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2021 Buffalo Bills - Same as it ever was*** (4 Viewers)

What a great feeling. Nobody, I mean nobody gave the Bills a chance in this game in the national media. It was like the Bears were playing a CFL team & would just roll right over them; Chicago was multiple "lead pipe lock" for these guys.

The Bills came out with a great game plan and fought through some adversity to pull out the victory. That picked up flag on the holding call on Kyle Williams was complete BS. That was the type of thing that would have shut thus team down in previous years.

Manuel made some very good throws on 3rd down. The catch by Woods was spectacular. Mike Williams made a big catch on 3rd down. This was exactly the type of game plan they need to roll with. Manuel definitely isn't as bad as many people have made him out to be. He was extremely raw coming out of FSU & now he seems to be getting the hang of things.

193 yards on the ground was big. FJax's game breaking run was s thing of beauty and just cements his status as a team leader. The offensive line looked good and shoukd only improve with more experience. They will also get Nigel Bradham back which will be a big upgrade. Adding him to Spikes shoukd really help that run D.

 
so much doom and gloom in here over the past few weeks. people always overreact to the preseason.

Bills are solid. Marrone typically has them ready to play when the games count. Offensive line looked pretty good to me. Almost 200 yards rushing and Manuel had plenty of time in the pocket.

 
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Aaron Rudnicki said:
so much doom and gloom in here over the past few weeks. people always overreact to the preseason.

Bills are solid. Marrone typically has them ready to play when the games count. Offensive line looked pretty good to me. Almost 200 yards rushing and Manuel had plenty of time in the pocket.
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To me, the lack of pressure was the most determinative factor in Manuel's play. Was that because the o-line was just that good or because the Bears were just that bad???

 
OC Zed said:
Aaron Rudnicki said:
so much doom and gloom in here over the past few weeks. people always overreact to the preseason.

Bills are solid. Marrone typically has them ready to play when the games count. Offensive line looked pretty good to me. Almost 200 yards rushing and Manuel had plenty of time in the pocket.
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To me, the lack of pressure was the most determinative factor in Manuel's play. Was that because the o-line was just that good or because the Bears were just that bad???
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Everyone in Chicago thinks the Bears were terrible. Jared Allen did nothing. Houston and young were good at times. Pretty nice to have Glenn and Wood out there at least. Hopefully the rest continue to improve with more time together. At least this team can start to see what winning football looks like. Manuel doesn't have to be a world beater. Just an Alex Smith type is good enough most weeks, provided the other phases all come through.

 
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Aaron Rudnicki said:
so much doom and gloom in here over the past few weeks. people always overreact to the preseason.

Bills are solid. Marrone typically has them ready to play when the games count. Offensive line looked pretty good to me. Almost 200 yards rushing and Manuel had plenty of time in the pocket.
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Glenn was terrific. The other O-linemen were OK at best. Wood was decent but had a few bad beats. Henderson was pretty good, but had a few times he got beaten badly. And the guards were really really bad. I think I'd rather have Urbik over Pears. Pears was horrific.

 
Aaron Rudnicki said:
THIS IS THE YEAR!
Click to expand...
In the last week, Jim Kelly was declared free of cancer, the Bills won for the first time ever in Chicago, the Patriots hold sole possession of last place in the division and the Pegulas buy the Bills insuring they'll stag in Buffalo.

Everything else from here on out is gravy. But it sure does just feel like things really are different too. My expectations are still low, but it actually just feels good to be a Bills fan today. I'm going to go ahead and enjoy it.

 
GroveDiesel said:
Aaron Rudnicki said:
THIS IS THE YEAR!
Click to expand...
In the last week, Jim Kelly was declared free of cancer, the Bills won for the first time ever in Chicago, the Patriots hold sole possession of last place in the division and the Pegulas buy the Bills insuring they'll stag in Buffalo.

Everything else from here on out is gravy. But it sure does just feel like things really are different too. My expectations are still low, but it actually just feels good to be a Bills fan today. I'm going to go ahead and enjoy it.
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I was at the game on Sunday and can't remember the last time I saw a Bills win in person. It's been a really long time. Didn't even really know how to react. Good feeling.

 
I am very glad I got my tickets for the home opener awhile back. I can't even imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like on Sunday. It will be insane....I have goosebumps thinking about it.

I've been to night games, tons of division rivalry games, hell even a playoff game when I was a kid (loss to the Jags in 1996, Kelly's last game), and I can't remember ever being THIS excited to go to a game.

 
Last week I thought this team would be lucky to not be gifting the top overall pick in 2015 to the Browns. This week, I'm thinking this team has a real good chance to lead the AFC East after week two. Now the Bears defense is an absolute sieve and getting that kind of ground game going vs the Phins will be a much tougher task but this game represents a real opportunity for this team and yes this staff. Hopefully this season won't be just another crappy one for this playoff starved organization.

 
Sunday is going to be fun.

A win would make that day memorable forever.

Stub hub is already up to $135.00 cheapest seats, most expensive Buffalo ticket in awhile - I assume come Sunday scalpers are going to get $200 a seat.

 
smapdi said:
What a great feeling. Nobody, I mean nobody gave the Bills a chance in this game in the national media. It was like the Bears were playing a CFL team & would just roll right over them; Chicago was multiple "lead pipe lock" for these guys.
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I might be nobody but I gave you guys a great chance.

not trying to pat myself on the back, or anything, after the fact, but I was talking about this game with some bears fans on friday --- apparently they thought it was a walkover, so I had to point out that you guys ran more than any team in football last year, and their run defense is dismal, not to mention cutler sux.

my point is just that a lot of the time you get all these ridiculous opinions from the media and fans who really don't have much of a clue what they're talking about, so I wouldn't pay any attention.

I don't think the bears are terrible, but I'd honestly pick them last in their division.

anyway, congrats on the sale and looking fwd to week 6.

 
Steve Tasker said:
I love this guy: http://audio.wgr550.com/a/96507359/caller-cries-at-pegula-news.htm
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Steve Tasker said:
I am very glad I got my tickets for the home opener awhile back. I can't even imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like on Sunday. It will be insane....I have goosebumps thinking about it.

I've been to night games, tons of division rivalry games, hell even a playoff game when I was a kid (loss to the Jags in 1996, Kelly's last game), and I can't remember ever being THIS excited to go to a game.
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If Jim Kelly leads the team out onto the field, that place is going to be absolutely insane. It will be insane anyway. Gonna be an awesome atmosphere.

I hope the Bills are on defense first, because I think the Bills themselves will be amped up like crazy. I'd rather see the defense out there melting Tannehill's face off rather than Manuel sailing passes high because he's too cranked up.

 
OK....you're Terry Pegula. What are the top three or four things on your agenda?

1. Hire Bill Polian as a special advisor.

I don't know what that would mean for Russ Brandon or Jim Overdorf, but here's the deal, these fella's might be dads of the year, but they haven't done anything to bring this team to the playoffs. Polian has a track record. I don't know if it's anything he would be interested in, but if I were Pegula, I'd sign the check that would make him interested.

 
Hoping to snag Manuel in a couple of leagues. I just think he looks the part for some reason. Woods is awesome. Guy can just ball.

 
On The Rocks said:
OK....you're Terry Pegula. What are the top three or four things on your agenda?

1. Hire Bill Polian as a special advisor.

I don't know what that would mean for Russ Brandon or Jim Overdorf, but here's the deal, these fella's might be dads of the year, but they haven't done anything to bring this team to the playoffs. Polian has a track record. I don't know if it's anything he would be interested in, but if I were Pegula, I'd sign the check that would make him interested.
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I'll never understand why Ralph Wilson loved Brandon so much. The guy has been the one guy that has been there the entire time they've been a failure. He seems like a good classy guy, but it's way past time for him to go. With the talk of Kim Pegulas being very much involved with the running of the team, I think that spells the end for Russ Brandon most likely,

I hope Whaley at least gets a chance to stay. I think he's doing a pretty good job overall.

 
I agree wholeheartedly that it's time for Russ Brandon to go. I'm not in a position to evaluate his marketing ability, but anybody who's had a hand in football operations going back through the last 3-4 GMs needs to not be with this team from this point forward. No objections to letting everybody finish out the season, but I hope Pegula is reaching out and forming a network of some new guys to bring in.

I'm agnostic on Marrone and Whaley. Leaning toward wanting Marrone gone and wanting Whaley to stay, but let's see how the season goes and then sort things out.

The exciting thing is that having a 90+ year old owner known for meddling with the team was a huge impediment to attracting top-shelf coaching and FO talent. That albatross is presumably gone now. No more Chan Gaileys at HC or Marv Levys at GM.

 
IvanKaramazov said:
I agree wholeheartedly that it's time for Russ Brandon to go. I'm not in a position to evaluate his marketing ability, but anybody who's had a hand in football operations going back through the last 3-4 GMs needs to not be with this team from this point forward. No objections to letting everybody finish out the season, but I hope Pegula is reaching out and forming a network of some new guys to bring in.

I'm agnostic on Marrone and Whaley. Leaning toward wanting Marrone gone and wanting Whaley to stay, but let's see how the season goes and then sort things out.

The exciting thing is that having a 90+ year old owner known for meddling with the team was a huge impediment to attracting top-shelf coaching and FO talent. That albatross is presumably gone now. No more Chan Gaileys at HC or Marv Levys at GM.
Click to expand...
I don't know, the disaster that was the Toronto series is a pretty big indictment on Brandon.

 
GroveDiesel said:
IvanKaramazov said:
I agree wholeheartedly that it's time for Russ Brandon to go. I'm not in a position to evaluate his marketing ability, but anybody who's had a hand in football operations going back through the last 3-4 GMs needs to not be with this team from this point forward. No objections to letting everybody finish out the season, but I hope Pegula is reaching out and forming a network of some new guys to bring in.

I'm agnostic on Marrone and Whaley. Leaning toward wanting Marrone gone and wanting Whaley to stay, but let's see how the season goes and then sort things out.

The exciting thing is that having a 90+ year old owner known for meddling with the team was a huge impediment to attracting top-shelf coaching and FO talent. That albatross is presumably gone now. No more Chan Gaileys at HC or Marv Levys at GM.
Click to expand...
I don't know, the disaster that was the Toronto series is a pretty big indictment on Brandon.
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Good point. I had forced myself to forget that that abomination had ever occurred, so I wasn't thinking about it when I was typing up my post.

 
When Pegula bought the Sabres in February 2011, he kept the coach and GM for awhile. Lindy Ruff remained coach until February 2013 GM Darcy Regier was around until November 2013. He's installed his own people around him like Ted Black, but he certainly didn't show a quick trigger when it came to shaking up the organization. He put in a lot of cash, upgraded the locker rooms, and the team made some free agent splashes, but it seems to me like he hasn't meddled in player personnel at all. Darcy Regier had, and Tim Murray seems to have, a long leash. He also brought in Ted Black, who runs the business side of things, much like Russ Brandon does now.

So I'd suppose I expect the same with the Bills. I would expect him to meddle in actual player personnel operations very little. Given his seemingly very good - and successful from a business standpoint - relationship with Ted Black, I'd expect the Bills to have a strong "president" type, who is almost the day-to-day face of ownership/management. You don't see Pegula often, but you hear Ted Black on the radio and see him on TV seemingly every other day during Sabres season. Maybe Brandon stays on in this capacity? With his reluctance to shake up the Sabres, I would suspect Brandon is around for awhile. I would guess he gives Whaley his backing and gives him a chance to prove himself, and if Whaley wants to get rid of Marrone down the line, he might have the authority to do so.

All just speculation here.

 
humpback said:
Let's just hope the results are better than the Sabres. :X
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I absolutely love what the Sabres are doing. They knew they were not going to be in the playoffs and committed to being bad. It's going to be these two bad years that are gonna be the foundation of the Stanley Cups we will win.

The Buffalo Bills did the opposite. We never fully committed to being bad and instead never got that top difference maker player. We did this year but we had to sacrifice our future for him. A lot of Bills fans I know don't realize how much giving up that first is going to hurt. They will though when the draft comes around next year and our first pick won't be until the 2nd round.

 
I'm not sure Brandon is as bad as you guys are making him out to be. He's not a football guy, but he's expanded the fan base and marketed the team pretty well despite the horrible product on the field.

 
Reports indicate Kim Pegula was the driving force here and will be making executive decisions. Terry loves the Sabres. I find that interesting.

 
Mr. Peterson said:
humpback said:
Let's just hope the results are better than the Sabres. :X
Click to expand...
I absolutely love what the Sabres are doing. They knew they were not going to be in the playoffs and committed to being bad. It's going to be these two bad years that are gonna be the foundation of the Stanley Cups we will win.

The Buffalo Bills did the opposite. We never fully committed to being bad and instead never got that top difference maker player. We did this year but we had to sacrifice our future for him. A lot of Bills fans I know don't realize how much giving up that first is going to hurt. They will though when the draft comes around next year and our first pick won't be until the 2nd round.
Click to expand...
When that pick is 20th overall and the team makes the playoffs with Sammy leading the way, the deal will look pretty good though.
 
Mr. Peterson said:
humpback said:
Let's just hope the results are better than the Sabres. :X
Click to expand...
I absolutely love what the Sabres are doing. They knew they were not going to be in the playoffs and committed to being bad. It's going to be these two bad years that are gonna be the foundation of the Stanley Cups we will win.

The Buffalo Bills did the opposite. We never fully committed to being bad and instead never got that top difference maker player. We did this year but we had to sacrifice our future for him. A lot of Bills fans I know don't realize how much giving up that first is going to hurt. They will though when the draft comes around next year and our first pick won't be until the 2nd round.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with you but after looking over the Bills first round picks over the last 10 years which included

JP Losman

Donte Whitner

John McCargo

Aaron Maybin

I'm pretty sure the fans are already well aware of what it's like to not have a first round pick.

 
Mr. Peterson said:
humpback said:
Let's just hope the results are better than the Sabres. :X
Click to expand...
I absolutely love what the Sabres are doing. They knew they were not going to be in the playoffs and committed to being bad. It's going to be these two bad years that are gonna be the foundation of the Stanley Cups we will win.

The Buffalo Bills did the opposite. We never fully committed to being bad and instead never got that top difference maker player. We did this year but we had to sacrifice our future for him. A lot of Bills fans I know don't realize how much giving up that first is going to hurt. They will though when the draft comes around next year and our first pick won't be until the 2nd round.
Click to expand...
Well, the NFL and NHL are very different in that regard, but time will tell if it works for the Sabres.

The Bills haven't picked outside of the top 12 or so in forever (besides trading out of it). They've had tons of opportunities to draft difference making players.

 
On The Rocks said:
Mr. Peterson said:
humpback said:
Let's just hope the results are better than the Sabres. :X
Click to expand...
I absolutely love what the Sabres are doing. They knew they were not going to be in the playoffs and committed to being bad. It's going to be these two bad years that are gonna be the foundation of the Stanley Cups we will win.

The Buffalo Bills did the opposite. We never fully committed to being bad and instead never got that top difference maker player. We did this year but we had to sacrifice our future for him. A lot of Bills fans I know don't realize how much giving up that first is going to hurt. They will though when the draft comes around next year and our first pick won't be until the 2nd round.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with you but after looking over the Bills first round picks over the last 10 years which included

JP Losman

Donte Whitner

John McCargo

Aaron Maybin

I'm pretty sure the fans are already well aware of what it's like to not have a first round pick.
Click to expand...
Whitner is going to wind up having a pretty long and solid overall career

 
humpback said:
The Bills haven't picked outside of the top 12 or so in forever (besides trading out of it). They've had tons of opportunities to draft difference making players.
Click to expand...
but very few picks inside the top-6.

seems like the truly elite players are often gone by the time the Bills are picking. not that they've made great picks anyway, but they rarely got a shot at a player like an Andrew Luck, but the Colts with Peyton Manning all those years somehow still managed to get him. would have been nice if the Bills truly bottomed out at some point (although as we've seen with teams like the Rams and Jaguars, that's not always the answer either).

 
Yeah, I always thought Whitner was overrated, but he was solid. He seemed to get billing as a top 5 safety in the NFL because he made a ton of tackles, and I never agreed with that. Solid player, better-than-average safety, but never a playmaker. Either way he's nowhere near as bad as some other Bills picks in the past 15 years. Mike Williams :X

 
Steve Tasker said:
Yeah, I always thought Whitner was overrated, but he was solid. He seemed to get billing as a top 5 safety in the NFL because he made a ton of tackles, and I never agreed with that. Solid player, better-than-average safety, but never a playmaker. Either way he's nowhere near as bad as some other Bills picks in the past 15 years. Mike Williams :X
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Mike Williams was the worst, but was offset by the Jason Peters project that same year I think.

Not sure I get the Marv Levy GM hate. He drafted Marshawn Lynch and traded up for Posluzny, and then added Trent Edwards with his first 3 picks. Sure, **** Jauron was a boring hire, but he worked out better than guys like Gregg Williams and Mularkey did I suppose.

 
Aaron Rudnicki said:
humpback said:
The Bills haven't picked outside of the top 12 or so in forever (besides trading out of it). They've had tons of opportunities to draft difference making players.
Click to expand...
but very few picks inside the top-6.

seems like the truly elite players are often gone by the time the Bills are picking. not that they've made great picks anyway, but they rarely got a shot at a player like an Andrew Luck, but the Colts with Peyton Manning all those years somehow still managed to get him. would have been nice if the Bills truly bottomed out at some point (although as we've seen with teams like the Rams and Jaguars, that's not always the answer either).
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It's easy to play revisionist history, and earlier picks are worth more on paper than later ones, but there have been tons of game-changing players drafted outside of the top 10 during those years.

That being said, it seems they've always managed to win a meaningless game or two towards the end of the season that did nothing but give them a lower draft pick. If they hadn't won those 2 out of 3 to end the season last year they probably could have gotten Watkins without trading at all, certainly without giving up next years 1st rounder.

 
I'll be honest, the only thing that truly matters in the NFL is having a competent QB. A good QB with good talent around them can give you a legit playoff chance every single year. And we've seen over the last decade that you simply don't HAVE to be in the first round to grab that guy. It helps, but it's not a requirement.

I think Manuel has shown some development. If he keeps developing, he has the raw tools to be pretty good. He really just needs to get the mental part straight.

If he's not the guy, then I think the Bills should get radical and start drafting 2 QBs every year until they are CERTAIN they have a good one. Having Watkins and Woods and Spiller and F-Jax, etc is great, but get a QB like Brady or Manning or Brees or even a BigBen and you have a good shot at the playoffs even with average talent around them. (Especially if you can have a good defense)

 
Gottabesweet said:
Hoping for a thread title change before Sunday's game. #supersticious
Click to expand...
I see what you're saying and if everyone else feels strongly that way I'll do it, but I'm leaning against doing so.

It's a new era for the Bills. Things just feel different. Maybe we should get on board and throw some optimism and good vibes towards the team. Maybe instead of assuming the worst and being ready to boo and complain at the first sign of failure from Manuel, Marrone and Hackett we should take Goodwin's complaints to heart and go out there and be that home field advantage even when the team is struggling. Or maybe even BECAUSE the team is struggling. Maybe this really is out year. Maybe they really are headed to the playoffs. Let's think and act like winners. I'm tired of the loser mindset. Let's be better than that.

 
GroveDiesel said:
Gottabesweet said:
Hoping for a thread title change before Sunday's game. #supersticious
Click to expand...
I see what you're saying and if everyone else feels strongly that way I'll do it, but I'm leaning against doing so.

It's a new era for the Bills. Things just feel different. Maybe we should get on board and throw some optimism and good vibes towards the team. Maybe instead of assuming the worst and being ready to boo and complain at the first sign of failure from Manuel, Marrone and Hackett we should take Goodwin's complaints to heart and go out there and be that home field advantage even when the team is struggling. Or maybe even BECAUSE the team is struggling. Maybe this really is out year. Maybe they really are headed to the playoffs. Let's think and act like winners. I'm tired of the loser mindset. Let's be better than that.
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In.

Rethinking my position of attending against SD and will instead pick up a single ticket for Sunday. If anyone knows of a good tailgate since I will be solo...?

 
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