Optimism Anyone?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

...a long, LONG time coming, since the Polian era....Donohoe was obsessed with being named PRESIDENT to fuel his total control ego and then hired cheap subordinating HC's who caved at his demand...set this club back a decade....Marv and Buddy were football people, but respectfully beyond their prime.....Brandon was put in positions not qualified for...and we recycled coaches who were stale dated....hence, the "Patchwork Era of Futility"....sure not one down has been played yet, but the "Young Guns-Young Minds-Coaching Staff" sure as hell brings some optimism to OBD FINALLY getting it right after BP...stay tuned................

[Sandy McFiddish]

Mild expectations, not expecting but seriously hoping for playoffs

To be more accurate, skepticism is the wrong word. The correct word is pessimism.

Or us being Bills fans and we have had our hopes crushed so many times.

[Eric Moulds on my A**]

Want playoffs. Need a team I can be proud of. Expect another season outside of contention...

 

Would love to be surprised.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

After 17 years and no playoffs.. you are crazy if you are optimistic.

...hell, even Susan Lucci FINALLY one......you never know.....................

[voodoo poonani]

I'm optimistic about the franchise. I think all of the moves they have made were sensible. That said I foresee growing pains. We won't be in the playoffs next year, but I don't believe McD is the tank it all type of guy. Will people be able to wait 3 or more years? Given the posts on here, I doubt it.

[#34fan]

First round cornerback picks are very deflating... The fact that our maneuvers got us two first round picks next year isn't necessarily a good thing AT ALL... We had an opportunity to change the face of this team, and didn't get it done this draft... Next draft we may grab another corner in the frickin' first.

Edited May 14, 2017 by #34fan

[thurst44]

Just trying to see where everyone is at and why? I am mildly optimistic myself. I expect improvement, but the schedule coupled with the many changes makes me think we fall just short of the post season again.

I'd say I'm mildly optimistic, but don't really fit your metric. I'd say playoffs are a decent possibility as is a bit of a mess to sort out. It looks like a tough schedule, but as we saw last year, that can be an illusion. There's a lot of talent and intriguing possibilities throughout the roster -- really only place I have a hard time seeing a clear path for success is the secondary (which may be the worst place to have holes in a passing-dominant league). If Dawkins and Zay start strong, Watkins and Shady stay healthy, and Tyrod builds on how he was playing in his final 5 starts, this could be a hard offense to stop. Also, as long as players remain healthy, and play at-or-near their potential, I have far fewer worries than most about the front seven. We may be underestimating the impact of our top three picks from last year.

 

While this feels like a .500 to slightly above .500 team with promise, I can see a 14-2 shocker breakout season (see Falcons, Panthers) more than I could see a 2-14 disaster.

[Success]

Definitely optimistic this year. I think McD is exactly what this already talented team needs.

 

Everyone talks about what the Pats have added. The Bills are adding at least 6-7 guys who can be big difference makers. Ragland, Hyde, Lawson finally getting a full season. Watkins back to full health, with Zay being a legit #2 and a guy I see as more versatile and dangerous than Woods. White might be a downgrade talent-wise, but I would bet that he won't have as many lapses as Gilmore. Dawkins will upgrade the line and bring some nasty attitude. And I think that new punter will even work out - Schmidt had some very bad games last year. Field position battles can determine games.

 

I can't wait to see a more disciplined, focused team. I love that we're close to last in some of the power rankings. I think this team is going to surprise a lot of people.

[KOKBILLS]

Honestly I'm VERY optimistic...But it has nothing to do with the Playoffs in 2017...

[#34fan]

Definitely optimistic this year. I think McD is exactly what this already talented team needs.

 

. Watkins back to full health, with Zay being a legit #2

 

At best, it's a "we'll see" on BOTH these counts... I'm not buying any Zay Jones stock just yet...

[WhoTom]

Mildly optimistic. It was clear that Rex was taking the team in the wrong direction, so I'm expecting some improvement due to the coaching change. Frankly, I don't think it'll take a LOT of improvement to at least make the playoffs, so I'm not ruling out the postseason entirely, but I'm also not expecting it this year.

After 17 years and no playoffs.. you are crazy if you are optimistic.

 

We're Bills fans. Calling us crazy is redundant.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Mildly optimistic. It was clear that Rex was taking the team in the wrong direction, so I'm expecting some improvement due to the coaching change. Frankly, I don't think it'll take a LOT of improvement to at least make the playoffs, so I'm not ruling out the postseason entirely, but I'm also not expecting it this year.

...the Wrecks experiment was a two year setback.....so we're back to ground zero at least with some young gun football guys in charge.......playoffs may not be a reasonable goal this early, but who the hell knows?...so stay tuned....

[WhoTom]

...the Wrecks experiment was a two year setback.....so we're back to ground zero at least with some young gun football guys in charge.......playoffs may not be a reasonable goal this early, but who the hell knows?...so stay tuned....

 

I will. (See above post about being crazy.)

[stinky finger]

Wait and see.... Not a fan of some of the moves this offseason but I'll wait and see how the product looks on the field.

 

My guess is 6-10 or 7-9 when its all said and done.

have you bothered to look longer term?

 

or

 

do you reassess annually?

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

I'm somewhat optimistic because they have a coach/gm attached at the hip and on the same contract length. I'm not sure it would be a surprise to go anywhere from 6 wins to 10 wins. Anything outside those parameters would surprise me. Secondly, we have gotten rid of an awful coach and staff. They ran an undisciplined rabble who routinely didn't show up at the wrong times to play. Go Bills!

[eball]

I don't think "hoping for the best but low expectations" qualifies as any level of "optimistic" -- that's the typical "I'm afraid of being let down" b.s. we see from lots of fans.

 

I expect immediate improvement with a floor of 6 wins (if there are significant injuries) and a ceiling of 11 wins if they get some breaks.

[Figster]

kind of in the middle of mild and extreme, (voted mild)

 

hard schedule, but going to make for a very exciting season,

 

can't wait...

Edited May 14, 2017 by Figster

[stinky finger]

The long term looks like a nice change because Whaley and company are out of the picture.

 

Still we have no idea what we have in these new guys. Hence the wait and see. What is wrong with this outlook?

 

Nothing wrong with the outlook.

 

I think we have interpreted the poll differently.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

kind of in the middle of mild and extreme, (voted mild)

 

hard schedule, but going to make for a very exciting season,

 

can't wait...

....sure is so far and on paper......but it is interesting to review strength of schedule stats before season(s) begin as compared to at the end of the season.....far too many variables by team to predict....so you play ALL 16 to win........has to be a non-issue otherwise it's doom 'n gloom IMO................better focal point is AFCE and going at best 4-2 as the initial goal......

Edited May 14, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[BillsFan4]

Just trying to see where everyone is at and why? I am mildly optimistic myself. I expect improvement, but the schedule coupled with the many changes makes me think we fall just short of the post season again.

I would not say I am extremely optimistic, but I am definitely more than mildly optimistic. I also don't expect the playoffs this year. So I didn't vote for any of the listed options... lol

 

I am optimistic by nature though. I tend to always look for the positives in any situation. I think it makes life much better, in general.

 

 

It has been a whole lot of change though, which is what most of us have wanted for a long time. None of us really know how it will work out, but the change alone makes me hopeful. We know for sure that the way they had been doing things simply didn't work. The front office and coaching staff's always seemed to be on a different planet. It seemed like the MO was to give a coaching staff 1-3 years and then throw them under the bus. To me, it seemed like the front offices main job priority was to ensure their own job security by passing the blame onto the coaches.

 

So, I think having a front office and coaching staff that seem to be in lock step and are completely tied together is a huge step forward alone.

 

McDermott was also my first choice as far as coaches go, so I was thrilled with his hire. I've been a fan of his for a while now. I really love the staff he's assembled so far, and many of his traits and priorities. He has put together a coaching staff known for being teachers of the game. I think he hired 2 of the very best line coaches in the NFL (Waufle and Castillo). Dennison was a great OC hire IMO. Not 100% sold on Leslie Frazier, but he is well respected in the NFL and I expect to be running Sean McDermott's defensive scheme, so we will see... I als love that they seem to be focusing on the little details. I think that is something a lot of great coaches have in common. I see a lot of traits of great coaches in Sean McDermott. Hopefully in time he will prove to be one of them... As of now, I think that this is the best coaching staff, from top to bottom, that the Bills have had in a very long time.

 

I honestly didn't know enough about Brandon Beane to say much either way. I knew he was very well regarded in Carolina and around the NFL but that's about it. The more I've seen/read, the more excited I am getting.

 

I am definitely not expecting playoffs this year. I think that they are going to take their time building this team from the ground up. So I am willing to have patience. All I want to see this season are steps in the right direction and growth from our players. I really want to see these guys get some time to build this right. IMO, bad teams stay bad by constantly switching coaches and scheme. I want to see some continuity for s change.

Edited May 14, 2017 by BillsFan4