BuffaloBill Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Bills fans from 1970-1979 hated the Fins ... Blood would boil simply upon hearing anything about Miami. Today it's the cheatriots* and their QB. What thoughts do you have about rivalries?
GunnerBill Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 For me it has always been and will always be the New York Jets. I hate the Jets. Can't stand them. Hate everything about them including their uniforms.... and their loud mouth coach..... oh hang on......
What a Tuel Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 I think it matters if it motivates the team. The players are motivated against the Patriots because they want to beat some of the best. We want them to beat the Patriots because we take comfort in the belief that they are the source of our pain. So fan rivalries no. Player "rivalries" yes. That said, I will always have a soft spot for squishing the fish!
PromoTheRobot Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Funny thing rivalries are basically one-way these days. We hate the Pats. Their fans barely know we exist. We don't consider the Jets as big rivals but their fans hate how the "awful" Bills keep thwarting them.
Seasons1992 Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 When the Bills were good, Miami was the rivalry probably until Brady came upon us. I still like beating them, and the Jets, but clearly NE* is the team we really want to beat the most these days. We play some of the same teams every year out of division, like the Browns and Jags. I don't feel the rivalry but MAN I hate when we lose to those teams.
Gugny Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 I've always looked at rivalries as more on a player (primarily QB) level than a team level. Kelly vs. Marino. Manning vs. Brady. As for teams, teams within one's division would be natural rivals. I can't think of any active, outside of division, team vs. team rivalries.
Talley56 Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 I guess it also depends on whether or not there's an actual rivlary. As much as I hate the Pats, it's hard for me to think of us and them as a rivalry when they've basically owned us over the last 15 years. But taking the Ravens/Steelers as an example, the Steelers were way better than the Ravens last year and should have crushed them. But the Ravens beat them near the end of the season and, had we not beaten the Jets one week later, that would have knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs.
Chandler#81 Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Not to any degree they once had, since the Divisions dropped to 4 teams. Division games used to make up half the schedule, so rivalries were the apex of the League. The only 'old school' rivalries today are between consistent playoff teams due to the magnitude of the outcome. Essentially, it's the Pats* and any other perennial AFC playoff team. The only thing that matters in Division games are Conference wins. IMO
Mike in Horseheads Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 The late 80's/early 90's Fins rivalry was both sided. Who can ever forget the hate for Brian Cox. It was Kelly vs Marino... Marv vs Shula....playoff matchups etc. Good times.
chris heff Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 (edited) A successful season can be 2-14 providing those two wins are over Miami. Edited July 5, 2016 by chris heff
Blokestradamus Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 I think rivalry is pretty pointless most of the time. I mean, I hate anything Yorkshire related and, during games, I'll unleash verbal tirades that aren't safe for the ears of children but it's all good fun. As it pertains to the Bills, the Patriots aren't rivals, per se. I see certain teams as benchmarks, obstacles that stop us being considered better. I might dislike certain players/coaches on teams but that's about it. Other teams are just in the way.
YoloinOhio Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 (edited) I think rivalries are bigger in college. I don't consider the Pats a rival. Rivalries must be recently (rather than historically) two-sided to be relevant IMO. I do consider Miami a rival since they beat us on TNF two years ago, it gave it a little juice since they had lost to us 4 or 5 straight. Jets have lost to us 5 straight but the Rex factor gives it a little juice. In college there is such a historical rivalry between Michigan and Osu that it is still universally considered to be one, but a big part of the Osu fan base considers MSU more of a rival now, sadly. Rivalries are great for both CFB and NFL IMO. The Steelers-Ravens and Steelers-Bengals rivalries make me more interested in watching those games, for example. Edited July 5, 2016 by YoloinOhio
BaaadThingsMan Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 !@#$ the fish, !@#$ the *cheatriots, !@#$ the jests and !@#$ the colts. Anyone thats been in the AFC east since i've been watching football is a rival in my book. I think rivalries do matter and I know as a fan that the games verses the teams I mentioned get my blood running a little hotter than the rest of the league. The late 80's/early 90's Fins rivalry was both sided. Who can ever forget the hate for Brian Cox. It was Kelly vs Marino... Marv vs Shula....playoff matchups etc. Good times.Rivalries have changed in that way for me too, I don't hate the opposing players as much as i did during the time you mentioned. Now its just the teams.
Johnny Hammersticks Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Tough developing true rivalries when division teams have been beating the tar out of us for over a decade.
3rdand12 Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 The late 80's/early 90's Fins rivalry was both sided. Who can ever forget the hate for Brian Cox. It was Kelly vs Marino... Marv vs Shula....playoff matchups etc. Good times. how dare he spit in our stadium. never got over that A successful season can be 2-14 providing those two wins are over Miami. HA. Olde school brother. I wish there were more honest to goodness rivalries. I think the Jets Bills is one that exist, at least for Rex and Jets management . If we were Rex fans we should hate the jets. But Todd bowles is so nice it is hard to loathe him
FireChan Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 I've always looked at rivalries as more on a player (primarily QB) level than a team level. Kelly vs. Marino. Manning vs. Brady. As for teams, teams within one's division would be natural rivals. I can't think of any active, outside of division, team vs. team rivalries. I think Denver vs. NE will continue to be a thing even with Peyton's departure.
Gugny Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 how dare he spit in our stadium. never got over that Was that before or after Bills fans threw batteries at him?
3rdand12 Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Was that before or after Bills fans threw batteries at him? Hey ! i only threw the cheap ones !
vorpma Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Why not a Great Lakes Division - Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and Green Bay? I could see it becoming a "Black and Blue" division and if we can keep open air in four out of the five and the weather, I can see new rivalries emerging!
ndirish1978 Posted July 5, 2016 Posted July 5, 2016 Having bad teams kills rivalries imo, at least on the field. I doubt many of the AFC East teams have much love for our fans, cause the stadium can get a little hostile. I just don't see why other teams would get fired up to play us until we're actually decent.
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