LAMP - Anyone else still overall pessimistic about this season/Super Bowl chances?

[Buffalo Boy]

39 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Honestly how do people with that sort of outlook live? I genuinely do not understand it. 

 

Saying "I'm not gonna judge this team until the post season" totally fair. But to say about any perennial play off team that you can't even enjoy regular season wins.... I mean if you can't enjoy wins then sports are not for you. Because any team. In any sport. Over a lifetime as a fan... there will be a lot of losing and a majority of non championship seasons. If that means you can't enjoy it then go do something else.

“There is a season to reap and a season to sow”

   There is an ebb and flow to every great team, every great career.

Watching a bonafide first ballot HOF QB join your team, especially when it isn’t clear that the HOF status is a possibility, is gold. It is a time to be awestruck and giddy.

   Watching said QB come into his own before your own eyes and lead a team is gold. These are the seasons sports fans dream of.

    Watching a QB of that caliber be squandered and be saddled with a sub par team and/or coaching feels criminal. Not being overly enthusiastic is within the range of normal human reaction.
    I always remember the Seinfeld line, “ cockeyed optimist” when I read that people looked at this team, this offseason , and thought they were SB quality.

   The objective eye test pointed to a middling season. What we couldn’t know was Josh was going to regress/ have a down year( for whatever reason ….him or coaching) . That fact alone feels like a gut punch. 

    Every year doesn’t start from square one. The expectations of each and every team in any sport, and league are based on the previous year(s) outcomes to some degree. That being a factor in the level of enjoyment felt seems perfectly logical.

[Gugny]

18 hours ago, Virgil said:

Ugh, while I hate a LAMP post, I've been struggling with my disconnect from the Bills season so far and more so am curious to see if anyone else is feeling the same way.  

We don’t have a Super Bowl roster or a Super Bowl coaching staff. 
 

We have a great QB and a great RB. 

 

That’s simply not enough. 

[GunnerBill]

36 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

“There is a season to reap and a season to sow”

   There is an ebb and flow to every great team, every great career.

Watching a bonafide first ballot HOF QB join your team, especially when it isn’t clear that the HOF status is a possibility, is gold. It is a time to be awestruck and giddy.

   Watching said QB come into his own before your own eyes and lead a team is gold. These are the seasons sports fans dream of.

    Watching a QB of that caliber be squandered and be saddled with a sub par team and/or coaching feels criminal. Not being overly enthusiastic is within the range of normal human reaction.
    I always remember the Seinfeld line, “ cockeyed optimist” when I read that people looked at this team, this offseason , and thought they were SB quality.

   The objective eye test pointed to a middling season. What we couldn’t know was Josh was going to regress/ have a down year( for whatever reason ….him or coaching) . That fact alone feels like a gut punch. 

    Every year doesn’t start from square one. The expectations of each and every team in any sport, and league are based on the previous year(s) outcomes to some degree. That being a factor in the level of enjoyment felt seems perfectly logical.

 

It isn't about optimism or pessimism. It is about tying enjoyment only to championships. That's not a healthy way to consume sports. I want the Bills to win a Superbowl as badly as anybody. But I don't not enjoy regular season wins in case they don't win the Superbowl. You have to enjoy wins in sport. Every single one. 

[Buffalo Boy]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It isn't about optimism or pessimism. It is about tying enjoyment only to championships. That's not a healthy way to consume sports. I want the Bills to win a Superbowl as badly as anybody. But I don't not enjoy regular season wins in case they don't win the Superbowl. You have to enjoy wins in sport. Every single one. 

Fanatic…..therein lies the problem.

 

I’m not the only one who’s been a Bills Fanatic for decades and decades…..46 seasons for me.

 

I have been in Charlotte since 1998. I enjoy watching the Panthers. 2015 was a Great season for them. When they got stomped in the SB…..meh. It didn’t hurt…..not my team.

 

We will never have another JA level QB on the Bills in my lifetime. My eye test told me years ago that we needed a new regime if we were to win it all. They still tell me that. 
BUT, I’m a Bills Fanatic. I have no choice but to watch and want! 
ZERO Choice

[FireChans]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

Fanatic…..therein lies the problem.

 

I’m not the only one who’s been a Bills Fanatic for decades and decades…..46 seasons for me.

 

I have been in Charlotte since 1998. I enjoy watching the Panthers. 2015 was a Great season for them. When they got stomped in the SB…..meh. It didn’t hurt…..not my team.

 

We will never have another JA level QB on the Bills in my lifetime. My eye test told me years ago that we needed a new regime if we were to win it all. They still tell me that. 
BUT, I’m a Bills Fanatic. I have no choice but to watch and want! 
ZERO Choice

Listen I’m as pessimistic on this regime as anyone.

 

i enjoyed the heck out of watching James Cook run all over the Panthers. 
 

You can do both.

[Buffalo Boy]

Just now, FireChans said:

Listen I’m as pessimistic on this regime as anyone.

 

i enjoyed the heck out of watching James Cook run all over the Panthers. 
 

You can do both.

I watched the game, I did, receipts in the game thread, Dalton looking afraid to run and getting stripped= gold, doesn’t change my outlook.

[FireChans]

4 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

I watched the game, I did, receipts in the game thread, Dalton looking afraid to run and getting stripped= gold, doesn’t change my outlook.

The point is it doesn’t need to change your outlook to enjoy it.

[Fan in Chicago]

18 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

Yes, I'm rambling a bit and don't have the answers.  All I know is, I didn't enjoy the win yesterday as I should have.  I don't have the any real optimism about this team anymore.  I wish it wasn't the case, but it's just how I feel.  I'm still not going to miss a game.  I'm still going to wear by gear.  But even with the Chiefs game this week, I feel like it's a lose lose.  If we win, it keeps us up with the Pats and gives us the tie breaker for the one seed, but we've seen what beating the Chiefs in the regular season gets us.   If we lose, which I think we will, then I feel like the one seed and division are gone.  .

Very much my feelings as well. The sports depression set in after the Falcons game and has increased with every Patriots win. In the drought years,  there was sadness but at least there was "we don't have a QB" to cling to as a self therapy. But knowing you have one of the best QBs in the league and yet cannot show continued excellence on O is really pretty bad.  On D, we have some hopes of younger and new players who could improve our D. On O, it is quite bad and gets worse with every injury (Kincaid,  Palmer etc).

 

I can't believe Beane is so stubborn and stupid to not know what the obvious holes are.  

[Sweats]

What always seems to squash my beliefs and hopes is that.........if the Bills of the 90's with the best all-around roster on D and O that the franchise has ever seen by far, with an all-star cast of future HOF's and HOF coaching, they couldn't win even one SB in four tries.

 

Look at our roster today........does that look like a roster built for a SB?

We have one HOF player on the team.......JA (maybe Cook, but that's a stretch right now). There is no one else.

 

Zero HOF players on D and most look like they are even lucky to be in the NFL.

No one on this coaching staff or FO will ever wear that gold jacket.

 

Face it, Bills fans, we are stuck in the mire, treading quicksand that just keeps sucking this franchise even deeper into despair.

Beane will not back down on his authoritarian style of always knowing the best for this team and we just have to face it, that there is no help coming.

This is the team that the FO has built.........we've "hit" on one player.

 

Over and out.

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It isn't about optimism or pessimism. It is about tying enjoyment only to championships. That's not a healthy way to consume sports. I want the Bills to win a Superbowl as badly as anybody. But I don't not enjoy regular season wins in case they don't win the Superbowl. You have to enjoy wins in sport. Every single one. 

I’m approaching 40 years of being a Bills fan. Many on TBD have been with them since the beginning. 
 

I enjoy every win. 
 

But every season of the Allen era that goes by without a Super Bowl is nothing short of a failure. 
 

I feel like I’ve been patient. 
 

Show me the mother f*cking baby. 
 

[ddaryl]

I am pessimistic about any chance of making the SB this year. If we do not make the SB then we neeed to gut salary from the existing roster, and set up for Josh Allens back 9 of his career.

However I am waiting ot see how this defense looks with players back. Also want to see some better schemes for the O getting guys open.

We cannot simply keep playing the same salary cap dance and expect the team to get over the hump. Beane / McDermott need to draft much better and not have to rely of secondary FA signing to fill a roster out.

[Gregg]

36 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

I am pessimistic about any chance of making the SB this year. If we do not make the SB then we neeed to gut salary from the existing roster, and set up for Josh Allens back 9 of his career.

However I am waiting ot see how this defense looks with players back. Also want to see some better schemes for the O getting guys open.

We cannot simply keep playing the same salary cap dance and expect the team to get over the hump. Beane / McDermott need to draft much better and not have to rely of secondary FA signing to fill a roster out.

 

If Terry was ever going to make a change (He won't anytime soon) then I would hope he would look at organizations who have done well in the draft (Eagles, Ravens as examples) and look to hire from their staff. Just as important get some of their scouts. You hit the root of the problem. The Bills haven't drafted all that well. That goes beyond Beane. The scouting department needs to be held accountable as well.

[Andrew Son]

1 hour ago, Sweats said:

What always seems to squash my beliefs and hopes is that.........if the Bills of the 90's with the best all-around roster on D and O that the franchise has ever seen by far, with an all-star cast of future HOF's and HOF coaching, they couldn't win even one SB in four tries.

 

Look at our roster today........does that look like a roster built for a SB?

We have one HOF player on the team.......JA (maybe Cook, but that's a stretch right now). There is no one else.

 

Zero HOF players on D and most look like they are even lucky to be in the NFL.

No one on this coaching staff or FO will ever wear that gold jacket.

 

Face it, Bills fans, we are stuck in the mire, treading quicksand that just keeps sucking this franchise even deeper into despair.

Beane will not back down on his authoritarian style of always knowing the best for this team and we just have to face it, that there is no help coming.

This is the team that the FO has built.........we've "hit" on one player.

 

Over and out.

The salary cap wasn't introduced until 1994.

 

There is much more parity in roster construction now.  All teams have holes.

 

The sentiment around here is laughable.  Weaklings all in their feelings.

[muppy]

Virgil the heartfelt reflection wasn't flamed at all.  it has reached 9 pages of mostly agreement  and for reasons well stated already. You aren't wrong

 

We are looking at the glass half full because we are knowledgeable fans. And even the most pollyanna of us (me) would be surprised to see this squad reach the Super bowl this year.  That opinion based on our secondary and lack of a WR1

 

Perhaps a Dub this Sunday against a strong KC team will awaken some hope.

 

Im going to keep my expectations low and enjoy it for what it is.  NFL football with our beloved team who as much as we doubt can MAYBE pull it off

 

I've got to have some hope. And I will until we are eliminated. 

 

Go Bills 

 

 

 

 

Edited 16 minutes ago by muppy

[Goin Breakdown]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Son said:

The salary cap wasn't introduced until 1994.

 

There is much more parity in roster construction now.  All teams have holes.

 

The sentiment around here is laughable.  Weaklings all in their feelings.

Objectively what do you see in this team other than Josh and Cook that makes you think this team can win it all. That's what fans want. Anyone can come in here and call out other fans for their opinions but you have to know that all anyone wants is just 1 Super Bowl. We've seen hope and then watched it get crushed for 9 years now after a 17 year playoff drought. I'll raise my hand and say I'm weak if that means I'm sick of mediocrity and wasting our MVPs prime.

[Royale with Cheese]

I'm not confident right now this is a Super Bowl team but I also know that anything can happen before February.

This team is capable of clicking and getting hot.  They do every season.  We just have to hope that steam doesn't run out in January.

[BullBuchanan]

It's been my take for a couple years that 2026 is the first real shot we have unless something wonky happens around the league. Baltimore likely missing the playoffs could be considered part of that, and it definitely would have had the Chiefs stayed in the gutter. Now, it seems they're back, so I'm mostly thinking 2026.

We did a great job in this years offseason. Walker, Hoecht, and Hawes all look like they'll be big parts of what we're doing. Having a capable DE in Bosa is also proving to be a big upgrade. If Bosa stays healthy, he'll likely want a big raise going into next year, which would be hard to justify. Aside from that though, we should be in good shape. We'll go into next season with gaps at Safety, EDGE and potentially WR. Those are all things we can address in a super bowl run year IMO.

Our trenches are mostly set, QB/RB mostly set. WR room has great depth and just missing a finisher. TE room has been reset IMO with the addition of Hawes. If Hairston can play, our CBs are good, and our LBs should be ok enough.

[Andrew Son]

Just now, Goin Breakdown said:

Objectively what do you see in this team other than Josh and Cook that makes you think this team can win it all. That's what fans want. Anyone can come in here and call out other fans for their opinions but you have to know that all anyone wants is just 1 Super Bowl. We've seen hope and then watched it get crushed for 9 years now after a 17 year playoff drought. I'll raise my hand and say I'm weak if that means I'm sick of mediocrity and wasting our MVPs prime.

We make these definitive statements based on chance outcomes where the ball happens to bounce one way.

 

Could/should have 13 seconds easily have gone the other way?  A missed open Shakir in the EZ followed by a missed FG two years ago.  And then a missed spot on an Allen sneak last year...

 

It sucks that these have all gone against us.  But all these games were basically coin flips that could have gone either way.  To pretend that this team has no shot and there is some sort of chasm between them and actual SB contenders is absurd.  IMO it is simply a childish hissy fit- "I want my Super Bowl!!!"

[Sweats]

17 minutes ago, Andrew Son said:

The salary cap wasn't introduced until 1994.

 

There is much more parity in roster construction now.  All teams have holes.

 

The sentiment around here is laughable.  Weaklings all in their feelings.

 

 

 

 

Ah, the dreaded salary cap situation, that other teams can somehow compete, but we are still just treading water.

 

You know what compensates for the salary cap?.........decent drafting, where you only have to pay the rookies the minimum, but of course, if you are way, wayyyyyyyyyy below in drafting and only really "hit" on one player in 7 drafts, well then of course the salary cap comes into play and you end up with cast-offs and scrubs from other teams to compensate.

 

I have spoken.

[Andrew Son]

Just now, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

Ah, the dreaded salary cap situation, that other teams can somehow compete, but we are still just treading water.

 

You know what compensates for the salary cap?.........decent drafting, where you only have to pay the rookies the minimum, but of course, if you are way, wayyyyyyyyyy below in drafting and only really "hit" on one player in 7 drafts, well then of course the salary cap comes into play and you end up with cast-offs and scrubs from other teams to compensate.

 

I have spoken.

What's that have to do with your comparison to pre-cap rosters?

 

One hit in 7 years, lol.

 

"other teams can compete"...  LOL.  If you don't see the bills as competing every year I don't know what to tell you.  This place is an absolute riot.