Do you pay less attention to the Bills in the offseason now that the team is good?

[muppy]

Isn't it more logical that when your team is playing at its most successful level in ages that the interest level would be More not less? Year round? Why would it be less. Im confused

 

also OP is preaching to a very NFL focused and invested choir here at TBD. There is that

 

 

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, muppy said:

Isn't it more logical that when your team is playing at its most successful level in ages that the interest level would be More not less? Year round? Why would it be less. Im confused

 

also OP is preaching to a very NFL focused and invested choir here at TBD. There is that

 

I think there may have been less interest in 2021 when the team was essentially "running it back" with few personnel changes and was widely expected to contend again.

 

In general, though, I think you are right

After the 13 seconds game in 2022, there was pretty intense interest in how the Bills were going to respond and a lot of sh**ing on McDermott, and of course, there were feelings about the big Von Miller signing, and what the Bills were going to do to fill in for Tre White early in the season.
In 2023, there was interest in how the Bills were going to handle Von Miller coming back from injury, how they were going to replace Tremaine Edmunds, and whether Gabe Davis would take a step as the full time #2 (also whether Harty and Sherfield would contribute)

And of course now, there's intense interest in the WR corps as well as what are we going to do at Safety

 

 

[Success]

Yep.

 

I was tuned in on draft weekend, but otherwise, I haven't checked into what's going on that much.  I'm looking forward to opening day and will be focused once the season starts, but I'm watching the Rangers and Yankees these days, and hoping Dallas can beat the Celtics in the final.

 

[ColoradoBills]

4 hours ago, muppy said:

Isn't it more logical that when your team is playing at its most successful level in ages that the interest level would be More not less? Year round? Why would it be less. Im confused

 

also OP is preaching to a very NFL focused and invested choir here at TBD. There is that

 

 

 

I agree Muppy.  Although it seems that a lot of fans (also, many on this board) have become embittered with success but no Lombardi.

We all want that, but whether that is achieved or not should not take away from the joy of being an avid fan of the Buffalo Bills.

At least not IMO.

 

Every time I start to think that way, I hear my 92-year-old jokingly saying, "I hope they can win a Superbowl soon, I don't have much time left".

She watches every snap of every game, year after year, and still finds the joy in it all.  I do hope that some of the bitter fans can take some

solace in that type of fandom. 

 

If I can keep that hope, I will be interested in what is happening with my Buffalo Bills, win/lose/or draw! 

 

[90sBills]

12 hours ago, corta765 said:

Probably less now, I understand why Patriot fans basically didn't give a flying f*ck about the offseason for two decades now. If you have a truly great QB you will be in it every year and while some years the roster will be better and others worse, you have a guy who you know can deliver the goods and give you a shot regardless.

 

Having an elite qb is great but until Bills start stacking trophies together our fans don’t have the luxury of ‘didn’t give a flying ***** about the offseason’. No, we don’t have anywhere near the same feelings they had imo. 

[BigAl2526]

I check Bills related websites every day.  I also monitor a mock draft database to see what the thinking is on the draft for the Bills.  BTW interior offensive line or edge rusher are among the more popular position picks for the Gills, though I've also seen WR and DB.

[Shaw66]

It's an interesting question.  I think I spend the same amount of time here, and that's one measure of my interest.  I think the level of my interest is the same as in the drought years, but I think the focus of my interest has changed.  During the drought I thought about the holes, and whether the underperforming guy the Bills had at this position or that could be expected to get better.  So, for example, iI spent a lot in the off-season thinking and talking about success for Tyrod - what would he look like and is it possible to get him there?  Could he actually throw for X yards or run for Y or have a passer rating of Z? 

 

The current Bills are different.  They don't have holes - at every position they have a legitimate professional who actually deserves to start in the NFL.  They certainly would like to get better at most positions, but they have a talent level that makes them competitive at the top.  And actually getting better at some positions (receiver being everyone's favorite position these days) is an important part of what it takes to win a Super Bowl.   I'm not so interested in that improvement, I guess because I'm not sure whether it matters which positions get better - the real question is whether in some way, McBeane are making the team better.   That's the real objective - is the team getting better, and is it on a credible path to a championship?  

 

So, I think the focus of my interest in the Bills is now on the coaches and the GM and what they're doing.  What do I think of the job they're doing?  Are they pushing change within the organization to achieve greater success on the field?   Why are they doing the things they're doing, and do I have confidence in what they do?  I rarely asked myself those questions during the drought, because there simply wasn't enough they could do in the draft and free agency to fill the holes, and there wasn't enough they could do to coach their way out of it, either.  I mean, really, during the drought did anyone ask, "Are the coach and GM doing enough to get the Bills to the Super Bowl this year?"  Of course not.  That question was almost meaningless, because until the Bills had quality professionals filling all the holes, talk about winning the Super Bowl this year was silly.  

 

 

[Shaw66]

Quote

Probably less now, I understand why Patriot fans basically didn't give a flying f*ck about the offseason for two decades now. If you have a truly great QB you will be in it every year and while some years the roster will be better and others worse, you have a guy who you know can deliver the goods and give you a shot regardless.

40 minutes ago, 90sBills said:

Having an elite qb is great but until Bills start stacking trophies together our fans don’t have the luxury of ‘didn’t give a flying ***** about the offseason’. No, we don’t have anywhere near the same feelings they had imo. 

This made me laugh.   I agree with both of you.   I think I have BOTH of those feelings.  In the drought I fretted about how to even sniff the playoffs.  I don't worry about that now.  I'm much more comfortable.  With Allen, my team is in it every year.  

 

At the same time, however, this is in no way like how Pats fans felt.  I live in New England, and I know I'm not feeling what those people felt in the off-season.   Heck, we're not feeling what Chiefs fans are feeling.  After 2023, I can imagine a lot of Chiefs fans thinking, "We've got the QB, we've got the coach, we've got seriously successful personnel management, so do your thing for now and I'll tune in after Labor Day."  Ain't a lot of Bills fans thinking like that this off season.

[US Egg]

 

[Buffalo716]

Honestly if the bills weren't in Buffalo I wouldn't even watch the NFL 

 

I've always preferred the college game... I just like the bills

[corta765]

12 hours ago, 90sBills said:

Having an elite qb is great but until Bills start stacking trophies together our fans don’t have the luxury of ‘didn’t give a flying ***** about the offseason’. No, we don’t have anywhere near the same feelings they had imo. 

 

I am just saying I don't live and die anymore with the offseason. Josh means they most likely are a playoff team every year and depending on the roster that window varies on the shot but it is there. Pre 2020 offseason just meant more because you needed more from the roster to dictate your success or chances of success. Don't get me wrong they need a ring to finish and fully change the narrative, but these days I just wait for the season to start and get another shot at the ring. At this point there isn't much left to prove, they have won division crowns, playoff games, made an AFC title game etc.. it is SB or bust in terms of expectations so realistically for me the offseason only adjusts maybe my perspective on their chances but in the end I expect the playoffs and another roll of the dice.

[ganesh]

Agreed.  During drought years, I used to watch for news about every single OTA,  Rookie camp,  Mini-camp etc.  Now not much interest.  Instead I switch to youtube and watch Allen's different seasons. 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, corta765 said:

 

I am just saying I don't live and die anymore with the offseason. Josh means they most likely are a playoff team every year and depending on the roster that window varies on the shot but it is there. Pre 2020 offseason just meant more because you needed more from the roster to dictate your success or chances of success. Don't get me wrong they need a ring to finish and fully change the narrative, but these days I just wait for the season to start and get another shot at the ring. At this point there isn't much left to prove, they have won division crowns, playoff games, made an AFC title game etc.. it is SB or bust in terms of expectations so realistically for me the offseason only adjusts maybe my perspective on their chances but in the end I expect the playoffs and another roll of the dice.

 

It got to the point for the Pats where their fans would openly admit the season didn't really begin for them until Thanksgiving. That was partly the way Bill coached too. He'd experiment a lot early on. Especially offensive line and defensive secondary he'd often roll through 6 or 7 different combinations those first 8 or 9 weeks. Then he'd kind of lock things down and the team would kick on from there. 

[90sBills]

3 hours ago, corta765 said:

 

I am just saying I don't live and die anymore with the offseason. Josh means they most likely are a playoff team every year and depending on the roster that window varies on the shot but it is there. Pre 2020 offseason just meant more because you needed more from the roster to dictate your success or chances of success. Don't get me wrong they need a ring to finish and fully change the narrative, but these days I just wait for the season to start and get another shot at the ring. At this point there isn't much left to prove, they have won division crowns, playoff games, made an AFC title game etc.. it is SB or bust in terms of expectations so realistically for me the offseason only adjusts maybe my perspective on their chances but in the end I expect the playoffs and another roll of the dice.

I hear ya. It’s nice to have that feeling of them most likely making the playoffs no matter what happens in the offseason. For me I’m paying even more attention to the offseason for moves that would get the team over the top. That’s really what’s left. Would love to feel like how Pats fans did during their run. 

[BullBuchanan]

When your goal is to win 9 or 10 games to back into the playoffs there's a lot more to talk about than when your goal is to win a Super Bowl by using the same strategy every year (that hasn't shown results in 5 years of trying). When you're just trying to make it, every game matters, you can dissect your own roster, other team's rosters, the schedule,etc and try to find a way to steal a big game here and there to make the dream come true. We worry endlessly about how we'll do in the division. Journalists have all these things to talk about too, so there's more offseason content talking about all these things.

Instead, we know we're favorites to make the playoffs, so nothing that happens from March-December is that interesting. The entirety of the season boils down to 3-4 games in late January and February.

[corta765]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It got to the point for the Pats where their fans would openly admit the season didn't really begin for them until Thanksgiving. That was partly the way Bill coached too. He'd experiment a lot early on. Especially offensive line and defensive secondary he'd often roll through 6 or 7 different combinations those first 8 or 9 weeks. Then he'd kind of lock things down and the team would kick on from there. 

 

Oh without a doubt. Once they won again in 2014 vs SEA I don't think they took anything offseason or regular season seriously until the start of the playoffs and honestly probably would have been the same