A Psychoanalysis of the Flawed(?) Bills

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

56 minutes ago, MJS said:

Freud was pretty much wrong about everything.

And how does that make you feel?

[Blainorama5]

You had me at ... "Yes, I know. This is a reach."

[ToGoGo]

1 hour ago, theRalph said:

Yes, I know. This is a reach.

 

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.

 

Thank you for being creative.

 

Lots of mouth breathers, on this forum in particular, who are going to make you feel dumb. You're not. They are.

 

I don't necessarily agree with you here, I think other factors were in play for why the Bills have been up and down this year. But thank you for being brave with your opinions. Don't stop because they try to put you down. "Crabs in a bucket". 

[Utah John]

OK, interesting application of Freud's theories.

 

Here's the Jurassic Park theory.  Most teams strive to win the close, one-score, games.  They pull together and attack like velociraptors.  They probe for weaknesses and try to win by being the tightest team.  The Bills played like this last year and the results were excellent, until we ran into a combination of better velociraptors and ridiculous reffing in KC.  

 

This year the Bills win by being T-Rex.  No close wins.  Either we completely dominate the other team and leave scattered body parts lying in the weeds, or the other team's velociraptors gang up and bring us down.  

 

I for one would like to see a little more raptor action.  Winning some close games would restore the Bills' faith in themselves that they can and will win when they get into those situations.  

[BuffaloMatt]

What does it mean if I like extra blue cheese with my wings? 

[Blainorama5]

20 minutes ago, ToGoGo said:

Lots of mouth breathers, on this forum in particular, who are going to make you feel dumb. You're not. They are.

[WhoTom]

14 minutes ago, Utah John said:

OK, interesting application of Freud's theories.

 

Here's the Jurassic Park theory.  Most teams strive to win the close, one-score, games.  They pull together and attack like velociraptors.  They probe for weaknesses and try to win by being the tightest team.  The Bills played like this last year and the results were excellent, until we ran into a combination of better velociraptors and ridiculous reffing in KC.  

 

This year the Bills win by being T-Rex.  No close wins.  Either we completely dominate the other team and leave scattered body parts lying in the weeds, or the other team's velociraptors gang up and bring us down.  

 

I for one would like to see a little more raptor action.  Winning some close games would restore the Bills' faith in themselves that they can and will win when they get into those situations.  

 

Funny, given your screen name, that you mention velociraptors and Jurassic Park. The animals depicted in the movie are actually Utahraptors, not velociraptors.

 

https://eastern.usu.edu/museum/exhibits/utahraptor

 

 

[WhoTom]

21 minutes ago, BuffaloMatt said:

What does it mean if I like extra blue cheese with my wings? 

 

Oral fixation.

 

[The Frankish Reich]

30 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

Oral fixation.

 

At least it isn't mozz sticks with white sauce.

[Utah John]

22 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

Funny, given your screen name, that you mention velociraptors and Jurassic Park. The animals depicted in the movie are actually Utahraptors, not velociraptors.

 

https://eastern.usu.edu/museum/exhibits/utahraptor

 

 

Thanks. I didn't know that.

[theRalph]

You were all saying?

[Warcodered]

Well the Bills worked out some issues last night, I'll say that.