Isn't it a weird feeling to observe the incompetence of other teams from the POV of rooting for a competent team?

[Ralonzo]

1 hour ago, The Dean said:

  One of the "Hermits" plays in a bar band down here.

 

 

Ask him if we can use "Sean McHermit" on the forums

[TigerJ]

Funny how a year ago fans were getting sick of hearing "process" so much, and now that the Bills are 2-0 and things are looking up, nobody is upset by it any more.  Turns out it's a real thing, and it's working!

[The Dean]

1 hour ago, TigerJ said:

Funny how a year ago fans were getting sick of hearing "process" so much, and now that the Bills are 2-0 and things are looking up, nobody is upset by it any more.  Turns out it's a real thing, and it's working!

 

 

It's a process for some of the fans, too.

[Cmdjr85]

9 hours ago, BillsfanAZ said:

So far so good after two games. I think the team has shown a lot of progress all the way around. I want to see them be competive  with or beat good teams. Knocking off teams with issues and projected losing records doesnt prove much. The Bills have 3 games to get tuned up for their litmus test against the Pats. If the Bills have turned the corner they will be 3-0 going into that game and either beat the Pats or lose a very close game. I didnt think the Bills would be a playoff contender until next year so if they prove to be that this year then Mcbeane has done an even better job than most think. 

Pats by 10

[BADOLBILZ]

4 hours ago, Logic said:

Only if you don't know the difference between "it appears the Bills are a well run organization" and "BILLS ARE WINNING THE SUPER BOWL!!!"

I remember that. It didn't make me stand up and say "this team management and coaching is pathetic". Context is important.

 

1) Losing the opener 47-3 wasn't a bad look to you?   Didn't feel utterly unprepared and poorly coached?   Zat so?

 

2) The context that Peterman had executed the worst QB'd half in NFL history.........utterly embarrassing his HC for inserting him into the lineup and causing said HC to apologize to the team for starting him.........and somehow ended up as the starting QB the next season was an OK look?

 

3) How about when longtime veteran CB and McBeane free agent signing Vontae Davis did something no NFL observer could remember........quit at halftime in week 2?

 

The Bills were the laughingstock of the NFL after two weeks and the favorite to end up with the #1 overall pick at this point last season.  

 

Things changed later in the season.........they ended up performing at a 4-5 win metric level and won 6 games rather than continuing to be what appeared to be the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL after 2 weeks.

 

And things could get better for some of the teams that have started out poorly this year.

 

But I'm pretty convinced you don't understand how to put something into context.    

 

You have your perception confused with context the same way that you think your musings represent logic.?

[BillsfaninSB]

9 hours ago, Rob's House said:

It feels different this time, but I'll remain cautiously optimistic for the time being.

 

It looks likely that the Bills and Pat's will face off against each other, both 3-0 against teams that are collectively 0-9. That game should shed some light on who both these teams really are.

 

It did not occur to me that the Patriots played 0 - 9 teams as well.  Like the Bills, Week 4 will be very interesting to see where the Pats truly stand.  

 

It will be the best of the worst championship. 

Edited September 18, 2019 by BillsfaninSB

[BillsfaninSB]

6 hours ago, BigDingus said:

We really can't lose to the Bengals if we want to be taken seriously.

It was only a couple years ago we started off 3-1, then lost to the Bengals who were 1-3 (only win being against the 0-16 Browns) at the time.

Dalton is chunking the ball everywhere, but our pass defense is our strong suit, so hopefully we can keep them in check. Can't afford to lose to an 0-2 team when next week we'll be playing the Pats.

 

I get your point.   Bills are capable of losing on any given week.

 

That Cincy game was on the road and I think this Bills team looks better than the 2017 addition so far.   It would look really bad if we lose.  It’s one of those games we have to win to achieve a 10 win season. 

[Logic]

40 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

1) Losing the opener 47-3 wasn't a bad look to you?   Didn't feel utterly unprepared and poorly coached?   Zat so?

 

2) The context that Peterman had executed the worst QB'd half in NFL history.........utterly embarrassing his HC for inserting him into the lineup and causing said HC to apologize to the team for starting him.........and somehow ended up as the starting QB the next season was an OK look?

 

3) How about when longtime veteran CB and McBeane free agent signing Vontae Davis did something no NFL observer could remember........quit at halftime in week 2?

 

The Bills were the laughingstock of the NFL after two weeks and the favorite to end up with the #1 overall pick at this point last season.  

 

Things changed later in the season.........they ended up performing at a 4-5 win metric level and won 6 games rather than continuing to be what appeared to be the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL after 2 weeks.

 

And things could get better for some of the teams that have started out poorly this year.

 

But I'm pretty convinced you don't understand how to put something into context.    

 

You have your perception confused with context the same way that you think your musings represent logic.?

I find your entire shtick incredibly tiresome.

This is the most exciting time to be a Bills fan in the past 25 years and you're gonna spend a bunch of time typing up the sort of thing you just posted above? THAT'S the type of stuff you choose to concentrate on and spend energy thinking and typing about?

You and I couldn't be more different in how we like to think about things. Following sports is supposed to be fun. Life is short. 

[BADOLBILZ]

3 minutes ago, Logic said:

I find your entire shtick incredibly tiresome.

This is the most exciting time to be a Bills fan in the past 25 years and you're gonna spend a bunch of time typing up the sort of thing you just posted above? THAT'S the type of stuff you choose to concentrate on and spend energy thinking and typing about?

You and I couldn't be more different in how we like to think about things. Following sports is supposed to be fun. Life is short. 

 

 

 

Perfect gif..........you could be dying by crucifixion and be unwilling to admit that it hasn't gone exactly as you'd planned.

 

Following sports is supposed to be entertainment...........and for me it always is.........Bills 14-2 or 2-14........I enjoy it.......Yankees win WS or have a losing record(though they've had 27 straight winning seasons) I enjoy it all...........and I will enjoy the tailgating season even more.........there is nothing like living in the moment on those Sundays in OP.

 

If you want to keep blowing smoke up your own azz so that you can enjoy it so be it............be a clown?........but it's going to get called out on this forum...........some of us don't need to go to extraordinary lengths to suspend disbelief like you do in order to enjoy the product.

 

[Shaw66]

21 hours ago, Logic said:

Looking around the NFL, I see stunning amounts of front office and team building incompetence. 

The Jets letting a Pro Bowl kicker go despite having plenty of money to sign them, then losing a game due to bad kicking and already being on the FOURTH kicker of the season by week 3. Also not putting good protection in front of Darnold and having to talk Ryan Kalil out of retirement. They also paid infinity dollars to an off-ball linebacker and a running back and a corner that they just benched.

The Browns ALSO failing to put good protection in front of Baker Mayfield, who now looks like he may be pulverized into dust before he can set the league on fire.

The Giants just...well...there's too much to even list.

The Dolphins tanking in such an obvious way that even good, young, recently drafted players like Minkah Fitzpatrick want out. 

There has always been this level of incompetence in the NFL, of course. The difference now is that, for years, the Bills were near the top of the "stumbling, bumbling" incompetence list. As a fan of the Bills, I never really had room to talk about OTHER teams' bad decisions. Now? I sit back, confident in the fact that my favorite team finally has stability, a GM and head coach that are on the same page, and a clear direction. I look at the awesome offensive line that this front office has built for Josh Allen, the targets they've gotten him, the purposeful building of the defense, the smart free agency spending, the culture...just about everything. I'm not used to looking at chaos and stupidity around the league and thinking "not MY team". This is new. 

I could get used to this.

Logic -

 

I saw the title to this thread yesterday and realized it capture how I was feeling.  I didn't read your post until just now.  I think you're exactly correct.

 

It's amazing how all of a sudden the league looks different. The league is full of two kinds of teams; those that know what they're doing and those that don't.   For years, the Bills stumbled around, trying to catch lightning in a bottle, and all they could catch was an occasional lightning bug.  I'd look at the successful teams, and think "if only the Bills had ______," or "if only the Bills some other _______."     It wasn't clear to me, other than the Pats, what it was that made teams successful.    Most fans think it's a franchise QB, and it isn't an accident that the Bills getting better coincided with their getting the franchise QB.   

 

Now that it's happening, everything looks different.   From where I am as a fan now, I can look at a team like the Jets or the GIants or others and SEE the dysfunctionality.    I can see how they're not all on the same page, focused on the same goals, committed to one another in a way that keeps making the team better.   And I can see how the good teams all have that.   I can see how when a player goes down to injury, the bad teams struggle to maintain quality play with a backup, and how with the good teams it's the opposite - next man up works, because the next man up is prepared.   

 

Maybe that's the real difference;: everyone is prepared on a good team.  The coaches are prepared, the players are prepared, starters or backups.  

 

It's like the NFL is divided into two sections.   Conferences and Divisions aren't nearly as important as which section you are in.   Are you in the section of competent, well-coached teams, which means you're fighting for a championship.   Or are you in the section of teams stumbling around trying to figure out how to get into the other section.  I think it's in England where the major league and minor league soccer teams are divided by how good you are.  If you want to play the major league teams, you have to win enough to move up to that league.  If you're in the major league and you play badly enough, you get moved down to the minor leagues.   In the NFL, there isn't a formal division,but the effect is the same.   It's really cool now that the Bills have moved up to the upper section. 

12 hours ago, The Dean said:

 

 

It's a process for some of the fans, too.

Yes, it is.  Love it.  

[foreboding]

12 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

1) Losing the opener 47-3 wasn't a bad look to you?   Didn't feel utterly unprepared and poorly coached?   Zat so?

 

2) The context that Peterman had executed the worst QB'd half in NFL history.........utterly embarrassing his HC for inserting him into the lineup and causing said HC to apologize to the team for starting him.........and somehow ended up as the starting QB the next season was an OK look?

 

3) How about when longtime veteran CB and McBeane free agent signing Vontae Davis did something no NFL observer could remember........quit at halftime in week 2?

 

The Bills were the laughingstock of the NFL after two weeks and the favorite to end up with the #1 overall pick at this point last season.  

 

Things changed later in the season.........they ended up performing at a 4-5 win metric level and won 6 games rather than continuing to be what appeared to be the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL after 2 weeks.

 

And things could get better for some of the teams that have started out poorly this year.

 

But I'm pretty convinced you don't understand how to put something into context.    

 

You have your perception confused with context the same way that you think your musings represent logic.?

That Sean kept that team speaks volumes. Cause you're right, those kind of losses lose a locker room. Let's see how Gase does.

[ndirish1978]

We have played 2 very bad teams and almost lost to one of them. Is this team workmanlike? Yes. Are we SB contenders? No. I agree that things appear to be trending up though.

[row_33]

19 minutes ago, ndirish1978 said:

We have played 2 very bad teams and almost lost to one of them. Is this team workmanlike? Yes. Are we SB contenders? No. I agree that things appear to be trending up though.

 

It was nice of the Giants to give Beasley, out wide,  a 14 yard cushion, leaving him wide open 18 yards downfield

 

what did the Giants think they were doing out there?

 

 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

5 minutes ago, foreboding said:

That Sean kept that team speaks volumes. Cause you're right, those kind of losses lose a locker room. Let's see how Gase does.

 

Owning mistakes is not something that Gase is inclined to do..............contrary to some belief around here McBeane have made egregious errors.........but they've admitted them and even apologized to the locker room in the case of Peterman and that gives players at least a sense that things CAN get better and makes them less inclined to quit when faced with adversity,  IMO.    That's a time buyer for a regime.     That's where Gase is really in trouble, IMO.    Chan Gailey was kind of a passive aggressive blamer of players and that really hurt him here(all of his stops, IMO)..........Gase is willing to flat out point fingers.    That does nobody any good.

 

McD is at the point where it's important to have a game where they actually challenge the Patriots though.......where he isn't out game planned and out game day'd...........because there really is no excuse for the manner in which they've played in 4 games against a divisional opponent.    Even Bowles and Gase have had games where they either won or had the Pats on the ropes. 

 

 

[RochesterRob]

2 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Logic -

 

I saw the title to this thread yesterday and realized it capture how I was feeling.  I didn't read your post until just now.  I think you're exactly correct.

 

It's amazing how all of a sudden the league looks different. The league is full of two kinds of teams; those that know what they're doing and those that don't.   For years, the Bills stumbled around, trying to catch lightning in a bottle, and all they could catch was an occasional lightning bug.  I'd look at the successful teams, and think "if only the Bills had ______," or "if only the Bills some other _______."     It wasn't clear to me, other than the Pats, what it was that made teams successful.    Most fans think it's a franchise QB, and it isn't an accident that the Bills getting better coincided with their getting the franchise QB.   

 

Now that it's happening, everything looks different.   From where I am as a fan now, I can look at a team like the Jets or the GIants or others and SEE the dysfunctionality.    I can see how they're not all on the same page, focused on the same goals, committed to one another in a way that keeps making the team better.   And I can see how the good teams all have that.   I can see how when a player goes down to injury, the bad teams struggle to maintain quality play with a backup, and how with the good teams it's the opposite - next man up works, because the next man up is prepared.   

 

Maybe that's the real difference;: everyone is prepared on a good team.  The coaches are prepared, the players are prepared, starters or backups.  

 

It's like the NFL is divided into two sections.   Conferences and Divisions aren't nearly as important as which section you are in.   Are you in the section of competent, well-coached teams, which means you're fighting for a championship.   Or are you in the section of teams stumbling around trying to figure out how to get into the other section.  I think it's in England where the major league and minor league soccer teams are divided by how good you are.  If you want to play the major league teams, you have to win enough to move up to that league.  If you're in the major league and you play badly enough, you get moved down to the minor leagues.   In the NFL, there isn't a formal division,but the effect is the same.   It's really cool now that the Bills have moved up to the upper section. 

Yes, it is.  Love it.  

  And the best part is McDermott and Beane are young men so we should have quite a while of their tenures to look forward to.  Yes, we will have to pay them upper echelon salaries at some point but the Pegula's are not like Ralph was in his later years in terms of hand to mouth.  

[RochesterRob]

23 hours ago, Logic said:

Looking around the NFL, I see stunning amounts of front office and team building incompetence. 

The Jets letting a Pro Bowl kicker go despite having plenty of money to sign them, then losing a game due to bad kicking and already being on the FOURTH kicker of the season by week 3. Also not putting good protection in front of Darnold and having to talk Ryan Kalil out of retirement. They also paid infinity dollars to an off-ball linebacker and a running back and a corner that they just benched.

The Browns ALSO failing to put good protection in front of Baker Mayfield, who now looks like he may be pulverized into dust before he can set the league on fire.

The Giants just...well...there's too much to even list.

The Dolphins tanking in such an obvious way that even good, young, recently drafted players like Minkah Fitzpatrick want out. 

There has always been this level of incompetence in the NFL, of course. The difference now is that, for years, the Bills were near the top of the "stumbling, bumbling" incompetence list. As a fan of the Bills, I never really had room to talk about OTHER teams' bad decisions. Now? I sit back, confident in the fact that my favorite team finally has stability, a GM and head coach that are on the same page, and a clear direction. I look at the awesome offensive line that this front office has built for Josh Allen, the targets they've gotten him, the purposeful building of the defense, the smart free agency spending, the culture...just about everything. I'm not used to looking at chaos and stupidity around the league and thinking "not MY team". This is new. 

I could get used to this.

  And having read that I will say long live Ross (Dolphins), Johnson's (Jets), Snyder (Redskins) who will hang like an albatross around their teams' necks.  And I think it is fair to criticize the owners in a number of cases.  I know it is obvious to most but it is more than a case of trotting Ralph out on the stage back in the day and pointing to him.  Teams fail for more reasons than an owner being cheap.  Bud Adams would have had far more success in Houston and his team might still be playing there if he was not so mentally erratic.  

[Matt_In_NH]

Pump the brakes man.......your perceptions of a competent team could change by 4PM Sunday.  Not saying it will or I expect it to or anything but two games against bad teams with new coaches has the opportunity to be misleading.

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, mattynh said:

Pump the brakes man.......your perceptions of a competent team could change by 4PM Sunday.  Not saying it will or I expect it to or anything but two games against bad teams with new coaches has the opportunity to be misleading.

I don't agree.   Win or lose on Sunday, this team is definitely on the right track.  It is exactly what McD said it would be, a team he can build on.   How fast the building takes place remains to be seen, but the foundation is there.  

[Stank_Nasty]

40 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Owning mistakes is not something that Gase is inclined to do..............contrary to some belief around here McBeane have made egregious errors.........but they've admitted them and even apologized to the locker room in the case of Peterman and that gives players at least a sense that things CAN get better and makes them less inclined to quit when faced with adversity,  IMO.    That's a time buyer for a regime.     That's where Gase is really in trouble, IMO.    Chan Gailey was kind of a passive aggressive blamer of players and that really hurt him here(all of his stops, IMO)..........Gase is willing to flat out point fingers.    That does nobody any good.

 

McD is at the point where it's important to have a game where they actually challenge the Patriots though.......where he isn't out game planned and out game day'd...........because there really is no excuse for the manner in which they've played in 4 games against a divisional opponent.    Even Bowles and Gase have had games where they either won or had the Pats on the ropes. 

 

 

it was a one score game going into the 4th with Derek friggin Anderson at qb on MNF last year. they'll be fine going forward....

 

and I would hope after they make the playoffs this season for the 2nd time in 3 years you would quit with all this crap..... but we both know you wont.

[Seoulofstone]

35 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Owning mistakes is not something that Gase is inclined to do..............contrary to some belief around here McBeane have made egregious errors.........but they've admitted them and even apologized to the locker room in the case of Peterman and that gives players at least a sense that things CAN get better and makes them less inclined to quit when faced with adversity,  IMO.    That's a time buyer for a regime.     That's where Gase is really in trouble, IMO.    Chan Gailey was kind of a passive aggressive blamer of players and that really hurt him here(all of his stops, IMO)..........Gase is willing to flat out point fingers.    That does nobody any good.

 

McD is at the point where it's important to have a game where they actually challenge the Patriots though.......where he isn't out game planned and out game day'd...........because there really is no excuse for the manner in which they've played in 4 games against a divisional opponent.    Even Bowles and Gase have had games where they either won or had the Pats on the ropes. 

 

 

 

 You still don't get it do you? It is possible for an HC (especially a novice like McD) to make mistakes but for his overall running of the franchise to be professional and something players and fans can buy into   

  Nobody is trying to whitewash things here or proclaim him Bill Belichick The OP simply stated that the way things are being done is like chalk and cheese when compared to some previous regimes and to some of the messes elsewhere 

   You aren't seeing Buffalo players arguing with coaches, demanding new contracts, making controversial Twitter statements.

  None of this has anything to do with whether they win or lose against the Patriots  In football and in life you sometimes have to take your lumps and learn. Too bad you can't move on like the team has