Being a Bills fan

[DollaBills]

There's something profoundly romantic about rooting for the perpetual underdog. And make no mistake, in the eyes of the world, Buffalo will always be the underdog, no matter what we might convince ourselves of otherwise. When I'm around sports fans--usually, for example-- Patriots and Steelers fans, I get told about how many rings my team doesnt have. I listen to "fans" who don't really know what its like to be a fan, in all due respect. Their identity is being homers for shallow corporate poster children like TB12 or the current flavor of the month dynasty. In the age of instant satisfaction, anonymous trolling and all too easy bandwagon and tribe hopping, most people don't really know what its like to struggle, be a loser, and identify with a team that well, you just can't stop being a fan of.  I've met a lot of Bills fans who are united around a simple premise, "just give me one before I die, so I can get some closure on this team".

 

And that's exactly what it is, its a fraught relationship. Unrequited love. The elusive ideal--the very close but extremely far away light at the end of the tunnel. And while we become prisoners of the moment and work ourselves up into a frenzy about coaching decisions or players that let us down, there is something pretty remarkable about this team. And that is the simple fact that we have a 25 year old Quarterback who not only is elite, but *is* Buffalo. Allen puts his heart and soul into the game the same way Bills fans do. His background story, being a bust, working and never giving up *is* Buffalo. Its poetic. Just like I said earlier, its a profoundly romantic struggle. An odyssey of sorts. We might not ever see the Lombardi but if we ever see it there will be no folding table safe in the Tri State area, and no Labatt Blue keg untapped. And when people laugh and mock the best fans in the NFL, probably in all of professional sports, when we tell them "this could be our year", we just smile and know that one time that might actually be true.

 

But until then, no one, and I mean no one, circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

 

 

[Success]

I love being a Buffalo Bills fan. And I've been through it all.  

 

Wide right, the MCM, the Dallas MNF game, 13 seconds (just to name a few) - these are the scars I have as a fan.  And I wear them proudly.  Some fanbases are pretty soft; I'd never trade my experiences w/ those of a 30-something Pats fan whose definition of "adversity" is missing the playoffs for the 1st time last year.

 

I love Western NY, I love the Bills, I love the people there & the fans.  We're a very unique family with a collective experience that I think very few fanbases can begin to relate to.  If we finally get to the pinnacle, it will just mean that much more.

 

[RobbRiddick]

The taste of cool water is that much more satisfying when you've had to crawl through the desert to reach it.

 

I just hope I can reach the cup before the vultures decide to land on me...

Edited January 24, 2022 by RobbRiddick

[Niagara Dude]

27 minutes ago, DollaBills said:

There's something profoundly romantic about rooting for the perpetual underdog. And make no mistake, in the eyes of the world, Buffalo will always be the underdog, no matter what we might convince ourselves of otherwise. When I'm around sports fans--usually, for example-- Patriots and Steelers fans, I get told about how many rings my team doesnt have. I listen to "fans" who don't really know what its like to be a fan, in all due respect. Their identity is being homers for shallow corporate poster children like TB12 or the current flavor of the month dynasty. In the age of instant satisfaction, anonymous trolling and all too easy bandwagon and tribe hopping, most people don't really know what its like to struggle, be a loser, and identify with a team that well, you just can't stop being a fan of.  I've met a lot of Bills fans who are united around a simple premise, "just give me one before I die, so I can get some closure on this team".

 

And that's exactly what it is, its a fraught relationship. Unrequited love. The elusive ideal--the very close but extremely far away light at the end of the tunnel. And while we become prisoners of the moment and work ourselves up into a frenzy about coaching decisions or players that let us down, there is something pretty remarkable about this team. And that is the simple fact that we have a 25 year old Quarterback who not only is elite, but *is* Buffalo. Allen puts his heart and soul into the game the same way Bills fans do. His background story, being a bust, working and never giving up *is* Buffalo. Its poetic. Just like I said earlier, its a profoundly romantic struggle. An odyssey of sorts. We might not ever see the Lombardi but if we ever see it there will be no folding table safe in the Tri State area, and no Labatt Blue keg untapped. And when people laugh and mock the best fans in the NFL, probably in all of professional sports, when we tell them "this could be our year", we just smile and know that one time that might actually be true.

 

But until then, no one, and I mean no one, circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

 

 

He picked a great time to be a Bills fan,  Allen will provide plenty of great moments incoming years.  Everyone is still in shock because of poor coaching and final few plays before tying FG attempt.

 

Everyone emotional about this game,  one of the biggest choke jobs ever.  Just get guys in front of Chief players and we decided to just give them a free release off the line.

[0017]

13 minutes ago, Success said:

I love being a Buffalo Bills fan. And I've been through it all.  

 

Wide right, the MCM, the Dallas MNF game, 13 seconds (just to name a few) - these are the scars I have as a fan.  And I wear them proudly.  Some fanbases are pretty soft; I'd never trade my experiences w/ those of a 30-something Pats fan whose definition of "adversity" is missing the playoffs for the 1st time last year.

 

I love Western NY, I love the Bills, I love the people there & the fans.  We're a very unique family with a collective experience that I think very few fanbases can begin to relate to.  If we finally get to the pinnacle, it will just mean that much more.

 

I’ve been there for all of them too, my son who is 12 is just starting to understand what it means to be a Bills fan. But I know he wouldn’t have it any other way! Even after going to school today and getting ripped on by all the 49ers fans in our area (talk about soft fan bases!!!) But man did we miss a golden opportunity this year to win it all!! That’s tuff. 

[Bing Bong]

Poetic

[Rubes]

Football seasons are so long, and so many crazy things can happen over the course of so many weeks and months. It's hard to imagine a team getting all the way from September to January without a rash of major injuries, or some controversy, or a stretch of terrible luck or poor play. All teams deal with it at some point in the year, and they all hope to come out the other side in position to make a deep run in the playoffs and who knows, maybe win it all. The sheer number of things that have to go your way to make it to the top is mind boggling.

 

What's most disappointing about that game, and this season, is that the Bills were really set up for it at the right time. We had a real franchise QB, maybe the best in the league, playing like the superstar he seemed meant to be. We had a defense ranked #1 in several categories. We lost a couple of guys during the year, but for the playoffs we were about as healthy as we could hope for. And then the playoff games all fell out the way we needed so we could host the AFC Championship game at home. Overall, the team was peaking, and it was peaking at just the right time.

 

This team was set up for a real shot at the big title, and it just feels like an incredible opportunity wasted in the most unfathomable, incomprehensible way. We had it right there in our hands, and watched it slip right through our fingers.

 

Will we be able to get back to this position again, in strong position for a deep playoff run? I think so, but you never know—so many things will still have to go our way to get there, each year.

 

I think they'll do it, but it's not likely to get any easier.

 

[stevestojan]

The Chiefs circled the wagons better with 13 ***** seconds left. 
 

I’m sick of this lovable loser nonsense. I’m sick of “when we finally win it will be so much sweeter”. ***** that - we’ve paid our dues. We don’t need any more heartbreak to have the SB be “sweet.” I want my dad to see a ***** SB win. Not hear one more time how “we just need to execute better, blah blah *****.”  
 

And sure, Allen is our franchise player. But you don’t think (despite the fact that he would never admit it) that he’ll get sick of carrying this team on his back to watch the defense ***** over our best chance at a SB since the 90s? Yes, an even better chance than last year; we had the easiest path possible to winning the Lombardi after the first three games. And poof; 13 ***** seconds. 
 

Circle the wagons? When have we actually ever done that? 

[billsfan1959]

3 minutes ago, stevestojan said:

The Chiefs circled the wagons better with 13 ***** seconds left. 
 

I’m sick of this lovable loser nonsense. I’m sick of “when we finally win it will be so much sweeter”. ***** that - we’ve paid our dues. We don’t need any more heartbreak to have the SB be “sweet.” I want my dad to see a ***** SB win. Not hear one more time how “we just need to execute better, blah blah *****.”  
 

And sure, Allen is our franchise player. But you don’t think (despite the fact that he would never admit it) that he’ll get sick of carrying this team on his back to watch the defense ***** over our best chance at a SB since the 90s? Yes, an even better chance than last year; we had the easiest path possible to winning the Lombardi after the first three games. And poof; 13 ***** seconds. 
 

Circle the wagons? When have we actually ever done that? 

 

Maybe this particular thread isn't the right place for you...

[Steptide]

I'm starting to get over this loss. It sucks, but life goes on. I think we'll look back at these years and realize how amazing they are, even with the loss. We just watched 2 games (yesterday and the Pats) that may be the best 2 games in bills history. Yes we lost yesterday, but that game will be talked about for years to come and Allen's performance was historic. I know we all had the bills going to the sb had they won last night, but there was no gaurentee of that, and if we lost to the Bengals at home, that Imo would've been alot harder pill to swallow.