The only positive thing with our recent struggles, for the board

[Bills fan since 87]

Is that it's becoming clear who the fair weather fans are.  It's amazing how many posts I am reading saying things along the lines of "If I watch the game it will be out of morbid interest" or "I'm not bothered by losses anymore, I can now skip watching and do other hobbies on Sundays"

 

Does our current situation stink?  yes.  Do things need to be done better by the organization? yes.  But to say you're not going to bother watching or don't care on a message board specifically created for talking about the Bills?  that seems ridiculous to me.  Why are you even on here then?  What can you hope to contribute to the board if you in fact do not watch the games.

 

I was here for the 80's, I was here for the drought, I was here for our recent success and I will be here until the end.  Not just when it feels good to say my team is great.

 

I get the negativity and the complaining.  This forum provides a great place to vent frustrations, both valid and ridiculous.  It's therapeutic.  Things are not rosy at all right now and we have a right to demand more.  I'm not calling out the critical or hyper critical fans.  It's the ones who are saying  "I'm not going to watch" or "my weekends are free now" why bother posting in the first place?  If you don't even watch your opinions are thus rendered useless.

 

When I was sure we were going to win the Super Bowl after smoking the Rams and Titans to begin last season I thought how I would be disgusted by those "Bills fans" that wore the colors but couldn't tell you what position Dawson Knox played or who was in the AFC east.  I feel those people are much in the same as those saying they are "done watching" or "have better things to do".  To me that "fan" simply does not care enough to be considered true Mafia.  You either celebrate AND suffer with us or you are not one of us

 

Sorry for the rant.  Go Bills

[DuckyBoys]

that's all talk  We will all watch then come on here next week to either B word some more or get a brief reprieve if they play a good game and win

[Spiderweb]

Became a Bills fan when Jack Kemp was our QB. As angry as I have gotten he past few weeks, I still can vidily recall the years of having no chance before the season even began.  We can debate who should stay and who should go, but I'll always be a Bills fan!

[billsfan89]

I suffered through the drought as my introduction to being a Bills fan so right now at 5-5 with Josh Allen I am still not writing off the season. 

[MPL]

My first memory is Scott Norwood missing a 47-yard field goal. I'm born to lose, baby. I'm not going anywhere. 

[WhoTom]

I watched virtually every game during the drought. (The few I missed were due to circumstances beyond my control.)

 

I've turned off games in the middle of the 4th quarter every now and then when the game was beyond all hope, but skip a Bills game entirely? No. You only get 17 opportunities a year to see your favorite team play.

 

 

[Mango]

Maybe I am wrong, but I think some of it is Pegula fatigue. I know a few years ago I was down to watching maybe a dozen or two Sabres games per year. Not that it is a conscious decision, but if this franchise starts to pick up some of the same stench as the Sabres, the Pegula's have already trained the fanbase to bail. 

Granted the NFL is a different beast. it prints it's own money, the season is much much shorter, and your team basically plays a couple of Sundays per year at the same exact time on the same exact TV station, then they disappear for 8 months. But I do think ownership is part of some of the undercurrent. 

 

EDIT: That said. I don't miss Bills games. I don't leave games early. 

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Mango

[WotAGuy]

Nobody circles the wagons LIKE THE BUFFALO BILLS!!!

[Bills!Win!]

I had this weird PTSD feeling come out of nowhere today where I Was imagining a world where the Bills moved away and I was wondering who I would root for. I pondered on this for a good five minutes, and then I realized that with current ownership and a new stadium that we will not lose our team in the next 20 years. Win, lose or tie I’m glad we have a football team to watch, and we are so lucky to have a superstar quarterback finally

 

Just think back to 10 years ago when we had EJ Manuel and Ralph Wilson 

[Fleezoid]

You know, there's a lot of Bills fans that have been through a ton of crap with this team over the years and decades. We've all earned out metal. So, if some folks decide they're not watching or doing other things on Sunday, I say so what. I don't consider those fair-weather fans. Like I said, we've put up with a ton of crap and constant disappointment. It's draining. I'd rather cut folks some slack. 

[eball]

I’ve just stayed away from the board.  I’ll never give up on the Bills.

 

[Prospector]

36 minutes ago, Bills fan since 87 said:

Is that it's becoming clear who the fair weather fans are.  It's amazing how many posts I am reading saying things along the lines of "If I watch the game it will be out of morbid interest" or "I'm not bothered by losses anymore, I can now skip watching and do other hobbies on Sundays"

 

Does our current situation stink?  yes.  Do things need to be done better by the organization? yes.  But to say you're not going to bother watching or don't care on a message board specifically created for talking about the Bills?  that seems ridiculous to me.  Why are you even on here then?  What can you hope to contribute to the board if you in fact do not watch the games.

 

I was here for the 80's, I was here for the drought, I was here for our recent success and I will be here until the end.  Not just when it feels good to say my team is great.

 

I get the negativity and the complaining.  This forum provides a great place to vent frustrations, both valid and ridiculous.  It's therapeutic.  Things are not rosy at all right now and we have a right to demand more.  I'm not calling out the critical or hyper critical fans.  It's the ones who are saying  "I'm not going to watch" or "my weekends are free now" why bother posting in the first place?  If you don't even watch your opinions are thus rendered useless.

 

When I was sure we were going to win the Super Bowl after smoking the Rams and Titans to begin last season I thought how I would be disgusted by those "Bills fans" that wore the colors but couldn't tell you what position Dawson Knox played or who was in the AFC east.  I feel those people are much in the same as those saying they are "done watching" or "have better things to do".  To me that "fan" simply does not care enough to be considered true Mafia.  You either celebrate AND suffer with us or you are not one of us

 

Sorry for the rant.  Go Bills

Is this the new Season Ticket and PSL license pitch? 

[Wacka]

Been a fan for 59 years. First game I remember is the '64 AFL Championship.  Not gonna quit over one loss. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Wacka

[hondo in seattle]

When the Bills lose, I might stay away from the board for a few days.  But I won't skip games.

 

The first game I watched was when Mini Max Andersen swallowed his tongue.  And I'll be a loyal fan till I die no matter how many heartbreaks the team gives me.  

[Success]

I'm a lifer.  Been through ALL of it.  My bookends as a fan are the Cincy playoff loss w/ Joe Ferguson at the helm, and last year's Cincy loss.  Full circle.

 

If the last 40+ years didn't break me, 5-5 with a couple of tough losses certainly won't.

 

[Perk71]

I'm here til the end...

 

Go Bills!!

[The Wiz]

I never turn the games off, but playing late on Sunday and Monday nights when I need to get my kids to school the next morning, yea I'm putting my head on the pillow while I stare blankly at the screen.  

 

[Buffalo716]

25 minutes ago, juno999 said:

What bothers me is when fans boo the Bills during home games like they did on Monday night.  

Been happening since war memorial 

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

As a defense mechanism I use reverse psychology on myself. 

[GoBills808]

There's no such animal as a fair weather bills fan

[Punching Bag]

9 hours ago, Bills fan since 87 said:

When I was sure we were going to win the Super Bowl after smoking the Rams and Titans to begin last season I thought how I would be disgusted by those "Bills fans" that wore the colors but couldn't tell you what position Dawson Knox played or who was in the AFC east.  I feel those people are much in the same as those saying they are "done watching" or "have better things to do".  To me that "fan" simply does not care enough to be considered true Mafia.  You either celebrate AND suffer with us or you are not one of us.

 

I agree but I do not think of myself as part of the Mafia.  The Bills Mafia is a group economized by Bills with them giving up supporting other groups of fans who had been supporting them prior to the Bills Mafia.

[Bills fan since 87]

6 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

I agree but I do not think of myself as part of the Mafia.  The Bills Mafia is a group economized by Bills with them giving up supporting other groups of fans who had been supporting them prior to the Bills Mafia.

 

Fair.  I get that. Most of our fandom pre-dates the "Mafia" tag.  Perhaps a mis-use of the term on my part.

[SoCal Deek]

Somebody please tell me when we get to the fair weather. I’ve seen lots of weather in my over 60 years of watching the Bills. I’m not sure how much of it would be categorized as fair. 😉

[RobbRiddick]

I'll always watch. I enjoy the pain. Sometimes when the Bills are winning it just doesn't feel right, so I tell my wife to go over my nipples with a cheese grater, then I'm able to relax and watch the rest of the game

[Matt_In_NH]

I love the "fans" who refuse/don't watch because they are in a slump.

[SoMAn]

I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a generational divide. 

Us seniors who’ve endured the ups and downs of the Bills through the years are still enjoying our team, realizing that there’s more to life than winning a Super Bowl, even as much as we want to experience the joy. 
With today’s technology and immediate access to nearly everything, I wonder if the pre-Medicare era fans are so spoiled with instant gratification that they’re impatient and quickly hostile when they don’t get what they believe is their birth right.  
31 NFL teams finish the season short of their preseason goal. Every year, the odds are low of winning it all. 
I look forward to every season, and I’m optimistic that the Bills have the QB to make it happen before his time is done. 
If not, I’ve enjoyed the ride. 

[Don Otreply]

GO BILLS!!!

[dock581]

Great post SoMan I’ve been a fan since I was 12 years old in 1948 and we were playing in the old AAC and lost to the Browns led by Otto Graham. I’ve experienced crushing losses and exciting victories. I’m too old to go to games but I still watch virtually every game and fandom is fun and an important part of my life!

[Steve O]

For me the one positive of a so-so season is hopefully not having so many prime time games next year. Driving back to Rochester after Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nite games is becoming more of a chore than a pleasure, the next two 4:25 games aren't so great either. We hit a deer on the way back from the Bucs game (testament to Honda that we were able to drive it the last 60 miles, insurance company totaled my buddy's car.) Hope the Dallas game doesn't get flexed. The away games have been filled with prime time as well. Guess that's the price of success, but I do miss the routine of the steady diet of 1:00 o'clock games during the drought!

[PatsFanNH]

18 hours ago, MPL said:

My first memory is Scott Norwood missing a 47-yard field goal. I'm born to lose, baby. I'm not going anywhere. 

It’s Bills fans like you that I just want the Bills win just 1 SB.  Fans like you have earned it.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

13 minutes ago, Steve O said:

For me the one positive of a so-so season is hopefully not having so many prime time games next year. Driving back to Rochester after Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nite games is becoming more of a chore than a pleasure, the next two 4:25 games aren't so great either. We hit a deer on the way back from the Bucs game (testament to Honda that we were able to drive it the last 60 miles, insurance company totaled my buddy's car.) Hope the Dallas game doesn't get flexed. The away games have been filled with prime time as well. Guess that's the price of success, but I do miss the routine of the steady diet of 1:00 o'clock games during the drought!

Were you allowed to keep the venison? 🤔

[Another Fan]

In general I think message boards kind of yield the vent mentality.  Especially after bad losses. 

 

 

It's like when you hear someone say Shoot Me Now.  I mean usually the person is just venting.  I mean usually... 

[Real McClappy]

18 hours ago, Fleezoid said:

You know, there's a lot of Bills fans that have been through a ton of crap with this team over the years and decades. We've all earned out metal. So, if some folks decide they're not watching or doing other things on Sunday, I say so what. I don't consider those fair-weather fans. Like I said, we've put up with a ton of crap and constant disappointment. It's draining. I'd rather cut folks some slack. 

Hats off to you sir for actually getting it. I'm tired of ignorant BS OP threads or replies who think he/she can tell fans how we must act as fans. It's ignorant, lazy and funny to me at the same time without knowing each persons backstory. 

 

Been a fan religiously watching this team since 1983. Whomever lived the drought that lived it 30 mins away from Boston for 16+yrs working with ignorant PATS fans during that time frame would understand that it was entirely different or magnified 10x worse. I always wore my Bills gear and represented the 12th man and still do to this day at it's highest level.  I have averaged about $3K a year easily on attending multiple home/away games and buying Bills swag. I will watch or root for this team however the F$#K I please.

[Steve O]

11 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Were you allowed to keep the venison? 🤔

Must have been an end of the rack that caught the bottom corner of the windshield, front door was dented but would open, back door wouldn't even open, and there was a piece of his tail left on the tail light. Friggin thing still ran off after all that. Bet he had one hell of a headache though. Guessing he probably died at some point but he got away from the accident.

[H2o]

I have rolled with this team at their highs and I suffered through the lows as well. My Fandom began in the late-late 80's when our team was just starting to take off. My HS years were the 4 SB losses. You can imagine how that went around a bunch of teenagers. Then seeing guys like Thurman and Bruce go to other teams, while Kelly and Reed retired. Thought we were still headed in the right direction, then the Music City whatever happened. Then came through drought. Was really hype about a couple of those squads, but they all fell short. Watching the locker room when Cincy scored that TD on 4th down sending us to the Playoffs for the first time in 17 years really put it all into perspective. It was a beautiful thing to watch, especially seeing Kyle in there with his kids. Then seeing the countless videos of Bills fans celebrating around the country. It was awesome. Even in my frustration with how things have gone last couple of years, I still love this team. I still love Allen. I still love Diggs. I still love Milano, Tre, Ed, Taron, Po, and Hyde. These guys won't always be here. Time is undefeated. But I will choose not to act like complete donkey every time things don't seem to fall our way. Some people have real issues mentally and emotionally that don't allow them to take that approach. I hope somehow the ship gets righted this season. But even if it does not, it's not the end of the world. And I will still watch until the last second ticks off of the clock, whenever our final game of this season may be. 

[Nextmanup]

19 hours ago, MPL said:

My first memory is Scott Norwood missing a 47-yard field goal. I'm born to lose, baby. I'm not going anywhere. 

I have solidly beat.  I remember the garbage this franchise put on the field for most of the '70s and '80s.

 

This team ripped my soul out for the first time (I think)...losing on the road in San Diego in the playoffs, January 1981, after we won the AFC East, which was a BIG DEAL at that time.  

 

Honestly, all I have ever known is heartache with the Bills....which is why I am going nowhere, and am good at dealing with it at my age now.

 

😄

19 hours ago, Mango said:

Maybe I am wrong, but I think some of it is Pegula fatigue. I know a few years ago I was down to watching maybe a dozen or two Sabres games per year. Not that it is a conscious decision, but if this franchise starts to pick up some of the same stench as the Sabres, the Pegula's have already trained the fanbase to bail. 

Granted the NFL is a different beast. it prints it's own money, the season is much much shorter, and your team basically plays a couple of Sundays per year at the same exact time on the same exact TV station, then they disappear for 8 months. But I do think ownership is part of some of the undercurrent. 

 

EDIT: That said. I don't miss Bills games. I don't leave games early. 

 

You're just not much of a Sabres/hockey fan, that's all.

 

I didn't miss a single Sabres game throughout the drought (still ongoing of course) and that takes into an account a LOT OF UNWATCHABLE HOCKEY.  LOL

 

You're a little behind with the Sabres and their stench.  That went away maybe as much as two full seasons ago...

 

Disappointing start to this season, but we still have a solid shot to pull together and make the playoffs.

 

Anyway, it's the same at my Sabres/hockey forums.  Everyone there is crazy for the Sabres, but can take or leave the Bills.

 

Everyone has their own interests.  It's not a big deal.

 

 

[MPL]

15 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

19 hours ago, MPL said:

My first memory is Scott Norwood missing a 47-yard field goal. I'm born to lose, baby. I'm not going anywhere. 

I have solidly beat.  I remember the garbage this franchise put on the field for most of the '70s and '80s.

I even lose when it comes to who has suffered more 😆

[PBF81]

Ya have to love threads that are about posters and not the team.  

 

 

[Heavy Kevi]

1 hour ago, Another Fan said:

In general I think message boards kind of yield the vent mentality.  Especially after bad losses. 

 

 

It's like when you hear someone say Shoot Me Now.  I mean usually the person is just venting.  I mean usually... 

 

This

 

It's the same reason online reviews for things skew negative and elections draw the biggest turnout when voters are voting "against" someone a opposed to "for" someone.

 

People are motivated by anger and hatred. Bills win, we have a good day. Clean up the house. Spend time with loved ones. Louis Armstrong playing in the background.

 

When they lose, it's "mad world" on the playlist and its time to exact revenge by way of bad review (or scathing post).

[frostbitmic]

People say stupid isht when they're angry ... They stay away for an hour or two and realize their addiction overrides their anger.

 

Can't really blame people for being angry, this team is playing far below their talent levels, the coaching has been weak and they gave a home game away (a fireable offense) to a team that would've been competition for a higher playoff seed, had this actually been a playoff caliber team.

 

Now lets see if the players react positively or negatively about the Dorsey punting. If they don't wake up from that, maybe it's the DC they want ousted.