maddenboy

I think this thread is getting a little off topic from the OP's point. (and OP, please correct if i'm wrong). Its not about whether we will be a good team, or why, or why not. Its not about deciding to care or not. Its not about whether the team is worth following. To me, OP is saying that there is some inexplicable reason that for him, this year is different somehow. He is disengaged and (1) he doesnt know why, and (2) even as a die-hard Bills fan, he really doesnt care why. And that bothers him. And as I said upstream, I feel the same way. First time since 1988.

Yes, me too. I think "fatigue" and "disengaged" are the best terms up-thread to describe it. But the difference this year is this: I'm not complaining about it. Unlike the past couple years where I was slow out of the gate, this year I'm not hoping someone will cheer me up or motivate me. I'm entirely at peace with it. For the first time since about 1988. I think what cut the cord for me was when they hired Rob Ryan. To me it finally verified that the Rex Ryan era is a clown show, of RR and ex-Jet clowns lining up to take Pegula cash. Its not that I've stopped caring, but that I've stopped being so gung-ho about hurtling myself in front of the freight train every sunday. So the OP and a couple others upstream are not whining. I think we are searching for words to describe our surprise at how detached we are. Its not that we dont think its a good team. But its different this year, somehow. Its kinda like my cute gf broke up with me, instead of me breaking up with her. I've been on the verge of kicking her to the curb for years, for various reasons. So when she called me up and said "its over," I felt kinda free. I'm kinda looking forward to an extra 4 hours on 16 sundays this year. Not on purpose, but just because . . . meh.

I dont want to "make" the playoffs. I want to win the playoffs. True, "making" the playoffs would be a step in the right direction. But I'm not really in the "hey, just get in and you never know what can happen" camp. I want to see that our team is built to actually win in the playoffs. I dont want to just back into it on strength-of-schedule tiebreaker or whatever, and then get man-handled and shown the early exit door. How about we aspire to host a playoff game? Or win a playoff game? Or else.

I believe its "scrip crub." fyp. sorry. I'm just bein rebellion.

these people are normal inner-city people. (I grew up on the east side of buffalo, and lived 4 years on the south side of chicago). My baby mama is the youngest of nine. And they will posse up. These people are people who just happen to have a family member who is excellent at pro football. But he and they are still the same people.

good thing we brought in his brother Rob. Just in time.

counterpoint time. I think OP is wondering not whether people would laugh. I think he really wants to know whether there might be trouble. Whether some might actually be offended. Drunk people. If I saw that and didnt know you, my first thought might be "hey, wtf is that? Is that guy really a jets fan in disguise?" (there's some famous thing in baseball where some guy accidently let the ball roll through his legs and they lost the world series or something. Red Sox maybe? Anyway, if you showed up that one of that team's games wearing that guy's jersey, might there be trouble?)

Conan on the Tree of Woe. I'm sure we all feel like this as Bills fans from time to time.

I was among the people surprised at how long it took for the players to get the hang of the defense, and clearly Rex and his staff's inattention to the issue contributed. That is an astute observation. Rex was slow to respond to an obvious problem. If you can't see the elephant in the room you are either blind or stupidly stubborn. Or, you ARE the elephant.

dude. you do realize that New York is the biggest market in the USA, right? you do realize that the Giants arent making the playoffs, right. Ergo, you do realize that you are saying the NFL wants the Pitt market instead of the NYC market, right? carry on, sir.

Cardinals. Mario will claim he wants to win. Mario will claim its not about the money. Which, given his $$ earned to date, should be true. Cardinals are poised to be good for 2-3 years. Cardinals love pass rush. Cardinals play indoors. MW will want Carolina, but they dont need him. MW will want Pats, but they wont pay him. Cardinals.

'76ers foe foe foe (foe fye foe) '86 Mets. I hate baseball now, but I also hated the Yankees hype, so I picked up the Mets for a couple years and cashed in.

that's a crappy read. A decently written article with not muich to work with. To me, the whole take-away is that McCoy doesnt watch film. McCoy watches highlights. There's nothing deep or interesting or insightful. There's nothing that gives me new respect for McCoy.

fyp

a couple years ago, there was an article about what Rexy likes in D-linemen. Long and lean. Stop the run on the way to the QB. Think of the Jets' D-linemen. Wilkerson, Richardson, etc. No squat fireplugs there. They are long and lean.

Rex doesnt give a F. Rex has a $25 MM golden parachute. He is set for life. He said this is his last job, because he hit the Pegula lotto. Rex doesnt give a F.

Levy once said "all things equal, give me the smarter player. Because the smarter player will get better faster." Levy was all on board for smart. What you are really crying about is discipline.

nope. RG's problem seems to be that he doesnt want to change. He doesnt want to learn. He just wants to play like the fabled RGIII. He only wants to succeed and be famous if he can do it as "RGIII." Odd, because he is reportedly smart. Graduated high school in 3 years. I dont know why he doesnt want to put in the work to change..

Captain Kirk vs. Mr. Spock

I dont think this is correct, or the general wisdom. I think he supposedly likes to take away whatever you do best. Your crutch. Your bread and butter. Or as they say, force you to play left handed.

Not sure where a big-name and losing Head Coach looking for a final big pay day helps the Bills. But hey . . .

I think this is it. I think this is what makes them different. I think this is coaching. We all wish we had a QB who could eventually develop to be good enuf to drop back, scan the field, and hit the open man. And we'd still be behind the curve. COACHING, please.

But again, am I the only one who thinks "dammit, go watch some tape or coach or something" every time I see him on TV? Belichick's attitude is always "can I go now? I have work to do." "Are we done here? Because i have some actual work to actually do." I cant be the only one. Especially when we lose. I'm thinking "maybe an extra hour of prep might have helped" --- Rex is like that old saw about: What do people do when they hit the lotto? They retire. I'm sure Rex wants to save face if possible, but he isnt trying to get better, he isnt trying to learn, and he doesnt have a burning desire to do whatever it takes. Rex = JaMarcus

This. Rex is here for the paycheck. He's a hustla. Dont we remember when he said "this is my last NFL job?" He is about ready to retire, but he found one more sucker to give him a guaranteed contract. He will not shed one tear if he is fired after this season. Instead, he will move on to his reality TV show, part II. Because we are already living in Part I. Every time I see him on TV or read an interview of his, I think to myself "dont you have some tape to go watch?" Or, "What would Belichick be doing with this precious 20 minutes that you just wasted?" sigh. Fortunately the Pegulas are actually rich enuf to fire him, cut him his ill-gotten $25MM check, and move on to greatness.

This. This. This. (and now, Amari Cooper). He is better than all of them. (DeAndre Hopkins). And he knows it. And it is killing him that he cant show it. Also, I had forgotten about the Eugene Parker angle. Gosh, this isnt gonna end well. Unless we get a real QB.