Bills Mafia — #BillsMafia

(Photo courtesy of StadiumJourney.com)

The Buffalo News has reported that Erie County, the State of New York and the Bills have agreed to a ten year extension for the team to remain in WNY and play at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Additionally, the deal includes a $400 million dollar penalty that must be paid if Mr. Wilson or new ownership decides to move the team out of WNY. However, in year seven of the agreement, the owner may move the team with no penalty. There is much discussion and anxiety being expressed by various media outlets as to why there would be this type of “out clause.”

While others are postulating that this might be risky, others are claiming that most contracts of these nature do have “out” clauses of some sort. I have a different thought about this.

I believe it’s possible that they have specifically designated the seven year “out” to give time for new ownership to perhaps decide to build a new stadium in WNY (I’m thinking most likely Niagara Falls, NY). It would take about that long to plan, build and perhaps include other structures like hotels, etc… to be built to support a year-round domed stadium facility. Just a thought.

Any way you slice this, what a great Christmas present for Bills fans. Now if only they can figure out how to get back to the playoffs.

What are your thoughts about this new stadium lease?

Spiller is a once-in-a-generation kind of RB. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Today’s special soup of the day is CJ Spiller flavored, via soaking leftover Buffalo Wings from the Thursday Night’s tasty little showdown with the Dollies. A good soup like this takes a couple of days to get it just right.

Having spent the better part of the last few weeks continuing to be flummoxed at the pattern and use of CJ Spiller, I found myself frustrated because he is so clearly different than “just a good RB.” If he stays healthy and in shape, he will become a league superstar. For the record, I can’t think of a better young man destined for stardom.

Yet the way the Bills use him on offense makes me wonder why he isn’t a more featured part of the offense. After watching him slice through the Dollies, I realized that Chan is right, and the best way to use CJ Spiller is exactly the way he is being used. Don’t overwork a thoroughbred. A grinder “he ain’t.”

However, that wasn’t the most significant thing I took away from that game regarding CJ Spiller. What I am seeing is something that old farts like myself have seen in the past. It only happens once in a great while. There are only a few I can think of over my entire lifetime as a football fan.

What am I talking about? I’m talking about RBs who can become the heart and soul of a team (Barry Sanders). Watching CJ mature as a RB has been like watching a beautiful flower unfold. CJ was so timid his rookie year, really quite raw. Even Chan mentioned awhile back that CJ took longer to “get” the pro game, and now he is “getting it” with a thundering boom.

This takes nothing away from Fred Jackson. If anything, this clearly shows how a mature guy who never had a thing handed to him displays absolute class. Fred has taken CJ under his wing and absolutely knows what an unusual talent CJ Spiller possesses. There really does seem to be a genuine bond between them.

I wondered how we might see that timid, very humble guy evolve into a wily veteran. Wasn’t too sure he would become a vocal leader, but watch him on the sidelines. He’s jawing all the time. His humility is absolutely refreshing. His family should be very proud of the young man they raised.

Losing his uncle, and his total devotion to his faith and fatherhood make CJ stand out among men of much less character and accountability as human beings who play football in the NFL. I really don’t worry about CJ losing himself to stardom. If ever a person was prepared for the role, he is very much so in my opinion. It is beginning to emerge.

When the Bills do experience success on a more consistent basis (and yes, they will), this young man will lead the way in a manner that should make every Bills fan and the great people of WNY very proud. To me, that is just as vital as what he does on the field, and he knows it.

He’s a once in a generation kind of RB, I believe he is really going to be that good if God willing, he can stay healthy. As dismal as this season has been at times, instead of being miserable, I look for “greenshoots.” Maybe in this case, it will be the best Bison Soup ever made. Thanks for making me smile, CJ. You’re the best!

Sometimes you throw your tried and true ingredients together and the soup comes out just fine. Sometimes you might even take a little extra time and make sure it’s special with some kind of unique garnish. Sometimes you throw what is your tried and true recipe together and the unthinkable happens; it stinks.

Not only does it stink, but you have seven people showing up at your house in two hours and no soup for them. Whaddya gonna do? Sadly, the Bison Soup for this week involves the same problem, only on the football field instead of the kitchen (I know… where most of you think I belong!).

Holy snortimer… this team is BAD! How can this happen? How did this happen? What? The Bills are BAD… AGAIN? Even the national sports media harpies are shaking their heads at this version of the Buffalo Bills. I’m certain Buddy Nix is not sleeping well at night these days, because neither is most of WNY and those of us who are far-flung from the homeland.

So… who really would have predicted in June that on October 22nd, Chris Kelsay would be calling out his teammates (and himself) for a lack of consistent effort on the field? Chris Kelsay? The most loved to be hated player by groupthink fans?

(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Being the fossil that I am, Kelsay’s impassioned plea for effort and accountability immediately brought me back to the 1984 Buffalo Bills. It was a similar time in that the team was at (another) nadir point. You could tell the team was fractured and broken, just like it seems they are right now.

That team was coached by Kaye Stephenson, who was another in a line of unsuccessful head coaches for the Buffalo Bills. The Stephenson choice appeared to be yet another set of moves made in a reactionary fashion by the owner, or at least that is how many fans viewed the situation at the time.

Fast forward to 2012, and I ask myself how much has really changed about the Buffalo Bills over the last 38 years? Well, they did go to four SBs and enjoy the “glory years” of the 90’s during that interval. At least they now have a glimpse of what it’s like to be a successful franchise in the NFL.

I have no idea what the payroll for the entire team was in 1984, but I’m guessing it would not have paid for Mario Williams signing bonus this year. If I were to take a wild guess at what is eating at the Bills DL, the two names Dareus and Mario Williams come to mind.

After watching Chris Kelsay speak at his locker yesterday, I was reminded of Phil Hansen. Some Bills fans love to rag on Kelsay because he has never been a flashy player in terms of productive stats, but like Phil Hansen, Kelsay has been Mr. Reliable year after year. Now he steps up to the plate, along with Kyle to speak out about a lack of effort being identified as a problem for this team.

It reminded me of how you would sometimes see Phil Hansen at his locker gritting his teeth when Bruce was acting like a diva back in the day. So… seven games into this season we find out there is a malignancy of malaise going on inside the belly of this beast? Hmm. So. Not. Good.

Here we are, once again, struck by the Halloween curse, the ‘Footie’ curse, or the curse made by someone’s Aunt Tilly for all I know. The Bills stink. Again. It’s almost reaching a point where it is comforting in its predictability.

What is less comforting (probably because of my fossilized status) is the effect of social media on the relationship between players and fans. I look at the #BillsMafia as a fabulous organization which provides a wonderful platform for the player/fan interface.

However, just like any shiny new toy, it comes with some danger. Sometimes both fans and players cross the lines of appropriate behavior because of the anonymity that is provided by the internet. A lot of really strange stuff sometimes gets exchanged, especially after the Bills have been blown out in a game.

Sometimes fans like myself even feel a bit patronized when a player, (who may have been in a Bills uniform for a few years at most) tries to tell people who have been fans for over 50 years to “chill” when the team lays its FOURTH rotten egg of the season. Ouch. Don’t go there, please.

Some of us have been on this pony ride before and don’t need ‘helpful advice’ for managing our fanhood, though the gesture is actually appreciated for its intent. The interface with players and fans on social media is certainly changing fan experience. I think it’s made it a much richer and more complex experience, but the jury is out on whether or not that proves to be ‘better’ in the end.

And…

just when you think you cannot be surprised by the fate of the Buffalo Bills during any given football season, they manage the nearly impossible task of underwhelming us once again. The most comforting thing about going through this now is the realization that history is a great teacher, and wisdom from experience tells me that this team is ripening for a major positive change.

Check out Wikipedia’s nice concise entry about the 1984 Buffalo Bills. I know a lot of people don’t like Wikipedia as a source, but I like it for gathering concise info in one place.

For those of you who remember the 1984 season, go back in your mind and think about the stuff Bills fans were talking about at the time. You can see the crisis as it is unfolding now, and actually it might be exactly what this team needs at this time.

It’s not a given that success will follow, just because that is what happened within a few years after the nadir of 1984. However, those of us who remember those Bills teams can attest to (or not), how the crisis period of that time helped to shape the fortunes of the Bills for the next decade.

Bills fans, take comfort in knowing that this franchise has ‘been here’ before, and from the depths of a team identity crisis can come the dawn of a new and more successful era. Take a little stroll down memory lane and smile. Besides bad hair, 1984 was not such a bad time to reflect upon. Let us stay united as friends during this tough time because we all want the same thing: a championship for the Buffalo Bills.

I don’t know who made the ‘Nasty Minestrone’ in 1984, but it looks like the first batch for 2012 has failed. Let’s hope that a bye week and some gut checks can bring a revival to our moribund team (and yes, they ARE moribund at the moment). If the “Bickering Bills” are any clue to what we are in store for… things are about to get very interesting. Stay tuned!

No Bison Soup the past few weeks? Granny always said, “If you don’t have something nice to say…” (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Yes, I heard you. The silence from the mountains of Wyoming has been deafening. I received the prompt from several folks to come out of the woods and face humanity after the last two weeks of miserable football. I came out twice to watch the Bills play and immediately headed back to the cave to begin the annual hibernation mode.

Granny always said “if you don’t have anything good to say… guess we won’t be hearing from you for awhile” …her own version. She knew me well, and kept me in line with her acerbic sense of humor.

I’m getting kind of slow in old age at being able to make sense of what should no longer be considered a typical autumn meltdown for the Buffalo Bills. It’s happening. Again. Is it destiny for this team to repeatedly violate its fan base with a level of putridity that can only be exceeded by the smell of a 30 square mile garbage dump? Where is the “shrug” emoticon when I need it?

How in the world do we deal with this latest team of Paper Bison who are not convincing to cynical fans to be playing at a level expected by their outrageous paychecks? Yikes! Time to figure out how to survive another season as a Bills fan already? How will we cope? Time to pull out the Buffalo Bills Fan Survival Guide to generate some ideas.

Going to bed earlier at this time of year is a ritual for those of us old farts whose rhythms are solar powered (like mine). As a kid I used to program dreams into my head before I went to sleep so I could wake up feeling happy. One of my great ones was to program in the Bills going to the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl. Developed at least 20 versions over the years.

So last night I was really ready for the sack after spending a hard day working outside on a gorgeous fall day. Crawled into bed exhausted and looking forward to having a good night’s sleep. Then I started thinking about the Bills. Those nagging Paper Bison were at it again. Made me feel sick in an all too familiar way. They were actually keeping me awake, something they haven’t managed to do for years now.

I decided to change my thinking. Hook into one of my Super Bowl championship dreams instead. This time for some reason I thought about the Rams. Yes, I even have a Rams version of the Bills beating them in the Super Bowl. Off to La-La land (which does not stand for Los Angeles, the nightmare for every Bills fan worried about the team leaving), and on to happier thoughts and places.

Where my dream ended up was even better. For some reason I veered off to being in a post Mr. Wilson era of ownership of the team. They were still in WNY. They were owned by an elite group of people and the Bills are playing in a domed stadium in Niagara Falls, NY. It is the first Super Bowl ever held in WNY.

The Bills are playing the Rams to be the first home team to ever win a Super Bowl in front of their fans. There are hotels, fine restaurants, and Niagara Falls, NY looks like an extension of Niagara Falls, Ont across the river. There’s a six lane bridge on each side for people to zip across the border with minimal hassle.

People are all abuzz. WNY has experienced an incredible boom because of its location to fresh water and a revitalization of manufacturing to the Great Lakes economy. Life is good in the rust belt once again. The Bills beat the Rams 44-27 in a good game, but one that was never in question. The Lombardi is resting in the new offices on the new campus housing the Buffalo Bills administration. They have a good view of the American Falls.

Then I wake up. It’s cold. It’s 11.Oct.2012. I’m in Wyoming. The Bills have now lost two games by a ka-jillion points, yards, and are spiraling down again. I get up, start a roaring fire and begin to suck down some coffee. It’s just another day in the life of a far-flung Bills fan. The dreams are what keep us going.

I realize that Ryan Fitzpatrick is at best an average NFL QB. Furthemore, the WRs are not exactly stacked with big name players. However, fans who have been yapping about the front office not drafting a QB might need to re-think their criticism.

After watching both these lines through the first three games (and yes, all the players stunk in the Jets game), I realized what I hated most about watching the Bills for the last decade. It has been so long since we’ve seen good line play by the Bills (on both sides), that I forgot how much better line play can make all the players on the team improve. Tashard Choice is an average RB who looks good right now because the OL is giving him holes the size of Texas to run through.

My point? The Bills would not have both lines playing at this high level if they had not spent the money and draft picks on getting both lines up to speed first. The lines make the rest of the players more successful. Yes, even Ryan Fitzpatrick can get away with his maddening play because the offensive line has been keeping him upright and giving him so much more time to throw the ball. Do I wish he was more accurate? Heck yes. I’m still hoping he finds his “golf swing” and is able to perform at the same level he did during the first half of last season.

The bottom line is the LINE. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

The bottom line is the LINE, in my opinion. I even question whether CJ Spiller would be having his “breakthrough” year if it weren’t for the offensive line playing lights out. The defensive line is getting the defense off the field and putting the game back in the hands of the offense.

For the first time in years it is fun to watch the Bills play. I’d much rather watch a team with two dominant lines and an average QB, than a QB who might have all the talent in the world but cannot play to his potential because he is getting eaten alive… and RBs with all sorts of talent who have no holes to get past the line of scrimmage.

So for all the folks who want to scream about not securing a franchise QB, can’t you at least admit that maybe Buddy Nix might have been right to get both lines in place first? And, don’t tell me they could have gotten it all done by now because this team was too decimated for that to happen.

For the first time since I can remember, I am truly enjoying watching this team play football. I think they are still a year or two away from being serious contenders, but in the mean time it’s really nice to watch the Bills dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

This season might be one that turns out to be very special for many Bills fans, regardless of the W-L record. While the team settles into its weekly cycle of review, relax, preparation and implementation, Bills fans spend the week either elated or deflated depending on the outcome of the previous game. It’s been that way for over fifty years.

However, it might be wise for Bills fans to be mindful of the slight drum beat that is also going on while we enjoy the ritual that defines our collective autumn each year. I’m reminded of the beginning of my senior year in high school. The year was 1973, and although there was a shiny new stadium to enjoy, there was a personal sense that my life would be forever changed by the next season. By the next year, I would be leaving home and going to college. What will it be like to be a Bills fan with a brand new life?

That was the last time I remember hearing that same drum beat, like a nagging reminder to enjoy each day, because life was about to change in ways I could only imagine in my dreams. Each day is one day closer to leaving home and becoming independent for the first time. Once the comfort and security of the home and rituals you’ve always known are left behind, life is never quite the same. It may be just as much fun (or not), but it is never the same. The only thing we can count on in life is change.

Fast forward nearly forty years. There was college, jobs, moving to the west and living in four different states. There was marriage, graduate school, becoming a step-parent, business owner, professional writer and researcher, teacher, grandparent, and finally retirement. Yet one thing remained the same throughout all of that living; my Buffalo Bills fan-hood. No matter how far flung, no matter the impediments to fulfilling personal passion, the Buffalo Bills remained in the forefront of devoted hobbies… and love him or hate him, there was only one owner.

Now the stadium is at the end of its life expectancy, and so is the owner. The WNY region throughout all of this time remains proud despite the continued decline of that which made it strong; it’s manufacturing base. Many WNYers like myself ended up all over the world in order to fulfill their dreams. However, the team provided the link which allowed us to remain connected to our birth place and friends. Many of us continued to live and die with the fortunes (or mostly the lack thereof) of our favorite football team. It remains the bond that will forever link us to our proud past, but not much longer.

Like any devoted Bills fan, I’ve been taking in all the political wrangling that is going on regarding the future of the franchise. A confluence of variables make it difficult to ignore the reality that big time change is about to come to the Bills. The recent hospitalization of Mr. Wilson serves as a stark reminder that at 93 years old, the likelihood of a change in ownership coming sooner than later is no longer deniable.

Love him or resent him, Ralph Wilson represents the face of the Bills. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

If it were only as simple as a change in ownership, I suspect most Bills fans would not have such heavy hearts. The problem goes way beyond what happens when the Bills are no longer Mr. Wilson’s team. Love him or resent him, he represents the face of the franchise. That is about to change drastically, sooner than I suspect some of us are emotionally prepared to face.

Exacerbating the unsettling feeling of ownership changes are the realities that the stadium is also on life support. The fact that this is happening in a community that is bankrupt, and in a state which has always regarded WNY as the ugly step-sister creates even more heartburn for all of us. These are the factors that generate that drum beat which reminds us all that nothing is forever… no matter how stitched together the fabric is that binds us.

The Bills as we have known them are about to become the house you grew up in and left, only to return and find that your parents are dead, and the new owners demolished it in favor of leasing the gas rights to Chevron. Time marches on and waits for no one. The speed with which this sort of transformation takes place can easily catch even the most prepared off guard.

For Bills fans, the fear of relocation has existed for decades. Many of us remember the threats of moving the team to another city occurred several times over the decades. However, unlike fans of other teams who have gone through many of the same threats, the morphing of ownership is only one of several variables loyal Bills fans are simultaneously facing.

There is the stadium issue, the Toronto games, the NFL mandate to make ever increasing amounts of revenue, among other things that are already changing the landscape for Bills fans. Heck, even the tailgate experience is being morphed into a ‘politically correct’ world. What it meant to be a Bills fan is now threatened by extinction from forces that have less to do with ownership and more to do with the changing values in our society.

So, those of you like myself who have been around to enjoy the entire enchilada with this team had better start paying attention to that drum beat. Ready or not, transformation is coming. It is coming more likely sooner than later. The drum beat is getting louder. I remember the first time I heard Mr. Wilson say to Bills fans several years ago that “we should enjoy them while we have them,” and that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Now I hear that message over and over in the background of the drum beat.

Each person must decide for themselves how best to handle change. Me? I’ve decided that win or lose, I’m going to celebrate this football season like I did my senior year in high school back in 1972-3. Some days were good, some days were bad but I cherished each and every one of them with just a little extra nostalgia… and the beat goes on…

Every year I seem to be able to curb the exuberance a bit longer before a Bills season opener. After the perfunctory ritual of self-flagellation is complete, I move into the “damage control” phase of preparation for the first meaningful football game of the season. Arming myself for all the reasons the Bills will fail fully at my disposal, I seek to quell whatever “what if they really could be good this year” thought form out of my head. Let’s just say I’ve had to work at it a little more aggressively this off season.

Media guys like Peter King are writing about how the Bills will torment opponents this year. (Photo by Scott DelleFave, BillsMafia.com)

When the media started picking the Bills to win over the JeSts, my sense of normalcy about ‘expected failure’ was thrown for a loop. Oh dear, what do I do now that media guys like Peter King are writing about how the Bills will “torment their opponent” into submission? What? Who? How?

The even keel strategy worked well for me this year, and lasted all the way until I woke up this morning. Friday before the opener. Now the excitement of a little kid has taken over my brain like a bad disease. I recognize the feeling. There’s this strange queasiness in my stomach. The thought (and smell) of pigskins begins dancing in my head. Yes, now is the moment Bills fans have been waiting for… for what seems like an eternity. We are about to begin the voyage of discovery about what this team will show this season.

All rational thinking begins to retreat into the background of that incessant clanging noise in my brain. It’s so loud it can no longer be ignored. Despite all my effort, all hope of maintaining rationality comes crashing down around me. I’ve shifted completely into high-test homer mode. There is no hope of ever regaining my composure at this point.

This one weekend every year has become a personal ritualistic sacrifice to the gods of the pigskin. I will capitulate sooner or later into an irrational blob. No matter where (or who) the Bills are playing, the next 50+ hours for me are like walking through the ‘Enchanted Forest’ for the first time as a kid. Mesmerized by all the glitter of possibility, I realize I am hopeless and surrender myself to the tsunami of my Bills fan-hood once again. Learning to cherish and accept these moments of irrationality have arguably helped me to become a better Bills fan. Well, at least until the ball is kicked off on Sunday morning @ 1 PM ET. Until then, the infinite “what if” scenario will remain the pervasive thought form.

Go Bills! Destroy the JeSts and lead Bills fans through a season to remember. Let the irrational become the rational expectation of success.

Stoked and ready to go. Bring it on!

To each their own with respect to the half-glass of water, but I’ve wasted too many years being thirsty, and not enough time being grateful for the drink. This year, as usual I take a pause on Labor Day to reflect upon my football “fanhood.” This really is one of my favorite holidays for that very reason.

Far removed from the origin of this holiday… and by default of its proximity with respect to football season, it has become the holiday where I choose to reflect. I reflect upon what might lie ahead in all aspects of life, football being just one of them. Most of us (no matter our age) feel the rhythm of school starting again, the leaves changing, and preparing for the next chapter.

The Bills really have had only two decades in all their existence that were arguably considered “decades of success” (the 60’s and 90’s).

One of the many benefits of aging is how much easier it is to put the fate of our favorite football team in perspective rather than setting ourselves up for failure. Many younger Bills fans don’t have the experience of having lived through OTHER “decades of despair.” The Bills really have had only two decades in all their existence that were arguably considered “decades of success” (the 60’s and 90’s). There were periods of reaching the playoffs, but extended periods of time where they might be considered successful, not so much (IMO).

So many Bills fans seem to cope with this dismal overall record and LOL (Lack of Lombardies :) by creating a hardened exterior, expecting failure, becoming very cynical, and rejecting any possibility that the Bills might actually surprise on the upside. That outcome is forbidden because allowing for that to even enter a Bills fan’s brain is the equivalent of drinking the poisonous “kool-aid.”

Well, I’m here to share with you my dirty little secret; you can still be a Bills fan and be excited as you were as a kid for the beginning of football season. It’s even OK to pull your head out of the oven long enough to breathe in some fresh air. Consider that perhaps your built-in defense mechanism of negativity at any cost might actually be preventing you from missing out on the best part of football… you just never know how the pigskin will bounce. You wait an entire offseason watching your favorite team gut themselves of what/who is not working, go through the draft, the OTAs, the mini-camps, training camp and the preseason. The cynic in your brain is at fever pitch screaming at all the missteps taken along the way because of course… each of us is really a better GM than Buddy Nix!

Anything remains possible, including the Bills actually making the playoffs and contending. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

My convoluted style is more like grabbing a cup of coffee, sitting outside in my chair on the deck and looking at the mountains with a big fat smile on my face. Lived to see another football season, at least for now. Anything remains possible, including the Bills actually making the playoffs and contending. Perhaps they beat the Patriots* again and start challenging them instead of fielding inferior teams year after year.

Maybe this team will also get lucky for a change, because we all know that there is as much of an element of luck to winning it all as there is talent and good coaching. It has to all roll out just right for that one team and their fans to reach ultimate nirvana as a football fan. Further, as we already know from our lives as Bills fans, being the bridesmaid four years in a row is enough to bring you to your knees. It tests you in a way that no other football fan can ever truly “get.”

However, here we are… at the beginning of the road with an unknown destination. A prudent Bills fan dons on all the armor and protection they can get. Put that cynicism out and in full ON mode before anyone can sniff a vulnerability of hope emanating from us. Be sure to let everyone know how stupid our beloved team is for not drafting X, Y, or Z player, or why the team will undoubtedly fail for years to come because they didn’t __________. Whatever!

If that’s the pathway the majority of Bills fans want to take as we begin our favorite time of year, then have at it. Me? I’m choosing the path that is almost hidden out of sight by now because it’s not been used that much. I’m going down a walking path instead of the six lane “Highway to Hades” where people fuel themselves with incendiary statements about how much they KNOW about what is going to happen in the future. Guess I missed out on the part of the brain that can so accurately predict the future…

I’m happy to live with NO expectation of outcomes at this point in life, be it regarding football or anything else. Thankful to be alive and hoping to live through another exciting season of pigskin every Sunday. If you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it. The old saying that “ignorance is bliss” does have some relevance today if you think about it.

So, if you are adventurous, try sitting down. Relax and take a deep breath. Think about how much fun it is to be in a rare moment where anything is still possible in our football world. There will be plenty of opportunities for misery.

Just sayin’…

Woke up to the repeated chorus of Billy The Buffalo singing “Buffalo girl, won’t you come out tonight and dance by the light of the moon.”. It pounded in my head until I got out of bed, grabbed my laptop and started typing. While listening to the snores echoing across the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, I’m awake and obsessing about a fourth preseason game, the Buffalo Bills @ Detroit Lions game. Have I completely gone over the edge?

Nope. You know you’re a Bills fan if you understand why. It’s pigskin time, and no one circles the wagons better than Buffalo Bills fans? Yea, that…

Being the “half glass full” kind of person, I never understood why people don’t get the excitement of the last preseason game each year. Far from being a snooze-fest, it often offers spectacular play by unanticipated heroes, who emerge out of seemingly nowhere to make their case for why they belong in the NFL. This game was no exception.

Case in point; Tyler Thigpen. With Vince Young’s teaching points on how to rewrite the script of achieving epic failure in the face of possible success, Thiggy exemplified the role of the underdog in masterful fashion. All but left for dead after the Bills excised themselves of Mr. Young faster than Buddy Nix can normally hit the speed dial for Plan B, Thiggy was nothing short (OK, he was +1 INT) of his complete transformation into Frank Reich 2.0. That is, until his expected INT ended that dream.

So what if it was a fourth preseason game in Detroit? Thiggy came out with guns blazing, attempting to complete as many passes to Detroit’s defense as humanly possible, and he didn’t disappoint. In fact, his first noodle armed INT was arguably channeling my dead grandmother more than Frank Reich, but hey… it’s the fourth preseason game, right?

By the time the Bills were down 28-7 in the first half, Bills fans across the Twitterverse were clucking and chiming their guesstimates on how fast Thiggy would be out of the NFL for good. Then he engineered what appeared to be his strongest case for why the Bills might not want to be so eager to send him on the first bus out of town. Cue in Brad Smith going to the locker room with a groiner, and you have your case for QB controversy.

Thigpen’s plucky performance almost resulted in the preseason come-from-behind game of the year… And then he threw the INT that quickly eradicated ghosts of Frank Reich’s past. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

But wait, it turns out that it’s really not the conspiracy theory espoused by delusional fans who believe that T-Jax was secretly brought in to challenge Fitz for his job. It’s a controversy brewing over how many mediocre QBs the Bills can carry on their roster to equal one good backup QB. Thiggy’s plucky performance almost resulted in the preseason come-from-behind game of the year. And then he threw the INT that quickly eradicated ghosts of Frank Reich’s past.

Only Bills fans would create mass panic and call for the head coach’s head on a plate because they “know” that the Bills are doomed. The backup QB position is in a state of flux, so let’s panic and assume that there is really a conspiracy to replace Fitz with any one of them, instead of drafting a series of third round QBs whose collective chance of NFL success is less than or equal to my dead grandmother (yes, she was a rising football star in her day). It’s all good, we’re Bills fans. We come to expect, and are often guilty of fanning the flames of irrationality. It’s expected of us, and we never cease to deliver a cacophony of preseason nonsense.

If you are a Bills fan, then you understand the importance of overlooking the fine display by the first string offense, who came out and finally put together one nice drive, capped off by a TD. Of course this will not soothe the minds of the naysayers who are determined to hit the send button on Fitz’s obituary as a Bills QB. Nothing short of an epic failure by the Bills to make it to the playoffs (again) will satisfy these doomsayers.

Apparently Kyle Moore was determined to show the Detroit Lions staff that they wasted a year of his professional football career by stashing him on the practice squad last year. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Lost in all of this were some fine performances by a couple of players, goosed by their respective revenge upon their previous teams for relegating them to the collective unknown. One was Kyle Moore, who Mark Kelso enlightened us as to why he played like his hair was on fire (does Kyle Moore even have hair?). Apparently, Mr. Moore was determined to show the Detroit Lions staff that they wasted a year of his professional football career by stashing him on the practice squad last year.

The other was none other than John Wayne Wendling, who got the ax by the Bills after failing a physical due to knee injury a few years back. Save for being penalized for playing a bit too intensely, he managed to make his statement in the form of some punishing hits on former teammates. Oh wait, I guess it doesn’t count when almost the entire Bills roster has been recycled since Wendling landed on the Lions’ depth chart and ST. Didn’t matter who was in the uniform, Wendling made them pay the price, doing it with his classic smash mouth, free-wheeling “Wyoming Way.” Talent doesn’t matter when the goal is purely physical punishment.

C.J. Spiller raised some eyebrows early on with his speed, agility and improving footwork. Not the same “happy feet” guy we saw come out in his rookie season and fail to reassure Bills fans that the brass didn’t make a mistake by drafting him in the first round in 2010. How many players from that draft will remain on the squad by 4 PM Friday remains my biggest question about that draft. Of course, Bills fans in full hysteria mode refuse to accept that the real common denominator in the decade of fail might not be Mr. Wilson, but was in fact Tom Modrak.

Relegated to radio because of NFL.com’s failure to provide a functional link despite paying the $20 for their preseason pass to watch the games live online, I missed what was apparently a very good outing by Cordy Glenn. Refund, anyone? After I watch the replay on NFL Network, I’ll get back to you on that “ears only” assessment.

Then there was Marcus Easley, who emphatically made his statement with a return for a TD on Special Teams, while Hagan disappeared from any sort of statement at all. With Brad Smith’s groiner, arguably one of the larger question marks remain who will be kept as the last WR to make the team? My “homer” pick Naaman Roosevelt did not stand out in the game, either in a good or bad way. I do fear he might be wearing a different uniform in a few days (hoping it’s not an AFCE model).

Sheppard showed some signs of life at MLB, which was very encouraging for those of us who long for some serious nasty at that position. The Bills need him to make that “second year leap” on a squad who is arguably fielding one of the less impressive set of LBs in a long time. Wanny will have his work cut out for him with this crew. The young ones, particularly rookie Nigel made a few statement hits to at least keep us from putting our collective heads in the oven over the LB corps.

All in all, the “bubble” players, the “camp fodder” and all the other disrespectful titles ascribed to young men desperate for a chance to play in the NFL put on a great show for fans. However, as a long suffering Bills fan, I know better than to expect the majority of my fellow fans to focus on what really counts… 10 days from now.

Next up, the JeSts. Bring them on!

Bison Soup? Yep, something for everyone tossed in a pot… it simmers and ends up tasting good for some people, and bitter for others; depending on how you look at that “glass of water”. Something for everyone; the optimists, the pessimists, the realists, and the delusional.

Depending on your personal paradigm, there was something for each type of fan to reinforce their point of view. That’s what “soup” is… something thrown together for everyone’s taste:

Optimists:

Kyle Williams. Holy Meatball! Make no mistake, this defensive line is all about Kyle Williams staying on the field. The drop off to Dwan Edwards with all due respect is a Grand Canyon kind of cliff. Kyle is the heart and soul of this DL, not Mario… who essentially admitted as much. When Kyle is in the game, the whole is SO much more than the sum of its parts. He is a one man wrecking crew who can perform at super-human levels for a man of his size. But he is so much more than a physical freak. His passion is palpable when he is on the field. He energizes everyone around him, and his “aura” absolutely steamrolls through the entire defense. No need to elaborate; anyone who disputes this belongs in the “delusional” category.

Kyle Williams inspires everyone around him by his actions on the field. (Photo by Mark Konezny/US Presswire)

Tasker said it, and I can’t dispute it… in the 4-3 defensive scheme, this is the BEST DL the Bills have ever placed on the field. If they stay healthy, this DL will rip teams to shreds, but the man who makes this defense run is #95. He doesn’t need to say a word. He inspires everyone around him by his actions on the field. I’m already having dreams of Kyle pancaking Brady into submission, or at the very least disrupting his play so that Dareus and/or Mario will finish him off. Which company’s commercial uses the phrase “relentless pursuit of perfection”? That would be the perfect phrase to describe Kyle Williams. He is Exhibit A of why drafting is an art and not a science. To think that he was drafted in the fifth round when John McCargo was the Bills first pick in 2006 still astounds me.

Fred Jackson. Against a very good defense, he showed why he deserved the new contract at his “advanced age” (shame on those who criticized the Bills for paying up for a “31 year old RB”). This guy is the offensive equivalent of Kyle. The offense is just plain better when he is on the field. Nuff said.

Who is the player that most exemplifies “disaster insurance” for this team? IMO right now that award goes to Kirk Morrison. If Shepp can’t step it up in terms of consistency and contribution, look to see Morrison inserted in the starting lineup. Would not be surprised at all to see him play some MLB in the final preseason game. Kirk is our disaster plan @ MLB… and that is a good thing!

Though Fitz fell into some bad habits in terms of mechanics (need to DVR and watch him in slo-mo), but I felt he played a much crisper game overall, and you see the difference in his effectiveness when he is able to “game plan”. Sure the pessimists can list a bunch of concerns about him, and I probably won’t dispute many of them. However, I saw what I was looking for from Fitz last night; a more focused QB who got the ball out better for the most part despite being harassed by the squeeler blitzes continuously when it was apparent that the Bills were dominating the stats in the early part of the game. Long way to go, but I don’t think he is as bad as his detractors believe, nor as good as others think. I’m a bit more optimistic that he will contribute more positives than negatives to this team’s success or failure this season.

Donald Jones is becoming a much more complete player. His knocking the ball down when it got batted was a great move, and his blocking has improved. He remains the “unknown”, but I’m confident that he can get past his problems from last season and may well prove to be a upside surprise that many fans are sleeping on right now.

If the Bills cut Naaman Roosevelt, they will rue the day they make that error. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Naaman Roosevelt. If the Bills keep Ruvell Martin OR Marcus Easley at the expense of cutting Rosy… mark my words here… they will rue the day they make that error. I am literally having nightmares that BellyBoy will pick up Rosy (esp if the Welker rumor to Indy pans out). Tom Brady will turn Naaman Roosevelt into Sammy Morris 2.0 for the Bills. PLEASE do not make that same mistake again, esp. because I really do BILLieve it will come back to bite this team right in the butt, and deservedly so if they cut him.

Not sure how to evaluate this because the quality of refs is so disparate from one game to the next, but it did seem as if the Bills did improve on the number of stupid hankies being thrown at them, esp in the false start dept.

ST. Oh my… we need to change the name of our ST coach to Bruce DeHEAVEN. He’s got them looking better than we’ve seen a ST team play in years.

And Brian Moorman? LOL… he’s punting the ball right up the butt of anyone who dares to diss him. Looks like whatever was bothering his back seems to have been rectified and then some. ST could really end up being a difference between winning and losing a couple of games this season.

Leodis! Leodis has found his home in the nickel. The good thing about that is that it has seemed to buoy him mentally where it has also spilled over to his effectiveness on ST. He’s playing like he’s in a contract year. Let’s hope he can keep it up!

Pessimists:

Plenty in this game for the pessimists to seize upon. Cue the “preseason games matter” folks who can go on about the score. Cue the anti-Fitz brigade for the number of batted passes Fitz seems to have in each game in the preseason, how many times he threw off his back foot, blah, blah, blah.

Andy Levitre is right about needing this group to develop a sense of urgency about the level of their play. (Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig/US Presswire)

The offensive line play IMO is a legitimate beef the pessimists can seize upon with vigor. They are obviously still a work in progress, and my initial eyeball review of the game is in agreement with Chan that pass protection needs work. Fitz is no Rothlisberger as far as being able to take a ONE STEP drop and throw a perfect pass. Andy Levitre is right about needing this group to develop a sense of urgency about the level of their play. Waaaaay too inconsistent, and if they let Fitz get harassed and hurried as much as he was last night, he will get injured and then all bets are off as far as this offense ever being effective this season.

Vince Young. Even the most ardent VY fans have NOTHING they can claim about his play last night that inspires any confidence that he can step in and be as effective as he needs to be should Fitz go down. The pessimists definitely have a legitimate argument that this season rides on the need for Fitz to stay healthy all season (and up his level of play for an entire season). The drop off from QB1 to QB2 is larger on this Bills squad than what is needed for a playoff contender IMO.

MLB is a big Qmark at this point. Pessimists have a legit beef here… Shepp needs to play with a LOT more decisiveness and precision. He looks lost at times, and needs to be able to react quicker, and lacks that “intuitive” part of his game right now. He’s not inspiring a lot of confidence that he is going to take his game to the next level, yet. It’s early… but the pessimists do have the edge right now regarding the MLB position until proven otherwise.

Pessimists can leap all over McGee all they want, but after his initial flub, he showed why he still may have an important role to play on this team. Cue in the “we should have kept Drayton Florence” crowd. I expect it, and frankly can’t argue the point successfully at the moment. However, I’m willing to give Terence a little more time to get reintroduced to the game after a long and ongoing rehab.

Spiller and fumbles. If CJ is truly going to have a breakout year, he has GOT to control the critical mistakes. Didn’t he have a virtual fumble free college career? Looks like he’s making up for it as a pro. He cannot afford to make these gaffes that shake up the team so badly they lose their focus.

The mental fragility factor that Chan mentioned. Pessimists… here’s some real fodder for you to seize upon. The defense in that last drive of the first half just completely mentally cratered. It revealed the most significant vulnerability on this team IMO. This team is mentally fragile because of a combination of factors; youth, a decade of despair, and at present they lack the ability to shed the mistakes and move on. Their ability to concentrate and be completely focused every down, every play is going to bite them in the butt if they don’t pull their collective heads out of their butts mentally.

Coaches like BellyBoy and even Rex Ryan are salivating at how they will be able to have their way with the Bills. All you have to do is fluster this team, and right now they will roll over and die. Chan got that one right in his post game conference in terms of priority of concern. You cannot field a successful team that will crater the minute something goes wrong. They HAVE to learn to BILLieve in themselves and be able to fight through the mistakes, not cave into them.

Realists:

My favorite group, and one I consider myself to be a member, so my remarks here are likely to be less caustic

This team remains a work in progress. They look to be vastly improved on the DL, but consistency on BOTH lines remains a major concern.

Fitz is neither the Savior nor the Demon that the extremists believe. I doubt he will ever be a GREAT QB, but if the defense can play well enough, he and the offense won’t need to produce at extraordinary high levels. However, they will need to be able to score a lot more points than they are currently displaying.

The realist in me is going to take a mulligan on this offense in the preseason because of the lack of game planning, etc… but the offensive part of this team remains BY FAR my greatest concern.

Young will not be replacing Fitzpatrick as the starting QB anytime soon. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Vince Young is not going to replace Fitz as the starting QB anytime soon. He needs a big dose of Kyle Williams in him to make any real transformation. He appears mentally weak, dispassionate at times, and craters at the drop of a hat. When the keys get handed to you for QB2 and it becomes your job to lose, you cannot come out and throw a pick on your first pass. He is the kind of player who frustrates me the most, because he has so much God given physical ability but the mental aspect of his game is his biggest hurdle.

This Bills team will go only as far as QB1 will take them. As mentioned before, the dropoff from QB1 to QB2 is too great for this team to feel safe that they can remain competitive if QB1 goes down. Byron Leftwich made that very apparent last night.

The Bills will need to make drafting a QB for the future a priority in the next draft, along with MLB and WR.

The replacement refs still concern me enough to worry that they may cost the Bills a game or two with bad calls. However, in fairness… last night’s crew at least seemed to get the reviews right and stayed out of the way of the flow of the game.

Delusional:

This one is simple, short and easy:

Anyone who thinks that Vince Young is ready to step in and take over as QB1 anytime soon. Nuff said.

Summary:

This remains a team that I’m more excited about than any team the Bills have fielded since 2002. There’s a lot to be optimistic about, some food for the pessimists, a lot of evidence for the realists to chew on, and not much for the delusional fans to defend themselves.

GO BILLS. I’m ready for the regular season!