Were there ever years you were disinterested in the Bills?

[machine gun kelly]

It was in the neighborhood of 17 years at least after October as i knew it was hopeless by 11/1.  I always had hope and still watched all the games only because I’m a masochist.  Its probably why I get frustrated by some of the young fans who dont understand minus the SB years from 1988-2006, and maybe 2008-9 when we had the #1 defense in the nation, and flutie was fun to watch.

 

The early 80’s after 1982 when Knox keft was miserable until 88 when we were on the goal post for the 2nd version of fandemonium, was an absolute horrible.  I still have nightmares over guys like Kay Stephenson, the baffoon.

 

Why these young people whine about McD and Beane is laughable.  It’s like when you see the bratty kid in the grocery store throw repeated tantrums, and you just are witnessing weakness in parenting.  Blending firmness with a loveable side so they know you care deeply.

[LABILLBACKER]

94-95...seemed like we we're ending our great run.  I became a Bills fan as a kid from LA because of OJ and then he has to completely lose his mind.  Annoying and awkward period.

[Royale with Cheese]

I wouldn't say disinterest but unemotional.  I watched several years of the draught not paying much attention to the game.  After about the first quarter, I would kinda tune out and just watch it like it was a preseason game.  Chat with guys next to me, look up for a play and then go back to chatting.  

 

Now I stand up when the game is going.  Sit down when the commercial breaks happen.  Game starts back, I stand back up.

Edited July 10 by Royale with Cheese

[Gregg]

1 minute ago, machine gun kelly said:

It was in the neighborhood of 17 years at least after October as i knew it was hopeless by 11/1.  I always had hope and still watched all the games only because I’m a masochist.  Its probably why I get frustrated by some of the young fans who dont understand minus the SB years from 1988-2006, and maybe 2008-9 when we had the #1 defense in the nation, and flutie was fun to watch.

 

The early 80’s after 1982 when Knox keft was miserable until 88 when we were on the goal post for the 2nd version of fandemonium, was an absolute horrible.  I still have nightmares over guys like Kay Stephenson, the baffoon.

 

Why these young people whine about McD and Beane is laughable.  It’s like when you see the bratty kid in the grocery store throw repeated tantrums, and you just are witnessing weakness in parenting.  Blending firmness with a loveable side so they know you care deeply.

 

I think everyone or most everyone gives McDermott and Beane credit for turning around the franchise. Everyone has enjoyed the regular season as they have done a lot of winning over the past few years. But it is also fair they (mostly McDermott) take their share of the blame for the playoff failures. The Eagles moved on from Reid and he had more success there than McDermott has had in Buffalo and he didn't have a QB as talented as Allen in Philly either.

[Doc Brown]

Whenever that McKelvin fumble @Pats was. 2009?  I just remember laughing instead of being heartbroken.  I was just done with Trent Edwards and Dick Jauron at that point and was hoping we'd find a way to self tank that season.

[The Jokeman]

2 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

Whenever that McKelvin fumble @Pats was. 2009?  I just remember laughing instead of being heartbroken.  I was just done with Trent Edwards and Dick Jauron at that point and was hoping we'd find a way to self tank that season.

The Levy GM years kind of made me realize that I took my fandom too seriously and was too emotional invested so I took a step back. So now I don't get as upset at losses or wins. I still watch every game but at the end of the game I even scream in happiness or sadness and then move on from it. Where prior I'd let it fester. 

[NickelCity]

Lately I get aggressively disinterested sometime in January or February. This effing team.

[buffalostu2]

What is funny for me, is that the worse the Bills were, the more interested I was.   It was almost like subconsciously i believed they needed my help 😁. 

 I was completely invested in draft analysis and all seven rounds of the draft as well as minute by minute with free agency.  

 

Now that the Bills are good, and I trust our leadership, I am not nearly as tied to every single news blip.

 

[Spiderweb]

6 hours ago, Dunkirk Donski said:

After Wade was fired and that bumfluck Williams took over I lost alotta love.  

...don't forget the world class ugly Titanesque unis he brought with him ... 

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Dan said:

Those are the years that my Shout! Subscription saved me!

 

 

For me, it was the Rex years.   Didn’t like him. He was all hype!  I knew as long as he was bumbling around the team had no chance.  I wouldn’t say I was disinterested, so much as I just found better things to do with my time. 
 

2016 was the first time I didn’t watch a Bills. I used to do everything imaginable every Sunday to watch those crappy teams!  But in 2016, my work took me to the USVI.. then it was one Sunday trying to find a feed.. that it dawned on me… I could be at a beautiful beach with a rum drink.  Seemed ridiculous to sit inside and watch the team lose after that… so I had about a year or so.. of just having far better options and was a bit more picky about which games I would try to watch.    

 

I used to look forward to my Shout Magazine and Bills Digest or whatever they were called. Even better than reading it myself was taking it to my Dad when I was done. He wasn’t getting around much in those days, and he’d light up when I brought him that lifeline. Eventually it became my sons texting me with the latest Bills news flash. Now we are taking our grandson to the game here in ATL this year (which is a night game, and he’ll be missing school after that one). 

 

The Bills have tied generations of my family together. It’s more than just another sports team to us. 

[billsbackto81]

6 hours ago, Buffalo Boy said:

Dick Jerkron

 

 

Mike "Full Of" Mularky...

[Logic]

The Jauron era really started to sap the enthusiasm out of me.

It wasn't just that the Bills were bad. It was that they were boring, vanilla, irrelevant, and lifeless.

And they didn't even have the courtesy of being BAD bad. Like 2-14, "get the 1st pick in the draft and nab a franchise QB" bad. Nope, instead they were 7-9 every full year of his tenure. That kind of perfectly consistent mediocrity seems almost hard to achieve. Just good enough to miss out on high draft picks, just bad enough to miss the playoffs. Infuriating.

At one point, they gave him a contract extension, and I was all but ready to stop watching.

Hard to believe how far the Bills franchise has come since those days.

[Mikie2times]

 

In case anybody needs a memory jog. I think some of this also has to do with what is going on in your life at the time and how much emotional bandwidth you have to invest. I actually found the Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey era fairly enjoyable compared to other drought eras. Probably because it was still close enough to successful times or maybe just because I had more in the tank those years. Some interesting players as well.  

 

The demise for me started in the Jauron years. It seemed like hope just leaked out little by little each year after. To the point where I probably should have enjoyed the Gailey years more as the players of that era were enjoyable (Fred, Stevie, Fitz) but I just didn't think the team was any good. So it was hard to win my emotions over or overly devote emotional bandwidth to the team. 

 

I started to come around more again in the Marrone years, then I felt Rex, at the time, was interesting and needed. Even if he was a toe sucker. We needed something different and he was certainly that. 

 

It felt like we were getting closer at that time in some ways. The wild card drought breaker really came at a perfect time. Prior to Josh and so unexpected. That wasn't a playoff team but it didn't matter. It was just so good for the fans and I was thrilled or Kyle who was one of my all time favorite Bills. I could watch the celebration/clubhouse video a million times and it would never get old. For me it allowed some more patience and interest in the new regime. Once Allen started playing it's been pretty much early 1990-2000 must see TV every game.   

 

[BigAl2526]

My fandom began in in 1969.  There have been plenty of years when I was frustrated and angry, but never did I lose interest.  In contrast, while I have maintained an awareness of what is happening with the Sabres, I have not made much of an emotional investment in the team during their long playoff drought.

[Another Fan]

2 hours ago, buffalostu2 said:

What is funny for me, is that the worse the Bills were, the more interested I was.   It was almost like subconsciously i believed they needed my help 😁. 

 I was completely invested in draft analysis and all seven rounds of the draft as well as minute by minute with free agency.  

 

Now that the Bills are good, and I trust our leadership, I am not nearly as tied to every single news blip.

 

I think that’s normal in a way.  If the team isn’t performing you sort of look at the whole complete roster and ways they can improve.  

[Chicharito]

Thad Lewis, EJ Manual years

[behind a post WMS69]

After the Bills dumped Thurman without even a meeting or callback I stopped watching for a few years. It was after I moved to Florida for work reasons that I started to follow them again. I hated Florida and needed a connection to home. Just in time to see the Flutie Johnson show.

[Logic]

2 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

 

I felt Rex, at the time, was interesting and needed. Even if he was a toe sucker. We needed something different and he was certainly that. 

 

Don't knock it 'til ya try it.

[Evansfan322]

Since 88’ I’ve tried many times. The guilt was overwhelming  But to answer the question; I hated the Todd Collin’s years 

[Doc Brown]

3 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

 

In case anybody needs a memory jog. I think some of this also has to do with what is going on in your life at the time and how much emotional bandwidth you have to invest. I actually found the Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey era fairly enjoyable compared to other drought eras. Probably because it was still close enough to successful times or maybe just because I had more in the tank those years. Some interesting players as well.  

 

The demise for me started in the Jauron years. It seemed like hope just leaked out little by little each year after. To the point where I probably should have enjoyed the Gailey years more as the players of that era were enjoyable (Fred, Stevie, Fitz) but I just didn't think the team was any good. So it was hard to win my emotions over or overly devote emotional bandwidth to the team. 

 

I started to come around more again in the Marrone years, then I felt Rex, at the time, was interesting and needed. Even if he was a toe sucker. We needed something different and he was certainly that. 

 

It felt like we were getting closer at that time in some ways. The wild card drought breaker really came at a perfect time. Prior to Josh and so unexpected. That wasn't a playoff team but it didn't matter. It was just so good for the fans and I was thrilled or Kyle who was one of my all time favorite Bills. I could watch the celebration/clubhouse video a million times and it would never get old. For me it allowed some more patience and interest in the new regime. Once Allen started playing it's been pretty much early 1990-2000 must see TV every game.   

 

Similar experience.  Being ok with QB's that we knew would maybe win a playoff game if everything fell into place but never take us to the big dance (Edwards, Fitzpatrick, Taylor) to me was the most frustrating part of the drought.  Everyone trying to argue they could be the guy saw a superior QB stomp on us pretty much twice a season every season.  It's why it wasn't really until 2019 and that Cowboys game specifically that had me locked in again.