FrankReichComeback Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 I am really surprised. I have been down on this team since they were 5-4 and got blown up against the Jets the first time. I knew that it was over at that point but I didn't realize this team would suck as much as they have. The thing is a lot of people on this message board are great at making excuses....I mean finding positives with each Bills loss. "We're only in year 2 of a rebuilding process," "we're trying to rebuild through the draft," "we've had a lot of injuries" etc. The thing is that the excuses....I mean positives that fans in here are making have stopped. This tells me that the fan base is extremely frustrated and disappointed in this team as I have been since a few weeks back. I'm seeing a lot more people voice their disapproval of Ralph Wilson as owner of this team. II think it's sad but hey....atleast the excuses have stopped and we are seeing this troubled franchise for what they are...
miserable_fan Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 Extremely low. I'm more excited for the 2012 draft than I am for next weeks game. Pathetic.
Kevin Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 I'm still a fan. Not excited, not hopeful just a fan moving on with my life.
8-8 Forever? Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 I am really surprised. I have been down on this team since they were 5-4 and got blown up against the Jets the first time. I knew that it was over at that point but I didn't realize this team would suck as much as they have. The thing is a lot of people on this message board are great at making excuses....I mean finding positives with each Bills loss. "We're only in year 2 of a rebuilding process," "we're trying to rebuild through the draft," "we've had a lot of injuries" etc. The thing is that the excuses....I mean positives that fans in here are making have stopped. This tells me that the fan base is extremely frustrated and disappointed in this team as I have been since a few weeks back. I'm seeing a lot more people voice their disapproval of Ralph Wilson as owner of this team. II think it's sad but hey....atleast the excuses have stopped and we are seeing this troubled franchise for what they are... Too many injuries to the few talented players they have. Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams and Eric Wood and Shawne Merriman are very arguably the only Pro Bowl calibre players on this team. All four wiped out by mid season or so. Can't recover from that plus starting WRs and Tight Ends going down . Plus best corner has been out all year. Just too tough to recover from after both Easley and Parrish don't even start the season. Plus Lindell goes down. Just too much. They weren't that good early in the season and aren't as bad as they look now. They will be good next year. Full camp , full OTAs ,,, full roster hopefully, and away we go. All the teams that had serious injury problems are suffering, other than Houston, who also got whacked today. Need another quality draft like this years.
Max997 Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 I'm hoping spiller has another big game next week after helping me make my league championship today
Smears Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 Twice now, 2008 and 2011, Ive let my guard down. Should have listened to the negative nancies from the beginning. I have gotten to the point where I take my emotions and hopes for this team and set them aside yet again. My morale is in preseason mode alreasdy. Already waiting for next years disappointments.
Mr_Blizzard Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 My first post in a while - The defense we have on the field now is about as bad as it was last season. Can't stop the run. WtF??
San Jose Bills Fan Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 The title of your thread asks about fan morale but your post reads as a snide slam towards some of the posters here who aren't 100% negative and critical of the team. Just because a poster wants to take injuries into account doesn't mean that the person isn't also evaluating the coaching, play of the remaining players, etc. It's idiotic to say that the injuries to Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams, Eric Wood, and many others hasn't had a negative effect on the team's play. Common sense (uncommon, I know) tells us that the injuries are a factor especially when they involve arguably the three best players on the team. But the injuries only explain part of the suckitude. There are many posters here who concede the impact of the injuries without using them as the single, absolute reason why the team sucks. There are many posters here who think the injuries have hurt us AND that the organization has also been hampered by ineptitude in other areas.
Kaenon Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 Until we get an new owner...we cannot expect this mediocrity to change.
Dr. K Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 My spirits are low regarding the Bills. How could they not be? The most frustrating thing is seeing how far Fitzpatrick has regressed. I did not think he could play as poorly as he did last week, but in the first three quarters he was easily as bad. I don't know what to think about the team as a whole. Occasionally the young players show some flashes—Aaron William looks like he will be good, and Dareus of course. The more Spiller plays the better he looks--I even saw him pick up some blitzes today. I think the o-line is much better than last year's overall, but inconsistent and missing Wood. They need more pass rush, they need better receiving, they need better quarterback play from somebody. The defense still makes horrible blunders--the blown coverage on the first TD pass to the tight end, the 80-yard-run by Bush. If they could just stop making these mistakes they might actually stop someone. But these are frail hopes given how lousy this team is playing. I can't imagine anyone feeling very optimistic about this team.
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 My morale as a bills fan is about where is has been this time of year for most of the last decade. Say it with me.... "there's always next year!"
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 (edited) My spirits are low regarding the Bills. How could they not be? The most frustrating thing is seeing how far Fitzpatrick has regressed. I did not think he could play as poorly as he did last week, but in the first three quarters he was easily as bad. I don't know what to think about the team as a whole. Occasionally the young players show some flashes—Aaron William looks like he will be good, and Dareus of course. The more Spiller plays the better he looks--I even saw him pick up some blitzes today. I think the o-line is much better than last year's overall, but inconsistent and missing Wood. They need more pass rush, they need better receiving, they need better quarterback play from somebody. The defense still makes horrible blunders--the blown coverage on the first TD pass to the tight end, the 80-yard-run by Bush. If they could just stop making these mistakes they might actually stop someone. But these are frail hopes given how lousy this team is playing. I can't imagine anyone feeling very optimistic about this team. Fitz has regressed, but not generally as a quarterback. He's simply regressed to the mean. Heading into this season, his career QB rating (not a perfect stat, but a good barometer nonetheless) was 75.6. This season, he's at 80.6. What people don't realize (and apparently the Bills management is part of this group) is that football players don't just wake up one morning as an improved player. We see changes, positive or negative, and assume they are permanent. Usually they aren't. Fitz' career is now sizable enough that we can assume he won't be making any miraculous steps forward. He's a pretty typical nice backup/marginal starter. In an NFL with a mysterious dearth of talent at the QB position, he's an average starter. Edited December 19, 2011 by SageAgainstTheMachine
Dr. K Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 Fitz has regressed, but not generally as a quarterback. He's simply regressed to the mean. Heading into this season, his career QB rating (not a perfect stat, but a good barometer nonetheless) was 75.6. This season, he's at 80.6. What people don't realize (and apparently the Bills management is part of this group) is that football players don't just wake up one morning as an improved player. We see changes, positive or negative, and assume they are permanent. Usually they aren't. Fitz' career is now sizable enough that we can assume he won't be making any miraculous steps forward. He's a pretty typical nice backup/marginal starter. In an NFL with a mysterious dearth of talent at the QB position, he's an average starter. Yeah, I'm familiar with "regression to the mean." I had thought Fitzpatrick might be one of those players (they do exist) who make a quantum leap in their play to a new mean and stay there. But you're probably right.
marauderswr80 Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 If spiller continues to show this type of production rest of the year.....jackson will no longer be a buffalo bill....
Cash Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 The title of your thread asks about fan morale but your post reads as a snide slam towards some of the posters here who aren't 100% negative and critical of the team. Just because a poster wants to take injuries into account doesn't mean that the person isn't also evaluating the coaching, play of the remaining players, etc. It's idiotic to say that the injuries to Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams, Eric Wood, and many others hasn't had a negative effect on the team's play. Common sense (uncommon, I know) tells us that the injuries are a factor especially when they involve arguably the three best players on the team. But the injuries only explain part of the suckitude. There are many posters here who concede the impact of the injuries without using them as the single, absolute reason why the team sucks. There are many posters here who think the injuries have hurt us AND that the organization has also been hampered by ineptitude in other areas. Very well said! Personally, I'm pretty demoralized -- again. The Bills have looked like complete garbage in losses to the Jets (1st time), Cowboys, Dolphins (1st time), and Chargers, and looked like garbage for significant parts of losses to the Titans and Dolphins (2nd time). They truly look like a fundamentally different team in the 2nd half of the year. I'm very confused and puzzled as to how/why that is. Unless Fitzpatrick is secretly injured (which is possible), injuries don't explain why Fitzpatrick can't throw any more. Maybe the pressure of signing that big contract is messing with his head? (It happened to Dave Chappelle. If Fitzy walks away from the team in training camp next year, then surfaces in Africa after a couple weeks, I think we have our answer.) Keep in mind that Kyle Williams was playing hurt all year, and wasn't nearly as effective as last year as a result. Merriman wasn't particularly good, although he was playing OLB at an NFL level, something that can't be said about Spencer Johnson. Losing Freddie is obviously a major, major blow, but he didn't get hurt until after the Bills started getting blown out. Certainly the injuries have hurt, and may have cost us a win against Tennessee or the Jets at home, but the bigger problem of the entire team looking like garbage in all 3 phases + getting outcoached on both sides of the ball? That problem is completely independent from the injury problems. We'll see how this offseason goes. If the Bills let Stevie walk, cut McKelvin, and spend their top 2 picks on their replacements, then bring back the whole coaching staff, I'll be pretty despondent. But if we re-signed Stevie, gave Freddie a short-term extension, got a shiny new DC, one with actual NFL success as a DC -- Mike Nolan would be by far my top choice, and I wouldn't be very enthused by Wanny -- and drafted either RG3 or an impact pass-rusher or WR in the first round, and maybe added a starter or two in free agency, then I'd probably be pretty fired up about next year. We shall see.
John Cocktosten Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 If spiller continues to show this type of production rest of the year.....jackson will no longer be a buffalo bill.... Congrats on getting this in before the end of the year. You are in the mix.
Bob in STL Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 I am really surprised. I have been down on this team since they were 5-4 and got blown up against the Jets the first time. I knew that it was over at that point but I didn't realize this team would suck as much as they have. The thing is a lot of people on this message board are great at making excuses....I mean finding positives with each Bills loss. "We're only in year 2 of a rebuilding process," "we're trying to rebuild through the draft," "we've had a lot of injuries" etc. The thing is that the excuses....I mean positives that fans in here are making have stopped. This tells me that the fan base is extremely frustrated and disappointed in this team as I have been since a few weeks back. I'm seeing a lot more people voice their disapproval of Ralph Wilson as owner of this team. II think it's sad but hey....atleast the excuses have stopped and we are seeing this troubled franchise for what they are... Never been lower. I have no confidence in Nix, mostly because of Littman, Overdorf and Brandon. I don't think Ralph is fully aware of how bad this is. I fear Buffalo will lose this team after Ralph goes. Lowest I have ever felt about the Bills. Ever.
BiggieScooby Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 It's hard to win in the NFL. Translation there are two outcomes a win or a loss, 50% probability, except for the Bills.
Bob in STL Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 The title of your thread asks about fan morale but your post reads as a snide slam towards some of the posters here who aren't 100% negative and critical of the team. Just because a poster wants to take injuries into account doesn't mean that the person isn't also evaluating the coaching, play of the remaining players, etc. It's idiotic to say that the injuries to Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams, Eric Wood, and many others hasn't had a negative effect on the team's play. Common sense (uncommon, I know) tells us that the injuries are a factor especially when they involve arguably the three best players on the team. But the injuries only explain part of the suckitude. There are many posters here who concede the impact of the injuries without using them as the single, absolute reason why the team sucks. There are many posters here who think the injuries have hurt us AND that the organization has also been hampered by ineptitude in other areas. Many posters like me. I agree totally with this ^^^
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 Yeah, I'm familiar with "regression to the mean." I had thought Fitzpatrick might be one of those players (they do exist) who make a quantum leap in their play to a new mean and stay there. But you're probably right. Oh, I certainly hoped for it too. The name Drew Brees started to float around in my head. After his first 3 seasons, he was marginal at best and soon after suffered a career-threatening injury, but turned himself into a Hall of Famer. I won't blame Fitz for being average. That's the player he is. I will blame the Bills FO for breaking the most fundamental rule of contract negotiations, which is to not sign a player at the absolute height of his value.
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