"Pump the Brakes" Narrative by Reporters and Analysts

[WhoTom]

14 minutes ago, Capco said:

 

There will be a time when no one left alive remembers where pumping their brakes came from.  Does it transcend from analogy to idiom after that point?  

 

I had a similar thought when Beane said something about a running back who could make you miss in a phone booth.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Why do read it and let it bother you?

 

AND 

If I pump the breaks the idiot behind me will crash into my backside 

[Utah John]

There's an old Russian saying (appropriated by a US president): Trust but verify. 

 

The O line was the biggest problem last year.  They brought in a bunch of guys and a good rookie.  If this fixed the problem, we're in good shape.  If the new guys are no better than last year's stiffs, it will be another long year.

 

Is that pumping the brakes?  Maybe. 

[McNubbins]

We're talking about PRACTICE.  Not the game, practice.  I tend to agree that we all need to pump the brakes a bit.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

2 hours ago, WhoTom said:

I haven't pumped the brakes since ABS was invented.

 

 

...neither did Fred Flinstone...just sayin'.......ask Wilma.............

Edited June 1, 2019 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[BringBackFlutie]

In the land of western PA and Ohio, the famous soliloquy, from Hamlet, is simply called, "Or Not."

[Cripple Creek]

4 hours ago, tumaro02 said:

If I read one more "disclaimer" by the beat writers and analysts that as Bills fans we need to "pump the brakes", "they don't have pads on", "its only May", we must "temper expectations", "OTA's are meaningless" I am going to explode! Most of us have many, many, many, more years of following football and particularly the Bills that these same beat writers (you know who they are) and analysts. We know the story. I really appreciate reporting what they see and even their commentary on how player's are fitting into the culture and lineups. Too many of them (actually all of them) in order avoid criticism feel the need to step on the pulpit and spread the "pump the brakes" rhetoric as though their readers are neophytes or dummies that need preached too. Please, just report what you see, comment on your thoughts, but layoff the preachy condescending rhetoric. If I hear good things by multiple writers I want to feel good about the team. I don't need told to "temper" my enthusiasm until they say its ok. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

My feeling is that you need to take a step back, draw in a deep breath and relax a bit. After all, it is only June, and barely so.

[North Buffalo]

Its the off season,  time to dispense with negative waves.. who cares at this point and a little good news on the Bills is nice as I grind thru my summer work schedule...  there will be plenty of time during the season to go negative if need be.

[Don Beebe]

4 hours ago, tumaro02 said:

If I read one more "disclaimer" by the beat writers and analysts that as Bills fans we need to "pump the brakes", "they don't have pads on", "its only May", we must "temper expectations", "OTA's are meaningless" I am going to explode! Most of us have many, many, many, more years of following football and particularly the Bills that these same beat writers (you know who they are) and analysts. We know the story. I really appreciate reporting what they see and even their commentary on how player's are fitting into the culture and lineups. Too many of them (actually all of them) in order avoid criticism feel the need to step on the pulpit and spread the "pump the brakes" rhetoric as though their readers are neophytes or dummies that need preached too. Please, just report what you see, comment on your thoughts, but layoff the preachy condescending rhetoric. If I hear good things by multiple writers I want to feel good about the team. I don't need told to "temper" my enthusiasm until they say its ok. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Pay no attention to them. I remember when we were going to Super bowls. We were everybody's favorite team to put down even then. The world is full of haters.

[Albany,n.y.]

The whole point of being a fan can be summed up in one word: HOPE.  

 

If you don't have hope, either in the present or for the future, then what is the point of being a fan?   I can go through a bad season (or 17) as long as I have cause for hope in the future. 

 

The people who are negative all the time need to find a new hobby where they can be happy, because football isn't working out for them.

 

I remember the last time I felt this hopeful was in 1988, after I saw the direction the team was headed in.  Now I went a little overboard and took a Bills t-shirt and ironed on letters that read "Super Bowl XXIII Champions" & wore it to opening day 9/4/88 vs the Vikings, but I'd rather feel that way than always saying to the Bills you're gonna lose, like Stillwell in A League of Their Own. 

 

So no, I'm not pumping any brakes no matter how much water the negative people try to throw on our road to the Super Bowl.  I believe in Josh Allen as I have early on.  I bought his jersey the day after the Minnesota game because he gives me hope of something special every time he's on the field.  Just like Jim Kelly did back in the late 1980s.   

 

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

There are only a few sports writers and commentators for whom I have any degree of respect.  I look at the source before I even spend time to read or listen.  For the most part, I trust what I see on the field much more than what I read ( with the exception of the gems from distinguished posters found here).

[artmalibu]

After the Bills have a good season this year we all should blow up the jerky writers twitter accounts with the FU messages for a month. 

[Chandler#81]

I agree with the OP. God knows we have more than our fill of them right here on the Wall. 

 

Crap on your own Wheaties, ya bastards!

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

5 hours ago, Capco said:

 

There will be a time when no one left alive remembers where pumping their brakes came from.  Does it transcend from analogy to idiom after that point?  

 

Like hold your horses ? 

[Cripple Creek]

13 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

I agree with the OP. God knows we have more than our fill of them right here on the Wall. 

 

Crap on your own Wheaties, ya bastards!

You need to pump the brakes a bit.

[Boca BIlls]

I don't understand this since it's the media that is pumping this team up....

[CSBill]

8 hours ago, tumaro02 said:

If I read one more "disclaimer" by the beat writers and analysts that as Bills fans we need to "pump the brakes", "they don't have pads on", "its only May", we must "temper expectations", "OTA's are meaningless" I am going to explode! Most of us have many, many, many, more years of following football and particularly the Bills that these same beat writers (you know who they are) and analysts. We know the story. I really appreciate reporting what they see and even their commentary on how player's are fitting into the culture and lineups. Too many of them (actually all of them) in order avoid criticism feel the need to step on the pulpit and spread the "pump the brakes" rhetoric as though their readers are neophytes or dummies that need preached too. Please, just report what you see, comment on your thoughts, but layoff the preachy condescending rhetoric. If I hear good things by multiple writers I want to feel good about the team. I don't need told to "temper" my enthusiasm until they say its ok. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

 

I have felt the same way. "Just how stupid do they think we are?"

[HOUSE]

No......

[Thurman#1]

11 hours ago, tumaro02 said:

If I read one more "disclaimer" by the beat writers and analysts that as Bills fans we need to "pump the brakes", "they don't have pads on", "its only May", we must "temper expectations", "OTA's are meaningless" I am going to explode! Most of us have many, many, many, more years of following football and particularly the Bills that these same beat writers (you know who they are) and analysts. We know the story. I really appreciate reporting what they see and even their commentary on how player's are fitting into the culture and lineups. Too many of them (actually all of them) in order avoid criticism feel the need to step on the pulpit and spread the "pump the brakes" rhetoric as though their readers are neophytes or dummies that need preached too. Please, just report what you see, comment on your thoughts, but layoff the preachy condescending rhetoric. If I hear good things by multiple writers I want to feel good about the team. I don't need told to "temper" my enthusiasm until they say its ok. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

 

You, personally may not need it. Their duty isn't to tell you what you, personally need to hear. They have a larger audience.

 

And plenty of Bills fans are dreaming 10- 11- 12 and 13-win dreams for this season and thinking it's not just possible but that that's the way it looks.

 

You must see a thousand things a day that you then ignore, as we all do, the ads we have to suffer through and try to ignore, on bus stop benches and billboards and T-shirts , the pop-ups. The high-end fashion stores which if you like me you walk past without registering. The homeless guys who want to tell you how to save money, the overweight people who want to spend hours telling you about their diets that really work, the bad husbands that want to teach everyone how to treat women ... don't you find there's a tsunami of things you totally ignore every single day, hell, every hour?

 

If you don't like it, just make this another thing to ignore.

5 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said:

The whole point of being a fan can be summed up in one word: HOPE.  

 

If you don't have hope, either in the present or for the future, then what is the point of being a fan?   I can go through a bad season (or 17) as long as I have cause for hope in the future. 

 

The people who are negative all the time need to find a new hobby where they can be happy, because football isn't working out for them.

 

I remember the last time I felt this hopeful was in 1988, after I saw the direction the team was headed in.  Now I went a little overboard and took a Bills t-shirt and ironed on letters that read "Super Bowl XXIII Champions" & wore it to opening day 9/4/88 vs the Vikings, but I'd rather feel that way than always saying to the Bills you're gonna lose, like Stillwell in A League of Their Own. 

 

So no, I'm not pumping any brakes no matter how much water the negative people try to throw on our road to the Super Bowl.  I believe in Josh Allen as I have early on.  I bought his jersey the day after the Minnesota game because he gives me hope of something special every time he's on the field.  Just like Jim Kelly did back in the late 1980s.   

 

 

 

Nah, you're misunderstanding them. Nobody, including those reporters, are trying to take away your hopes. They're trying to anchor expectations to reality. There's a vast difference.  

 

They aren't saying we aren't getting nine wins. Or even 12. Just that the odds on that last one are really really ... really really high, and for good reason. We're a 6 win team with an OL that's never had one player play next to each other and a bunch of FAs and new draft picks. There's a reason that the over-under started at 6.5 and has now gone up to 7. It's not 10 for good reason. Though taking the upper right now might make a ton of sense.

Edited June 2, 2019 by Thurman#1

[Albany,n.y.]

6 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

Nah, you're missing the point. Nobody, including those reporters, are taking away your hopes. They're trying to make your expectations more realistic. There's a vast difference.

I don't need their opinions to be "more realistic".  My whole point is the whole reason I'm a fan is to dream the dream.  If it doesn't work out there's always next year.  To start a season as in your word to be more realistic defeats the whole purpose of being a fan unless you have a team like last year where you expect a lousy season due to a lack of talent while in salary cap hell & the dream becomes seeing Josh Allen develop enough to envision the dream next year.  Well, next year is now, I saw enough from Josh where the dream is nothing short of the Super Bowl.  You can be more realistic but then don't expect me to move over & give you a spot on the bandwagon in December.  I got my seat early and I won't be moving over for the converted "realistic" fans.  When the Bills make the Super Bowl either this season or at the latest, next season, I'll be going to the Super Bowl while the realistic fans will not be able to go because they didn't plan ahead.  In the early 1990s I used to tell my late father every year I was making plans to go to the Super Bowl.  His exact words were "be realistic".  Well for 4 straight years not only was my dream realistic, but I went to all 4 of the Bills Super Bowls because I was realistic enough to save up so I could afford to go.