A Few Thoughts....Intro [LAMP]

[Kwai San]

@Virgil I too wanna know the backstory behind that photo.  Every mullet I see I think of you!  Seriously I think I know your off the wall sense of humor well enough by now that I know it isn't you.  But it is a great pix!!

 

Your report is like another poster said.....the game isn't over till "A few thoughts" have been posted.  I enjoyed Bill immensely. I enjoy you just as much.  So cool that you and Bill connected and he blessed your ramblings and you #4 tribute.  It is nice to see the game from someone else's perspective.  I don't always agree but I respect the amount of work it takes to bang this out week in and week out.  I seriously did NOT expect a report for the preseason game as detailed as yours was.  Kudo's!

 

Thanks for doing it is what you do....I can not even begin to imagine the time invested to pull this off, was great to read #2 and #7.  The Therminator NEVER got the kudo's he deserved.  Without a doubt he is my fav Bill from that era.  #3....I said it before I will say it again.....I was FULLY invested in that pick from the get go.  So happy to see that I was right cuz like you and I am fallible.  I have been wrong before and will be wrong many more times on this mortal coil.

 

Thank you dude......just keep being you!!

 

Go BILLS!!!

[Virgil]

5 minutes ago, Kwai San said:

@Virgil I too wanna know the backstory behind that photo.  Every mullet I see I think of you!  Seriously I think I know your off the wall sense of humor well enough by now that I know it isn't you.  But it is a great pix!!

Are you sure it’s not me?   😋

[3rdand12]

#RespectTheVirgil

[Stroke 17]

Write on, my fellow Bills fan.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

14 minutes ago, Virgil said:

Are you sure it’s not me?   😋

I'm sure it is you... the binoculars they have nowadays make it really easy to see from far away.

[NewEra]

We love you too young man!

 

you’ve become an enjoyable part of my post game ritual.  

[TroutDog]

4 hours ago, HOUSE said:

If I had money, I would pay you

 

but I left my wallet in the car

And I smoke too much crack, thus no money. On a positive front, I have lost a TON of weight as I have no money for food. 😃 

 

@Virgil, always appreciate your input…I recognize the amount of work it takes to do this while simultaneously trying to simply watch a game: thank you!

[AmishRifle]

Thank you for what you do Virgil.  I really appreciate your thoughts, insight, and humor!  

[Jauronimo]

2 hours ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Nah, too obvious...

Nothing is too obvious for Sherlock

[YoloinOhio]

Great stuff, always a good read after the game. 

[Patrick Duffy]

6 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Nothing is too obvious for Sherlock

Lol, he can be creative. But meant what he was quoting was obvious. Kinda like if someone said ," I sucked on that hose so hard it took jus 2 minutes to siphon every drop" Obvious response that "most" would think or say is, "that's what she said" lol

 

[BillsFan619]

8 hours ago, Virgil said:

I'm not really sure if this is worthwhile to anyone here, as most of you know me and the weekly thoughts review, but I'm trying new things this year and figured it couldn't hurt.  MODs, if this needs to be moved, I understand.

 

In deciding to put “Thoughts” out there on more social media platforms, I began to think about the endless amounts of content that is out there between fan and professional writers. To be very clear, I am a fan writer and have zero affiliation with the team or any other news outlet. I did receive my English degree and debating sports journalism for a short while, but then decided being able to eat and place a roof over my head was more important. With that being said, if you’re a first time reader of “A Few Thoughts about the Game” or a long time reader, I decided to write this introduction about myself and why you may want to keep reading. With that, here are a few thoughts, in no particular order…

 

1 – First Bills Memory – Bills football didn’t become an obsession to me until I was around 12 years old, but I remember wide right. My father and sister were watching the game and incredibly into it. I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the moment nor would the chain of events that missed kick set off. By the time we accomplished the biggest comeback of all time, I was fully invested in the team and cried my first sporting tears after the following Super Bowl because I just couldn’t understand why they couldn’t win just one. Since then, I have never (and I mean NEVER) missed a game.

 

2 Dedication – When I took a commission sales job at Circuit City, I told my manager that I could not work on Sundays during football season. Unfortunately, they didn’t allow that for an availability, so I had to let them know my next rule: If I work when the Bills playing, I will be in the projection TV section with the DirecTV remote. If a customer needs help with projection TV’s, then I will answer them. But, if they want to shop for anything else, I would hand them off to other associates. Now, other associates learned to appreciate this because I also promised to give away any commissions from large TV’s that I happened to sell. I did this for two reasons: One, projection TV’s were the highest commission items in the store and I knew they wouldn’t like me camping out there. 2 – The register was too far away from the TV’s to be able to see the game. I was at work during the Music City Miracle and had to leave early that day.

 

3 – I’m Wrong….A Lot – Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way now. I was beyond pissed off when we drafted Josh Allen. It’s nothing personal against Allen, but when have you ever seen a college player fail at the collegiate level and have poor accuracy, but then magically figure it out at the NFL level? My QB ranking was Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen, Allen, and lastly Lamar. I never believed Darnold would be in play for us and figured the Browns or Jets would take him. Mayfield was such a wildcard who showed me just enough accuracy and swagger in college to believe he would fit perfectly in Buffalo. Now, to be clear, once 48 hours passed and I calmed down, I accepted Josh as our quarterback because at the end of the day, I support the Bills above all else and he was immediately my quarterback.

 

4 – Bill from NYC – Every week, this spot is reserved for lyrics from a band. In the beginning, these thoughts were actually written by someone I now consider a friend, Bill. He wrote these recaps every single week after a Bills game and it became a staple in my post-game review process. Some years back, Bill stopped writing his reviews and I really wanted to see that tradition continue. Bill and I spoke, and I’ve since carried on this tradition with his blessing. The title and format are all originally Bill’s and I’m incredibly thankful to him for helping me start on this writing journey. It’s just too bad that he’s an Alabama fan.

 

5 – The Grind – Writing a weekly review of the games was an undertaking that I didn’t realize would be as daunting as it is. You never want to write the same things week over week, but if you forget to mention Josh Allen once, people will lose their minds. For me, I make a point to mention key plays or players that had the biggest impact on the game. If a player is trending in a positive or negative direction, I will write about it maybe two or three times before I stop mentioning them at all because it simply gets old. This season, I’m really going to be paying attention to players in their third year, defensive evolution, the rushing attack, and how we fair against tougher competition. This is not to say that I’m restricting my topics, but more so the more pressing concerns I believe this team needs to figure out if they want to be Super Bowl Champions.

 

6 – Rules – What? Rules for a fan review? Having done this for a few years and reading feedback from fellow fans, I learned very quickly that you can’t please everyone and stats can be very misleading. With that being said, I have three rules that I do my best to adhere to with each weeks Thoughts. First rule is, I don’t google or reference any stats online when writing Thoughts. If I can’t take it as a note or pay attention to it while the game is happening, then it’s not going to be mentioned or it’ll be done as more of a reference. The second rule is, if you respond to my posts by singling out one sentence and ignoring the context of the thought, then do not expect a response. I can’t tell you how many times I’ll mention one bad play by a player in one sentence out of a paragraph praising him, and then read how I’m a hater. The final rule is, and this is more from me, never write angry. Like anyone else, I am very capable of having a temper tantrum following a tough loss. In those cases, I might not write my Thoughts until the next day because coming in level headed is incredibly important and vital to the success of these posts.

 

7 – Favorite Players – I’ve always been an underdog kind of guy. Frank Reich and Kenneth Davis were my early 90’s favorite players. While there were so many hall of famers on that team, I still don’t believe Thurman Thomas gets enough credit for what he brought to the game. He was Marshall Faulk before there was a Faulk. I wanted JP and EJ to succeed as they seemed like good kids, and quite honestly, felt desperate at that point. Taking current players out of the mix, it was impossible to not love Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson. I still hope Fitz signs a one day contract and retires as a Bill. He’s the one guy I still can’t root against.

 

8 – Most Disliked Players – While I have nothing against the name Chris, Kelsay and Watson were two of the most head scratching players I can remember watching during the drought. They stole every penny of their contracts here and the only two players I can ever remember rooting to against. Kelsay was the king of standing next to a pile up, but never in it. Watson was so consistently out of position and burned by opposing receivers that you had to wonder if it was intentional.

 

9 – Favorite Memories – While still trying to keep this in the drought and not wanting to reference other teams, my favorite memory was when Fitz beats the ***Patriots on the last second field goal after a 21 point comeback. Fitz, Fred Jackson, and really the whole team fought back in the most amazing way that game and I wish I was at the stadium because it seemed like the most electric atmosphere of the entire drought. It’s easy to want to mention the Bengals win over the Ravens, but we weren’t part of that game. However, I can say that I’ve watched the locker room reaction video more times than most.

 

10 – Thank you - I will be the first to say that I’m not an expert on the Bills more so than any other fan. I genuinely enjoy watching them, rooting for them, slowly making my daughter into a fan, and learning more about the game through footage reviews and other analysts. I’m so incredibly thankful to those that have been reading my Thoughts over the years and pushing me to put myself out there more for others to read. I don’t know where this will lead to, but I’m happy to find out.

 

 

Thanks for the hard work, Virg.

 

I look forward to your post every Sunday. One of my top ones. Keep up the great work!

[ProcessYaDigg]

14 hours ago, Virgil said:

I'm not really sure if this is worthwhile to anyone here, as most of you know me and the weekly thoughts review, but I'm trying new things this year and figured it couldn't hurt.  MODs, if this needs to be moved, I understand.

 

In deciding to put “Thoughts” out there on more social media platforms, I began to think about the endless amounts of content that is out there between fan and professional writers. To be very clear, I am a fan writer and have zero affiliation with the team or any other news outlet. I did receive my English degree and debating sports journalism for a short while, but then decided being able to eat and place a roof over my head was more important. With that being said, if you’re a first time reader of “A Few Thoughts about the Game” or a long time reader, I decided to write this introduction about myself and why you may want to keep reading. With that, here are a few thoughts, in no particular order…

 

1 – First Bills Memory – Bills football didn’t become an obsession to me until I was around 12 years old, but I remember wide right. My father and sister were watching the game and incredibly into it. I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the moment nor would the chain of events that missed kick set off. By the time we accomplished the biggest comeback of all time, I was fully invested in the team and cried my first sporting tears after the following Super Bowl because I just couldn’t understand why they couldn’t win just one. Since then, I have never (and I mean NEVER) missed a game.

 

2 Dedication – When I took a commission sales job at Circuit City, I told my manager that I could not work on Sundays during football season. Unfortunately, they didn’t allow that for an availability, so I had to let them know my next rule: If I work when the Bills playing, I will be in the projection TV section with the DirecTV remote. If a customer needs help with projection TV’s, then I will answer them. But, if they want to shop for anything else, I would hand them off to other associates. Now, other associates learned to appreciate this because I also promised to give away any commissions from large TV’s that I happened to sell. I did this for two reasons: One, projection TV’s were the highest commission items in the store and I knew they wouldn’t like me camping out there. 2 – The register was too far away from the TV’s to be able to see the game. I was at work during the Music City Miracle and had to leave early that day.

 

3 – I’m Wrong….A Lot – Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way now. I was beyond pissed off when we drafted Josh Allen. It’s nothing personal against Allen, but when have you ever seen a college player fail at the collegiate level and have poor accuracy, but then magically figure it out at the NFL level? My QB ranking was Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen, Allen, and lastly Lamar. I never believed Darnold would be in play for us and figured the Browns or Jets would take him. Mayfield was such a wildcard who showed me just enough accuracy and swagger in college to believe he would fit perfectly in Buffalo. Now, to be clear, once 48 hours passed and I calmed down, I accepted Josh as our quarterback because at the end of the day, I support the Bills above all else and he was immediately my quarterback.

 

4 – Bill from NYC – Every week, this spot is reserved for lyrics from a band. In the beginning, these thoughts were actually written by someone I now consider a friend, Bill. He wrote these recaps every single week after a Bills game and it became a staple in my post-game review process. Some years back, Bill stopped writing his reviews and I really wanted to see that tradition continue. Bill and I spoke, and I’ve since carried on this tradition with his blessing. The title and format are all originally Bill’s and I’m incredibly thankful to him for helping me start on this writing journey. It’s just too bad that he’s an Alabama fan.

 

5 – The Grind – Writing a weekly review of the games was an undertaking that I didn’t realize would be as daunting as it is. You never want to write the same things week over week, but if you forget to mention Josh Allen once, people will lose their minds. For me, I make a point to mention key plays or players that had the biggest impact on the game. If a player is trending in a positive or negative direction, I will write about it maybe two or three times before I stop mentioning them at all because it simply gets old. This season, I’m really going to be paying attention to players in their third year, defensive evolution, the rushing attack, and how we fair against tougher competition. This is not to say that I’m restricting my topics, but more so the more pressing concerns I believe this team needs to figure out if they want to be Super Bowl Champions.

 

6 – Rules – What? Rules for a fan review? Having done this for a few years and reading feedback from fellow fans, I learned very quickly that you can’t please everyone and stats can be very misleading. With that being said, I have three rules that I do my best to adhere to with each weeks Thoughts. First rule is, I don’t google or reference any stats online when writing Thoughts. If I can’t take it as a note or pay attention to it while the game is happening, then it’s not going to be mentioned or it’ll be done as more of a reference. The second rule is, if you respond to my posts by singling out one sentence and ignoring the context of the thought, then do not expect a response. I can’t tell you how many times I’ll mention one bad play by a player in one sentence out of a paragraph praising him, and then read how I’m a hater. The final rule is, and this is more from me, never write angry. Like anyone else, I am very capable of having a temper tantrum following a tough loss. In those cases, I might not write my Thoughts until the next day because coming in level headed is incredibly important and vital to the success of these posts.

 

7 – Favorite Players – I’ve always been an underdog kind of guy. Frank Reich and Kenneth Davis were my early 90’s favorite players. While there were so many hall of famers on that team, I still don’t believe Thurman Thomas gets enough credit for what he brought to the game. He was Marshall Faulk before there was a Faulk. I wanted JP and EJ to succeed as they seemed like good kids, and quite honestly, felt desperate at that point. Taking current players out of the mix, it was impossible to not love Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson. I still hope Fitz signs a one day contract and retires as a Bill. He’s the one guy I still can’t root against.

 

8 – Most Disliked Players – While I have nothing against the name Chris, Kelsay and Watson were two of the most head scratching players I can remember watching during the drought. They stole every penny of their contracts here and the only two players I can ever remember rooting to against. Kelsay was the king of standing next to a pile up, but never in it. Watson was so consistently out of position and burned by opposing receivers that you had to wonder if it was intentional.

 

9 – Favorite Memories – While still trying to keep this in the drought and not wanting to reference other teams, my favorite memory was when Fitz beats the ***Patriots on the last second field goal after a 21 point comeback. Fitz, Fred Jackson, and really the whole team fought back in the most amazing way that game and I wish I was at the stadium because it seemed like the most electric atmosphere of the entire drought. It’s easy to want to mention the Bengals win over the Ravens, but we weren’t part of that game. However, I can say that I’ve watched the locker room reaction video more times than most.

 

10 – Thank you - I will be the first to say that I’m not an expert on the Bills more so than any other fan. I genuinely enjoy watching them, rooting for them, slowly making my daughter into a fan, and learning more about the game through footage reviews and other analysts. I’m so incredibly thankful to those that have been reading my Thoughts over the years and pushing me to put myself out there more for others to read. I don’t know where this will lead to, but I’m happy to find out.

 

 

I appreciate the dedication you put into your Thoughts review.  I've been a long time reader on this board and don't post often, but your piece is one that I look forward to after every game.  I'm 100% with you on Fitz.  We've had some greats on this team, but he is one of my all time favorites and I want nothing more than for him to succeed wherever he goes.  

[fergie's ire]

15 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

I don't remember the game, but I didn't post it until Wednesday and I thought people were going to put out a missing person's report on me.  That was a terrible week at work and an overall stressful time.  I've learned my lesson to not allow things less important such as work get in my way

Seems it was a night game...maybe even one of the re-scheduled ones.

[SoCal Deek]

Now wait a minute Virgil…so you’re saying you’re NOT an expert? Oh crap, I’ve been keeping a notebook of your weekly recap for years. Now you tell us! (Seriously, keep up the great work…Go Bills!)

[corta765]

Virigl love what you wrote and I want to play along too as you formatted this really well

 

1 – First Bills Memory – My dad took me to a game when Kelly Thomas and Reed were still playing so I was able to be there. I do not remember much other then we were 300s and it was loud. My first Bills game I remember was the famous 2000 Bills Bears game when Johnson got put in during the 3rd quarter, got hurt, and the fans cheered him going off (not Bills fans finest hour). My other big Bills memory was actually at my grandparents because they had the 1990 Bills VHS season recap. I watched that incessantly and actually have it now and watch it once before every season as a way to remember them/bring a little luck. The 98 Dolphins playoff loss I remember watching with my dad and after we lost I went to go rip up my Dolphins trading cards I was so mad we lost. Dad didn't let me but I could see the smile on his face. That is probably all my early memories.

 

2 Dedication – My wife and I will drop pretty much anything to go to a game if we can. Even with kids we will do what we can and they are being indoctrinated into fandom. I have a signed framed poster for the 2014 team because they actually went 9-7, EJ Manuel uni, swore we were upsetting the Pats in 07 SNF, wear specific unis depending on the game, and can name where I was for way to many games that have zero importance and the big moments of the game. I need help haha

 

3 – I’m Wrong….A Lot – 1000% agree with you on this. I also was team Rosen to the point the moment they drafted Allen we left the draft party we were at because I was pissed.

 

4 – Bill from NYC – "Everything dies, baby, that's a fact, but maybe everything that dies someday comes back"

 

5 – The Grind – My thing has always been doing the schedule and historical recaps. I have zero clue how people like you can analyze the game to depths you do. I also was the person responsible for the cut Micah Hyde thread last year ...whoops! (in fairness the defense was sucking and he was not playing well for 3 games haha)

 

6 – Rules – I have a rule after bad losses that I will not post for 24 hrs the same way players are only allowed to typically be mad for 24 hrs. Usually by the next day I am composed more to be more thoughtful. I will say as I have gotten older my takes have matured and I do not necessarily live and die on each game or play. That said that Cardinals game unhinged me for a while haha.

 

7 – Favorite Players – As a kid I liked Kelly I thought he modeled the type of player you wanted to lead the team. The 2000s guys like Lee Evans, George Wilson and Terrence McGee (dang injuries' robbed him of a better career) were some of my favorites. I was a huge Stevie Johnson fan and think he was criminally underrated. Eric Wood was a real favorite of mine for his play and honesty, I hate that his career ended as I felt he was the perfect center for this team but oh well. I loved Aaron Williams and hated that his career got taken out the way it did just as he emerged into a true leader and pro bowl caliber player. Ironically Micah Hyde literally slipped in as the exact player I think Williams would've been. Matt Milano is probably my favorite dude now and the results show how much they need him as when he's out the defense is remotely the same. Kyle Williams is a HOF outside of Buffalo, loved him and we completely let his career down until the very end.

 

8 – Most Disliked Players – Donte Whitner dude was a jerk, Paul Poz he made a ton of tackles.... 7 yards downfield was always behind the play, Watkins for carrying about being a Diva then being a team player, Chris Hogan for his drops in 2015, McKelvin for just not catching punts/kick offs and going down, Willis McGhee self explained, Dareus not in play way more because he wasted potential to be so much better which was sad to see, and Charles Clay for the amount of drops and bad plays he made including his flub against Miami in 18 when Allen played lights out. Coach wise Marrone and Jauron were soul killing for punting on the 40 of the opponent on 4th and 2.

 

9 – Favorite Memories –

2011 Raiders Bills win (huge comeback was insane to be at)

Slaying the Pats in 2011

EJ comeback vs Panthers in 2013 was 100 level for that

Packers win in 2014 (loudest I've ever heard the stadium)

Colts opener in 2015 was really cool

2017 Snowbowl was front row that was downright surreal

Drought ending and finally watching a playoff game with my wife for the 1st time and father as an adult

2018 tailgate before the Bears game. Lets be honest we knew it was a loss and Peterman would implode so honestly it was just a fun time partying 

2019 Jets opener felt like a new dawn when they came back

2019 Cowboys was soooo cathartic

2019 Steelers to clinch for real was awesome. Stayed up to 2 am listening to radio of bills fans

Entire 2020 season was a dream after living my teenage years into adult years in drought Bills. Was rewarding after sooo many down years to get that

 

 

10 – Thank you - Thank you Virgil!

[DallasBillsFan1]

17 hours ago, Virgil said:

I was at work during the Music City Miracle and had to leave early that day.

The Music City Miracle affected me more than any of the Super Bowl losses.  I literally walked like a Zombie from the sports bar to my car and don't recall the drive home.  Utter disbelief.

[buffaloboyinATL]

17 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

 

4 – Bill from NYC – Every week, this spot is reserved for lyrics from a band. In the beginning, these thoughts were actually written by someone I now consider a friend, Bill. He wrote these recaps every single week after a Bills game and it became a staple in my post-game review process. Some years back, Bill stopped writing his reviews and I really wanted to see that tradition continue. Bill and I spoke, and I’ve since carried on this tradition with his blessing. The title and format are all originally Bill’s and I’m incredibly thankful to him for helping me start on this writing journey. It’s just too bad that he’s an Alabama fan.

 

 

 

 

OK, I have always been curious.  Bill's lyrics have always seemed to be chosen specifically because of something that happened in the game, or a point he was trying to make.  Did he do this on purpose, or did I just read too much into it?  Secondly, do you do this when selecting your lyrics?

[corta765]

31 minutes ago, DallasBillsFan1 said:

The Music City Miracle affected me more than any of the Super Bowl losses.  I literally walked like a Zombie from the sports bar to my car and don't recall the drive home.  Utter disbelief.

 

Makes sense 1 SB loss is a FG miss but it happens, 2 were blowouts, the other slowly faded. You can prepare for that and the FG loss at the time wasn't a gimmee the way kicks inside 50 generally are considered now.

 

By comparison the Titans game was a brutal slugfest and getting a FG at that point felt like we iced it. I was speechless watching because it was just so stunning. The Cardinals game felt similar but not being a playoff game helped a little. By comparison Music City never stopped being shown and the implications were so large it was a knife to the heart and it being the last bills playoff game in 17 years was just great long term also lol

[BaaadThingsMan]

1 hour ago, DallasBillsFan1 said:

The Music City Miracle affected me more than any of the Super Bowl losses.  I literally walked like a Zombie from the sports bar to my car and don't recall the drive home.  Utter disbelief.

First SuperBowl for me. I was hosting a party. When I picked my head up out of my hands it was hours later, I was alone in the dark.