Are Bills fans expectations too high????

[DC Greg]

I think a lot of fans have unrealistic expectations. Anything less than an absolutely perfect performance in all phases is overly dissected and debated. All great teams have bad drives, quarters, halves, and even whole games. Great teams even (gasp) LOSE on occasion. The talent parity in the NFL is so close from top to bottom. The Bills are one of the best teams in the league, but they can make mistakes and be beat.

 

The obsession with "power ranking" the league by both fans and the media after every single week has gotten really tiresome at this point. We have a great team... just sit back and enjoy the ride!

[Don Otreply]

I don’t know about the expectations, but some of the fans sure are…,

[WideNine]

1 hour ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

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 

 

Allen mentioned in his presser that he was trying to dirt one of those picks, but it ended up getting scooped.

 

I guess he just did not see the defender and that happens.

 

GB does have some players in their secondary, and GB seemed to know when we were going to run it. Heck I think I can even tell when we are handing it off.

 

We still did have some really good runs in this game, just not in the red zone. Cook started to cook too so that was good to see, and the kid can catch.

 

Dorsey will need to go back to the lab, to figure out how teams are playing us down there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ArtVandalay]

Unrealistic to expect the team to fire on all cylinders all year through,  winning games while not at your best showscharacter too. We are 6-1 and just made it through the most difficult portion of our schedule. Our only loss due to environment conditions more than anything. 

 

Super or bust is justified and appropriate, we need to execute and so far we have. 

[TheBrownBear]

6 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 sort of agree with that, but do they lose focus and play like crap in the second half last night against a truly good team?  I think the big early lead and GB's mind numbing gameplan and general ineptitude sort of lulled the Bills to sleep.  I think we only possessed the ball once the entire 3rd quarter.  I've seen enough of this team that I feel comfortable writing the 4th quarter off as a one off.

13 minutes ago, DC Greg said:

I think a lot of fans have unrealistic expectations. Anything less than an absolutely perfect performance in all phases is overly dissected and debated. All great teams have bad drives, quarters, halves, and even whole games. Great teams even (gasp) LOSE on occasion. The talent parity in the NFL is so close from top to bottom. The Bills are one of the best teams in the league, but they can make mistakes and be beat.

 

The obsession with "power ranking" the league by both fans and the media after every single week has gotten really tiresome at this point. We have a great team... just sit back and enjoy the ride!

This^^^^

 

The 1990-91 Bills team was the best I've ever seen in person and they had some ugly halves (and entire games).  There's a reason teams basically never finish undefeated (or even with just 1 loss).  It's next to impossible to be at your very best for 16/17 weeks straight.  And let's not forget that the opposing team is filled with hardworking, prideful professionals as well.

[JoeF]

Bills did not play well last night.  I would be more worried if the post-game comments were trying to hide the fact that the Bills played well below expectations on both sides of the ball (D the whole game and O in the second half).  Both the McDermott and Allen post-game pressers were subdued and highly critical of the performance.  Both Coach and Josh took the blame.  

 

Not going cliche, but give the team a chance to get better than what we saw last night.  Wouldn't be surprised if we see a greater focus this week against the Jests.  Bring on @Jimmy Spagnola week....

 

 

[MJS]

5 hours ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

Amazing how this board is with the doom and gloom threads/posts after a WIN. I say send them all back to the drought days and let them remain there with all the doom and gloomers. leaving those of us in the here and now that can appreciate a WIN, rather then whine about how the WIN turned out and accepting that teams have a sloppy game (and yet still WIN) throughout a season.

 

Constructive criticism is fine, they deserve it after the sloppy 2nd half, but accept it as a bad game and move on, rather then questioning expectations.

 

6-1 (presently the best record in the afc)

 

 

On to new jersey...

The Bills are going to lose another game or two. Those weeks are going to be insufferable around here.

 

At the end of the year we will all look back and nobody will care or remember that Josh Allen had a bad 2nd half in a win. I wish people would look at the bigger picture instead of getting hung up on two quarters of football.

[Success]

I'm a Yankees fan, so say this from experience - I'd hate to see us become Yankees fans.

 

We're not even close right now, but you do see hints of it.  A SB win, and we'll be much further along that road.

 

Fans should just enjoy the game, for good or bad.  When you have a great team and high expectations, it can sometimes really diminish that experience.  The best teams in history made all kinds of mistakes, and had bad games.  Last night wasn't even a bad game - we were just sloppy, but it was after we built an insurmountable lead.

 

[FilthyBeast]

1 hour ago, Don Otreply said:

I don’t know about the expectations, but some of the fans sure are…,

 

What's important is the expectations in the locker room, not fans and media.

 

And while I imagine the organizations expectations are similar to the fans in terms of SB or bust, they know they aren't running roughtshod over the entire league and winning by 3+ scores every game. Still think this game will probably have at least one truly ugly outing/drop a game they should win before the season is over.

 

This is why already losing a game combined with a mild let down coming out of the bye aren't necessarily bad things. Assuming they return to form and crush the Jets there should be no major concerns going forward outside of keeping the roster relatively healthy.

[corta765]

The expectations for the next decade and the prior 2 years should always be SB or bust. That does not mean you cannot enjoy the season to the max or say it was awesome if they fall short. 2020 was a blast despite the result, 21 had some good moments, and this year has been a thrill since opening night. But fundamentally you have one of the top 2 players in the sport with a talented roster and good mgmt, the expectation should be SB or less. That does not mean I actually think they will make and win 12 SBs in a row more so that is the potential of this group.

Cheers

[Billsfan1972]

And I think I said in the OP, that this is probably a good thing in the long run as I expect a more focused effort Sunday.   

[without a drought]

All I'm asking for is 10 straight Super Bowls, that's not too much to ask for.

 

 

 

Asking for 10 straight wins would be asking too much.

 

 

8-2 is good enough for me.  That way they would have a winning record in Super Bowls at 8-6.  Anything less would be unacceptable.

 

 

So. no my expectations are not too high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[K-9]

High expectations are good so I won’t say they’re too high. I will say they are often dismissive though. 

[Buffalo Ballin]

Don't attack the OP.

 

Expectations are way too high. Super Bowl or bust? Lame. Josh Allen CAN get injured. Diggs can get injured. Von Miller can get injured and he had a scare last night. Jordan Poyer, one of the leaders of our defense while having a great year, is probably badly injured.

 

We already been here with the early 1990s Bills. "Oh we'll get it again next year. Third time's the charm. 4th? This HAS to be it. We're winning it."

 

Only to get crushed. Expectations are stupid. We should have learned from this. Let's just enjoy the time we have now and let the games play themselves out.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Buffalo Ballin

[mjt328]

If you have NFL Sunday Ticket and flip around during a normal Sunday, you will eventually discover that:

• Even the best teams/players have frequent stretches of poor play
• Every team has weak points that can be exploited
• Most games finish within one score, and are a couple plays away from a different team winning

 

So yes.  Expectations for this team are beyond outrageous.

We pretty much have to blast every opponent by 20+ points, or we are considered frauds.

 

I literally had a person tell me today that he's off the Bills Super Bowl bandwagon, because they should have beaten the Packers by at least 14 points.  (I'm sure it had nothing to do with him being a compulsive gambler who bet the spread... 🙄).  Apparently now the Chiefs should be everyone's favorite (again)... despite them just losing to the Bills head-to-head at home, also losing to an awful Colts team, and barely scraping out games against the Chargers and pathetic Raiders.  

 

Personally, I think it's telling that our team clocked out at halftime... and still beat (back to back MVP) Aaron Rodgers and his team that's finished with 13 wins three seasons in a row... by DOUBLE DIGITS.  

Edited October 31, 2022 by mjt328

[Alphadawg7]

Judging by your thread, I would say expectations are clearly way to unrealistic.

 

Fans seem to expect 60 minutes of absolute perfection.  Its unreal how many negative threads, concerned threads, panic threads we get after wins.  

 

We are the over whelming favorite to not only make the SB, but win it.  We are regarded by the masses as the best roster in football by most everyone.  Allen is the clear front runner for MVP.  We are the top seed in the AFC.  Most recognize us as both the best offense and defense in the NFL.

 

Yet here we are...a double digit win against the 2 time reigning MVP and people grossly over analyzing one half of football and posting all kinds of these threads on the board today.  And, its after every win TBH.  

 

There are many people on this board who were calling for McD, Beane, and Frazier to be fired multiple times during THIS season in games we WON because we werent perfect to open a game.  

 

So yeah...this board or fan base is ridiculous with their hot takes pretty much all the time.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Alphadawg7

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

8 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Never fails from some of the regulars.  Billsfan1959 will always tell you that you are wrong when you question anyone about this team & House is "just too cool for school" and posts something pith, sarcastic and never says a single thing, just looks for a reaction.

Many of us like HOUSE's pithy observations. 🧐

[Alphadawg7]

2 hours ago, Dan said:

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!!   

 

👏👏👏

 

Sir you win the internet today.  Kudos, this was great

[Donuts and Doritos]

If not now, then when? 

 

This IS the year! Now! I'm sick of being content waiting for next year. 

[Bills2022]

They are the favorites to win the Super Bowl.  It is a Super Bowl win or a failed season.  Period!!!

[Kirby Jackson]

9 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.   

I don’t think that expectations are too high. This is the best team in franchise history. This is the best team in the league. They’re capable of a lot more than we’ve seen so far. We have seen it in spurts but they haven’t played anywhere close to their potential. This team COULD be one of the best teams ever. They are capable of that. Sleepwalking through parts of games won’t work forever. They’re so good that they can still win games when they aren’t playing their best. They just open up the door to lose some others if they play like the 2nd half. We should be happy with 6-1. They should hold themselves to the standard that they are capable of.

[Simon]

9 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

 Are Bills fans expectations too high????

 

I'd suggest that they're no higher than the players' expectations of themselves.

And that is a good and healthy thing, imo.

[Starr Almighty]

9 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.   

I don't think I'm expecting too much, 3 rings by the end of this season feels like a fair thing to expect.

[Billsfan1972]

8 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I don’t think that expectations are too high. This is the best team in franchise history. This is the best team in the league. They’re capable of a lot more than we’ve seen so far. We have seen it in spurts but they haven’t played anywhere close to their potential. This team COULD be one of the best teams ever. They are capable of that. Sleepwalking through parts of games won’t work forever. They’re so good that they can still win games when they aren’t playing their best. They just open up the door to lose some others if they play like the 2nd half. We should be happy with 6-1. They should hold themselves to the standard that they are capable of.

That post would get me in real trouble.  Just take a look when I commented that they left 17 points on the board versus KC and the vitriol.😉  Maybe against Pittsburgh and Tennessee they played really good games.  

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by Billsfan1972

[folz]

Expectations should be high, but this is the NFL, to expect a blowout every week is unrealistic (especially against players the caliber of Rodgers and Jones).

 

Being the #1 team, the Bills are going to get everyone's best shot, and not only was that in play against Green Bay last night, but the Packers were absolutely desperate for the win (after losing three in a row to the Giants, Jets, and Commanders). It was a game of pride for the Packers and the Bills fell a bit short in matching that intensity in the second half. But as McD and the players always say, they will learn from it and move on.

[Buffalo Super Fan]

As a Buffalonian for almost 55 years don’t do that. Stop trying to lower bar to try to make it ok for the Buffalo Bills to fail again. Other cities don’t do that just some a small minority of this cities fans that I wouldn’t classify them as Buffalo fans. How would you classify them BSF? As party people looking for entertainment to do they are a some group and believe me it is small but they seem bigger on social media that see the Bills as just a tailgate party like there going to see The Rolling Stones or The Who they forever make excuses for the Bills and Sabres losing and coming up short. Along with having a low bar so PSE could throw them a Bills or Sabres bumper sticker and everything is wonderful. Buffalo Bills, Sabres fans like BSF are the problem to them because they hold Buffalo teams like the Bills and Sabres accountable. This Bills franchise hasn’t walked off the field for the final time of the season as winners since 1965. For the love of football wake up even my favorite College football team UB Bulls walked off the field for the season as bowl winners in 2019 Bahamas Bowl and 2020 Camellia Bowl. The UB Bulls weren’t Division I FBS until 1999 they already accomplished more than the Buffalo Bills. Cut the crap the Buffalo Bills need to win the Super Bowl period this season or the season is a complete failure. Sports are sports you complete for championships. If you want a  drinking and entertainment go see a rock concert you won’t be missed. I am tried of Buffalo fans and I use that loosely that forever make excuses and don’t care if the Bills fail. I think it sucks when any Buffalo team fails including the Buffalo Bisons who I care about more than any Buffalo sports team here. When the Buffalo Bisons lose to Rochester Red Wings or Syracuse Chiefs now Mets I still call them the Chiefs it sucks and I want to put a paper bag on my head to hide the embarrassment as a Bisons fan. Some Bills fans have very low bar of goals. Sadly some Buffalo Sabres fans bar is even lower then the Bills fan which is pathetic. BSF your too hard on the Buffalo teams? No I am not when I was a kid the way the Buffalo Sabres have lost for 11 years they would be booed off the ice and the owners would have to explain themselves to the Western New York community and face the music before the Buffalo media that PSE hides from. The cheap five and dime Knox Brothers that father owned part of Woolworth I believe never would get away with 11 straight years of losing with no playoffs. Some of today’s  Buffalo fans have no standards or any civic pride in my opinion. Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo