Unpopular opinion thread

[Rico]

 

it's unpopular opinions not never going to happen thread.

Russ Brandon & his crew aren't going anywhere, the futility will continue until Pegs wakes up... and if JP can get an UFL ring, EJ can win an Arena League playoff game.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Russ Brandon & his crew aren't going anywhere, the futility will continue until Pegs wakes up... and if JP can get an UFL ring, EJ can win an Arena League playoff game.

 

IDK man ej was/is freaking brutal even worse than I predicted, JP >>>>>>>>>>

 

I think Brando will stay regardless since he runs the Sabres too, but if we tank this yr I can see a major cleanout happen including Whaley.

[Nihilarian]

 

 

I don't know if I would say lousy but not very good.

 

Incredibly overrated for sure and a major disadvantage to the organization when matched up with the likes of Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson......guys who knew how to build hard-nosed teams that peaked at playoff time.

 

Marchibroda got the bickering Bills over the hump. Without TM Marv would have been fired during the 1990 season because the unravelling of 1989 was carrying over and would have lead to a continuation of the blowout in the opener at Miami.

 

Turning to TM's no-huddle....as he had wanted Marv to do from the start of the 1990 season....... energized the team and gave them an identity and once they were there the players ran the asylum and they loved Marv because he was the substitute teacher that knew he couldn't control the class so he just gave them what they wanted.

 

Soft camps and practices for example.

 

They self policed to avoid being beset with a new "taskmaster" of a HC and Marv did his part acting like he had it under control/meant-to-do-that to the media.

 

That soft treatment cost them in the SB's........and sometimes even earlier in the playoffs.......specifically the sorry excuse for a finish to the 1991 season that was the AFC Championship game vs Denver and the SB vs. Washington........a disorganized, undisciplined team totally NOT peaking at the right time or ready to battle lesser talented but more tenacious opponents.

 

Their return to four straight SB's was definitely in part due to Club Marv.........because the teams that were actually winning those SB's were paying a much steeper price physically during the regular season and the postseason to reach the SB in the first place.

 

Those return trips were in vain though because they were never anywhere near as prepared for a dogfight as the 4 opponents they lost to. People act like those other teams were just a little more talented and that wasn't the case at all.

 

The Bills had weaknesses at NT and S but it wasn't a lack of talent as much as a lack of toughness compared to their counterparts.

 

The AFC was weaker and paralyzed at the site of the Bills talent......teams regularly played beneath themselves against the Bills and the regular season cakewalks.....or the weeks off they took on road trips to KC or Pittsburgh or LA for instance........didn't help the Bills toughen up.

 

In less contentious regular season conditions, where the NFC opponent also had less time to prepare.......the Bills essentially swept the NFC off the field.

 

But when it got too tough for the Bills it was just right for those NFC opponents.........and it shouldn't have been that way.

 

I will say this though.........knowing that his coaching staff wasn't capable of raising the intensity of the players he provided......Polian could have imported some tougher players to play those positions of weakness and they might have been able to have won some of those SB's in spite of their issues......he was good but also overrated.

I have a different view of what those 90's teams went through and I have a different take on Marv Levy.

 

I can recall that bickering Bills era and reasons that prompted that monicker. It was in 1989 for several reasons, Bills coaches fighting with each other, players fighting and bad mouthing each other. Kelly ripping his O-line for allowing his separated shoulder and it even looked to progress to the next season.

 

In week two against the Dolphins in 1990, the Bills were getting blown out. Marv pulled a bunch of starters late in the game when the outcome was already known as he didn't want anyone getting hurt over a losing effort. Players like Bruce, Nate Odems, Bennett were benched and they went to the sidelines and started throwing chairs and knocking over the gatorade table. Marv was furious at this and let his players know it by fining them after the game for their bad behavior. Then, later that week the owner announced he was fully behind Marv and told the players that if anyone doesn't want to behave that the Bills would suspend them or even release them!

 

Needless to say that warning from the owner ended the Bills bickering ways and seemed to give everyone a resolve to stand behind their head coach. The Bills got hot and won the next 14 of 16 games on the way to the 1990 SB!

 

In my view, Levy was a very good head coach and in particular an excellent motivator / game manager. Marv was a special teams coach prior to becoming a head coach and he is a big reason as to why Buffalo's special teams became so dominate. If I were to fault him for one weakness was that he kept the same defensive coordinator for far to long which was the weakest area of the team.

 

While I agree to some extent that Ted Marchibroda had a great impact on the Bills by teaching his QB in Kelly to call his own plays. He was also at fault for not taking more control over the offense in that 1990 super bowl. Allowing Kelly to call his own plays is what hurt that the Bills offense in that game. The Bills only ran Thurman Thomas 15 times in that game and he was a big reason that K-gun offense worked so well. Those late 80's and early 90's Bills teams were mostly a dominate running team that almost always ran more than they threw it. Then, Thurman Thomas was also heavily involved in the passing game as he was about 75% of the offense most of the time.

 

In that AFC division game against Miami Thurman ran it 32 times and against the Raiders in the next game, he ran it 25 times. Kelly came out passing in that 90 super bowl and it should have been Thurman's number being called. IMO.

 

 

That Buffalo Bills offense was pretty darn good before Ted Marchibroda got to Buffalo as the Bills were in the AFC Championship game in 1988 with Jim Ringo as the offensive coordinator. Granted, Teddy did improve the Bills offense and helped turn Thurman Thomas into a superstar all around RB. His style of play also helped pave the way for other great all around backs like Marshall Faulk.

 

What I also recall from those SB's is in that Washington game Jim Kelly should have been pulled and benched after suffering a concussion. What also killed the game for the Bills was that Indy was going to re-hire Marchibroda for their head coach and this was well known before the game. It's like the guy had his foot already out the door and the offensive game plan wasn't so good. Again, only 18 rushes for Thurman in that game while throwing it 59 freaking times with 4 int's.

 

After that 90 season, it seemed like at the end of every year the Bills were so injured and beat to hell that just winning the AFC was a spectacular feat. That 1991 AFC Championship game against the Broncos the Bills won 10-7 the Bills only put up 213 yards of offense and were so banged up on the offensive line that the TE Pete Metzelaars was used at tackle. I think losing both GM Bill Polian and OC Ted Marchibroda eventually helped cost the Bills a championship.

[Gugny]

EJ Manuel will win a playoff game as a starter before FOR the BILLS

 

Fixed.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

Fixed.

Jim Kelly has as good of a chance to win another playoff game for the Bills as EJ does.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

"tootie fruity".

 

I believe the accepted nomenclature is "homosexual american."

[Canadian Bills Fan]

Rex Ryan hates feet

 

 

 

CBF

[simpleman]

Here is mine.

 

Russ Brandon is one of the major success stories for the Bills over the past decade. He is a Football marketing phenom and I would hate to see the Bill's lose him. But keep him as far away from on field decisions as possible, he is good at Marketing and the Business Side of the Bills and should be kept to what is is good at.

[dpberr]

Most "fans" wouldn't bother going to the stadium on Sundays if there wasn't any alcohol sold in the stadium or permitted outside it.

[/dev/null]

Grace Kelly has as good of a chance to win another playoff game for the Bills as EJ does.

Updated

[metzelaars_lives]

I don't have time to scroll through this whole thread but didn't somebody say that Fred Jackson, in his prime, was as good as Thurman Thomas in his prime? Or was that just like a dream I had?

[Mr. WEO]

I think Swinney is absolutely as good as Harbaugh!! He's as good a recruiter and has had more success on the field. I don't think that Miles is. I said that Harbaugh's resume isn't on par with those guys (and it isn't).

 

He won a NFC Championship with a loaded roster. He has like 12 Pro Bowers. He had the best team in the league and finished 2nd. Congrats on that

 

 

In 2010, the year before he got there, 2 49ers went to the Pro Bowl.

 

In 2011, his first year, 8 his players made the Pro Bowl.

 

In 2012, he had 8. His team went to the SB despite having 2 QBs split the season.

 

Swinney inherited a top 10 ranked team and lead them to 24th, unranked (6-7), 15th (and a 70-33 record setting Orange Bowl loss), 9th, 8th, 15th and, last year, 2nd. That's one elite season.

[Rico]

 

IDK man ej was/is freaking brutal even worse than I predicted, JP >>>>>>>>>>

 

I think Brando will stay regardless since he runs the Sabres too, but if we tank this yr I can see a major cleanout happen including Whaley.

Pegs: "I want a major clearout, starting with a new GM. Russ, round up a list of GM candidates."

 

Team is f#^**# unless Pegs wakes up.

[FireChan]

Un-unpopular opinion: Only OSU fans think Harbaugh is overrated.

[metzelaars_lives]

Here's a few:

 

1. Bills are top 10 fans, probably top 5 but not the best in the league as is so loosely thrown on around in Bills land.

 

2. Unless you are in the stadium after a meaningful score, the shout song is the cheesiest, most annoying, played out thing in the world. I am not in favor of abolishing it as, again, I love it in the stadium, but there is nothing worse than a 20 year old d-bag drunkenly yelling "hay-ay-ay-ay" in the parking lot or, even worse, not at a Bills game.

[Kirby Jackson]

Un-unpopular opinion: Only OSU fans think Harbaugh is overrated.

I'm comfortable with this. He has won 1 BCS quality bowl game!!! Bill Stewart has as many. I think that UM will be relevant with Harbaugh. He still has to get by Meyer and Dantonio and soon. He's going to have to have to find a way to wrestle Michigan back. He needs to stop the top in state recruits, like 4 star Antjuan Simmons from Ann Arbor, from going to OSU or MSU. If he doesn't close the gap with those schools in the next couple of years he is Les Miles sans the National Title.

 

This is the year that they should beat those teams. OSU has arguably the best recruiting class of all-time committed for 2017. Their window won't stay open long. Michigan is 2-14 against MSU & OSU since 2008. They are talked about as an equal now because of Harbaugh. He is a turn around specialist but that program has to win THOSE games or they remain the little brother.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Here's a few:

 

1. Bills are top 10 fans, probably top 5 but not the best in the league as is so loosely thrown on around in Bills land.

 

2. Unless you are in the stadium after a meaningful score, the shout song is the cheesiest, most annoying, played out thing in the world. I am not in favor of abolishing it as, again, I love it in the stadium, but there is nothing worse than a 20 year old d-bag drunkenly yelling "hay-ay-ay-ay" in the parking lot or, even worse, not at a Bills game.

 

I'm kinda with you on number 2, there.

 

only i think it could go at the stadium too.

[Nihilarian]

Here's a few:

 

1. Bills are top 10 fans, probably top 5 but not the best in the league as is so loosely thrown on around in Bills land.

 

2. Unless you are in the stadium after a meaningful score, the shout song is the cheesiest, most annoying, played out thing in the world. I am not in favor of abolishing it as, again, I love it in the stadium, but there is nothing worse than a 20 year old d-bag drunkenly yelling "hay-ay-ay-ay" in the parking lot or, even worse, not at a Bills game.

I agree with this. To me, It was great in it's time of the 80's, 90's when it was actually new. It was kinda cool to resurrect a 50's song every time the Bills scored and now 30 years laters it is just annoying...even in the stadium.

 

 

I'm thinking something like the Spencer Davis group's song "gimmie some loving" from the late 60's could be rewritten to "Gimmie some scoring" .

 

 

[Mr. WEO]

I'm comfortable with this. He has won 1 BCS quality bowl game!!! Bill Stewart has as many. I think that UM will be relevant with Harbaugh. He still has to get by Meyer and Dantonio and soon. He's going to have to have to find a way to wrestle Michigan back. He needs to stop the top in state recruits, like 4 star Antjuan Simmons from Ann Arbor, from going to OSU or MSU. If he doesn't close the gap with those schools in the next couple of years he is Les Miles sans the National Title.

 

This is the year that they should beat those teams. OSU has arguably the best recruiting class of all-time committed for 2017. Their window won't stay open long. Michigan is 2-14 against MSU & OSU since 2008. They are talked about as an equal now because of Harbaugh. He is a turn around specialist but that program has to win THOSE games or they remain the little brother.

 

Michigan should beat the team with the best recruiting class of all time this year?

 

Who is talking about Michigan as equal to OSU and MSU??

[Kirby Jackson]

 

Michigan should beat the team with the best recruiting class of all time this year?

 

Who is talking about Michigan as equal to OSU and MSU??

You must not keep up on recruiting. The OSU 2017 class has 14 commitments that are all 4 or 5 star except the kicker (from Buffalo). Only one team ever has done that. They also have as many 5 star commitments as the entire SEC for 2017. That has nothing to do with this year. OSU and MSU lost a lot, Michigan didn't.

 

They are ranked 3rd here in the unofficial post spring practice rankings http://campusinsiders.com/news/post-spring-projected-ap-top-25-college-football-rankings-05-11-2016 & 5th here http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-power-rankings-a-post-spring-look-at-the-nations-top-teams/. Michigan was a 1.5 point favorite against OSU (with Harbaugh) last year and was beaten by 29. The Harbaugh is overrated crowd would say that his team was a 1.5 point favorite because people overrate the Harbaugh effect. They rolled out there and got pounded.

 

UM will be a preseason top 5 team and the highest ranked Big 10 team in the country. They go to MSU and to OSU. There is a pretty good chance that their record since 2008 goes to 2-16 (0-4 under Harbaugh). If (big if) that happens where would you stand then? At what point do you have to beat your rivals? At what point do you have to play in the Rose Bowl and not the Citrus Bowl? Neither MSU nor OSU at this point would be happy with a Citrus Bowl win. A preseason top 5 team shouldn't consider that success either. The expectation is that Michigan will be in the thick of the playoff race this year.