The Bickering Bills

[Buffalo Barbarian]

This current team probably isnt infighting like those Bills teams of the early Jim Kelly era but it reminds me a lot of when we went 12-4 in 1988 but the next year went 9-7. Cant remember why we regressed back in 88 but i think this year has a lot to do with other teams figuring us out, McDermott becoming more conservative in gameplans and in game decisions and some things just not going are way (block punt Pittsburgh, horrendous reffing Jacksonville, etc)

 

This season isnt over and i think we still make the playoffs but i just dont see us going far this year with our shortcomings. Hopefully McBeane can figure this out this offseason and we can go on to great records every year after.

 

 

[MPL]

It is more common than not that a team that loses the conference championship regresses and finishes with a worse record the following season, or is bounced from the playoffs in an earlier round. I know there have been some exceptions to this in the AFC over the past decade, but what we're experiencing right now isn't uncommon. 

We didn't add any pieces and ran it back with 21 of 22 starters from last year. Teams had the whole offseason to study our offense. We haven't adjusted or adapted quick enough. 

 

That said, they've got a franchise QB who is one of the best in the league and one of the best WRs in the league. They should be able to retool the roster this offseason and come back better next year. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

1 minute ago, MPL said:

It is more common than not that a team that loses the conference championship regresses and finishes with a worse record the following season, or is bounced from the playoffs in an earlier round. I know there have been some exceptions to this in the AFC over the past decade, but what we're experiencing right now isn't uncommon. 

We didn't add any pieces and ran it back with 21 of 22 starters from last year. Teams had the whole offseason to study our offense. We haven't adjusted or adapted quick enough. 

 

That said, they've got a franchise QB who is one of the best in the league and one of the best WRs in the league. They should be able to retool the roster this offseason and come back better next year. 

 

Agree with all this but if we get back to being aggressive this year we can make a run this year

 

 

[nucci]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

This current team probably isnt infighting like those Bills teams of the early Jim Kelly era but it reminds me a lot of when we went 12-4 in 1988 but the next year went 9-7. Cant remember why we regressed back in 88 but i think this year has a lot to do with other teams figuring us out, McDermott becoming more conservative in gameplans and in game decisions and some things just not going are way (block punt Pittsburgh, horrendous reffing Jacksonville, etc)

 

This season isnt over and i think we still make the playoffs but i just dont see us going far this year with our shortcomings. Hopefully McBeane can figure this out this offseason and we can go on to great records every year after.

 

 

they regressed because they hated each other...nothing to do with teams figuring them out

[FilthyBeast]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

This current team probably isnt infighting like those Bills teams of the early Jim Kelly era but it reminds me a lot of when we went 12-4 in 1988 but the next year went 9-7. Cant remember why we regressed back in 88 but i think this year has a lot to do with other teams figuring us out, McDermott becoming more conservative in gameplans and in game decisions and some things just not going are way (block punt Pittsburgh, horrendous reffing Jacksonville, etc)

 

This season isnt over and i think we still make the playoffs but i just dont see us going far this year with our shortcomings. Hopefully McBeane can figure this out this offseason and we can go on to great records every year after.

 

 

 

I've seen this comparison being tossed out there for a while now but it's wishful thinking and those teams didn't have to worry about going up against the GOAT HC in NFL history twice a season.

 

The bigger comparison Bills fans should be thinking about is the crazy stat that at least one of the four teams who made the conference championship the previous season has failed to make the playoffs the next year. I believe this is happened at least 15 straight years or something like that.

 

So out of GB/TB and KC/BUF, want to venture to guess which team is likely to be the 'lucky' one who doesn't make the playoffs this year based on current record and status?

[Mike in Horseheads]

I think the team got divided some when Beasley was shooting his mouth off on twitter about a virus. It became a issue in clubhouse with others then taking sides and the "leader" Allen refused to say his status. Then the front office and coach's publicly making statements.  Throw in more injuries than last year and here we are

[Buffalo_Stampede]

The Bickering Bills Fans. 

[RichRiderBills]

I thought this too. Truth is we need a killer guard we need a stud RB. We can do that in one draft class. 

 

For now we may need a new LT too. Ours has been playing soft. 

[RyanC883]

3 hours ago, MPL said:

It is more common than not that a team that loses the conference championship regresses and finishes with a worse record the following season, or is bounced from the playoffs in an earlier round. I know there have been some exceptions to this in the AFC over the past decade, but what we're experiencing right now isn't uncommon. 

We didn't add any pieces and ran it back with 21 of 22 starters from last year. Teams had the whole offseason to study our offense. We haven't adjusted or adapted quick enough. 

 

That said, they've got a franchise QB who is one of the best in the league and one of the best WRs in the league. They should be able to retool the roster this offseason and come back better next year. 

 

we should be able to retool, but the fact we didn't last year when we had obvious room for improvement at OL, RB, and DL (yes, we drafted two DE's--one of whom is largely inactive) makes me wonder if Bean: (1) notices the issues; and/or (2) has any clue how to pick players to solve the issues.   

[Ray Stonada]

I was texting last night with one of my best friends, a lifelong Bills fan like me. In high school we went to the 51-3 AFC championship game and about 20 other games together (paying our own money cause we didn't have parents with season tickets). We live a couple thousand miles apart now, 30 years later, but we text every week leading up to games. Last night, we were both predictably frustrated about the coaching and play-calling and we agreed McD seems to have a real knack for making the wrong call on fourth downs and challenges.

 

But we were both worried about something more difficult to define: the feeling of team unity.

 

There seems to be a weird Bickering Bills feeling floating around, like the team isn’t fighting as one. We remembered the 1989 season well and how there was a sense that Jim Kelly throwing Howard Ballard under the bus broke the team's unity back then. It took Thuman Thomas calling him out and the two of them getting over it to bring the team back together. (By the way, for my money Thurman was the MVP of the 90s teams.)

 

Back to this season: when one of our guys makes a dumb mistake, penalty or whatever, I don’t have the feeling that they feel bad they let the team down. It's like they’re not playing for each other the same as last year. As my friend said, last year's team had that good feeling and this year's doesn't.

 

Did the vaccine issue drive a serious wedge into the team? Is the disappointment of the season slowly breaking them down? I rewatched the Kansas City game last night and the Bills looked totally together, and McDermott looked like a different coach: cool, calm and collected. (Also worth noting, for those who think we need to pass 60 times tomorrow night: the Bills put a stamp on that KC game with a TD on our first drive using three called Josh Allen runs, and a couple of runs with our backs, which then set up the deep passes to Sanders, Diggs and Knox later.) 

 

Flash forward to the Pats game and McDermott looks like he's losing it, meanwhile players (like Knox) are making mistakes left and right, they're fumbling handoffs, the whole team just has a sense of malaise around it. The player's efforts don't seem to add up.

 

So the question is, why has a team that seemed like they were on a mission together the last two seasons suddenly unable to win close games, make clutch plays when we need them, and get out of their own way? Why can't they elevate when the chips are down? What happened to their team spirit?

 

[Johnnycage46]

I think the team spirit is fine.  The fans are $%!@#$@#.

[ProcessTruster]

12 minutes ago, Johnnycage46 said:

I think the team spirit is fine.  The fans are $%!@#$@#.

exactly.  the team was onto the next game 3 days ago.  fans are still peeing in their beer

[NewEra]

It’s hard to comment on the state of the locker room while sitting on the couch.  
 

You’re basically saying that players don’t look like they feel bad about committing penalties.  Why?  Because we’re committing more penalties this season, that means they don’t care?  Idk

 

knox has played great in every game this year, minus this past week.  He plays bad in one game and there’s a problem in the locker room?  McD lost a huge game and is pissed off…..and that’s a locker room problem. 
 

we’re 0-4 in 1 score games. If a couple of those ended differently, the narrative is much different.
 

We’re making mistakes.  Way more mistakes than last year.  The opposing D’s have a blueprint for how to play us and we haven’t fully figured out how to attack that blueprint.  Our OL sucks.  That’s why we have 5 losses imo.

 

[SoCal Deek]

The problem isn’t bickering. The team’s  problem is apathy. 

[Ray Stonada]

5 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

The problem isn’t bickering. The team’s  problem is apathy. 

 

I agree. But we didn't have that sense of apathy last year.

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, Ray Stonada said:

 

I agree. But we didn't have that sense of apathy last year.

True. But that was last year. This year there’s something desperately wrong. Up one week and down the next. The coaching staff doesn’t appear to be able to keep these guys in the zone. The time for clowning around is OVER! It’s time for talent to rise to the top. They have the talent…now finish this thing!!

[uticaclub]

I have no idea what's happening in the Bills locker room, neither do you or any of our friends. The locker room could being turning on each other or uniting, this team could all hate each other and sneak out a win in Tampa or be completely unified and lose by 50.

[bmur66]

Getting to the next level is hard. Regressing is easy.

Edited December 11, 2021 by bmur66

[Ya Digg?]

Wait am I following this correctly-the Bills have no unity because Knox had a bad game and Breida fumbled the football? 

[Kornfed]

Sports psyc. is a strange animal. They went from being an up and coming team to being a favorite (hunter/hunted). I don't know if it's apathy as much as it is imaturity/maturity and experience/wisdom. They are learning a degree of humility. In the long run they will be a better team for it. .. Hopefully, not too long a run.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Kornfed