Hypothetically, What would you have done if Buffalo signed Deshaun Watson?

[EasternOHBillsFan]

8 hours ago, Ray Stonada said:

I’ve been spending time for work in Cleveland and found it a really cool place, with great food and stuff to do. This whole thing sucks for everyone there. The city’s national reputation is suffering from this due to one moronic family.

 

Ohio sucks in general now, so the actions of Haslem are just an example of how bad it is in this state right now, like a disease. So many people who are scumbags are in positions of power and making everything unbearable as time goes on. It's not worth it to my wife and I to stay here because of it.

Edited June 8, 2022 by EasternOHBillsFan

[WhoTom]

11 hours ago, Success said:

I've accepted a lot of bad behavior from players on my various teams, but this would be too much for me.

 

I wouldn't walk away permanently - but I wouldn't pull for them as long as he was on the team. 

 

^ This. And I'd put all of my Bills gear in storage until he was gone.

 

 

[eball]

It's really an impossible hypothetical because this goes against everything Beane and McDermott stand for so it's not even truly hypothetically possible.

 

In order to process this the Bills would need to have different people in charge of the organization.  Let's say this happened under Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey.  If so, then I do believe I'd turn in my Bills fandom card until Watson was gone.  It would kill me to do it, but at some point you've got to look at the human side of things and Watson is clearly a degenerate POS.

 

For the most part I root for the laundry, but I couldn't/can't/won't pull for Watson ever again.

 

[Royale with Cheese]

Pegula/Beane/McDermott are not Haslam.  Haslam knew there was a ton of baggage but didn't give a **** .  He wants to win regardless of the players conduct off the field...which is why he gave him that insane contract.  Haslam is slime, our FO isn't.  They are stand up people.

[Chicken Boo]

Continue on with my life as usual.  

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

Interesting hypothetical. I suppose I have to imagine an alternate universe where the Bills don't have Josh Allen at QB, Pegulas as owners, Beane as GM, or McDermott as HC. 

 

Let's pretend Ralph Wilson never passed and that our acting owner is Russ Brandon, GM is Whaley, Rex Ryan is HC, and QB has been a mix of Tyrod Taylor, Josh Rosen, and other career journeymen. 

 

In that universe I could live with trading for Watson. I wouldn't be thrilled with the moral aspect of it, but I'd be more upset that we traded 3x 1sts and guaranteed so much $$ to a guy that had already sat out for an entire season and had a potential gigantic suspension forthcoming. 

 

What Watson did is morally reprehensible, but there was a criminal investigation and he's not even facing charges. I could deal with that as a fan if it brought the Bills from NFL purgatory to being a legitimate Superbowl contender. 

 

How many Chiefs fans jumped ship after drafting/trading for Hill/Clark ? How many people on here still like Lesean Mccoy (he never faced charges either even though he's a well documented piece of crap as a person) ?

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

I would permanently renounce my Bills fanhood.

[Buffalo Boy]

    Easy to arm chair QB an stand up on a soapbox but I can honestly say I would quit following them!

   A Lombardi with him would be the absolute worst🤮

[gordong]

Thank god daily we never had to even think it was possible…. I feel bad for browns fans they have been screwed over for years by that org… the strongest message they could send is don’t go to the games… he has put the nfl in an impossible position he should be suspended indefinitely and ever case is is found liable for should be 1 year suspension….  He’s a low life pos lier. 

Edited June 8, 2022 by gordong

[Ethan in Cleveland]

I'd watch college football and do woodworking on Sundays. If not for the Bills I'm not sure I would follow NFL anymore. That's more of an answer if the Bills left Buffalo. If they signed Watson or any other player ith these accusations knowingly I would probably pause on following them. 

I like others tend to think Beane and McD wouldn't sign this type of player. But those that say Beane has a moral compass or something like that don't really know. He tried to sign Antonio Brown when it was known he had issues in Pittsburgh.  Both McD and Beane kept Incognito on the team and playing after he started drinking again.  Knowing he was drinking again Beane still offered Incognito a contract albeit as a salary cut.

Beane and McD stood by Dodson after being suspended for domestic abuse. They signed Trent Murphy a known PED cheat.  Again while I believe there are lines such as acquiring a guy like Watson that Beane and McDermott would not cross, neither of those guys are altruistic saints.

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

I'd watch college football and do woodworking on Sundays. If not for the Bills I'm not sure I would follow NFL anymore. That's more of an answer if the Bills left Buffalo. If they signed Watson or any other player ith these accusations knowingly I would probably pause on following them. 

I like others tend to think Beane and McD wouldn't sign this type of player. But those that say Beane has a moral compass or something like that don't really know. He tried to sign Antonio Brown when it was known he had issues in Pittsburgh.  Both McD and Beane kept Incognito on the team and playing after he started drinking again.  Knowing he was drinking again Beane still offered Incognito a contract albeit as a salary cut.

Beane and McD stood by Dodson after being suspended for domestic abuse. They signed Trent Murphy a known PED cheat.  Again while I believe there are lines such as acquiring a guy like Watson that Beane and McDermott would not cross, neither of those guys are altruistic saints.

 

Yea the Incognito example is the closest thing I could relate this too. I can't stand the guy. I think he is a racist, homophobic bully and while he was certainly not accused of physical assaults in the same way as Watson there was some horrific violent sexual imagery used in his bullying of Jonathan Martin. I never once rooted for him while he was a Bill. But it didn't stop me rooting for the team. I get it Watson's situation is more serious and it is easier to root for the team and just not root for a guard than it is to root for the team and not root for a Quarterback given how closely Quarterback play correlates to wins. But being honest with myself I don't think I'd stop watching the games or rooting for the team and being invested in its success. I'd just make sure to do what I did with Richie and divorce the individual from the laundry. 

Edited June 8, 2022 by GunnerBill

[gobillsinytown]

I live in Youngstown, about an hour from Cleveland, so lots of Browns fans here.  Some have been very put off by the signing, and some have not.  Like others have said here, I feel bad for Browns fans, because their loyalty to the team would be better served with an owner who understands that the NFL is by far the most popular professional sport in the country, and that how teams conduct themselves is going to have an impact beyond wins and losses.  And while I understand that he owns the team with the idea of winning a championship, there are limits in how you get there.  Even if one were to believe that Watson's actions are greatly exaggerated and that the lawsuits against him are a money grab, the team can't just simply unplug itself from the community around it.  Haslam's actions are erratic at best, so I'm wondering if the pressure to sign Watson came directly from him.

[T master]

I would have felt the same way i did the day i heard the Bills would not resign or traded away Bruce, Thurman, & Andre WTF ...

[teef]

i'd buy 2 watson jerseys and make my wife and daughter wear them.  

[ddaryl]

1 minute ago, teef said:

i'd buy 2 watson jerseys and make my wife and daughter wear them.  

And send them to masseuse school.

[PrimeTime101]

whole question is silly... We would back our QB... Watson would get us in the playoffs (not ever having Allen of course) Watson would take his licks and we would go on having a fine QB... something we didnt have for how many years?

[ddaryl]

4 minutes ago, PrimeTime101 said:

whole question is silly... We would back our QB... Watson would get us in the playoffs (not ever having Allen of course) Watson would take his licks and we would go on having a fine QB... something we didnt have for how many years?

 

Most of us would be acting like Cleveland fans are acting now.  A bit betrayed, and disgusted

[eball]

25 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea the Incognito example is the closest thing I could relate this too. I can't stand the guy. I think he is a racist, homophobic bully and while he was certainly not accused of physical assaults in the same way as Watson there was some horrific violent sexual imagery used in his bullying of Jonathan Martin. I never once rooted for him while he was a Bill. But it didn't stop me rooting for the team. I get it Watson's situation is more serious and it is easier to root for the team and just not root for a guard than it is to root for the team and not root for a Quarterback given how closely Quarterback play correlates to wins. But being honest with myself I don't think I'd stop watching the games or rooting for the team and being invested in its success. I'd just make sure to do what I did with Richie and divorce the individual from the laundry. 

 

I don't think this is feasible when you're talking about the most visible and important person on the team.  He's the centerpiece of every win.  He gets all the interviews.

 

No way.

 

[corta765]

Honestly take a step back and stop buying anything. IDK if I would fully stop watching as its hard just with media coverage, but basically I would do what I did to the Sabres for 2-3 years until this year and act like they don't exist and it isn't changing. He is a monster and predator who should be in a jail cell and I wouldn't want him, so it would be a tough bunch of years basically not being a fan but so it would be.

 

People bring up Vick but he legit served his time. If the Bills signed him fine, he paid his punishment at that point and he did seem to actually rehab himself as a person.

[Royale with Cheese]

26 minutes ago, gobillsinytown said:

I live in Youngstown, about an hour from Cleveland, so lots of Browns fans here.  Some have been very put off by the signing, and some have not.  Like others have said here, I feel bad for Browns fans, because their loyalty to the team would be better served with an owner who understands that the NFL is by far the most popular professional sport in the country, and that how teams conduct themselves is going to have an impact beyond wins and losses.  And while I understand that he owns the team with the idea of winning a championship, there are limits in how you get there.  Even if one were to believe that Watson's actions are greatly exaggerated and that the lawsuits against him are a money grab, the team can't just simply unplug itself from the community around it.  Haslam's actions are erratic at best, so I'm wondering if the pressure to sign Watson came directly from him.

 

I'm 100% it was Haslam to sign Watson.  If the rumors are true that his scouts were basically begging him not to draft Manziel but he let it go in one ear and out the other.  I honestly can see his staff finding out a ton of baggage but Haslam ignored it and made sure they got him over Atlanta....he didn't care.