A Psychoanalysis of the Flawed(?) Bills

[theRalph]

While taking in the Buffalo Rumblings Hump Day Hotline podcast, hosts Joe Miller and JSpence were trying to put their finger on what exactly is the Bills’ flaw that has vexed the team, in different ways, throughout the season. I’ll step out on a limb and lay out a Freudian psychoanalysis of the Bills that tries to answer this question.

Now, most NFL fans are able to buy-in on the idea that a team has, or develops an “identity” in a given season. Boiled down, an identity is defined as how the team behaves in various situations, which infers a “collective team psyche”. Freud theorized the psyche is made of three parts: the ego, super-ego, and the id, which is “the part of the mind in which innate instinctive impulses and primary processes are manifest” Another definition states “the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual desires”. In other words, the id is our instinctive impulse generator. While the ego is more or less the conscious leader, the id has been described as a horse on which the ego rides, with the ego guiding the id where the id wants to go.

 

The Bills entered the season flatly stating a goal of hosting the AFC title game. That heaped expectations on the team, which likely knew it wouldn’t be sneaking up on any opponents after the 2020 season, but they were darlings in the national press. Then the loss to Pittsburgh happened and stung the team far more than we were told, I’m sure. The team, which was supposed to be great, could not beat a weaker opponent in a close game! The team instinct—the id—needed to make things right immediately.

So the Bills, in response to the impulse of the id, crushed four opponents in a row. During that stretch, the Bills didn’t lose by less than 18 points, including an historic two shutouts. The week 1 loss was eventually dismissed as a blip, but the successive four wins didn’t age particularly well. Miami, WFT, and the Texans were by now dismissed and the luster of the wins faded with questions of the opponents’ strength. But this questioning of the Bills record over strength of competition wasn’t the trouble for the id—it was still the loss to the Steelers in a close game.

 

Then, the Bills get into a close game against a good team. At the end, the setup is perfect for the id: a desperate 4th down plunge to the end zone—but Dion misses and Josh slips. There is every indication the Bills instinctively put themselves in that close-game position just to secure the elusive close win. The id is however denied and responds by knocking off the Dolphins a week later, but is still desperate for a close game.

 

The actions of the id are now progressing to neurotic: The exact same stimulus/response pattern of a heartbreaking loss followed by a big win that started with Titans—Dolphins now repeats with remarkable similarity for Jaguars—Jets and the Colts—Saints. The id is trapped in this cycle of games, trying for but not getting the coveted close win. This process continued with a horrifying close loss on Windy Monday. Maybe it was because it was the Patriots, but the id, in the repeated cycle of losses and wins all in an effort to satisfy the instinct to win a close game, finally hit bottom.

 

In their current pattern, the Bills were due for a big win, but their id was at a season low. For once though, we can thank Tom Brady. Down 24-3 to the Buccaneers at the half was exactly the jolt the Bills squirming id needed to check this neurotic process that had gone on for six weeks. Then something happened at halftime; we all saw it. The Bills dominated Tampa in the second half, but they got one more gift from the officials to finish the therapy: the refs stole the win. Of course fans were irate, but this sort of “shock treatment” is exactly what the Bills id needed.

 

A psychologically much healthier Bills team then won four straight and, aside from the token domination of the Patriots, it was as if the Bills manufactured close third and fourth quarter scores against lesser teams only to dominate on multiple possessions to end the games. In these “close-for-a-while” wins, the id was satisfying its instinct to survive in tight situations. and finally satisfied the impulse created week one.

 

We know this team is capable of greatness. The Bills Id, which gave the ego a wild ride for a month and a half, now also believes this. The raging Id of the Bills was the flaw. With this healthy psyche, there is no limit to the damage the Buffalo Bills can inflict in these playoffs.

Edited January 18, 2022 by theRalph
clarity

[BringBackFergy]

[Marcus Aurelius]

So you're saying the Bills have repressed sexual issues  ...

Interesting.

[The Wiz]

misread as "A psycho's analysis".

[sherpa]

Their problem is that they suck for about a quarter to a quarter and a half with regularity.

Usually, the second and third Q's.

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

I think Bills fans are in a unique place in sports.  Because of those four SB losses, and punctuated by some other amazing heartbreaks, we are prone to seek out, even require, a 'reliable greatness' for our own psyche's well-being. 
 

Reliable greatness is basically a fallacy in a sport requiring 11 cogs to be perfectly synced in the face of chaos.  Exceptions may be a Brady/Montana/Manning/Bradshaw led offense, or a Singletary led defense... maybe a few others, but it's very rare.
 

Most SB winning teams are both very good, and on the luckier side than not.

 

I'm not so sure it's a psyche thing as much a football thing.   
 

And screw it all, the Buffalo Bills are winning the Super Bowl!!!

[The Wiz]

If the problem is in their heads then this is technically a "dome" thread. 

[Draconator]

[Kwai San]

24 minutes ago, theRalph said:

Yes, I know. This is a reach.

 

 

You said it - NOT us......SMFH!!!  Y'alls got waaaaaay too much time on your hands.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Kwai San

[dma0034]

14 minutes ago, Marcus Aurelius said:

So you're saying the Bills have repressed sexual issues  ...

Interesting.

 

 

Bart Scott was on to something!!!

[MJS]

Freud was pretty much wrong about everything.

[LeGOATski]

5 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

If the problem is in their heads then this is technically a "dome" thread. 

Well now it's all out in the open.......... air

[nucci]

and I thought I had a lot of free time

[Magox]

I think when you were thinking about this thread, the thought was better than the thread itself.

[WickedGame]

I’ve been having this dream where I’m a dog, and everything around me looks like a fire hydrant. Can someone tell me, professionally, if this means the Bills will win this weekend? I’ve tried Googling it. 

[The Wiz]

23 minutes ago, WickedGame said:

I’ve been having this dream where I’m a dog, and everything around me looks like a fire hydrant. Can someone tell me, professionally, if this means the Bills will win this weekend? I’ve tried Googling it. 

According to webMD, you have either a cold or terminal cancer. 

[Sherlock Holmes]

54 minutes ago, Marcus Aurelius said:

So you're saying the Bills have repressed sexual issues  ...

Interesting.

Sherlock to the rescue!🧐

[Mr. WEO]

56 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

misread as "A psycho's analysis".

 

no, you didn't...

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

10 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

According to webMD, you have either a cold or terminal cancer. 

Or a typing cat

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

46 minutes ago, MJS said:

Freud was pretty much wrong about everything.

Are you calling me Sigmund Fraud?