ganesh Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 Great write up. You made us feel that we were in the stadium. I have pinched myself multiple times to check whether it is really true that we are one of the four teams remaining to vye for the Lombardi trophy.
Kwai San Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 @Shaw66 another excellent recap. Really liked the depth you provided from your arrival to Buffalo and onward. Having been to the comeback game I can attest that was one of the wildest games I attended. Not sure how many people I hugged and highfived but safe to say it was alot! Of all the games I saw - 22 seasons worth that was the craziest but there were others for sure. On the TV down here in FL I could feel the intensity of those fans. Not sure why they were so much louder than last week against the colts but they sure seemed like it. Sitting in the Jim Kelly club seats before they had the radient heaters above it was heated seats.....those were awesome and I always dressed much lighter than when I used to sit under the scoreboard. The cold Buffalo wind is a force to be lived to be believed. Go BROWNS! I selfishly want to see yet another game in The Ralph and then the next game will be in my backyard.....Tampa. Somehow, someway I will be there for this one. Been to both the Cowpokes blowouts and I need to see a win b4 I leave this mortal coil...... GO BILLS!!!!! 1
Ralonzo Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Shaw66 said: The Rockpile Review is written to share the passion we have for the Buffalo Bills. That passion was born in the Rockpile; its parents were everyday people of western New York who translated their dedication to a full day’s hard work and simple pleasures into love for a pro football team. Best Rockpile yet. As if James Michener wrote a short essay called "Orchard Park" 1 2
Figster Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 Must confess, got a little teary eyed reading this review. So proud of our 12th man last night. I love you guys... 1
Dukestreetking Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 @Shaw66: you are truly a national treasure (yes, I said "national"). cc: @SlimShady'sSpaceForce@Hapless Bills Fan@YoloinOhio, others. 3
ProcessTruster Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Buddo said: Excellent stuff Shaw, and thanks. It seemed to take the broadcast commentators, a long time to figure out the wind was a problem, yet you could clearly see the flags were horizontal. All part of the drought. Broadcasters haven't been in the stadium in Dec/Jan for 20 years. You forget. For all of us current or (me) former season ticket holders, every one knows the wind mostly roars from left to right the entire game, more and more the later in the season you get. I was explaining to my 20-something son how it works and by the end of the 3rd Q, he's like ".. righhhtttt, I get it now). Allen over throws by 10 yards going left to right, same thing for the Balt backup guy.. those were probably good balls without the wind. I've seen well struck right to left FG attempts miss for 40 years in that place in Dec/Jan. Bass expected his kick to get pushed right to left as it should have, but the wind laid down just when he hit it and it went straight. poor kickers.
chris heff Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Buddo said: Excellent stuff Shaw, and thanks. It seemed to take the broadcast commentators, a long time to figure out the wind was a problem, yet you could clearly see the flags were horizontal. At one point Al Michaels said it was blowing about 8mph. They cut to the flags that looked liked they’d been starched. Oh and thanks Shaw great writing. Edited January 17, 2021 by chris heff 3
Rochesterfan Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, scuba guy said: One thing i noticed right away about the,Diggs td was there were only 2 dbs out there covering with 3 wrs Did the Ravens just miss the boat or did they not see the extra we Even the announcers did not say anything I believe the Ravens were trying to get the Bills to run a specific play out of that formation. You see the guy coming out from inside and I believe they were trying to bait a slant with an undercut. I think the Bills saw the set-up and had a quick screen option and Josh checked to that giving them an easy TD. 2 1
Augie Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 Great write up as usual. Congrats on being at such a momentous game! The amazing part to me was that ripping wind didn’t stop the team that threw almost exclusively, and didn’t really help the team that ran almost exclusively. Holding them to 3 points still has me shaking my head, in a very good way! 2
HappyDays Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Shaw66 said: After the game, for the first time, it occurred to me that the Bills would be playing in the AFC Championship game. For more than a decade, the AFC Championship game has been an unimaginable dream. It really is surreal. I tend to be a very optimistic fan, but over the last how ever many years whenever I imagined the Bills making it this far it wasn't truly real. It was the same sensation as buying a Mega Millions ticket. Fun to think about what if... but knowing deep down it isn't realistic. I think even before this season started it was the same. I was genuinely optimistic, I knew that if the Bills progressed the way they did from 2018 to 2019 that a deep playoff run was possible. But in retrospect it was still just something to imagine, it wasn't something I felt. So about 5 seconds after Taron Johnson stepped in front of that pass and it became obvious that he was going to score, for the first time this millennium I finally felt it. What a moment. What a season. Edited January 17, 2021 by HappyDays 1
Figster Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Augie said: Great write up as usual. Congrats on being at such a momentous game! The amazing part to me was that ripping wind didn’t stop the team that threw almost exclusively, and didn’t really help the team that ran almost exclusively. Holding them to 3 points still has me shaking my head, in a very good way! One of our more football savvy posters ( think it was @Rochesterfan ) Had commented earlier in the season when everyone was questioning the Bills overall level of talent on D. Not in these exact words. Buffalo has the talent and it had more to do with the proper scheming to match player personnel then lack of talent. (Prophetic words of wisdom IMO) Edited January 17, 2021 by Figster 1
HappyDays Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Kwai San said: On the TV down here in FL I could feel the intensity of those fans. Not sure why they were so much louder than last week against the colts but they sure seemed like it. I think I know why. As Bills fans we became so used to the team being good this year that we felt entitled in the Colts game. Who cares, it's just the 7th seed. The Bills won't have any problem beating them. Just another step to take before the real challenge. So I think Bills fans at the stadium didn't go there to watch a football game, they went there for the experience of a Bills playoff win. And of course the game didn't follow that script so I imagine it was a bit deflating until the very end. This time around everyone came in anxious. The fans expected a tough game and they got one. That mindset and nervous energy probably upped the intensity in the stands. 2
fasteddie Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 1 hour ago, scuba guy said: One thing i noticed right away about the,Diggs td was there were only 2 dbs out there covering with 3 wrs Did the Ravens just miss the boat or did they not see the extra we Even the announcers did not say anything What a surprise! NBC has turned into the 4th best NFL broadcaster before our very eyes. They are so busy talking about Lamar Jackson that they don't help you feel that you are there for the game. I couldn't help but laugh hearing Michele Tafoya report that the wind had just about stopped when the flags were whipping around and the uprights were waving back and forth. Clueless! 1
Dukestreetking Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 3 hours ago, Ralonzo said: Best Rockpile yet. As if James Michener wrote a short essay called "Orchard Park" I'm honestly not trying to wash balls here but... that is a freaking genius comment. Never ceases to amaze what can be found at TSW. 2 1
Shaw66 Posted January 18, 2021 Author Posted January 18, 2021 7 hours ago, Virgil said: Was getting into the stadium any different now? I was wondering about the bunching of fans trying to get into the gates Walked right in. Our entry time was 6:45. No lines at all. It was like walking into Home Depot.
Virgil Posted January 18, 2021 Posted January 18, 2021 Just now, Shaw66 said: Walked right in. Our entry time was 6:45. No lines at all. It was like walking into Home Depot. Ah, so they scheduled when you could enter the stadium. That makes sense.
LABILLBACKER Posted January 18, 2021 Posted January 18, 2021 Great visual description Shaw. Glad you could experience that. We at home screaming in our living rooms had the same anxiety. I agree Lamar will struggle losing the running qb moniker. I'm still rooting for a dome for Josh. No matter how strong your arm is, no qb likes throwing in the wind. And its always windy in Buffalo. This can be a special season from a special team. One thing I know for sure is they'll always play hard for each other because they're a family. I think the process is about being a family.
Shaw66 Posted January 18, 2021 Author Posted January 18, 2021 7 hours ago, Logic said: I just keep coming back to this: the Bills defense held Lamar Jackson to 34 yards rushing, sacked him four times, and picked off an end zone pass and returned it for six points. On national TV. In the playoffs. I still can't believe it. Thanks for this. Last night I tried to write the review, and I realized I didn't know much about what actually happened. The experience was really intense, but as everyone knows, it didn't have many exciting plays. No big, clear momentum shifts. For me, the game really was all about one play. But I knew there had to be another story. This Jackson stat line you recite is the other story. The Ravens only go where Jackson goes, and we saw what happens when he gets stopped: 3 points. 1
LewPort71 Posted January 18, 2021 Posted January 18, 2021 Great review of the game and the stadium experience. A++
Shaw66 Posted January 18, 2021 Author Posted January 18, 2021 Here's an interesting piece of pointless trivia: If you go to the games, you know they list fantasy football stats and other modern, pseudo-analytic stuff on the video display from time to time. One of the lists they show is the top five fastest runs during the game. Late in the game, the fastest run on the field was Andre Roberts. Second was Taron Johnson. Third was Huntley. Fourth was Josh Allen. Fifth was Josh. Earlier in the second half it had been Roberts, Allen, Allen, Lamar, Lamar. Interesting that the Bills defense contained Lamar so well that he never had a chance to turn on the after-burners.
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