Best Player Available Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Then, and I suspect even to this day, what happens on Sunday affects the mood of the city the next week. Much more than almost any other NFL city. your statement is accurate imo.
mjt328 Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Our team sucking for the last 15 years takes nothing away from the greatness of the 90's teams. While the Bills have struggled on the field, I have still very much enjoyed watching all those contributors (Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson, Bill Polian and Marv Levy) get inducted into the Hall of Fame. Although we never won a Super Bowl, seeing all those guys getting rewarded for their play does bring some justification.
4_kidd_4 Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Then, and I suspect even to this day, what happens on Sunday affects the mood of the city the next week. Much more than almost any other NFL city. I would agree, but I would also point out the affects aren't as noticeable as they were in the 90's. A lot of people are resigned to the "meh", we've been collectively worn down by almost two decades of bad football. It will ramp up again if/when we become a winner. But I do enjoy talking Bills with little old ladies in the supermarket when they notice my bills hat or tee, just one example of how the community does still love our Bills.
The Jokeman Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 December 28, 1996 started it as was amazed we could lose a home playoff game. Yet Homerun throwback marked the day I lament the most. As that was an ugly game but felt like RJ got some redemption by bringing us back with his wild sock only to see it forgotten because a crazy special teams gaffe.
SoTier Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Chuck Knox teams were very good. He should have been kept. Top coach in NFL at the time Agreed. He'd have given Belichick a run for his money in the current salary cap era because the Bills used their own self-imposed salary cap back then, so he made do with a minimum of stars and a lot of journeymen. IIRC, he left because the Bills wouldn't give him more leeway in acquiring more talented players.
likei've Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Our team sucking for the last 15 years takes nothing away from the greatness of the 90's teams. While the Bills have struggled on the field, I have still very much enjoyed watching all those contributors (Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson, Bill Polian and Marv Levy) get inducted into the Hall of Fame. Although we never won a Super Bowl, seeing all those guys getting rewarded for their play does bring some justification. Their accomplishments are still their own. Nothing can be taken away from the team. But speaking as someone who actually went to the hof and watched a few of those guys get inducted because of how much they meant to me I can honestly say it doesn't feel the same in my opinion. It may very well have nothing to do with the Bills. Maybe it's just adulthood, maybe it's just real life things happening making it seem less important and more like a game and entertainment. Could be a bunch of stuff. But I carve out every Sunday to watch this team, and it always meant so much. Now, not so much. I'm hoping some meaningful games can change that around for me. I'm with the OP though. I get it, good or bad I always had the 90's, the squish the fish newspaper cut outs in everyone's windows, the team you knew backwards and forwards, it fueled my positive experience (no matter how crummy the team was playing) for years. Even those memories aren't getting it done for me these days. I've said it before, I'll always watch, they'll always be my team. But the importance of that seems to be fading. Maybe the disconnect are the fans ages. Me and OP were kids. These players were basically our heroes. Heroes tend to fade with time. Maybe some if you guys were already adults and it was fun, but these guys weren't like your personal gods like they were to kids in the 90's.
billsintaiwan Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Can't ever forget those teams. Became cognizant of team in knox's last year when I was about 8, watched virtually every game since (including the last ten years at 1, 2, 4, and 5 a.m.), remember vividly where I was during the throwback (I had gone upstairs to get luggage to dash to airport, my Chinese roommate yelling up to me "t here is something wrong!), and still the greatest memories are the Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith Bills. The Rex Ryan years were the toughest. Worse than Hank Bullough. Worse than Jauron. Just abject stupidity. Certainly the worst head coach we have had in the past 35 years.
Peevo Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 I can't be the only poster on this board that was too young to remember the 90's Bills, right? I'm 30, and I genuinely can't remember a thing from those years. So imagine being 22, 18. Plenty old enough to be "into" football, but why on earth would you care about the Bills in the same way? The team beats to death, "love the Bills because you love Buffalo," as if because I reside here therefore I MUST love and worship a for-profit organization, that does all of its business in a white-bread, suburban sprawled, country town 15 miles south of Buffalo. Maybe it's time to ask them to their job better. I know, I know, "I'm a hater," but seriously how much can they sell "We were really good during the first Bush administration 30 years ago" before it wears off?
Rockpile233 Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 I was born in 88 so I don't really have anything to fall back on. And people criticize my cynicism? Ya, you know where to put that. I don't really get excited for a new season anymore, but still go to the games. I hope when they are eventually good it wakes up the fire again I had as a teenager, but since the music city miracle I've graduated middle school, graduated high school, graduated college, started my career, moved away, moved back for a better job, and now am almost married. Hard to blame me for rolling my eyes when I hear "we're close."
Buffalo Boy Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 Not sure how to answer this question, but losing to Pittsburgh's back-ups, starting 5-1 and not making the playoffs, McKelvin's fumble, Cowboy's MNF, and Stevie Johnson's OT drop are all recurring nightmares of the last 16 years That hurts!!!
4_kidd_4 Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 I can't be the only poster on this board that was too young to remember the 90's Bills, right? I'm 30, and I genuinely can't remember a thing from those years. So imagine being 22, 18. Plenty old enough to be "into" football, but why on earth would you care about the Bills in the same way? The team beats to death, "love the Bills because you love Buffalo," as if because I reside here therefore I MUST love and worship a for-profit organization, that does all of its business in a white-bread, suburban sprawled, country town 15 miles south of Buffalo. Maybe it's time to ask them to their job better. I know, I know, "I'm a hater," but seriously how much can they sell "We were really good during the first Bush administration 30 years ago" before it wears off? I genuinely appreciate this blunt take. Good to hear the perspective of the 'younger' fans that can't eat the 90's memberberries. If I didn't live those teams at an impressionable age I highly doubt I would care at all anymore.
jdonley1180 Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 I still find myself watching full games from that era on YouTube during the offseason 😔
likei've Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) I genuinely appreciate this blunt take. Good to hear the perspective of the 'younger' fans that can't eat the 90's memberberries. If I didn't live those teams at an impressionable age I highly doubt I would care at all anymore. I've actually had this exact some convo with my brother who just recently turned 30. All he's seen is a middle of the pack, mediocre squad. He loves the team, but he's said alot of what peevos is saying. All he knows about the glory years is what I went on an on about. Just sounds like fairy tales to him. He actually jokes that I'm the one responsible for making him a fan of this team and all its done is being him heartache. I laughed, it was a joke. but seriously, it's got some truth to it. Edited June 2, 2017 by likei've
BillsPride12 Posted June 2, 2017 Author Posted June 2, 2017 I still find myself watching full games from that era on YouTube during the offseason See and that actually used to be me too up until a couple years ago. I think I had just beaten those years to death. Like it's depressing for sure because I know how awesome those years were but the reality is that was a really, really long time ago now. Think about it this way when Bledsoe got here and we all thought we were ready for another run, we were only one decade removed from the Super Bowl years. I was still OBSESSED with the 90s era I grew up with during that time period. Their accomplishments are still their own. Nothing can be taken away from the team. But speaking as someone who actually went to the hof and watched a few of those guys get inducted because of how much they meant to me I can honestly say it doesn't feel the same in my opinion. It may very well have nothing to do with the Bills. Maybe it's just adulthood, maybe it's just real life things happening making it seem less important and more like a game and entertainment. Could be a bunch of stuff. But I carve out every Sunday to watch this team, and it always meant so much. Now, not so much. I'm hoping some meaningful games can change that around for me. I'm with the OP though. I get it, good or bad I always had the 90's, the squish the fish newspaper cut outs in everyone's windows, the team you knew backwards and forwards, it fueled my positive experience (no matter how crummy the team was playing) for years. Even those memories aren't getting it done for me these days. I've said it before, I'll always watch, they'll always be my team. But the importance of that seems to be fading. Maybe the disconnect are the fans ages. Me and OP were kids. These players were basically our heroes. Heroes tend to fade with time. Maybe some if you guys were already adults and it was fun, but these guys weren't like your personal gods like they were to kids in the 90's. Once again we really seem to be on the same page here. As much as it sucks to admit this, the unfortunate reality of growing up and becoming a real adult plays into it as well. My whole life the Bills were part of a childhood passion that carried on to the hard partying years of high school, college, and even the lingering partying years of late 20's but once you hit your 30's real life comes at you fast and then you have so many other distractions bringing you down its hard to feel intoxicated by the warm feelings of a football team from 25 years ago. And I'm not celebrating this fact, it absolutely sucks! I can't be the only poster on this board that was too young to remember the 90's Bills, right? I'm 30, and I genuinely can't remember a thing from those years. So imagine being 22, 18. Plenty old enough to be "into" football, but why on earth would you care about the Bills in the same way? The team beats to death, "love the Bills because you love Buffalo," as if because I reside here therefore I MUST love and worship a for-profit organization, that does all of its business in a white-bread, suburban sprawled, country town 15 miles south of Buffalo. Maybe it's time to ask them to their job better. I know, I know, "I'm a hater," but seriously how much can they sell "We were really good during the first Bush administration 30 years ago" before it wears off? That's a whole other discussion, I have been saying for awhile I give the younger kids who are diehard Bills fans today a lot of credit for sticking with this team. If I was growing up during this era I'm not so sure I would be as diehard as I am. Witnessing the 90s glory always gave me the perspective of knowing how good this thing can be.
Freddie's Dead Posted June 2, 2017 Posted June 2, 2017 They day they drafted Li'l' Donte instead of Ngata, or trading down since Leinart, Cutler, et al. were still on the board. I realized then that Marv was NOT the savior, and we needed new blood. The Greg Williams Era There are 3 G's in Gregg. To be safe, use Greggo or Gregggggggg, and just hold down the G. Can never have enough g's for that Dbagggggggg.
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