[LAMP!] Personal perspective on the Bills

[GunnerBill]

45 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

My friends still think I am crazy when I say we could win out.  I actually expect to win the NE, Pitt, and Jets games.  Baltimore is the big one obviously, and by far the most difficult.  

 

But I do think the #1 seed is obtainable.  I think KC beats NE for us, and I am confident we will also beat NE.  For me, it comes down to Baltimore (as I am sure it does for most).  But its in Buffalo and our defense has to try and defend Josh Allen in practice every week, and while he may not be as fast as Lamar, he is still very dangerous and more difficult to take down.  So I think our D is going to be more prepared than most teams are and I think our defensive staff is also smarter than most teams too.  Wont surprise me to see Baltimore score early on the first drive, like they did against SF and like Dallas did to us on Thanksgiving.  But I do have confidence in our ability to adjust and settle in like we also did against Dallas and other games this year after giving up a somewhat easy drive for a score to start the game.

 

Not saying we are a lock to beat Baltimore, it will be no easy feat...but I do think we can win this game and kind of think we will.  And if we do, then I think wining out becomes not only possible, but probable from that point on.  

 

You are not crazy. Just an optimist with some homer in you. I do think we have a chance to win in New England, I think their offensive line is trash and was exposed in the first game and a decline in Brady is real. But I don't think Kansas City will beat them this weekend and I don't think we will beat Baltimore. 

[MJS]

I'm 30 and have not experienced ANY winning football from the Buffalo Bills. Most of my years of fandom has been the playoff drought. My earliest Bills memories are of the Flutie and Johnson controversy years. I do have some very early snippet memories of Jim Kelly throwing the football. I remember wondering why Bills QB's after him didn't throw as nice of a ball. Jim had great velocity, ark, and spin on the ball. Beautiful thrower of the football.

 

So yeah, I'm excited to watch the Bills win.

[mead107]

I am a 8 year old I’ve been told.  I know nothing.  
can’t wait till I am 65 years old and can look back and say Allen took us to 8 straight Super Bowls. 

[GunnerBill]

8 minutes ago, MJS said:

I'm 30 and have not experienced ANY winning football from the Buffalo Bills. Most of my years of fandom has been the playoff drought. My earliest Bills memories are of the Flutie and Johnson controversy years. I do have some very early snippet memories of Jim Kelly throwing the football. I remember wondering why Bills QB's after him didn't throw as nice of a ball. Jim had great velocity, ark, and spin on the ball. Beautiful thrower of the football.

 

So yeah, I'm excited to watch the Bills win.

 

I am 35. But being British I am also a relatively late convert to the sport. So 2002 was my first season of Bills fandom. It has been mainly bad football the first 8 or 9 years and mainly mediocre football since then. To see the Bills actually being good is a pleasure. We are on the right road at long last. Right Coach and I think possibly right GM and QB too. They are the holy trinity. Hit on those and the rest is much easier. 

[Freddie's Dead]

Amen, Lampy McLamperson.

[IgotBILLStopay]

On 12/5/2019 at 1:39 PM, Chandler#81 said:

Most know me as an older than dirt Bills fan since their inception. I’m so old -‘How Old ARE You, Chandler?’- my granddaughter just got her Learners Permit?! I can recite most players throughout the teams’ history. Ditto for the Braves & that other team. My purchased jerseys are all throwbacks; Perrault, Hasek, Kemp, OJ, Jimbo, Bruuuuce, Thurman & Chandler#81. 

(Santa knows I want a custom Clippers MacAdoo throwback) 

 

Mostly, my unwavering fandom has reaped such ridiculously few rewards, it can be argued I’ve truly wasted a large portion of my life. This can not be effectively challenged, anyway. Yet, through the dearth of decades long futility, my foolish heart remains true. The highlights are so few, they can be rattled off in a few short sentences. Stealing Kemp from Sid Gilman’s waiver wire and the 1st AFL Playoff game vs Boston. A powerhouse was born. Back to Back to Back AFL Title Games with 2 wins! OJ/NFL Merger/A Playoff loss to Pittsburgh. Chuck Knox/Division Champs ‘80/WC ‘81. Strike!/Polian/USFL castoffs/Levy.

In Spring of ‘88, I made the single largest sports bet of my life; $500 the Bills would make the Playoffs that season. (Wife STILL doesn’t know..?) 11 games in brought the payday. This second powerhouse team reached 5 AFC Title games with Back to Back to Back to Back AFC Championships! -along with four other games.. ? A few more playoff years ensued with early outs, culminating with the Music City Debacle. 

 

Then, a generation of nothing. Just TWO powerhouses in 60 years?!

 

A steady montage of players & coaches which read like -well, toilet paper. RCW lived too long, frankly. Finally, new -if startlingly naive- ownership came aboard. A 1st year winning coach quit as a result and ushered in a 2 year circus. Abruptly, the clown show was dismissed (for cruelty to the mafia animals) and 2 unknowns hired to gut and rebuild the franchise -mostly to the horror of its fans. An other-worldly playoff in their 1st season didn’t deter the mission they sold the neophyte owners on. Through shrewd Drafting from the bevy of ‘name’ players traded coupled with the largest FA haul in team history, their new team has now won 13 of 16 games since this preseason began and sits on the precipice of another playoff season with true promise for their third powerhouse. Only those few who share my foolish addiction knew this though, as the team was rightfully placed in television purgatory from its insidious generation of ineptitude. This ALL changed quite recently with the quickly becoming legendary ‘Thanksgiving Day Beatdown in DTown’. League officials quickly huddled and Suddenly 4 straight games are being broadcast nationally, showcasing my lifelong albatross. 

 

Which brings us to today. Regardless of what actually transpires, lying directly ahead is the legitimate OPPORTUNITY and possibility for the Bills to win out and be the #1 Seed in the AFC, garnering a 1st Round Bye and Home Field through the Playoffs for the first time since my daughter (mother of driving grandgirl) was 9 years old!

 

Far more importantly, whether it’s this season or a near one, this HAS to be the time! Now well into my third, I don’t have another generation to wait. I’ve stood graveside by too many Bills fans who never realized our collective dream of an NFL Title. As such, I dutifully carry their hopes in the now famous phrase uttered by Tim Russert: “Please, God, before I die. Just one time!” 

Go Bills!

Great Perspective. Captures so well the hopes and frustrations of countless Bills fans through the years. Well timed too - just as we are on the upward swing. Every season has started out with hope - so why is this different? 

a. the record is 9-3 (best since 1996!)

b. the team is built for sustained success - not a one and done type roster - great cap situation, franchise QB on rookie deal, top playmakers all signed to reasonable contracts (many steals), coach and GM - young and joined at the hip, coach and GM -  it appears they want to be here for a while .. I could go on and on! Let us enjoy the ride!

[section122]

For the last week I avoided making a lamp post but I had something funny happen on Thanksgiving.

 

 I am a Bills fan because of my mom and her family as she is from Olean.  Thanksgiving I watched the game at my parents house and my Mom and I celebrated a lot.  My wife doesn't care anything about football, however she respects the Sunday game day and I get to watch the games uninterrupted (no small feat with 2 small children).  After watching the Bills destroy the Cowboys she asked the next day about the super bowl, where it was, and if the Bills had a chance.  I told her it was in Miami and she asked if I would like to go.  I jokingly said if you let me go to the Super Bowl you guys can go to Disney for the week and I will drive to Miami for the game.  Without batting an eye she said deal.

 

Now my wife has been asking about the Bills, Josh Allen, if they can beat the Ravens this weekend (I didn't even know she knew the Ravens were a team!), and what they need to have happen to clinch the playoffs.  9+ years later she finally cares.  All it took was promising to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation!  

 

Hopefully she doesn't learn the disappointment we have felt too many times lol.

[section122]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

My friends still think I am crazy when I say we could win out.  I actually expect to win the NE, Pitt, and Jets games.  Baltimore is the big one obviously, and by far the most difficult.  

 

But I do think the #1 seed is obtainable.  I think KC beats NE for us, and I am confident we will also beat NE.  For me, it comes down to Baltimore (as I am sure it does for most).  But its in Buffalo and our defense has to try and defend Josh Allen in practice every week, and while he may not be as fast as Lamar, he is still very dangerous and more difficult to take down.  So I think our D is going to be more prepared than most teams are and I think our defensive staff is also smarter than most teams too.  Wont surprise me to see Baltimore score early on the first drive, like they did against SF and like Dallas did to us on Thanksgiving.  But I do have confidence in our ability to adjust and settle in like we also did against Dallas and other games this year after giving up a somewhat easy drive for a score to start the game.

 

Not saying we are a lock to beat Baltimore, it will be no easy feat...but I do think we can win this game and kind of think we will.  And if we do, then I think wining out becomes not only possible, but probable from that point on.  

 

I am with you.  This week feels like a Bills win.  Ravens are hot but last week they showed signs of cooling down.  I trust the defense to do some of what SF did last week and contain Lamar.  Lost in all of his hoopla is the fact that he only threw for 105 and ran for another 101.  206 total yards of offense.  Now I know the weather played a factor but so did SF defense.  I think the Bills pull this one out.  I also think the Chiefs win in NE.  I'm also drunk on the Kool aid but that's what being a fan is all about.  The Bills control their own destiny for once.

 

Let's. Go. Buffalo!!!

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

 

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He thought his post would garner more respect in rich text

[DefenseWins]

2 hours ago, Dr. K said:

Very similar to  my own story.

 

Which of us is older? I graduated from West Seneca High School in 1968.

 

I was born in mid 1950s... Went to H.C. Technical HS (AKA: HUTCH TECH) Grad class of 1971

 

Went to my 1st Bills game at "Ye Old Rockpile" (AKA: War Memorial Stadium - Where they actually grilled the hot dogs back in the day!)

 

 

Go Engineers and GO BILLS!

 

 

Yeah - That's the right song...

 

 

He's OUR Guy!

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by DefenseWins

[devldog131]

On 12/5/2019 at 1:39 PM, Chandler#81 said:

Most know me as an older than dirt Bills fan since their inception. I’m so old -‘How Old ARE You, Chandler?’- my granddaughter just got her Learners Permit?! I can recite most players throughout the teams’ history. Ditto for the Braves & that other team. My purchased jerseys are all throwbacks; Perrault, Hasek, Kemp, OJ, Jimbo, Bruuuuce, Thurman & Chandler#81. 

(Santa knows I want a custom Clippers MacAdoo throwback) 

 

Mostly, my unwavering fandom has reaped such ridiculously few rewards, it can be argued I’ve truly wasted a large portion of my life. This can not be effectively challenged, anyway. Yet, through the dearth of decades long futility, my foolish heart remains true. The highlights are so few, they can be rattled off in a few short sentences. Stealing Kemp from Sid Gilman’s waiver wire and the 1st AFL Playoff game vs Boston. A powerhouse was born. Back to Back to Back AFL Title Games with 2 wins! OJ/NFL Merger/A Playoff loss to Pittsburgh. Chuck Knox/Division Champs ‘80/WC ‘81. Strike!/Polian/USFL castoffs/Levy.

In Spring of ‘88, I made the single largest sports bet of my life; $500 the Bills would make the Playoffs that season. (Wife STILL doesn’t know..?) 11 games in brought the payday. This second powerhouse team reached 5 AFC Title games with Back to Back to Back to Back AFC Championships! -along with four other games.. ? A few more playoff years ensued with early outs, culminating with the Music City Debacle. 

 

Then, a generation of nothing. Just TWO powerhouses in 60 years?!

 

A steady montage of players & coaches which read like -well, toilet paper. RCW lived too long, frankly. Finally, new -if startlingly naive- ownership came aboard. A 1st year winning coach quit as a result and ushered in a 2 year circus. Abruptly, the clown show was dismissed (for cruelty to the mafia animals) and 2 unknowns hired to gut and rebuild the franchise -mostly to the horror of its fans. An other-worldly playoff in their 1st season didn’t deter the mission they sold the neophyte owners on. Through shrewd Drafting from the bevy of ‘name’ players traded coupled with the largest FA haul in team history, their new team has now won 13 of 16 games since this preseason began and sits on the precipice of another playoff season with true promise for their third powerhouse. Only those few who share my foolish addiction knew this though, as the team was rightfully placed in television purgatory from its insidious generation of ineptitude. This ALL changed quite recently with the quickly becoming legendary ‘Thanksgiving Day Beatdown in DTown’. League officials quickly huddled and Suddenly 4 straight games are being broadcast nationally, showcasing my lifelong albatross. 

 

Which brings us to today. Regardless of what actually transpires, lying directly ahead is the legitimate OPPORTUNITY and possibility for the Bills to win out and be the #1 Seed in the AFC, garnering a 1st Round Bye and Home Field through the Playoffs for the first time since my daughter (mother of driving grandgirl) was 9 years old!

 

Far more importantly, whether it’s this season or a near one, this HAS to be the time! Now well into my third, I don’t have another generation to wait. I’ve stood graveside by too many Bills fans who never realized our collective dream of an NFL Title. As such, I dutifully carry their hopes in the now famous phrase uttered by Tim Russert: “Please, God, before I die. Just one time!” 

Go Bills!

 

[Chandler#81]

1 hour ago, Dr. K said:

Very similar to  my own story.

 

Which of us is older? I graduated from West Seneca High School in 1968.

NT class of ‘73.

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

 

When you Paste test -  a message prompt pops up

 

  Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

 

Click 

Paste as plain text instead

 

I'm sorry   what did you say? 

Thanks, nerd!?

1 hour ago, whatdrought said:

Great post. I'm a much younger fan, having never seen those two powerhouses you mentioned, and I too feel the winds changing. 

 

I do have a question.... How is 9 regular season wins + 4 Pre-season wins =15 wins? What am i missing with that math?

I think we both suck at math.? Thanks, though. Got a little ahead of myself. Change made.

 

Thanks, all! It appears we’re all afflicted, regardless of age. Thanks especially to SDS, the Randle McMurphy in our Cuckoo’s Nest.

We’re a Tribe.

[Don Beebe]

Great post. I think you and I are about the same age.

[Xwnyer]

On 12/5/2019 at 1:39 PM, Chandler#81 said:

Most know me as an older than dirt Bills fan since their inception. I’m so old -‘How Old ARE You, Chandler?’- my granddaughter just got her Learners Permit?! I can recite most players throughout the teams’ history. Ditto for the Braves & that other team. My purchased jerseys are all throwbacks; Perrault, Hasek, Kemp, OJ, Jimbo, Bruuuuce, Thurman & Chandler#81. 

(Santa knows I want a custom Clippers MacAdoo throwback) 

 

Mostly, my unwavering fandom has reaped such ridiculously few rewards, it can be argued I’ve truly wasted a large portion of my life. This can not be effectively challenged, anyway. Yet, through the dearth of decades long futility, my foolish heart remains true. The highlights are so few, they can be rattled off in a few short sentences. Stealing Kemp from Sid Gilman’s waiver wire and the 1st AFL Playoff game vs Boston. A powerhouse was born. Back to Back to Back AFL Title Games with 2 wins! OJ/NFL Merger/A Playoff loss to Pittsburgh. Chuck Knox/Division Champs ‘80/WC ‘81. Strike!/Polian/USFL castoffs/Levy.

In Spring of ‘88, I made the single largest sports bet of my life; $500 the Bills would make the Playoffs that season. (Wife STILL doesn’t know..?) 11 games in brought the payday. This second powerhouse team reached 5 AFC Title games with Back to Back to Back to Back AFC Championships! -along with four other games.. ? A few more playoff years ensued with early outs, culminating with the Music City Debacle. 

 

Then, a generation of nothing. Just TWO powerhouses in 60 years?!

 

A steady montage of players & coaches which read like -well, toilet paper. RCW lived too long, frankly. Finally, new -if startlingly naive- ownership came aboard. A 1st year winning coach quit as a result and ushered in a 2 year circus. Abruptly, the clown show was dismissed (for cruelty to the mafia animals) and 2 unknowns hired to gut and rebuild the franchise -mostly to the horror of its fans. An other-worldly playoff in their 1st season didn’t deter the mission they sold the neophyte owners on. Through shrewd Drafting from the bevy of ‘name’ players traded coupled with the largest FA haul in team history, their new team has now won 13 of 16 games since this preseason began and sits on the precipice of another playoff season with true promise for their third powerhouse. Only those few who share my foolish addiction knew this though, as the team was rightfully placed in television purgatory from its insidious generation of ineptitude. This ALL changed quite recently with the quickly becoming legendary ‘Thanksgiving Day Beatdown in DTown’. League officials quickly huddled and Suddenly 4 straight games are being broadcast nationally, showcasing my lifelong albatross. 

 

Which brings us to today. Regardless of what actually transpires, lying directly ahead is the legitimate OPPORTUNITY and possibility for the Bills to win out and be the #1 Seed in the AFC, garnering a 1st Round Bye and Home Field through the Playoffs for the first time since my daughter (mother of driving grandgirl) was 9 years old!

 

Far more importantly, whether it’s this season or a near one, this HAS to be the time! Now well into my third, I don’t have another generation to wait. I’ve stood graveside by too many Bills fans who never realized our collective dream of an NFL Title. As such, I dutifully carry their hopes in the now famous phrase uttered by Tim Russert: “Please, God, before I die. Just one time!” 

Go Bills!

I am also a long suffering fan as well and have been a bills fan since 1964 a sabres fan since 1969, a braves fan gave up on NBA after they left town.  I can’t wait till the day we win a Super Bowl and Stanley cup I know it will be as good as when Cubs finally won the World Series!

[Shaw66]

Love it, Chandler.   I was with you all those years ago, and I'm still with you.  

[Mojo44]

 I also have been a fan since day one of the franchise. A terrific OP and my compliments. I couldn’t say it any better. Well done! 

 

BTW....  I graduated from the long defunct LaSalle High School in Niagara Falls in 1971.  

 

 

[John from Riverside]

Man...I thought I WAS old

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

2 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Prick! 

I typed this in Notes with a much smaller font than what copied over here. It doesn’t give me the option to reduce the font size. If one of you nerds know how on an OP, please share.

 

 

..nicely done bud....it's been a slow & methodical process to get to this point......too many expected instant gratification leading to the "...fire everyone" TBD Clown Show.......yet here we are on the cusp of...er..uh..um.........we'll see.......BTW, the "older than dirt crap".......I came over with Columbus in 1492 and you were "NOWHERE TO BE FOUND".......time is running out in my 57th year of following this club....already have my reservation in "Hell's Kitchen" where reception sucks, LCD's are NOT heat resistant and all foods are "fried"......just gimme ONE Lombardi and we're good.....

[Phil The Thrill]

4 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Most know me as an older than dirt Bills fan since their inception. I’m so old -‘How Old ARE You, Chandler?’- my granddaughter just got her Learners Permit?! I can recite most players throughout the teams’ history. Ditto for the Braves & that other team. My purchased jerseys are all throwbacks; Perrault, Hasek, Kemp, OJ, Jimbo, Bruuuuce, Thurman & Chandler#81. 

(Santa knows I want a custom Clippers MacAdoo throwback) 

 

Mostly, my unwavering fandom has reaped such ridiculously few rewards, it can be argued I’ve truly wasted a large portion of my life. This can not be effectively challenged, anyway. Yet, through the dearth of decades long futility, my foolish heart remains true. The highlights have been so rare, they can be rattled off in a few short sentences. Stealing Kemp from Sid Gilman’s waiver wire and the 1st AFL Playoff game vs Boston. A powerhouse was born. Back to Back to Back AFL Title Games with 2 wins! OJ/NFL Merger/A Playoff loss to Pittsburgh. Chuck Knox/Division Champs ‘80/WC ‘81. Strike!/Polian/USFL castoffs/Levy.

In Spring of ‘88, I made the single largest sports bet of my life; $500 the Bills would make the Playoffs that season. (Wife STILL doesn’t know..?) 11 games in brought the payday. This second powerhouse team reached 5 AFC Title games with Back to Back to Back to Back AFC Championships! -along with four other games.. ? A few more playoff years ensued with early outs. 

 

Then, a generation of nothing. Just TWO powerhouses in 60 years?!

 

A steady montage of players & coaches which read like -well, toilet paper. RCW lived too long, frankly. Finally, new -if startlingly naive- ownership came aboard. A 1st year winning coach quit as a result and ushered in a 2 year circus. Abruptly, the clown show was dismissed (for cruelty to the mafia animals) and 2 unknowns hired to gut and rebuild the franchise -mostly to the horror of its fans. An other-worldly playoff in their 1st season didn’t deter the mission they sold the neophyte owners on. Through shrewd Drafting from the bevy of ‘name’ players traded coupled with the largest FA haul in team history, their new team has now won 13 of 16 games since this preseason began and sits on the precipice of another playoff season with true promise for their third powerhouse. Only those few who share my foolish addiction knew this though, as the team was rightfully placed in television purgatory from its insidious generation of ineptitude. This ALL changed quite recently with the quickly becoming legendary Thanksgiving Day Beatdown in DTown. League officials quickly huddled and Suddenly 4 straight games are being broadcast nationally, showcasing my lifelong albatross. 

 

Which brings us to today. Regardless of what actually transpires, lying directly ahead is the legitimate OPPORTUNITY and possibility for the Bills to win out and be the #1 Seed in the AFC, garnering a 1st Round Bye and Home Field through the Playoffs for the first time since my daughter (mother of driving grandgirl) was 9 years old!

 

Far more importantly, whether it’s this season or a near one, this HAS to be the time! Now well into my third, I don’t have another generation to wait. I’ve stood graveside by too many Bills fans who never realized our collective dream of an NFL Title. I dutifully carry their hopes in the now famous phrase uttered by Tim Russert: “Please, God, before I die. Just one time!” 

Go Bills!

Even I will admit, this is a pretty good post.  I enjoyed reading this

[Andy1]

Well said! I always remember Tim Russert saying at the closing end of his show that “One of these days, the Bills WILL win the championship” That has always stuck with me keeping my faith alive even during the dark, seemingly hopeless years. I think they are building something special with this group. Hopefully we get to win the last game of the season this year or in the near future!