corta765

The division is interesting because I see it like this: Best QB Bills Most Complete Roster Jets Best Offense Dolphins Best Defense Jets Best Coach Bills Buffalo has the highest floor given track record and QB at this point, but I honestly get those betting on the Jets as long as Rodgers is healthy to take the division. Miami is complete wildcard because when they are healthy and hot their offense truly is dynamic... but they come up short routinely against top competition, their QB seems to fail in big moments, and the defense is very shaky despite few big names. At this moment because of the Bills schedule I see it like this: Jets 11-6 Bills 10-7 or 11-6 lose tiebreaker Miami 9-8 Pats who cares BUT my caveat is I really think by seasons end the team is in a different place (healthy fingers crossed) and makes a better run the the other two.

Hell the first four weeks really do not say much. Patriots had that blow out loss to KC the one year week 4, KC lost to IND the year they went like 4-13, tons of examples of bad teams pulling upsets and good teams doing weird or bad things lol. But yea week 1 especially is overreaction central and expectations can get weird. I have been consistent saying anything less then a multi score win and I think a lot of the fans are mad.

I really try not to think about that much anymore as last year looked bad and then injuries hit other teams. As long as 17 is healthy the floor is relatively high and what may look like a hard stretch now could be easy and vise versa. With that said the number of games that feel like they should win no questions is def lower then prior yearsa as I have just ARZ TEN & NE at home and at NE & maybe at IND (worst secondary in NFL).

I have felt this way for a bit that the NFL is nearing a cliff where the fans will start saying enough either out of frustration or cost or both. Ever since the NFL approved the Rams to move out of St Louis specifically the priorities of the league v fanbase were crystal clear that $ over anything. To recap the Rams fanbase in St Louis did everything required, the city did also, and the city approved a new stadium that the Rams had signed off on. The league allowed Kroenke to get off on a technicality regards to the improvement of the Dome, but league bi-laws state that a franchise must work in good faith with the city they are in before exploring moving and only if the city is not working with a true option to stay can you leave. There is a reason the courts keep hammering the NFL/Rams in court and awarding money back to St. Louis in a settlement of $519 million, the league broke its own rules to get the Rams to LA. The Raiders actually had a joint stadium with the Chargers set to go, but Kroenkes stadium was too much to miss and the league did what it did. To me this jaded me in the sense of no team really ever was outside of the grasp of moving if the $ was that great. The NFL would move Green Bay if they could history and fans be damned. This has continued in all avenues across the board where SB tickets are impossible for casual fans, the stadiums themselves are becoming corporate love fests, and streaming wise they are now working to monetize that. Prior league commissioners understood that they were stewards to the game and long term health of the league and the fans had to come first in some regard. I cannot see how a private equity firm which sole goal is more money will do anything but make the experience worse and more expensive.

Yep why I stopped following this and deadspin

I have them at 11 but I think the Jets somehow get the division in a weird tiebreaker where week 18 doesn't matter so they could even be 10 wins. That said I think by the end of the season fans are in love with the offenses evolution and ready for the playoffs home or away kind of like Bradys Bucs in 2020 when they were a WC.

Doesn't mean anything. NYC big market and in the end if they make the playoffs or better no one cares. If they miss it'll just be this maximized.

On paper last years team was better and more proven, it also ended up being hit with injuries depleting depth and showing the age of veterans AND also require the firing of the OC to get the offense back on track to what is expected. But healthy team end of year last year with Brady at OC vs this current team I would take last years squad. I think this years offense could be actually far better by seasons ends I just need to see it happen, the defense I just can't stop seeing a regression to middle of the pack and a transition year coming.

Hell if the Bills only win week 1 24-20 or something close the locals will be restless

100%. The other one I always laugh at is fanbases expectations when they draft a QB 1st overall. Every fanbase thinks they are getting Manning 2.0, but realistically the bench mark should be Drew Bledsoe. 4x Pro Bowler, led Pats to a SB as the starter, made the playoffs 4 times as the starter (didn't play in 98' injury), won the division, won playoff games etc.. like realistically in 8 years as the dude that is standard that any fanbase would love. Expectations are just so skewed for team success or QB play that the actual benchmarks for what really good is never are considered.

Agreed. BB really altered peoples minds on success for coaches. Most good coaches have well prepared teams and good culture, but they have their follies from time to time. Tomlin has a ring and two appearances yet some of his decisions and running of the ship have been questionable at points, Pete Carroll did a tremendous job in Seattle but has a huge blemish from the SB, Mike Shanahan did great in DEN and has been lukewarm since, etc.. The greats are the greats and their is a reason you get maybe one per decade. Andy Reid until KC won a SB was forever laughed at for his time mgmt skills in PHI and inability to breakthrough and now is probably a top 5 coach ever. I do have a time coming where soon if McD doesn't break through they need to replace him and give Josh a different guy in his prime, but it isn't there yet. ALSO everyone who mentions replacing Sean I always ask who is your replacement and are they an actual upgrade? That usually doesn't go as swimmingly in response haha.

Agreed. Since 2017 every time at least regular season wise when they seemed counted out on the year in some capacity (2017 3 game losing streak 5-5 Peterman game, 2019 post Pats game 1, 2021 TB loss 7-6, and last year after PHI loss) they do comeback pretty strong and answer the bell. This is the first time where entering the season they really seem to be counted out by the fans so I am interested in how it plays out, but the track record is there that they finish the year playing good football and as a playoff team. Like you said we all go back and forth a lot from feeling high to low and this year seems to be entering on low so watch them go 6-1 or something stupid to shut us all up lol.

Oh it was awesome. KC game on the season was a blast One thing I have considered is Beane is seeing if Shakir/Coleman/Samuels all have solid years and then Knox/Kincaid bookend really well. IF so the need for the other WR is far less important, but if not next draft and FA I honestly think he adds a truly proven vet and goes WR in the draft in round 1/2 again to double up insurance. They also have enough cap room to make a move come deadline and picks to add with it. Beane has said he moved to quick from players drafted before so I do think he is trying to let things play out a bit before making a change. With all of that said I would've drafted two WRs this year.

To add on since the 98' NFC title loss they got blown out by the Giants when their offense was still humming in 2000, absolutely pure heartbreak in 2009 NFC title when Farve threw that awful INT when they were near FG range to win, and then in 2017 they score the first TD in the NFC title game only to get routed. Since their last SB appearance they are 0-6 in the NFC title game rotating heartbreak with blow out, given they were blown out in 2017 they are due for heartbreak in the next 2-3 years. Legit they are as cursed and traumatized as we are.

I have constantly said if Aaron Rodgers career was reversed for when he won a SB and the inability to get back after he would've been deemed a massive choker until that date and the success they had wouldn't have been appreciated until the ring came. I legitimately get angry with fanbases like PIT, DEN, NYG complain about down years or stretches. All of them have basically been in SBs once a decade since the late 70s on, had various levels of playoff success regularly, and made at least a conference title literally every decade since the 70s. Sports is cyclical in nature yet they have managed to excel for very long stretches. I am frustrated like everyone else at the inability to break through yet, but I have had more fun the last 7-8 years then I did the two decades prior and I don't take that for granted. Getting to the start of DEC and playing the "in the hunt game" is not fun or enjoyable.

Sooo my general theory on this is for the mass majority of Bills fans the 2022 season was there make it or break it piece mentally. Coming off 13 seconds virtually everyone league wide was predicting the Bills to be in the SB and break through. Peter King, NBC, ESPN, etc.. they were the pick that year and with Von added the hype train was as max as it gets. It is the only time as a Bills fan I can honestly remember (I was too young for 90s SB days) that league wide we were the team people thought was the top dog. And realistically they proved it going 13-3 and rolling through the season that year regardless of the Dorsey critiques or injuries that happened. But the loss to CIN was a back breaker for the fanbases mentality. That was when for real the positivity and belief that had been built for years with McBeane seem to evaporate, the Diggs v Allen sideline thing did nothing to help that either, and some real honest questions started being asked about many things. Ever since then there is an element of pessimism that has come back into the minds of fans at this point which I understand and can't say I disagree with. Last year losing at home to KC in such a close fashion only added more to this fire. Now this offseason you lost a lot of core players who were good and you could trust (Poyer, Hyde, Morse, Diggs etc) and there are no answers yet as the season hasn't started (the offense feels like a big question mark given the WR corp). For basically 5 years now Allen has been playing at a high level and we haven't broken through. Now mentally for fans it really feels like regression when you see this offseason which only compounds into the mentality that came into view once they lost to CIN. I have held the belief that the franchise is haunted forever by the four SB losses and that the pressure on the good teams that come after will be enormous until a ring is won. Bills fans have been through a lot with maybe only the Viking fanbase being equivalent in pain (Sorry CLE/DET fans but SB losses are far more painful then what you have went through). You mix that history in with the inability to break through now for 5 years running and there is due to be some backlash and regression in the mind.

Technically the Bills still owe therapy to anyone (myself included) who attended the 52-13 beat down on SNF against NE back in 2007. I am still waiting for my compensation to receive medical help

BOLD NOT REALISTIC LOL This is why if the Texans go 9-8 and miss I wouldn't be surprised. They were a dropped screen pass in game 18 from missing, Stroud is awesome but they are not perfect either and the chance of them missing last year was really high. That said I think Texans will be fine and I agree GB is getting probably a bit too much love.

I mean the team is a SB caliber team as long as 17 is playing at his peak. The window this year is probably lower and the feelings less compared to prior years and I do agree. I would say the reason for that is from 2020-23 (although a little less last year) you knew your defense was really good to at times great in that period, the offense has established playmakers in guys like Diggs/Beasley/Brown, and Josh had emerged himself into an all pro QB. Right now there is a lot of questions and uncertainty as this second core gets molded and you need some guys to truly step up as great players that can answer the bell, especially on offense. Additionally because Buffalo failed to breakthrough during 2020-23 when they had that corp of players you have a feeling of missed opportunity. Jet fans I get their mentality right now and the sky probably feels like the limit because their defense is good, their offense has some good young talent, and if Rodgers literally just plays league average their a 10 win team. They have no bad baggage right mentally with Rodgers as the trigger man or playoff losses, again its a skys the limit feeling. How true that is, IDK? But in Bills land after 17 it is a lot of questions not answers all over mixed with pessimism from playoff losses and not breaking through. For me to feel the way I did about the team again as I did in 2020-23 I need the following: -Either Kincaid or Shakiq takes the next step into a true pro bowl caliber player and the other continues evolving into a very solid contributer -Coleman has a solid season with 700-800 yards 5-6 TDs 40-50 recs and shows the potential he has can be potentially transformed further -Rosseau becomes a pro bowl DE -the offense stays in the top 10 for scoring yards and the defense doesnt regress past middle of the road I care more about the offense showing it has answers and the kids are alright then honestly anything else. Give me some building blocks long term where with another infusion of draft/fa capital it can mold into an attack with the power you saw from 2020-2022. That happens and you can take KC on regardless of D because the games are always offensive wars, you don't stop mahomes or allen you only slow them down. I want the opposition to have more fits slowly us down

Lol who is QB CLE in this world?

I have this happening too but mostly because their schedule is complete BS late with how it is set and lack of rest. I actually think the Browns finish 4th, they won way too many one score games last year with QB play that lucked out of situations it shouldn't. I think despite the depth of roster regression hits for real.

Bold Predictions: NFL Related: Bears go 10-7 but miss the playoffs as all of the wildcards are 11-6 (GB/LAR/DAL) ATL is the 2 seed but lose a heartbreaker on a last second FG to PHI as Kirk continues to be tortured in big moments Speaking of Kirk Cousins wins MVP DAL beats DET in NFC title game to go to SB Giants go 6-11 and fire Schoen/Daboll as Belichick takes over everything (this is what happens when you tie your horses to Daniel Jones) Jayden Daniels wins ROTY even though WSH goes 7-10 Titans end up with 1st overall pick going 2-15 as the 2020 All Madden team shows its age and Levis is too much a loose cannon Rams win the division at 12-5 and 49ers end up 11-6 WC bowing out in 1st round KC are the 2 seed but lose at home in the divisional round to Buffalo Bills Related: Curtis Samuel finishes with 1400 yards total (rush/rec) Shakir leads the team with 94 receptions and 1173 yards Von finishes with 8 sacks including 2 week 1 as he reverts to partial old self and is no longer a liability Bills win division week 17 at home over Jets in a 31-17 victory, Jets do beat Ravens on road though in playoffs Bills finish 3 seed beating CIN in WC, finally beat KC in KC, and win SB against DAL after beating HOU in AFC title

The throw which will overtime be forgotten was the bomb to Gabe Davis vs the Jets in 2022 that literally hit his hands after Josh's elbow got hurt.

Well the issue was the NFL said you can have your team back but you need a stadium ready by opening day and that was like 3-4 years tops from what I read. Not saying I wouldn't be angered either, but I can kind of understand the rush job when you lost your team and can get it back. Also stadiums made in the 90s or updated missed a lot of the time on the future of NFL stadiums with suites, club areas, overall better fan experience things etc... The Falcons and Browns both got nice new stadiums in the 90s but had they been planned in say 98-2000 timeframe they probably are upgraded instead.

So from what I read when they made the stadium back in the 90s it was a rushed job on the cheap because they needed it done in time for 1999 and in general they cut corners. As a result there are a lot of things now that are vastly more difficult and costly to upgrade because of this which make a new stadium a more realistic possibility over a renovation.