Buffalo Bills 2019-2020

[Brawndo]

AB signs with the Patriots 

[WildCard]

1 year $15M 

[darksabre]

Everything is the worst.

[TrueBlueGED]

5 minutes ago, darksabre said:

Everything is the worst.

There is no better way to put it. Ugh. 

[Neo]

Spectacular for NE.  There is only upside.  AB will thrive, or be shown the door without having cost the Pats a penny or jeopardized their culture.

The Pats are bigger than AB.  The Pats have all the leverage.  He’ll walk into the locker room as just another interchangeable part in terms of value to the team.  “We won with Chris Hogan.  Shut up, work, or go home”.  There will be no Gruden pandering.  There will be no series of escalating fines.   If he gets in the face of Bilichick, 52 guys will kick his a**.

He needs them. They don’t need him.   Whether he recognizes that or not, I have no idea.  He’ll star, or go home without leaving a trace.

The Pats are the best organization in four sports.  Whether it’s circumstance or genius, we can debate.  That they are, we cannot.

[inkman]

20 minutes ago, Neo said:

Spectacular for NE.  There is only upside.  AB will thrive, or be shown the door without having cost the Pats a penny or jeopardized their culture.

The Pats are bigger than AB.  The Pats have all the leverage.  He’ll walk into the locker room as just another interchangeable part in terms of value to the team.  “We won with Chris Hogan.  Shut up, work, or go home”.  There will be no Gruden pandering.  There will be no series of escalating fines.   If he gets in the face of Bilichick, 52 guys will kick his a**.

He needs them. They don’t need him.   Whether he recognizes that or not, I have no idea.  He’ll star, or go home without leaving a trace.

The Pats are the best organization in four sports.  Whether it’s circumstance or genius, we can debate.  That they are, we cannot.

I needed this post like I need a grain silo shoved up my ass

[Andrew Amerk]

4 minutes ago, inkman said:

I needed this post like I need a grain silo shoved up my ass

You don’t need the grain silo. The grain silo needs you. 

[JohnRobertEichel]

31 minutes ago, Neo said:

Spectacular for NE.  There is only upside.  AB will thrive, or be shown the door without having cost the Pats a penny or jeopardized their culture.

The Pats are bigger than AB.  The Pats have all the leverage.  He’ll walk into the locker room as just another interchangeable part in terms of value to the team.  “We won with Chris Hogan.  Shut up, work, or go home”.  There will be no Gruden pandering.  There will be no series of escalating fines.   If he gets in the face of Bilichick, 52 guys will kick his a**.

He needs them. They don’t need him.   Whether he recognizes that or not, I have no idea.  He’ll star, or go home without leaving a trace.

The Pats are the best organization in four sports.  Whether it’s circumstance or genius, we can debate.  That they are, we cannot.

And also the most sociopathic. Belichick, Brady, and their Aspergery friend Ernie Adams have perfected the art of cheating, which I would argue is certainly a type of genius. Spygate. Deflategate. Headsetgate. A long history of ridiculously suspicious referee calls ever since Kraft took over in 1994. If you want to lionize teams that bend the rules to win at all costs, go right ahead. But I don't see how this latest Patriot tampering controversy with Antonio Brown is in any way fair to the Steelers or Raiders (or the rest of the NFL). At the very least, Brown should be facing a long league suspension or the Patriots should have to compensate the Raiders with draft picks.

[sodbuster]

The Pats arent worried about AB destroying the locker room because this was all just an act to get out of Oakland. New England was where he wanted to be traded to all along, so he threw a tantrum to get his way.

[darksabre]

50 minutes ago, sodbuster said:

The Pats arent worried about AB destroying the locker room because this was all just an act to get out of Oakland. New England was where he wanted to be traded to all along, so he threw a tantrum to get his way.

I believe it.

[Darryl Shannon's +/-]

3 hours ago, Neo said:

Spectacular for NE.  There is only upside.  AB will thrive, or be shown the door without having cost the Pats a penny or jeopardized their culture.

The Pats are bigger than AB.  The Pats have all the leverage.  He’ll walk into the locker room as just another interchangeable part in terms of value to the team.  “We won with Chris Hogan.  Shut up, work, or go home”.  There will be no Gruden pandering.  There will be no series of escalating fines.   If he gets in the face of Bilichick, 52 guys will kick his a**.

He needs them. They don’t need him.   Whether he recognizes that or not, I have no idea.  He’ll star, or go home without leaving a trace.

The Pats are the best organization in four sports.  Whether it’s circumstance or genius, we can debate.  That they are, we cannot.

Depends quite a bit on how you qualify an organization as best. A lack of ethics from the very top down to the ball boy makes me disagree. 

Personally, I'd take losing on the field and acting like human beings off of it. Botts may soon join the scrap heap, but his handling of the lehner situation makes me proud. How do you think the "best org in 4 sports" would have handled that?  

 

[SwampD]

New England will not be good this year. Book it.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

New England will not be good this year. Book it.

Hope you're right.  Will believe it when it proves to be true.

But mildly curious how the Cheatriots had $15 MM in cap space to bring in his new contract.

[Neo]

Heavens to Betsy, I underestimated the ability of a Patriots reference to inspire the vapors.  For the record:

1). I don’t care for the Pats or their fans.

2). I’d rather a root canal than an hour with Bill Bilichick.

3). I certainly don’t lionize them, nor do I demonize them.

4). My use of “best” wasn’t meant to assess character or Godliness.  Unaddressed by me were the ethics, the mores, of the franchise.  As long as someone mentioned it, I’ll say this.  Our neighbor’s rarely as bad, and we’re rarely as good, as we believe.  Casting aspersions in the direction of the successful is both a human instinct and a human failing.  I view the habit as the emotional equivalent of the appendix.  It serves no purpose, is largely benign, and occasionally  flares up and causes great discomfort.

5).  I did like The Boston Patriots and the best logo in sports.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Neo

[DHawerchuk10]

12 hours ago, sodbuster said:

The Pats arent worried about AB destroying the locker room because this was all just an act to get out of Oakland. New England was where he wanted to be traded to all along, so he threw a tantrum to get his way.

Brown cares only for Brown.  The chances this doesn’t end well are high.  If this was orchestrated, AB plays the long game better than Emperor Palpatine.  He’s been a jerk for years.

There is a lot of mouths to feed on that offense.  The complaining will start once any adversity hits.  Can you imagine if Brady gets hurt?!!!!  I’m not rooting for an injury because if you strip away football, Brady seems like a good guy, but would be lying if I said I wouldn’t enjoy the outcome of said injury.

[North Buffalo]

Bottom line... Go Bills... beat the snot out of the Jests... one game at a time!

[ubkev]

A friend of mine is taking the Jets in his survivor pool today. Now I'm not saying the bills are going to win, but, come on now. Why try and outthink the league in week 1? Jets are a 3 point favorite at home. That's basically a push. Especially when there are numerous safe bets out there today.

Chiefs, Ravens, Eagles, Chargers, Seahawks, and I'll even throw in the Saints, Pats and maybe even the Broncos.

[Randall Flagg]

3 hours ago, Neo said:

Heavens to Betsy, I underestimated the ability of a Patriots reference to inspire the vapors.  For the record:

2). I’d rather a root canal than an hour with Bill Bilichick.

 

I actually bet you'd make this tradeoff pretty quickly - he can be quite personable off camera/off the field from what I've heard. And the man's knowledge, respect, and passion for the history of the game seems to be right up your alley. 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Randall Flagg

[Randall Flagg]

It's Christmas Day, ladies and gentlemen. 

I know it's a Sabres forum, but a lot of us feel similarly about our Bills as we do about our Sabres. More of us used to, but have been distanced by the workings of the league and the mediocrity of the team. That is perfectly understandable, but I hope that, if those folks are so inclined, they give the game and team another chance. 

The league itself is getting a bit of a makeover - a lot of the faces that lasted 15 years at the top are starting to be replaced with young, enthusiastic, and wonderfully talented athletes. The names we have been so familiar with are beginning to take their place in the rich and unique lore of NFL football, impossibly deep and capable of inspiring the most powerful nostalgia even in a youngster like me - nostalgia I can feel for moments that predate my existence by decades. 

Nothing captures my senses, presses all the right nostalgia buttons, quite like waking up on NFL opening day. Even though the heat index is over 100 today, and I'm in this place I've only spent 2 years of my life, completely alone, I'm also heading outside on a crisp fall morning, to the smell of fallen leaves and sound of the ones still alive rustling as a cool breeze whips through the trees. In the throes of middle school, my brother and I are taking reprieve from the stresses of a disappearing childhood by pretending to be Buffalo Bills ourselves, and playing out on the lawn exactly how we'd hoped the game would go. Then we go in, to the smell of something apple-based cooking and the fall/Halloween decor, and we watch our Bills, completely impervious to the years of futility, completely convinced that they'd somehow pull it out. And sometimes they did, despite all odds. You see, even if your team is bad, kickers can win games, and Ryan Lindell tended to hit those late game field goals more than he'd miss. And those moments were all we needed as kids. It was about more than the game, and we could feel that even then. 

Since I've started to allow the NFL and the Bills back into my sphere of things I'm incredibly passionate about, I've only had positive experiences, including the rekindling of feelings I haven't felt since I was a fundamentally different, simpler, more optimistic human being. It's worth the stress that every snap in a 16 game season provides, the agony when things go wrong, the unfairness when they go wrong in ways they wouldn't in a perfect world. I feel connected to every single person to root for my team, going back decades. It's powerful. When the Bills clinched the playoffs two years ago, I went to a New Years Eve party afterward. There were people there I hadn't seen for years, and people whose presence would have normally been awkward or a damper in some way - for me and others - and yet, because of the Bills, it was the best night of many of our lives. 

McBeane may crash and burn. But there's something fundamental about what they're doing at One Bills Drive that is, at the very least, making this the most fun and easy group of athletes to root for that I've ever seen. It's not something that can guarantee wins, but it's something that can guarantee that a lot of bad stuff won't happen. I choose to believe that they'll be able to add enough of what wins that they're going to be here a long time. Either way, they've given me something to grab onto from back home, and have given me a lot of fun times on lonely weekends far, far away through their two years. 

I'm so ready for this third one. Tre, keep kicking ass and being hysterical. Lorax, continue the tradition of the smart, inspiring vet that Bills fans will recall fondly long past retirement. Micah and Jordan, keep doing what you do - we see you, and the league will notice too. Milano, keep fighting back from that devastating injury. Edmunds? You have the potential for a gold jacket in your future. Go out and get it. Ed Oliver? Thank you for loving Buffalo from the first second. Go have a blast. Same to you, Beasley. And Josh? Yeah, you - Josh Allen? Go prove a bunch of self-absorbed bloated heads on sports television wrong. The same for the self-absorbed, bloated head that was me when we drafted you. I know you can do it. 

Thank you, Bills. By any modern measure, we don't deserve to have you. But we have you, and we're not ever going to let go. 

GO BILLS BEAT THOSE PUNK-ASS JETS 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Randall Flagg

[JohnRobertEichel]

3 hours ago, Neo said:

Heavens to Betsy, I underestimated the ability of a Patriots reference to inspire the vapors.  For the record:

1). I don’t care for the Pats or their fans.

2). I’d rather a root canal than an hour with Bill Bilichick.

3). I certainly don’t lionize them, nor do I demonize them.

4). My use of “best” wasn’t meant to assess character or Godliness.  Unaddressed by me were the ethics, the mores, of the franchise.  As long as someone mentioned it, I’ll say this.  Our neighbor’s rarely as bad, and we’re rarely as good, as we believe we are.  Casting aspersions in the direction of the successful is both a human instinct and a human failing.  I view the habit as the emotional equivalent of the appendix.  It serves no purpose, is largely benign, and occasionally  flares up and causes great discomfort.

5).  I did like The Boston Patriots and the best logo in sports.

If my interpretation of the bolded is correct, you are stating that everyone else is probably cheating and lying about it too, and the act of calling out those who cheat and lie isn't important.

Regarding the first statement: simply no. If the Bills, for example, were cheating during the 21st century, then they did an incredibly terrible job of it I'd say. But the level of cheating that the Pats have done has been especially egregious in the advantages it has given them over opponents.

Regarding the second statement: I think it is very important to recognize, criticize, and shame bad behavior so that it does not become normalized and tacitly accepted. But I've clearly lost this debate in the eyes of the national sports media, as no one even mentions (or wants to mention) Spygate, Deflategate, etc... anymore. The bottom line is that it's okay to cheat and lie to get to the top because winning is the most important thing ever and no one gives a damn about the losers. If I may step on to my soapbox for a second: how very American. The 21st century Patriots are kind of a nice analogy for our modern capitalist system.

Whatever. At this point, I'm perfectly happy to end this particular discussion today so that we can all try and focus on enjoying the 1pm Bills game. I'll be back for Week 4, however.

[SwampD]

They just said that Ryan Fitzpatrick has made 69 million dollars starting for a record setting 8 different teams. That’s awesome.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

It's Christmas Day, ladies and gentlemen. 

I know it's a Sabres forum, but a lot of us feel similarly about our Bills as we do about our Sabres. More of us used to, but have been distanced by the workings of the league and the mediocrity of the team. That is perfectly understandable, but I hope that, if those folks are so inclined, they give the game and team another chance.

I woke up at like 5 this morning feeling, I don't know, a little shaky in my soul. The wee hours get to me like that sometimes. It's when my worries tend to stand out against the blank slate of that time of day. Then I realized it was opening day for the Bills, and it was like a light coming on that sent my cockroaches scurrying away. It was only a placebo though, an echo of the past when today would have meant everything to me. What a gift, in any event. That this team meant so much to me that years and years later they could still lift me out of a pre-dawn funk. I still follow along and want them to win, mostly for those who, unlike me, never quit. But it would be cheating for me to pretend like nothing happened between me and the Bills in this century. You can never go home — don't return to a place you loved — there are many old sayings on the subject. Go, Bills! (But I won't really be watching.)

[Scottysabres]

I am more than optimistic about this Bills team. I don't know, but I am going to hazard a final score guess.

45 - 6 Buffalo.

[GoPre]

Let’s go Buffalo!

[Stoner]

Raiders seem to be on their heels.