Nattering nabobs of negativism

[oldmanfan]

I struggle to understand this fan base sometimes.  Many seem to actively search for ways to downplay the team’s fortunes and/or denigrate specific players, management and such.  Examples include:

 

1.  Ragging on for years on Edmunds, then as soon as he leaves in free agency ragging on Beane for not resigning or replacing him.

 

2.  Ragging on Beane for not having a veteran guy behind Brown at RT,  then ragging on him because the guy he got retired (as if Beane should be Nostradamus) then ragging on getting Ifedi as if we were going to get an All Pro.

 

There are many such examples.  But the last 24 hours or so have taken the cake, because who are we negative on now?  Josh Allen.  And why?  Mainly because of two articles from the gasbag known as Jason Whitlock, the first of which he said was a lie, then the second of which he claims Josh doesn’t work hard enough and it’s supposedly well known.  Throw in an interview with MacAfee where Josh specifically states he watches a lot of film but qualifies what he takes from it, and all of a sudden it’s Josh that is why the Bills haven’t won a Lombardi.  It’s Josh who drinks too much (one incident with Kyle Allen), Josh who doesn’t work out, Josh who doesn’t spend enough time on football in the off-season (put your TV on and measure in minutes how long till you see Mahomes in a commercial).  Or Josh impregnating waitresses, which no reputable news source has validated.

 

All this leads me to ask:  what the hell is wrong with some people around here?  I am not saying Josh can’t improve.  He needs to continue learning to take the short routes, get the ball out quicker, etc.  but to claim he is now somehow the problem, that it’s his work ethic, that as one person said here that they don’t like Josh personally  as if he actually has ever met the guy?  Come on.

 

I have thought for quite a long time there are folks on this board that really want the Bills to lose so they can somehow crow on a message board that they were right.  I think some of the stuff we’re seeing is some bizarre defense mechanism people throw up as a guard should the Bills not win it all.  
 

Me?  I’ve been a fan since 1960 when I was 5 years old.  I will do as I’ve always done, enter the season with optimism and then see how things go.  Offer praise when merited as well as criticism when merited.  But to actively seek out reasons for negativism, even to the point of believing nonsensical crap to do so?  I don’t get it.

 

 

[Buffalo Boy]

Look

Josh clearly sucks!!!!

He is Beaner’s biggest miss.

Get over it.

[The Wiz]

Some people can't have nice things.

[Low Positive]

The entire line of discussion on this board right now is because we all want something so badly over which we have zero control. This is especially true of the "Josh doesn't watch enough film" threads. We start to worry that we want it more than the actual players. One thing that nobody actually talks about anymore is "what would have happened if McDermott had kept the pick and drafted Mahomes," but I have to think that this is the elephant in the room in all discussions about Josh. 

 

FWIW, I don't worry about any of this but I do find the psychology of this group of fans to be fascinating. I also see evidence of almost all of the cognitive biases that plague human cognition due to evolutionary psychology but that is best left undiscussed. 

Edited September 2, 2023 by FrenchConnection

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Not enough strip joints in B-Lo.  Clearly…

[Dan in Owego]

Come on Bill's mafia maybe tailgates should go to the full Monty 🤔

[Straight Hucklebuck]

It's not insane to conclude that Josh isn't as dedicated to his fitness when sequences on Kyle Brandt's basement go like this, and I'm paraphrasing here:

 

Kyle Brandt: What's up man, are you working out?

 

Josh Allen: Yeah (smiles) ... all the time

 

Kyle Brandt: Really? 

 

Josh Allen: All the time

 

Or later in the interview where he says that he has leaned on natural talent more in his past. 

 

Or when he talks about how Joe Burrow is "all-ball" when working with Palmer and Josh is cracking jokes. 

 

 

Then you see pictures of him and he's carrying a belly. 

 

Josh Allen HIMSELF came back to Buffalo and said he can do more and lead this team better. 

 

 

 

So it's not anti-Bills, it's not anti-Josh, it's not you really want the Bills to fail. 

 

It's this team hasn't won a Super Bowl. We're 0-4 in 60+ years of existence. 

 

And of course, in Buffalo luck, we get good just when the AFC is exploding with QB talent. 

 

And because the cap is strained, Beane has kept the 2020-2021-2022 team together as much as he possibly could (to his credit), one of the few levers this team has to get better before age catches up with them (Diggs, Von, Milano, Hyde, Poyer, White) is for Allen to take his game to another level. Since he's in Year 6 now and Sal C is running around saying he doesn't need a veteran QB anymore, he is the veteran, then his physical fitness is one avenue to possibly extract more performance. 

 

Nobody is saying they hate him or the Bills. 

 

That's classic embellishment. 

[BADOLBILZ]

 

Someone should start a thread to complain about the "blither idiots of fan negativism" who start threads like this one.

 

I enjoyed the contrived argument that the same people who complained about Edmunds are also the one's blaming Beane for not re-signing him............that was a really out-of-the-box take. 

 

 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

21 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

Look

Josh clearly sucks!!!!

He is Beaner’s biggest miss.

Get over it.

"And one was made by Beane!  Jessica and I could have won the OBD Mixed Doubles tournament!"

[SCBills]

16 minutes ago, FrenchConnection said:

The entire line of discussion on this board right now is because we all want something so badly over which we have zero control. This is especially true of the "Josh doesn't watch enough film" threads. We start to worry that we want it more than the actual players. One thing that nobody actually talks about anymore is "what would have happened if McDermott had kept the pick and drafted Mahomes," but I have to think that this is the elephant in the room in all discussions about Josh. 

 

FWIW, I don't worry about any of this but I do find the psychology of this group of fans to be fascinating. I also see evidence of almost all of the cognitive biases that plague human cognition due to evolutionary psychology but that is best left undiscussed. 

I may be in the minority, but have zero care to think about “what if” we drafted Mahomes..

 

McDermott isn’t Reid. 
 

Beane hasn’t built the OL Mahomes has had for most of his career. 
 

We haven’t had a Kelce.  
 

Doesn’t mean McDermott/Beane are bad.. I’m not trying to bring negativity to an anti-negativity thread, but they aren’t the gold standard.. which so far, has been Reid/Veach.   And they’ve done things for Mahomes that we have not for Allen. 
 

Therefore, I have zero reason to think the Mahomes we see in KC is the one we’d see here.   
 

QB development/success has quite a bit to do with the situation they land in.   To give our staff credit, Allen being arguably the most physically talented QB to enter this league, may never have been unlocked if he didn’t end up with McDermott/Daboll for his first few years. 

[oldmanfan]

1 minute ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

It's not insane to conclude that Josh isn't as dedicated to his fitness when sequences on Kyle Brandt's basement go like this, and I'm paraphrasing here:

 

Kyle Brandt: What's up man, are you working out?

 

Josh Allen: Yeah (smiles) ... all the time

 

Kyle Brandt: Really? 

 

Josh Allen: All the time

 

Or later in the interview where he says that he has leaned on natural talent more in his past. 

 

Or when he talks about how Joe Burrow is "all-ball" when working with Palmer and Josh is cracking jokes. 

 

 

Then you see pictures of him and he's carrying a belly. 

 

Josh Allen HIMSELF came back to Buffalo and said he can do more and lead this team better. 

 

 

 

So it's not anti-Bills, it's not anti-Josh, it's not you really want the Bills to fail. 

 

It's this team hasn't won a Super Bowl. We're 0-4 in 60+ years of existence. 

 

And of course, in Buffalo luck, we get good just when the AFC is exploding with QB talent. 

 

And because the cap is strained, Beane has kept the 2020-2021-2022 team together as much as he possibly could (to his credit), one of the few levers this team has to get better before age catches up with them (Diggs, Von, Milano, Hyde, Poyer, White) is for Allen to take his game to another level. Since he's in Year 6 now and Sal C is running around saying he doesn't need a veteran QB anymore, he is the veteran, then his physical fitness is one avenue to possibly extract more performance. 

 

Nobody is saying they hate him or the Bills. 

 

That's classic embellishment. 

Someone posted a picture of Josh just to show you how fit he is, and you ignore it.  Why?  What possible reason do you have to do that?

2 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Someone should start a thread to complain about the "blither idiots of fan negativism" who start threads like this one.

 

I enjoyed the contrived argument that the same people who complained about Edmunds are also the one's blaming Beane for not re-signing him............that was a really out-of-the-box take. 

 

 

Really?  Because the stuff about Edmunds has gone in all off-season.  Where have you been?

[Straight Hucklebuck]

1 minute ago, oldmanfan said:

Someone posted a picture of Josh just to show you how fit he is, and you ignore it.  Why?  What possible reason do you have to do that?

The one from the beginning of last year with Gabe?  Yeah I've seen it. He's standing there, arms crossed, with larger arms? 

 

[Augie]

I think 90% of the negativity comes from a vocal minority of a half dozen to a dozen posters. And we all know who they are. Many of you have at least some of them on “Ignore”, and I can’t blame you for that. 

[oldmanfan]

2 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

The one from the beginning of last year with Gabe?  Yeah I've seen it. He's standing there, arms crossed, with larger arms? 

 

If you can look at that picture and say he’s not working out then you have absolutely no objectivity.

[Buffalo Boy]

6 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

"And one was made by Beane!  Jessica and I could have won the OBD Mixed Doubles tournament!"

   In 2018, a Panther’s fan at work would send me the Kyle Allen and Josh Allen power rankings every week and tell me “ Not only did you pick the wrong Josh but the wrong Allen Also”

   How the tides turned😈

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Just now, oldmanfan said:

If you can look at that picture and say he’s not working out then you have absolutely no objectivity.

And if you can't listen to Allen describe his lack of working out, especially when it comes from his own mouth, then you have no objectivity either. 

[oldmanfan]

4 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

And if you can't listen to Allen describe his lack of working out, especially when it comes from his own mouth, then you have no objectivity either. 

Do you have any concept of sarcasm?  Kidding in an interview?  Just look at the guy.  
 

And if you look at guys like Brady or Manning, was it them being workout warriors that made them great?

 

You are looking for reasons to be negative and critical.  And I don’t understand why.

Edited September 2, 2023 by oldmanfan

[BuffaloBillyG]

I believe that for a lot of the consistently negative poster it comes down to a couple things.

 

1. I think it's fair to say more times then not roster moves tend to gravitate to either not working out well or being a minor improvement NFL wide. That goes for draft picks and FA signings. Statistically if you pan every move you will be right more times and can thus crow about how smart they are. And there is absolutely zero accountability for when they are wrong. Let's say someone like Harty goes off this year and has a monster season. All they have to do is say "Boy, fellas I've never been happier to be wrong." and then go on to the next move to pan.

 

2. I think a lot of people that are ultra negative also do so to protect their own feelings/emotions/outlooks. Lower expectations so they are mentally prepared for the worst when and if it happens. I see that with a lot of people that appear to lean way too much of their own personal happiness into team success.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

35 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I struggle to understand this fan base sometimes.  Many seem to actively search for ways to downplay the team’s fortunes and/or denigrate specific players, management and such.  Examples include:

 

1.  Ragging on for years on Edmunds, then as soon as he leaves in free agency ragging on Beane for not resigning or replacing him.

 

2.  Ragging on Beane for not having a veteran guy behind Brown at RT,  then ragging on him because the guy he got retired (as if Beane should be Nostradamus) then ragging on getting Ifedi as if we were going to get an All Pro.

 

There are many such examples.  But the last 24 hours or so have taken the cake, because who are we negative on now?  Josh Allen.  And why?  Mainly because of two articles from the gasbag known as Jason Whitlock, the first of which he said was a lie, then the second of which he claims Josh doesn’t work hard enough and it’s supposedly well known.  Throw in an interview with MacAfee where Josh specifically states he watches a lot of film but qualifies what he takes from it, and all of a sudden it’s Josh that is why the Bills haven’t won a Lombardi.  It’s Josh who drinks too much (one incident with Kyle Allen), Josh who doesn’t work out, Josh who doesn’t spend enough time on football in the off-season (put your TV on and measure in minutes how long till you see Mahomes in a commercial).  Or Josh impregnating waitresses, which no reputable news source has validated.

 

All this leads me to ask:  what the hell is wrong with some people around here?  I am not saying Josh can’t improve.  He needs to continue learning to take the short routes, get the ball out quicker, etc.  but to claim he is now somehow the problem, that it’s his work ethic, that as one person said here that they don’t like Josh personally  as if he actually has ever met the guy?  Come on.

 

I have thought for quite a long time there are folks on this board that really want the Bills to lose so they can somehow crow on a message board that they were right.  I think some of the stuff we’re seeing is some bizarre defense mechanism people throw up as a guard should the Bills not win it all.  
 

Me?  I’ve been a fan since 1960 when I was 5 years old.  I will do as I’ve always done, enter the season with optimism and then see how things go.  Offer praise when merited as well as criticism when merited.  But to actively seek out reasons for negativism, even to the point of believing nonsensical crap to do so?  I don’t get it.

 

 

what gives you the right to judge how people want to be fans?
 

Some folks are inherently negative and clearly it harms you, some folks consider perpetual optimism in the face of insufficient results equally annoying. Some are critical.  Some times those critiques are antithetical. 
 

it’s all part of being a fan base. Take it or leave it, you aren’t changing it. Nor should it change. 

[Bob in STL]

35 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I struggle to understand this fan base sometimes.  Many seem to actively search for ways to downplay the team’s fortunes and/or denigrate specific players, management and such.  Examples include:

 

1.  Ragging on for years on Edmunds, then as soon as he leaves in free agency ragging on Beane for not resigning or replacing him.

 

2.  Ragging on Beane for not having a veteran guy behind Brown at RT,  then ragging on him because the guy he got retired (as if Beane should be Nostradamus) then ragging on getting Ifedi as if we were going to get an All Pro.

 

There are many such examples.  But the last 24 hours or so have taken the cake, because who are we negative on now?  Josh Allen.  And why?  Mainly because of two articles from the gasbag known as Jason Whitlock, the first of which he said was a lie, then the second of which he claims Josh doesn’t work hard enough and it’s supposedly well known.  Throw in an interview with MacAfee where Josh specifically states he watches a lot of film but qualifies what he takes from it, and all of a sudden it’s Josh that is why the Bills haven’t won a Lombardi.  It’s Josh who drinks too much (one incident with Kyle Allen), Josh who doesn’t work out, Josh who doesn’t spend enough time on football in the off-season (put your TV on and measure in minutes how long till you see Mahomes in a commercial).  Or Josh impregnating waitresses, which no reputable news source has validated.

 

All this leads me to ask:  what the hell is wrong with some people around here?  I am not saying Josh can’t improve.  He needs to continue learning to take the short routes, get the ball out quicker, etc.  but to claim he is now somehow the problem, that it’s his work ethic, that as one person said here that they don’t like Josh personally  as if he actually has ever met the guy?  Come on.

 

I have thought for quite a long time there are folks on this board that really want the Bills to lose so they can somehow crow on a message board that they were right.  I think some of the stuff we’re seeing is some bizarre defense mechanism people throw up as a guard should the Bills not win it all.  
 

Me?  I’ve been a fan since 1960 when I was 5 years old.  I will do as I’ve always done, enter the season with optimism and then see how things go.  Offer praise when merited as well as criticism when merited.  But to actively seek out reasons for negativism, even to the point of believing nonsensical crap to do so?  I don’t get it.

 

 

 

The biggest baloney you read here and in the National Media is that Josh Allen's "prime" and his "window" is closing.   Over the history of the league  many QB's made it to the SB at a much older age.  

 

The new narrative on Josh not working hard enough is garbage and its the exact opposite of the early narrative -   he worked harder than his contemporaries  because he was so "raw" coming out of college.  Remember when they said all stuff about his technique and accuracy and everything else?  

 

Too many overblown media opinions, especially related to NFL.  

 

[oldmanfan]

Just now, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

what gives you the right to judge how people want to be fans?
 

Some folks are inherently negative and clearly it harms you, some folks consider perpetual optimism in the face of insufficient results equally annoying. Some are critical.  Some times those critiques are antithetical. 
 

it’s all part of being a fan base. Take it or leave it, you aren’t changing it. Nor should it change. 

You want to be that way have at it.  I don’t understand why.

[LeGOATski]

2 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Do you have any concept of sarcasm?  Kidding in an interview?  Just look at the guy.  

There are people out there with zero sense of humor. Add self-righteousness to the mix and they become intolerable.

[juno999]

I do find it interesting the Bills do not have a single 1st round pick on the oline.  They have one at QB, WR (I'm counting Diggs trade), TE, DE, DT, and CB.  They just lost Edmunds to FA.  

 

Hopefully Brown can solidify the RT spot.  Counting on a guy who had back surgery is an iffy proposition though.  Personally, I'm glad they signed Ifedi.  Not expecting great things but if Brown is struggling they do have an option now.  In a weird way, I think the Bills improved their backup RT with Shell retiring.

 

The game of football has changed a lot since the Bills were making Super Bowl appearances.  The biggest difference in those teams and the current Bills version is the oline imo.  There are other differences of course.

 

If they can improve their overall oline play, protect Allen better and run it more effectively, they could be even more explosive and dominant.  Having a stronger oline could hide some defensive weaknesses or at least negate them to a degree.

[BillsDad51]

I, too, have been a fan since the '60s. I've never enjoyed being a Bills fan more than the last 5 years. Even the 13 seconds and the Cincy beat down can't take away the joy from watching Allen play. I can't  let reports or rumors about how he trains, eats or conducts himself detract from that feeling. 

[jkeerie]

8 minutes ago, juno999 said:

I do find it interesting the Bills do not have a single 1st round pick on the oline.  They have one at QB, WR (I'm counting Diggs trade), TE, DE, DT, and CB.  They just lost Edmunds to FA.  

 

Hopefully Brown can solidify the RT spot.  Counting on a guy who had back surgery is an iffy proposition though.  Personally, I'm glad they signed Ifedi.  Not expecting great things but if Brown is struggling they do have an option now.  In a weird way, I think the Bills improved their backup RT with Shell retiring.

 

The game of football has changed a lot since the Bills were making Super Bowl appearances.  The biggest difference in those teams and the current Bills version is the oline imo.  There are other differences of course.

 

If they can improve their overall oline play, protect Allen better and run it more effectively, they could be even more explosive and dominant.  Having a stronger oline could hide some defensive weaknesses or at least negate them to a degree.

In truth, where the Bills have been picking, the value hasn't been there late in the first round for O line help.  First round talent on the o line is usually gone in the first 10 to 12 picks.

[julian]

13 minutes ago, BillsDad51 said:

I, too, have been a fan since the '60s. I've never enjoyed being a Bills fan more than the last 5 years. Even the 13 seconds and the Cincy beat down can't take away the joy from watching Allen play. I can't  let reports or rumors about how he trains, eats or conducts himself detract from that feeling. 

Heck yeah, it’s amazing watching his career as a Bill unfold, jumping outta my chair every game texting my buddies with disbelief at what we’re seeing every game.

 

 I don’t have any hard feelings towards those who constantly dwell on the negatives and can’t see beyond the ultimate goal of winning a Lombardi, I actually pity those fans .

 

 Can you imagine heaving Josh freaking Allen as your QB and not being excited about winning a title because you’re too busy nitpicking. That was me in the 80s and 90s, only dwelling on the final game of the season and before I knew it the run was over and I never really appreciated the greatness while it was happening.

Edited September 2, 2023 by julian

[SCBills]

8 minutes ago, jkeerie said:

In truth, where the Bills have been picking, the value hasn't been there late in the first round for O line help.  First round talent on the o line is usually gone in the first 10 to 12 picks.

At Tackle, correct.  Best bet there is probably what we’re doing.. drafting toolsy guys to try and develop - or go the Bengals/Chiefs route and drop a bag on a guy in FA. 
 

On the interior, it’s incredibly frustrating due to the fact so many fans wanted Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.  That’s not me second guessing.. the overwhelming portion of the fanbase were begging Beane to draft them, only for KC to do so and form the best IOL in the NFL with Thuney.  
 

Hopefully we learned our lesson, because I do think we may have a very good IOL going into the season. 
 

Edited September 2, 2023 by SCBills

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

11 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

You want to be that way have at it.  I don’t understand why.

I don’t understand why homer-ism permits one to believe Allen has earned comparisons to Brady or Manning.

Long long way to go before that’s a conversation… 

 

[LabattBlue]

1 hour ago, oldmanfan said:

I struggle to understand this fan base sometimes. 

I stopped reading at this point.  ALL sports fanbases are the same.  Stop acting like Bills fans are so awful.  If you want to act like a superfan who can’t bring yourself to read or think any negative thoughts about the Bills, then maybe leave here.   As an alternative, why not ask Scott if you and some of the other superfans can have your own sub-forum where there is nothing but sunshine & lollipops 24x7. 😂
 

 

[Don Otreply]

39 minutes ago, Augie said:

I think 90% of the negativity comes from a vocal minority of a half dozen to a dozen posters. And we all know who they are. Many of you have at least some of them on “Ignore”, and I can’t blame you for that. 

Yup, the one thing that group has going for them is being persistent…, when you see their names you know exactly what they are going to say without reading their post 

[jkeerie]

15 minutes ago, SCBills said:

At Tackle, correct.  Best bet there is probably what we’re doing.. drafting toolsy guys to try and develop - or go the Bengals/Chiefs route and drop a bag on a guy in FA. 
 

On the interior, it’s incredibly frustrating due to the fact so many fans wanted Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.  That’s not me second guessing.. the overwhelming portion of the fanbase were begging Beane to draft them, only for KC to do so and form the best IOL in the NFL with Thuney.  
 

Hopefully we learned our lesson, because I do think we may have a very good IOL going into the season. 
 

IOL players are generally devalued though and not drafted in the first round.  Creed Humphrey was drafted in the second round as was Ocyrus Torrence this year.  You rarely see an IOL ranked in the first round.  I think Torrence was ranked that way this year, and lasted well into the second round.

[Alphadawg7]

Here is the dumbest part about all of this...

 

Since Josh has entered the league, there is not a single QB, maybe player, that has put as much work in during the offseason as Josh has to elevate his game fix his weaknesses.  Its a CRITICAL part as to why he has been a unicorn in coming in so raw and rising to such an elite level.

 

Then after one of the most emotionally draining seasons for any team that I can ever remember starting with Matt Araiza, the death of Luke Knox, grocery store massacre, multiple blizzards and deaths, and then Hamlin...not to mention an elbow injury his missed ZERO SNAPS for that would have sidelined just about every other QB in the league at least 4-6 weeks...he takes some time to heal the mind, heart, and body this offseason...which by the way included the separation of his long time girlfriend as well.  

 

Its utterly insane the criticism he is getting right now.  Bills have the #1 offense in the NFL in scoring the past 3 seasons and why, because of Allen.  Suddenly the media and shockingly even fans here are suddenly trying VERY hard to turn on him and make him the problem.  And for what?  Because he drunk with a teammate on an off day?  Because he said he watches a lot of film but doesn't want to over watch and get locked into a way D plays knowing they will play him and the Bills different?  Because he played some golf during an offseason when he needed to clear the mind and rest?  Its utterly insane because look around the NFL, that is what most players did this offseason, even all the greats.  

 

This kid leaves it all out on the field every week, puts it all on the line on EVERY play. 

He prioritzes the fans and goes WAY out of his way to sign, meet, greet, and take pics.

Josh is heavily involved in the community and giving back.

You will never not find him with a smile and positive attitude.  

He is a model citizen, player, and human by all accounts who is dedicated to his craft and teammates.  

 

He deserves better than the BS treatment he is getting in the media, and he sure as heck deserves a lot better from the unappreciative base here.  These are the times where the board comes unbearable to be honest.  Josh has given us fans all kinds of access to him talking, having fun, joking, etc with all these interviews and podcasts...and some people just circle like vultures to validate negative feelings and look for sound bites for confirmation bias.  I wouldn't be surprised if Josh said f-it I am not doing anymore of these because of the people just looking to use it against him.  

 

There are people on this board who don't deserve to watch this team or Allen.  Not saying the good posters who had some reasonable comments, questions, or concerns.  But the ones trying to over exaggerate every negative story on the team, Diggs, Allen, or whatever just to sew their all the time negative view point.  

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by Alphadawg7

[Playoffs?]

42 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

2. I think a lot of people that are ultra negative also do so to protect their own feelings/emotions/outlooks. Lower expectations so they are mentally prepared for the worst when and if it happens. I see that with a lot of people that appear to lean way too much of their own personal happiness into team success.

I agree with this!  

In general, the narrative in Buffalo is typically consistent: “This is the year! They’re doing it!  They’re good. No they suck.  No they’re good again. They just broke my heart.  They suck.  But next year is our year!!”

 

This is a city and team that has been SO close so many times, and we’re starving for a title. Some of us tend to expect the same story as above, and we set the bar low to get ourselves prepped for the worst. (Watch and see what happens if we lose to the Jets in week 1.)  I don’t like the straight negativity… but also don’t necessarily blame the lack of faith… until we win, we’ve only had our hearts broken. 
 

That all said, the Bills are so exciting to watch, and Josh is the most exciting player in the league (at least in my opinion), and lay off the guy… we’d be  less than a .500 team without him. These are good years for Bills football. Hopefully they can give themselves and the fans what we’ve all been starving for. 

[Nihilarian]

This forum isn't just for Buffalo Bills fans as we see so many posters from other teams posting here...and so many that we really don't know where their loyalties really lay. 

 

People love to stir the pot and get fans going on one thing or another while mostly jealous of the Buffalo QB, their GM, their HC, and their winning the division for a few years now. Taking the glory from Patriots fans and that has got to have those Bean town peeps beating like stuck sheep. Meanwhile, the Jets sit in the basement missing their drafting of QBs in the draft needed to sign Aaron Rodgers as It looks like he is at the end of his career. When you start thinking of retirement...you are already gone.

 

Miami, with its meddlesome owner, wanted Tua over Justin Herbert and got his wish. Can you imagine Herbert on the Dolphins?

Edited September 2, 2023 by Nihilarian

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection said:

The entire line of discussion on this board right now is because we all want something so badly over which we have zero control. This is especially true of the "Josh doesn't watch enough film" threads. We start to worry that we want it more than the actual players. One thing that nobody actually talks about anymore is "what would have happened if McDermott had kept the pick and drafted Mahomes," but I have to think that this is the elephant in the room in all discussions about Josh. 

 

FWIW, I don't worry about any of this but I do find the psychology of this group of fans to be fascinating. I also see evidence of almost all of the cognitive biases that plague human cognition due to evolutionary psychology but that is best left undiscussed. 

So we'll said and true. There are media types like Whitlock, Wright and Stephen A. who's only motivation is wild clickbait content. And there is a very large fan percentage (including myself) concerned with "do they want it less than we do".  I too was wondering an alternative world where we had Mahomes & Jefferson? But even with all the contrived drama, I wouldn't trade Josh or Steph for anything. Hopefully McDermott is the right coach for this team?

[Marcus Aurelius]

1 hour ago, oldmanfan said:

I struggle to understand this fan base sometimes.  Many seem to actively search for ways to downplay the team’s fortunes and/or denigrate specific players, management and such.  Examples include:

 

1.  Ragging on for years on Edmunds, then as soon as he leaves in free agency ragging on Beane for not resigning or replacing him.

 

2.  Ragging on Beane for not having a veteran guy behind Brown at RT,  then ragging on him because the guy he got retired (as if Beane should be Nostradamus) then ragging on getting Ifedi as if we were going to get an All Pro.

 

There are many such examples.  But the last 24 hours or so have taken the cake, because who are we negative on now?  Josh Allen.  And why?  Mainly because of two articles from the gasbag known as Jason Whitlock, the first of which he said was a lie, then the second of which he claims Josh doesn’t work hard enough and it’s supposedly well known.  Throw in an interview with MacAfee where Josh specifically states he watches a lot of film but qualifies what he takes from it, and all of a sudden it’s Josh that is why the Bills haven’t won a Lombardi.  It’s Josh who drinks too much (one incident with Kyle Allen), Josh who doesn’t work out, Josh who doesn’t spend enough time on football in the off-season (put your TV on and measure in minutes how long till you see Mahomes in a commercial).  Or Josh impregnating waitresses, which no reputable news source has validated.

 

All this leads me to ask:  what the hell is wrong with some people around here?  I am not saying Josh can’t improve.  He needs to continue learning to take the short routes, get the ball out quicker, etc.  but to claim he is now somehow the problem, that it’s his work ethic, that as one person said here that they don’t like Josh personally  as if he actually has ever met the guy?  Come on.

 

I have thought for quite a long time there are folks on this board that really want the Bills to lose so they can somehow crow on a message board that they were right.  I think some of the stuff we’re seeing is some bizarre defense mechanism people throw up as a guard should the Bills not win it all.  
 

Me?  I’ve been a fan since 1960 when I was 5 years old.  I will do as I’ve always done, enter the season with optimism and then see how things go.  Offer praise when merited as well as criticism when merited.  But to actively seek out reasons for negativism, even to the point of believing nonsensical crap to do so?  I don’t get it.

 

 

Agree.

But instantly realized you WERE old (like me 😁) with this quote  ...

"Nattering nabobs of negativism"

A phrase used by Vice President Spiro Agnew to refer to the members of the media with whom he had a very acrimonious relationship.

 

 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

I think 90% of the negativity comes from a vocal minority of a half dozen to a dozen posters. And we all know who they are. Many of you have at least some of them on “Ignore”, and I can’t blame you for that. 

Yeah if you don't have Sc__tt L_w on ignore already I can't help you.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

11 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

TOO MUCH COFFEE

 

Guddam, Jimmy.  You should have made the freeze dried Taster's Choice decaf.

[Dan]

I don’t live in Buffalo. So my question is: is all the irrational negativity prevalent throughout the fanbase and local media, or is it just the internet echo chamber of a place like this where a handful of posters can feed off each other and blow opinions out of proportion to reality?

 

It does seem like this place goes from one player or coach to the next, always needing to denigrate someone and insist they be cut.  I’ve never really cared enough to track posters and see if its always the same ones that spend years running a player out of town, only to criticize every move to replace who they said was the worst player on the team.  
 

And I’m sure its no worse, but it seems this off season has only gotten worse. The opinions and general negativity surrounding the upcoming season seem worse than any time during the drought.  My brother in law used to always be in amazement how us Bills’ fans could always spend the offseason talking about the Super Bowl and we finally were gonna do it… when clearly the team sucked throughout the early ‘00s.  Now?  We’re closer than ever, and the majority of posts here seem to think we suck worse than ever.  
 

I usually just attribute it to the screwed up internet-age we live in where every idiot had a platform to spew.  So I wonder, is that what this is?   Do we discuss reality of what tje team is, or do the misconceptions and opinions of trolls become the reality?