My sense of the rest of the season

[Pyrite Gal]

Nov. 19 @ Houston

 

A possible win since the Texans are simply not very good. Ironically the Bills loss in a game they should have come even closer to winning if they played even partially reasonably better and after a Tex win that has left them a little banged up makes this game I think we will win.

 

 

Nov. 26 Jacksonville

 

It really depends most on which Jax team shows upand how they do week to week impacts their attitude a lot so I really feel this one is not really very predictable until after this Sunday. Nevertheless this one is at home and the up and down play of Jax makes this one very winnable.

 

 

Dec. 3 San Diego

 

A likely loss to a team which can out a lot of point on the board and unlike Indy where Peyton knew they would likely either beat us anyway or that we would give the game away (which is what happened) he was patient. I do not expect SD to ne patient and thus they will play like their hair is on fire and as the Bills have yet to show an ability to win games where they are under heavy duress I suspect this will be a loss.

 

 

Dec. 10 @ NY Jets

 

This should be the game where we will be able to best measure whether this team is learning from this rough season. We might but I suspect we have not as this team does not yet have the on the field vet leadership it needs to put us over the top. I hate to say it but I think this one is a likely loss.

 

Dec. 17 Miami

 

I am so biased against the Fish I put this one down as a likely win. i think an objective look would actually come to the same conclusion.

 

 

Dec. 24 Tennessee

 

This is another team which seems to often find a way to lose. I think this one will also be a likely win.

 

 

Dec. 31 @ Baltimore

 

Our best chance will likely be that the Ravens are so surprisingly beating their division that we will face a team that has to let its key players like McNair sit the last game out. If these Bills do develop a killer instinct which they have not yet shown i think they will win this one. However, though I think the Ravens will make the playoffs, they may crawl in if they make some mistakes and if they do then we likely lose.

 

From what I see and I can easily be wrong (as basically all folks on TSW eho are reasonable will admit) I think that this team could actually come out of this season with no chance at the playoffs but a pretty good record at or near .500.

[generaLee83]

My sense is that it is heading downward. The close loss to the Colts (being referred to as a moral victory) brought the team down tons (even Lee Evans was upset as recent reports indicate).

 

I hate to say it but I think we haven't even seen the bad part of this season.

 

The sails have been taken out of the wind as the Colts loss proved, I fear that Buffalo will not win even 1 more game.

 

All you draft pick people will be happy I guess with the #1 pick instead of the #10 pick or whatever. I could care less about the draft, I want a team that heads into the off season on a win streak or at least on a positive note. Sadly it does not look that way.

[Pyrite Gal]

My sense is that it is heading downward.  The close loss to the Colts (being referred to as a moral victory) brought the team down tons (even Lee Evans was upset as recent reports indicate).

 

I hate to say it but I think we haven't even seen the bad part of this season.

 

The sails have been taken out of the wind as the Colts loss proved, I fear that Buffalo will not win even 1 more game.

 

All you draft pick people will be happy I guess with the #1 pick instead of the #10 pick or whatever.  I could care less about the draft, I want a team that heads into the off season on a win streak or at least on a positive note.  Sadly it does not look that way.

836337[/snapback]

 

Having seen teams implode before, I do not see a widespread sense of that from the Bills. I would have the same sense you seem to have if I felt that the Bills as a team had some real expectations of doing quite well or even making the playoffs this season.. However, though I think there were hopes (as there always are and really have to be in order for athletes to be psyched to face the season).

 

How can you or the team have their expectations of being a great or even good team dashed when I think few anyone connected to this team had even the remotest expectations of achievement or anything beyond the required hope..

 

My sense is that among the main motivations that all the players have are:

 

1. The money- always a major factor regarding anyone's job.

2. Athletic pride and love of competition- I think just about every athlete is motivated by their personal desire to beat the other guy and to not get beaten.

 

In addition, to these shared motivations which I think make it hard for any player to give up completely (though any player can lose their marginal edge and marginal efforts make a big difference in performance at this level) there are other factors which many individuals may have and which if the team shares generally it can become a TEAM.

 

These include:

 

1. A sense of being a good teammate and sharing the journey- I think this shared commitment is actually the big difference between great teams (NE) and simply good teams a host of teams which routinely have winning records but rarely or never go deep in the playoffs. But even in the many cases this is not there (usually due to a lack of team leadership), the players fall back on their need/desire to make a big buck and personal athletic pride rather than implode into being a bunch of whining Eric Moulds 06 types.

 

2. Allegiance to the region- Ironically, I think that this appears in players most when their families are linked to the area because the player's wves are from here and they routinely get anchored to the area by their nuclear and extended family.

 

3. Being part of a good story- the being a teammate sense can be delivered by the challenge of a few injuries, but in some cases where the region adopts a player as one of their own and the player)s) respond by being a local booster or local media icon then one can get a transcendent feeling.

 

I do not think the Bills have found these extras yet, but the desire to do well personally to get a good contract and the desire to compete and do well individually are still there and are a big part of why on any given Sunday a bad team (the Bills) can beat or come close to beating a good team like the Colts.

 

Ithink any sense of implosion may say as much about the fans' attitude toward life as it says about some judgment of where the team is.

 

Though the players and coaches were hopeful as the season began its hard for me to see how they or anyone connected to the team are disappointed that their expectations were not met because its hard to see how any of them had expectations beyond it being a long season beyond their hopes of winning a lot.