!

[Matt_In_NH]

10 hours ago, Einstein said:

In my opinion the aura of the Bills in the early 90’s was greater than it is now. Pre-internet football felt a bit more magical than it is now.

 

My hypothesis is that social media has given us such instant close-up access to the team like never before, at the consequence of there now being little to no mystery.

 

I miss the excitement of waking up and watching ESPN and all the pre-game shows that came on before the game started and hearing all the injuries, inactives, news, and even 1 on 1 player interviews.

 

All those same things exist, but they’re now spread out along the previous 6 days because of the internet. Less magical and a lot of it gets lost in the noise.

I agree you are highlighting some differences between then and now but this is more societal/general vs Bills specific.   I think from a Bills perspective it is similar. One thing that is different is we have some large scars now....losing 4 straight SB's does that.   It feels like more pressure to me even though the pressure was huge then too.   Losing a 5th SB....twitter will have a field day.  For the 90's teams, I was in HS and Sunday was ESPN from 10-noon, then NFL Today, watch games, watch ESPN primetime.  That was your source of seeing highlights, if you missed it you missed it.  Unless you were a weird person who played with VHS tapes a lot.

[May Day 10]

This year (and last year) is probably closest to 1991.  The Bills were probably at their peak.  They came off a great season/playoff run, and just lost on the last play of arguably the best Superbowl ever (at that time).  They were preseason favorite.  The problem is, Washington came out of nowhere and rolled the NFL that season.

All the other superbowl years we had the 49ers out there, followed by the Cowboys who were usually more of a favorite.  We always had a few NFC teams that we dreaded seeing in the eventual Superbowl.  Also, the NFL had a nice SB winning streak, many being blowouts.

 

I dont remember the Bills ever being this much in front of the competition for so long.  The WNY vibe in my opinion is even greater now than then as far as hopes to win the Superbowl (outside of between 51-3 and XXV).  The "90s Bills" won games in a lot of ways, but they really didnt smash teams on a regular basis like these Bills do.  IMO, if the Bills finish the job here, they will be regarded as one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

 

[KHAN]

Kelly v Marino ---> Allen v Mahomes

 

Chris Berman ---> Kyle Brandt

 

Bruce ---> Von

 

Reed ---> Diggs

 

Thurman --->  ☠️ ☠️ ☠️

 

 

So...  Advantage early '90's.

 

...but yeah, very similar.

[Gugny]

All I know is that I wish TBD was around during the four Super Bowl losses, because the meltdowns would have been nothing short of epic.

 

[Fan in Chicago]

13 hours ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I cant compare because I havent lived in WNY for a long time but can talk about the vibe during late 80s/early 90s

I came to this country in 1989 to UB and thought that the only sports that matter are cricket, tennis and soccer. But everywhere I went - university labs, classes, stores etc was full of Bills paraphernalia and people being (mostly) super happy on Mondays. Other immigrants who had been there would sit in front of the TVs (found on the sidewalk on garbage day) glued for 3 hours. So, having nothing else to do on Sundays, I started watching and got washed up in the excitement. Started rooting for the Bills but the deciding point of my permanent fandom was the Oilers game which was blacked out and I listened to on the radio. I have been consumed by the Bills every since. But the environment at that time around the city and Niagara Falls was decidedly rabid, looked like people had little else to discuss, enjoy and cheer for which was kinda true. It was tough to be insulated from that excitement in any part of life in Buffalo. 

[C.Biscuit97]

Good thread. I was a little kid in the 90s so all the players were my heroes. Now, I definitely don’t have the same attachment to players (guys younger than me, the player movement) even this group are probably better people. 
 

but everything has like a 90s vibe. For some reason, 90s fashion is back in (girls in 90s high waisted jeans again 🤮).  Buffalo in the 90s had a very successful group (don’t pretend like the Goo goos don’t have some good songs!). Now they have one of the biggest rap groups in music (which 90% of this board would hate but they are really popular). I can’t really speak of the city of Buffalo in the 90s but imo, the city has never been better. Minus one loser outsider, Buffalo vibes (and bills are huge reason why) are immaculate right now. Buffalo is such a happy place right now(until it snows). 

[Nextmanup]

What is different this time around, for me, is that this team feels a LOT BETTER than the SB teams....

 

We also have a much better defense this time around.

 

 

 

[Punching Bag]

6 hours ago, Tommy Shelby said:

I was going to mention about the tents set up selling Bills merchandise such as "Machine Gun Kelly, The Thurmanator or Bruuuuce" at different corners.

I was just out of high school during the early 90's from my recollection it seemed there was more true passion to being a Bills fan than now. Maybe it is because of social media, even the branding of Bills Mafia or the NFL being recognized as a business that sports is less pure. Maybe it was me being 19-20 years old 🤔. But I really hope the Bills win and we finally get our parade.

Go Bills!

 

Agree completely on branding of Bills Mafia.  Bills marketing trying to do less work since they have a strong team now.

[SoCal Deek]

While I miss-typed the years (off by a decade….oh well, I’m typing into a cell phone by a swimming pool) I still compare this team to those pre-super bowl years. Are they really good? Obviously. But until they get over the playoff hump they’ve yet to reach the promised land.

Edited October 27, 2022 by SoCal Deek

[FilthyBeast]

I still don't think you can compare the current Bills until the 90's teams until they get at least one SB first.

 

Those 90's teams also didn't have a boogeyman in the form of the Chiefs/Mahomes to contend with for the most part, it was the NFC powerhouse teams like 49ers/Cowboys/etc that stood in the way not just for the bills but every other AFC team that made the SB the greater part of the 80's and 90's.

 

Either way the hype and excitement in Western NY is justified and this might very well be the Bills best chance to finally bring home a championship.