Madd Charlie Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 The loss to the Jets on Thursday was the low point of my sports week obviously but I had to remind myself where we are in the grand scheme of things. When this season started, Beane could have come to knock on my front door personally and tell me this team was not tanking and I would have called him a liar to his face. What didn't dawn on me until a few weeks into the season is the GM can tank all he wants this coach and these players want to win. I've watched intently every week as usual and have been pleasantly surprised but never overly excited about this season until after the Raiders game last week. Everyone on my TV talking about playoffs and how this team finally arrived felt like a jinks for this team that is all heart with little top-tier talent, but that did not stop me from taking the plunge last week and for the first time this season I guzzled the kool-aid and told myself if they win the Jets game we are definitely going to the playoffs. So obviously we lost and I felt like a moron for going against my better judgment. This morning it hit me, in 1988 the Bills had their first winning season since 1981. We had an extremely young core of talent that no one at that time would have guessed was filled with so many HOFers and would be soon headed to multiple super bowls. The important thing was that Levy had those guys playing like a team and believing in each other and it showed. Nothing much had happened yet, but the feeling in the air was just different just like it is now. We may make the playoffs we may not but I'm taking the rest of this season with a grain of salt because either way this is not our year. No matter what the wins and losses say at the end of the season we are closer than we have been in a long time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJBobby Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Well it is actually 2017 almost 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 I'll wait to see what Doc Brown posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 It's not even 1987 in terms of talent. That '88 team was good enough to win the AFC Championship game if they had been at home. This team is a long way off from that level. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJBobby Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 I have seen enough of these posts at various times over the past 17 years. I really want to stop people comparing and or always going back into the 90s run and start looking at the teams for what they are. Want THIS team to write their own History and not always try to compare them of the players to the glory years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punt75 Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 1 hour ago, Boatdrinks said: It's not even 1987 in terms of talent. That '88 team was good enough to win the AFC Championship game if they had been at home. This team is a long way off from that level. Agreed. More like 1986 also when Marv arrived. Lot's of improvements to be made all over the roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 2 minutes ago, Punt75 said: Agreed. More like 1986 also when Marv arrived. Lot's of improvements to be made all over the roster. Agreed. Although i think it is more like November of ‘79 or the afternoon of October 21, 1962. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 I’m a wimp. The lack of paragraphs scared me off. Couldn’t read it. This is what it looks and feels like right before you get good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frankish Reich Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 2 hours ago, Madd Charlie said: The loss to the Jets on Thursday was the low point of my sports week obviously but I had to remind myself where we are in the grand scheme of things. When this season started, Beane could have come to knock on my front door personally and tell me this team was not tanking and I would have called him a liar to his face. What didn't dawn on me until a few weeks into the season is the GM can tank all he wants this coach and these players want to win. I've watched intently every week as usual and have been pleasantly surprised but never overly excited about this season until after the Raiders game last week. Everyone on my TV talking about playoffs and how this team finally arrived felt like a jinks for this team that is all heart with little top-tier talent, but that did not stop me from taking the plunge last week and for the first time this season I guzzled the kool-aid and told myself if they win the Jets game we are definitely going to the playoffs. So obviously we lost and I felt like a moron for going against my better judgment. This morning it hit me, in 1988 the Bills had their first winning season since 1981. We had an extremely young core of talent that no one at that time would have guessed was filled with so many HOFers and would be soon headed to multiple super bowls. The important thing was that Levy had those guys playing like a team and believing in each other and it showed. Nothing much had happened yet, but the feeling in the air was just different just like it is now. We may make the playoffs we may not but I'm taking the rest of this season with a grain of salt because either way this is not our year. No matter what the wins and losses say at the end of the season we are closer than we have been in a long time. Well ... where is all this young talent they're hiding? The following players have performed very well this year: - Incognito - Taylor - Clay (when on the field) - McCoy - Hughes - Poyer - Hyde - Gaines - Tredavious White Notice anything? With one exception ... They're all old! Or at least veterans who are not under team control for much longer. And if you go to the next tier of performers, you sweep in Kyle Williams and Eric Wood and Cordy Glenn. The best you can say about young talent is that Zay Jones may be turning the corner, and Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano have looked promising in very limited action. Maybe after next year it becomes 1988, a team that had it's franchise QB, that had a 22 year old Thurman Thomas, a 24 year old Andre Reed, a 23 year old Cornelius Bennett, a 25 year old Bruce Smith ... and that's just for starts. But we're at least one more (and probably two more) very good drafts from that level ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frankish Reich Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 EDIT (I can't get the edit function to load in the otherwise excellent upate!): the Bills 2017 core is either old, not under team control for an extended time (that is, not many guys on contracts that provide excess value), or already signed last offseason at free agent rates. That's quite the opposite of the 1988 team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LA Grant Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 It's been 1988 since 2000. This is the longest decade ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston's #1 Bills Fan Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 1 hour ago, The Frankish Reich said: Well ... where is all this young talent they're hiding? The following players have performed very well this year: - Incognito - Taylor - Clay (when on the field) - McCoy - Hughes - Poyer - Hyde - Gaines - Tredavious White Notice anything? With one exception ... They're all old! Or at least veterans who are not under team control for much longer. And if you go to the next tier of performers, you sweep in Kyle Williams and Eric Wood and Cordy Glenn. The best you can say about young talent is that Zay Jones may be turning the corner, and Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano have looked promising in very limited action. Maybe after next year it becomes 1988, a team that had it's franchise QB, that had a 22 year old Thurman Thomas, a 24 year old Andre Reed, a 23 year old Cornelius Bennett, a 25 year old Bruce Smith ... and that's just for starts. But we're at least one more (and probably two more) very good drafts from that level ... Agreed. Not enough young talent yet. Kyle, Ritchie likely gone next year. Lorax should be gone. Shady going on 30. Tyrod - still not franchise (holds the ball too long, can't see the field). Need OL and DL and LB and QB (although I do like Peterman), and RB (x2 - Tolbert sucks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Brown Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 5 hours ago, Kelly the Dog said: I'll wait to see what Doc Brown posts. I don't want to screw up the space time continuum, but let's just say Kelly Bryant is a great prospect for the 2019 draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 The 1988 Bills were the most talented Bills team ever. The only thing stopping us from winning the SB was the fact that Kelly was not yet calling his own plays and the fact that the no huddle wasn't instituted. 1988 was definitely the best defense we ever had. leon seals and art Still to go with Bruce....6 excellent LBs. We will never see talent like that again. Too bad we had a very stodgy conservative offense that yr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. K Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 3 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said: Well ... where is all this young talent they're hiding? The following players have performed very well this year: - Incognito - Taylor - Clay (when on the field) - McCoy - Hughes - Poyer - Hyde - Gaines - Tredavious White Notice anything? With one exception ... They're all old! Or at least veterans who are not under team control for much longer. And if you go to the next tier of performers, you sweep in Kyle Williams and Eric Wood and Cordy Glenn. The best you can say about young talent is that Zay Jones may be turning the corner, and Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano have looked promising in very limited action. Maybe after next year it becomes 1988, a team that had it's franchise QB, that had a 22 year old Thurman Thomas, a 24 year old Andre Reed, a 23 year old Cornelius Bennett, a 25 year old Bruce Smith ... and that's just for starts. But we're at least one more (and probably two more) very good drafts from that level ... Yes. Beane got rid of all the young talent that was left on the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBear Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 It's much more like the 1983 Bills. 1st year head coach (Stephenson) with an aging roster, veteran qb (Fergy) and dynamic rb (Cribs). Start 5-2, then blown out by divisional opponent. Next week they came home and beat the Saints to move to 6-3. Then went on to lose 5 of 7 and finish up at 8-8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 22 minutes ago, TheBrownBear said: It's much more like the 1983 Bills. 1st year head coach (Stephenson) with an aging roster, veteran qb (Fergy) and dynamic rb (Cribs). Start 5-2, then blown out by divisional opponent. Next week they came home and beat the Saints to move to 6-3. Then went on to lose 5 of 7 and finish up at 8-8. Great comparison! Right down to the Saints! This is not the late 80's Bills........this is an OLD team. One of the differences between 1983 and now is that it's much easier to turn a team around now.........which is really what makes this drought so unfathomable.....but also means they don't have to bottom out to get better like that Bills team did. To remain competitive next season they will have to keep bringing in veterans.......not many youngsters in development.......and heaven forbid they try to start 5-6 rookies next year in a system predicated on not making mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frankish Reich Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 At least it's not 1987, the strike year, when the Bills scab labor team was maybe the worst collection of scabs out there. We didn't even get that right by hiring good picket line crossers and picking up 3 cheap wins that still counted in the standings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffAlone Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 6 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said: At least it's not 1987, the strike year, when the Bills scab labor team was maybe the worst collection of scabs out there. We didn't even get that right by hiring good picket line crossers and picking up 3 cheap wins that still counted in the standings. Didn't Bruce cross the picket line at some point? Seems like I remember that....but I've wrong before(according to others of course lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 While I appreciate the optimism, the 2017 Bills remind me more of so many teams along the road of this seventeen year desert. They have an aging running back, a mediocre quarterback and a number of other defensive pieces on borrowed time and contracts. Their big draft picks are a cornerback (who's done really well) and a slot receiver who's yet to impress. How is this team all that different than thos fielded by Jauron, Marrone, or countless other speed bumps along the way? Go Bills.....PLEASE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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