Truth is, Nobody Has a Clue What This Team Will Be Like

[JohnBonhamRocks]

The more you know that you don't know, the more you know. You know?

[Paup 1995MVP]

I have a hard time seeing more than 6 wins this year with my gut telling me closer to 4 wins. I have no idea why I think that other than not having faith in Tyrod (that's it). I like our coach and GM and see talent in most other areas of the team. I think the last 16 years have really just beaten me down and the fact that the Patriots are supposed to be this "Super Team" just screams "not a chance in hell this year." I think most people in this type of mind-frame are the ones in tank mode and just see this year as going through the motions until we find that elusive franchise QB.

 

I'll be at every home game and love the tailgate more than ever and would love, more than anything, to be wrong about Tyrod. The reality of another 8-8 or 7-9 season is such an abrasive thought and a tough place to be in when so many other bottom dwellers are looking for QBs as well. Anyway, the people that are predicting terrible seasons love this team as much as anyone and those frustrations are obviously visible on a message board.

 

What if Tyrod turns the corner? I just can't see it after seeing his type of throws over the last two years but what the hell do I know (or anyone of us for that matter). Here's to the home opener and to that one thing we always try to cling on to year after year...hope.

As long as McCoy is reasonably healthy this team should be competing for a wild card. More talent on the roster then people think. Defense should be much better. And the coaching will make this a TEAM, not a fragmented group of players with many different agendas. Is this team ready for a prime time Super Bowl? Not quite. But I expect us to certainly compete much better and harder then in past seasons week in and week out. McDermott will not accept anything less from the 1st practice, all thru the season.

[Billsmovinup]

 

So Billsnotmovinup should be your TSW name.

And yours should be kissinruss'sbutt24/7.😄😄😄😄😄😄

Yup. As we all know if you aren't completely down on this organization you must be a Pollyanna with sunshine, lollipops and rainbow-farting unicorns. Either or, nothing in between.

 

There is also blind commitment to pessimism.

Just a realist. 7-9 again. Deal with it. Give me a marquee QB or the 85 bears d and were 13-3. Dont have either. That translates to 7-9. Again and again and again. No playoffs. Just like last year. Edited July 7, 2017 by Billsmovinup

[Talley56]

I want to post the schedule and put my Ws and Ls up but I'm sure that's been done adnauseam. I still think a 3-0 start is very possible (if Carolina plays like they did last year they will be very beatable).

[26CornerBlitz]

IMO, the biggest question marks are on defense with the LB and CB/S positions with the DL as the strength of the unit on paper. The offense should be good to very good with the personnel on hand. How fast the team comes together with new schemes in place is anyone's guess. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds this season.

Edited July 7, 2017 by 26CornerBlitz

[JM2009]

IMO, the biggest question marks are on defense with the LB and CB/S positions with the DL as the strength of the unit on paper. The offense should be good to very good with the personnel on hand. How fast the team comes together with new schemes in place is anyone's guess. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds this season.

Cannot have the injury bug again.

[26CornerBlitz]

Cannot have the injury bug again.

 

Too hard to overcome significant injuries in the salary cap era with quality depth being difficult to retain.

[Shaw66]

I think it is reasonable to state that the game day coaching will be much better.

Really, I'm not even sure of that. You'd think it will be better because it was pretty bad last season, but who knows? No one has ever seen McDermott prepare a team for a game, and no one has ever seen him making sideline decisions.

 

I don't think we can assume anything about what's coming. The guy could be a total bust and his team could go 4-12. I don't think that's who he is, but really, who knows?

[BuffaloBaumer]

IMO, the biggest question marks are on defense with the LB and CB/S positions with the DL as the strength of the unit on paper. The offense should be good to very good with the personnel on hand. How fast the team comes together with new schemes in place is anyone's guess. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds this season.

 

That's definitely the fun part...the total unknown

[Iron Maiden]

I'm sticking with my 8-8 .....I'm looking forward to see what our new HC does and how he looks on game day.....this year is a long audition for the kind of players he wants or the ones he doesn't.....NE has been dominating for 17 years. so I don't think it changes anything specific to this season....They'll be in the AFCCG like most of the time...no surprise there....

Edited July 7, 2017 by Iron Maiden

[Chandler#81]

I'm going with 10, maybe 11 wins. Less because of the unicorns in my a**, more that the schedule is so intriguing. If we can be 5-3, 4-4 at worse at midseason, then the fact the back end of the schedule is so loaded with critical AFC/AFCE games and more home games than we typically have that late, means it will truly be in our hands to determine our fate. Recently, our out of Conference wins fed false hope of a December playoff drive, when our Conference record sucked. I believe our 1-5 Division record last season was an aberration and has provided false belief in Miami and New York. We'll have our chance in December to prove this and I think by that time, McD will have firmly placed his signature on this team.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

I too can see 5-3, 4-4 at worse at midseason/ Maybe even 6-2

 

If the worst happens and they are 3-5 w/TT, honestly I'd expect to see a change at QB.

Edited July 7, 2017 by ShadyBillsFan

[Dan]

I was thinking of starting a thread similar to this yesterday. My brother-in-law and I always talk football and yesterday he's asking me... How's the Bills looking? What's their big moves? (He's a Broncos fan). Sadly, my answer was... I don't know. Does any of it matter?

 

We started talking more about how football is getting unwatchable lately, and for me, how much these last 17 years have weighed upon my eternal hope. He used to joke... 10yrs ago.. How do you guys do it? Every year think the Bills are going to the playoffs and every year they suck. And sadly... I can't get excited by the offseason hope any more. Will they suck? Will they be good? I don't know.

 

However, I've seen this team go through coaching changes, player changes, owners, entire front offices, GMs, fans born, fans died. But, one thing remains constant... The mediocrity that is this team. We haven't had decent coaching in forever. We haven't had true impact players since the late 90's. We've fielded more unfocused, poorly prepared, ..soft.. teams than I care to recount.

 

Last year I didn't get Sunday ticket and don't feel I missed much.. .even when they won. This year, for the 2nd season ever, I won't try to watch every game. I just can't get excited any more. They've beaten me down.

 

So, if I may ask a different question? For those of you excited, optimistic... How can I be that way again? Not for the game day experience... I live in ID and spend most every week on the road somewhere else. I've never had the joy of attending a game at Rich Stadium, and don't know that I ever will. Why should I... How can I ..get excited about a team that has changed everything, yet again, in hopes that this is finally the right combination? Why should we even watch the NFL at all when the one team I hate the most is the only team that ever seems to win and is showing no signs of stopping?

[Nick the Greek]

The last game to really bug me was the EJ/Jacksonville game. The rest of that season, and all of 2016, I've realized it's all a game. I love me some Bills but it's not worth it to get beat down in July. Even at 6-10 this year, it's still NFL football in Buffalo. It could be an open lot had they moved, or never came in the first place.

I tell myself I won't get upset after losses anymore, and it had worked for the most part.

 

The game last season against the Fish tho on Christmas Eve.. that was bad. Epic meltdown and Rex's D just getting shredded. Yea, I took that one hard.

[BuffaloBaumer]

I was thinking of starting a thread similar to this yesterday. My brother-in-law and I always talk football and yesterday he's asking me... How's the Bills looking? What's their big moves? (He's a Broncos fan). Sadly, my answer was... I don't know. Does any of it matter?

 

We started talking more about how football is getting unwatchable lately, and for me, how much these last 17 years have weighed upon my eternal hope. He used to joke... 10yrs ago.. How do you guys do it? Every year think the Bills are going to the playoffs and every year they suck. And sadly... I can't get excited by the offseason hope any more. Will they suck? Will they be good? I don't know.

 

However, I've seen this team go through coaching changes, player changes, owners, entire front offices, GMs, fans born, fans died. But, one thing remains constant... The mediocrity that is this team. We haven't had decent coaching in forever. We haven't had true impact players since the late 90's. We've fielded more unfocused, poorly prepared, ..soft.. teams than I care to recount.

 

Last year I didn't get Sunday ticket and don't feel I missed much.. .even when they won. This year, for the 2nd season ever, I won't try to watch every game. I just can't get excited any more. They've beaten me down.

 

So, if I may ask a different question? For those of you excited, optimistic... How can I be that way again? Not for the game day experience... I live in ID and spend most every week on the road somewhere else. I've never had the joy of attending a game at Rich Stadium, and don't know that I ever will. Why should I... How can I ..get excited about a team that has changed everything, yet again, in hopes that this is finally the right combination? Why should we even watch the NFL at all when the one team I hate the most is the only team that ever seems to win and is showing no signs of stopping?

 

Because when it finally happens, it is going to be fun as hell again. I think about the Sabres run to the Cup not THAT long ago and it was the best ride this city has ever see. Every other night, the electricity was endless and every street corner was selling Sabres gear as cars with flags honked non-stop.

 

Once this city has a chance to run with the Sabres or Bills again, watch out, nobody does it better.

[Iron Maiden]

I'm going with 10, maybe 11 wins. Less because of the unicorns in my a**, more that the schedule is so intriguing. If we can be 5-3, 4-4 at worse at midseason, then the fact the back end of the schedule is so loaded with critical AFC/AFCE games and more home games than we typically have that late, means it will truly be in our hands to determine our fate. Recently, our out of Conference wins fed false hope of a December playoff drive, when our Conference record sucked. I believe our 1-5 Division record last season was an aberration and has provided false belief in Miami and New York. We'll have our chance in December to prove this and I think by that time, McD will have firmly placed his signature on this team.

2 of those games are vs the Patriots.......that can't be a good thing.....

[BuffaloHokie13]

2 of those games are vs the Patriots.......that can't be a good thing.....

Unless they've already clinched like when we played them at the end of 2014

[Gugny]

I have a hard time seeing more than 6 wins this year with my gut telling me closer to 4 wins. I have no idea why I think that other than not having faith in Tyrod (that's it). I like our coach and GM and see talent in most other areas of the team. I think the last 16 years have really just beaten me down and the fact that the Patriots are supposed to be this "Super Team" just screams "not a chance in hell this year." I think most people in this type of mind-frame are the ones in tank mode and just see this year as going through the motions until we find that elusive franchise QB.

 

I'll be at every home game and love the tailgate more than ever and would love, more than anything, to be wrong about Tyrod. The reality of another 8-8 or 7-9 season is such an abrasive thought and a tough place to be in when so many other bottom dwellers are looking for QBs as well. Anyway, the people that are predicting terrible seasons love this team as much as anyone and those frustrations are obviously visible on a message board.

 

What if Tyrod turns the corner? I just can't see it after seeing his type of throws over the last two years but what the hell do I know (or anyone of us for that matter). Here's to the home opener and to that one thing we always try to cling on to year after year...hope.

 

Other than the "being at every home game," part, your sentiments mirror mine.

 

Once this city has a chance to run with the Sabres or Bills again, watch out, nobody does it better.

 

Well ... to be honest .... the team they play in the championship has done it better every time.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Amen! Except we know what it'll be like if McCoy gets injured. And we'll certainly know who to blame.

[BuffaloBaumer]

 

Other than the "being at every home game," part, your sentiments mirror mine.

 

Well ... to be honest .... the team they play in the championship has done it better every time.

 

Yes, but I was referring to the fans in this city