Are Bills fans expectations too high????

[78thealltimegreat]

4 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

And the Bills trailed Baltimore by 17, but to me I was never overly concerned.  Vs. KC they had 3 points with 2 minutes to go and the ball @ the 2 and again felt okay.

 

Yesterday was different at least to me.  

They just played Jackson, Mahomes, Tua pre concussion, Tannehill, Stafford, and Rogers. The upcoming QBs are Wilson, Brissette, Cousins, Goff, Fields, and Jones they’ll be just fine

[Fetou]

52 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

I used to think with all the complaining during the drought years, once we start winning, fans will complain less but that isn't the case.

It's definitely the case for the way I feel when watching them. Even after the 13 seconds loss I was still pretty thrilled just to have had the chance to watch that and experience the range of emotions that come with it.

 

I was a kid who tried to get a JP Losman signature but only managed to get a Robert Royal. I bragged at school about Trent Edwards finally being the QB to take us to the promised land. I was once excited about Ryan Fitzpatrick. I feel like a thoroughly beaten dog who was finally let into the house these last few years.

[henry jones]

You know you have a great team when, after a subpar performance on both sides of the ball, you still win by 10 and it doesn't even feel like the game was that close.  It's a long season and there will be a few hiccups here and there.  I'm more concerned with how they are playing leading up to the playoffs instead of week 8.

[Simon Says]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I am not frustrated because of high expectations.... I am a little frustrated because they lost their concentration last night. Their playing keep away and makong the game chippy seemed to get to our guys second half.

 

It is 6-1 and that second half matters little in the grand scheme of things. It will be lost in the wash by the season's end. But that was an ugly second half to watch.

I agree, they seemed to lose focus and discipline. Maybe the O was smelling blood and tried to pile up more points. 

[UKBillFan]

7 minutes ago, Herb Nightly said:

I agree, they seemed to lose focus and discipline. Maybe the O was smelling blood and tried to pile up more points. 

 

I think maybe some on the Packers D got under the skin of some of our offensive players. We wanted to stick it to them rather than keep to the plan and our struggles started at that point.

[Billsfan1972]

As said the Bills have not played perfect ball at times this season.  They trailed Baltimore by 17, were sloppy vs. LA & KC for the first half and somehow let Miami win, but yesterday just felt different.

 

My hope is that this is actually a good thing for them, but just was spurring conversation. 

[ngbills]

We are the betting favorite. Our QB is the MVP favorite. We were a legit super bowl contender the past two seasons. No, expectations are not too high. Anything less than a super bowl is a disappointment.

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I am not frustrated because of high expectations.... I am a little frustrated because they lost their concentration last night. Their playing keep away and makong the game chippy seemed to get to our guys second half.

 

It is 6-1 and that second half matters little in the grand scheme of things. It will be lost in the wash by the season's end. But that was an ugly second half to watch.

Agree with this. What frustrates me in games that should be blow outs is that its a lost opportunity to rest guys or avoid injuries. Poyer could have been out of the game already when he gut hurt. Would have to look back, but I recall some of the other injuries also being late in games when the guy could have been resting on the sideline. 

[Scott7975]

I dont like the sloppyness but all teams have that.  How you think the Chiefs are always talked about like "Oh the Chiefs are just playing down to the competition because they are bored, dont worry Mahomes can turn it on any time."  Its because even the Chiefs play sloppy.

 

I dont expect the Bills to go undefeated or play perfect games every week.  Just get it fixed by the playoffs.

13 minutes ago, ngbills said:

We are the betting favorite. Our QB is the MVP favorite. We were a legit super bowl contender the past two seasons. No, expectations are not too high. Anything less than a super bowl is a disappointment.

Agree with this. What frustrates me in games that should be blow outs is that its a lost opportunity to rest guys or avoid injuries. Poyer could have been out of the game already when he gut hurt. Would have to look back, but I recall some of the other injuries also being late in games when the guy could have been resting on the sideline. 

 

Lets be real with that too... How often do starters ever sit during games for any team?  Its not very often.  Even in blowouts.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Scott7975

[BuffaloBillyG]

2 hours ago, CountDorkula said:

The only overreaction to last night I see is people reacting like this to others saying “I’d like to clean some of the sloppiness up” 

Nah, believe it or not it's actually ok to look at the positive side of life too. Take a moment to enjoy and be thankful for a win rather then rushing to the boards moments after a double digit win to immediately point out the negatives.

 

Wanting and hoping for perfect play is great. A few years back I was coaching Little League. One of my pitchers threw a one hitter. Struck out something like 12 or 13. Was just a dominate performance. Kid's dad after the game looked him in the eye and told him he needs to work on his game because he gave up a hit. 

 

Point being, a bit of critical thinking is good. But there's a time and place. Take a moment. Let others enjoy. Let yourself enjoy. Wasn't that long ago we were losing games like that by 20. Enjoy the growth. The world already has one Jerry Sullivan. We really don't need more, Dorkula.

[Toyo321]

They need to hit their stride like they did last year where everything was on a roll for them, and get over the KC hurdle once and for all.  Run off W's and get all the bad play and mistake eradicated and they should be okay.  It is really bad though how awful the 2nd half was in this game on both sides of the ball.  Any NFL team would take a 10 point win after playing a terrible half and still get the W.

[Buffalo03]

No

5 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Yes it is a Super Bowl Victory or bust year, but coming out of yesterday's game (particularly the second half) and you wonder whether we as fans have set the bar too high.

 

The first half was vintage Buffalo (after the first three & out) and well on the way to 40+ points.

 

Then came the second half & wonder if it was hubris, taking one's foot off the gas or just bad play and they looked shall we say "normal". 

 

The Bills were gashed on the run and the offense looked lost.  Allen was underwhelming, missed some throws, others were bad and made mental errors (and a few drops).

 

And the result was a 10 point victory. 

 

Yes I'm very conflicted.  Sure I expect them to be angry vs. NYJ, but was yesterday's second half an anomaly, a wake-up call or a portend of things to come.   

We aren't going to be on our game every week. Even the Super Bowl teams had bad games or got blown out. 

[WideNine]

6 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

 
Ok.  Check my post history, I’m like 99% positive on the team.  

 

Don't fight it.

 

Some folks want to revel in the moment of being 6-1 and why not?

 

Some see sloppy play and turnovers that would have cost us against a better team and that is ok too.

 

Some see each game as an isolated event and there are no trends or bad habits this team needs to correct to beat better teams in the league.

 

I get a small measure of comfort knowing Allen and McDermott came away acknowledging the sloppy play and that there are things they need to fix.

 

No need for folks to get their undees in a bunch if some of us happen to agree with them that it was ugly.

 

I will be curious to see how they do in the red zone and with ball security the next few games to see if Dorsey can flip the right switches.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by WideNine

[FilthyBeast]

If the expectation is/was to dominate every week including the playoffs and SB then yes (fan) expectations are way to high.

 

This team is going to lose a regular season game again at some point and even in victory you aren't going to cruise to a 42-10 type of game every week and pull your starters in the 4th quarter. There will be tough games even against lessor opponents.

 

This is why I'm totally fine beating a desperate GB team by 10 points despite Allen and the defense probably playing their worst game of the season thus far.

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

4 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

I am not with the doomers who lose their minds whenever we give up a first down but…that was not a great game.  We made enough mistakes that a team with better weapons would probably have beaten us or at least made it come down to the last second.  

I don’t think josh would be reined in in the second half of a close game against a team with weapons so it’s incomparable imo.  Really looked like the coaching staff was like ‘alright you’re up 17, stop taking hits’ and it got in Josh’s head a little. Based on what we’ve seen from him he would’ve more than likely scrambled for the first down on that first int in a closer game 

 

It’s also possible the gb pass defense actually is as good as advertised and we just won a two score game against a team that was a bad matchup for our offense but we’ll have to wait and see on that one 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[Nextmanup]

No we haven't set the  bar too high.  You have to accept--and embrace--the pressure and stress of this moment.

We are as good a team as there is in the NFL this season, and anything less than a SB victory will feel like a let down on some level.

Doesn't mean we should expect to win the SB!  That's hard!  But our entire season will come down to how we actually play for 4 quarters in just a FEW games in the post-season, especially if we get that first week bye as it looks like we will.

 

It's a pretty short and direct route to the SB for a team like us this year.

 

Gotta play our best ball when it matters most.  If we do that, we'll win.

 

 

[Gunsgoodtime]

Yes.  Some people have become those fans we hoped not to turn in to.  Have to score a td every drive, or insanity takes place.  Dont beat a team by two touchdowns and our qb stinks.  We got ran all over so our defense sucks.  All after we win by a good margin.  The drought years are a distant memory for some evidently 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

2 minutes ago, Gunsgoodtime said:

Yes.  Some people have become those fans we hoped not to turn in to.  Have to score a td every drive, or insanity takes place.  Dont beat a team by two touchdowns and our qb stinks.  We got ran all over so our defense sucks.  All after we win by a good margin.  The drought years are a distant memory for some evidently 

I found myself at a pats titans playoff game in foxboro a few years back and the pats fans booed their offense after two straight punts to start the game.  They won the game by 21.  Hopefully we don’t turn into that lol

[SCBills]

I don't think so.  Most of the conversation today is about how last night's game was just weird.. 

 

Players seem to agree.

 

Every talking head this morning is echoing the, likely, correct conclusion that Buffalo just got bored in the second half and lost focus.  

 

I'm not worried about the run defense's one-off performance unless that becomes a theme.  In the game script, we seemed just fine letting them drain the clock down 3 scores.  

 

I do think there were a few things to pay attention to on offense:

 

-The tackles struggled in pass pro against the Green Bay pass rush

-Davis had another one of those games where you question his ability to be a reliable #2

-Allen got extremely careless/unfocused as this team continues to turn the ball over way too much

 

Downside, those issues could hold us back.  Upside, we're 6-1 and easily beat Green Bay while playing our C game.. the ceiling for this team is crazy.

[Pokebball]

5 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Yes it is a Super Bowl Victory or bust year, but coming out of yesterday's game (particularly the second half) and you wonder whether we as fans have set the bar too high.

 

The first half was vintage Buffalo (after the first three & out) and well on the way to 40+ points.

 

Then came the second half & wonder if it was hubris, taking one's foot off the gas or just bad play and they looked shall we say "normal". 

 

The Bills were gashed on the run and the offense looked lost.  Allen was underwhelming, missed some throws, others were bad and made mental errors (and a few drops).

 

And the result was a 10 point victory. 

 

Yes I'm very conflicted.  Sure I expect them to be angry vs. NYJ, but was yesterday's second half an anomaly, a wake-up call or a portend of things to come.   

Ahhh. So let's assume we have one, or maybe even two, more losses this season. Where will they be?

 

We'll be favored in each but odds are we've got, perhaps, a Jacksonville game in us somewhere. Where?

[Billsfan1972]

I just said that the second have was a slog.  Can say the same about the first half vs. Baltimore, but then they woke up and while probably closer then it should have been, the better team (Bills) won.  

 

Like above Davis made some mistakes and that was the first game where Josh threw some horrendous passes.  Maybe just complacency, but that by far was just a terrible half both sides of the ball.

[Nextmanup]

9 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Every talking head this morning is echoing the, likely, correct conclusion that Buffalo just got bored in the second half and lost focus.  

I was thinking about that, sort of, during the game last night.

 

I think there is something to that; it was a weird game where it felt like the big blowout was coming.  Then it didn't really materialize, and then that weird garbage time lasted forever and the game started to change, while in it.

 

Weird game; easier for the players to focus 100% and put the pedal down in a close, hard fought game.

 

It's like being up 2-0 or 3-0 in a hockey game; sometimes that's the worst---for the team in the lead.

 

 

[blacklabel]

It felt like Josh was pressing to make a play a little bit. When they have a sizeable lead I think he tries some stuff he typically wouldn't if the game was close. Having those big leads can allow players to loosen up a tad and take a few more risks. I think that's what happened last night. 

 

What sucks about it is that turnovers and negative plays of their own doing is pretty much the only way to stop this offense. Most games this year they've had a turnover in or near the red zone which leaves points on the table. Probably should've been 41-17 last night. 

 

The good thing is how well they respond to adversity and how committed they are to constantly improving while keeping their emotions and all the mental stuff in check. They'll probably be determined to show out against the Jets. I sure hope they do because I hate those stupid nerds. 

[BillyBilliams]

My expectations are high.  I expect them to dominate every game they play.  I expect them to win the Super Bowl.  People who don't have expectations too high are scared of the pressure and the negative blowback if it doesn't happen.  

[ColoradoBills]

2 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I just said that the second have was a slog.  Can say the same about the first half vs. Baltimore, but then they woke up and while probably closer then it should have been, the better team (Bills) won.  

 

Like above Davis made some mistakes and that was the first game where Josh threw some horrendous passes.  Maybe just complacency, but that by far was just a terrible half both sides of the ball.

 

So, what is this thread and your point all about?  Seriously.  The players and coaches have already said there was a lot of errors made and

that they need to tighten things up.

 

If you had the chance to talk directly to the players and coaches, what would you tell them?

Would you chastise Josh Allen for his poor performance in the 2nd half?

Would you inform them that YOUR expectations are higher and thus they MUST raise their play to meet them.

 

I just don't understand these threads at all.  They are men with human traits.  Would I personally "wish" that they scored on 80% of their

drives and held the opposition to scoring on only 20%.  Yes, I would.  But after this week no one will remember all this post game talk.

 

A question for ALL fans of all types.  What were your expectations of the Buffalo Bills record after the first 7 games of the season? 

My answer is at 6-1 the team (so far) has exceeded my hopes from the start of the season.

Go Bills.

[US Egg]

You can never be too high.

[ColoradoBills]

13 minutes ago, BillyBilliams said:

My expectations are high.  I expect them to dominate every game they play.  I expect them to win the Super Bowl.  People who don't have expectations too high are scared of the pressure and the negative blowback if it doesn't happen.  

 

Then you will need to prepare yourself for the reality that what you expect will not happen.

[Nephilim17]

My expectation is that the players play a smart and focused game with full effort and intelligence. If they do that and still lose, I'll be sad but I'm ok with that. I don't think the team met that expectation, especially the offense and Josh, the second half.

 

But it won't keep me up at night. We got the win. My expectation is that the coaching staff and players, especially Josh, learn from the mistakes and I believe they will.

[BillyBilliams]

2 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Then you will need to prepare yourself for the reality that what you expect will not happen.

 

I know that won't happen, but you can still expect them to.  You can't realistically believe they're going to play perfect and fire on all cylinders for 20 games.  However, we all know their capabilities and we can expect them to win every game they play, and rather convincingly.  Expectations is different than reality

[Big Turk]

Let's put this in perspective for a second:

 

 

 

I think they are doing just fine...

[ColoradoBills]

3 minutes ago, BillyBilliams said:

 

I know that won't happen, but you can still expect them to.  You can't realistically believe they're going to play perfect and fire on all cylinders for 20 games.  However, we all know their capabilities and we can expect them to win every game they play, and rather convincingly.  Expectations is different than reality

 

I guess I see your point, but I personally wouldn't use the word, expect.

Like I said up thread, I know it would be foolish for me to stand in front of the team and say I "expect you guys to perform at 100% always".

I can only hope they can achieve that as much as humanly possible.

[TPS]

5 hours ago, HOUSE said:

WHAT EXPECTATIONS?

 

I turn on the TV and whatever happens,  happens..

Wow!  How many times have you been lucky enough it was on the game's channel when you turned it on?

[TheFunPolice]

Some fans seem to expect everything to go perfectly all the time. The minute a guy misses a tackle or drops a ball or fumbles he is a bum who need to be cut. 

 

It's an imperfect game, and quite frankly, we're spoiled watching this team because so often it does seem so easy. but it's not

 

 

[ColoradoBills]

6 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

Some fans seem to expect everything to go perfectly all the time. The minute a guy misses a tackle or drops a ball or fumbles he is a bum who need to be cut. 

 

It's an imperfect game, and quite frankly, we're spoiled watching this team because so often it does seem so easy. but it's not

 

 

 

Well said.  I for one do not want to get spoiled.  I want to savor every moment and be amazed at how well they can play.

I'm old enough to know that you make hay when the sun shines and I also know that "all glory is fleeting".

[Big Turk]

 

[Billsfan1972]

I love the apologists.  Not a single person disagrees.  I started a thread to express my opinion (not seeing anything similar).  The Bills have had bad stretches this year, but yesterday imo was different and they flat out looked bad the second half.  

 

No I did not listen to McD or others, nor have turned on the radio, and won't.  Maybe I'm too tired as that second half (at least the 4th quarter) went on forever.  

 

I expect (and have said so) all to be corrected, just did not like what I saw.

 

Yes my focus is on Allen and he threw his worst passes of the year yesterday.  Overthrew receivers and seemed out of sorts.

 

Just stating an opinion. 

[pocoboy]

6 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Yes it is a Super Bowl Victory or bust year, but coming out of yesterday's game (particularly the second half) and you wonder whether we as fans have set the bar too high.

 

 

 

This is a team likely to be in Year 3 of "Capable of making Deep Playoff Run."

 

If you aren't hitting the Super Bowl by then, you are failing expectations. Especially when you have one of the Top 3 QB's in the league.

 

If you've watched the NFL for more than a year, you should realize that the term "Any Given Sunday" isn't bandied about for kicks. Heck all you'd really have to do is go back a few weeks and look at KC playing Indy.

 

Let me give you a little hint: this team may still have a Jacksonville game in their future this season, where their effort is poor coupled with an inspired defense & officiating crew nickel and diming them to death. It should NOT change the expectations. At this point, being happy with a home playoff game is a Maf move, happy for another week to demolish tables and drink themselves into oblivion.

Edited October 31, 2022 by pocoboy

[Big Turk]

Couple of interesting notes:

 

Bills lead the NFL in net TDs with 13, 3 more over Cincy and Philly.  

 

Bills have the 3rd highest Strength of Victory in the NFL at .511.  Only TB at .542 and Cincy at .531 are higher. Those teams have 3 and 4 wins respectively.  If Cincy beats Cleveland we may vault into 2nd place because Cleveland sucks.

 

Bills have a conference point differential of +74.  The 40 point gap between them and 2nd place Jacksonville??? is higher than the net points for Jacksonville who is at 34.  KC Point Differential?  -3.

 

Basically, we are really f***ing good.

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Big Turk

[BillyBilliams]

1 hour ago, Nextmanup said:

I was thinking about that, sort of, during the game last night.

 

I think there is something to that; it was a weird game where it felt like the big blowout was coming.  Then it didn't really materialize, and then that weird garbage time lasted forever and the game started to change, while in it.

 

Weird game; easier for the players to focus 100% and put the pedal down in a close, hard fought game.

 

It's like being up 2-0 or 3-0 in a hockey game; sometimes that's the worst---for the team in the lead.

 

 

 

I can understand them being bored.  I was too.  I found myself playing phone games in the second half when I seen Green Bay were just gonna kill the clock.  

[teef]

14 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I love the apologists.  Not a single person disagrees.  I started a thread to express my opinion (not seeing anything similar).  The Bills have had bad stretches this year, but yesterday imo was different and they flat out looked bad the second half.  

 

No I did not listen to McD or others, nor have turned on the radio, and won't.  Maybe I'm too tired as that second half (at least the 4th quarter) went on forever.  

 

I expect (and have said so) all to be corrected, just did not like what I saw.

 

Yes my focus is on Allen and he threw his worst passes of the year yesterday.  Overthrew receivers and seemed out of sorts.

 

Just stating an opinion. 

you just love to get bent out of shape.  you're right...no one disagrees.  most just don't just to such a wild conclusion that expectations are too high due to a blah half of football. most are reasonable enough to enjoy the win, discuss what went wrong, and move on.  as of now it's not a big deal at all. i think you just want these threads to be confrontation because you need that for some reason.

[Dan]

I haven’t read this thread and have little real football knowledge, but I’m completely confident in saying... NO.  Our expectations are not too high.  
 

This is the worst 6-1, conference leading team we’ve seen this year.   There’s literally zero chance we could beat the Chiefs!  And with out run defense, good luck if we have to play the Ravens or Titans.  Henry would put up the first 400 yard rushing game.   And now if Poyer is put on IR and never plays again our pass defense is shot.   Time to look at the draft prospects.  There is only one expectation left... pain. 
 

oh yeah and Edmonds still sucks and cant even spell LB let alone play it. Dude never makes a tackle.  
 

I’m done with this team until later tonight after work!!