Players VS Fans

by ForeignArrow on Nov 12, 2008 4:10 PM EST Comment 22 comments

The Buffalo Bills have been micro-analyzed the past 5 weeks. They did this, they should do that, etc. etc... Well, this is the NFL, folks. Anybody can beat anybody, any week. After a 4-0 start, it was almost as if Bills fans thought they were entitled to at least one victory during that divisional stretch of games. And the players played like it, too. But our opponents are hungrier than we are now, but perhaps not anymore. The Bills are going to get the spotlight they felt they deserved Monday night, and now that spotlight is going to illuminate a lot of egg on their faces. You see, football (and all sports) is not just about X's and O's and measures of talent... but if you don't want it more than the team you're lining up against then they will take it from you, no matter how "inferior" that team might be.

So everybody's down on the team right now. I'm not. Because it's stretches of games like these that bring you closer together, there's a lot to learn from losing: most notably how to win.

The Fans seem to be bracing themselves for a full collapse, let's hope the Players show more resolve, more composure than the fans.

This FanPost was written by a registered user of Buffalo Rumblings. Its views do not necessarily reflect the reviews of Rumblings' editorial staff, but are just as valued as our own.

0 recs | Comment 22 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

another good post FA

Let’s hope we see that hunger on the national stage, and then follow it up with a run against teams we should beat.

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Nov 12, 2008 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

sure.....

“Because it’s stretches of games like these that bring you closer together”

we’ve all been really close the last decade

by J2 on Nov 12, 2008 4:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

now that's funny

MARVelous

by MARVelous on Nov 12, 2008 11:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Good post!

I definitely am anxious to see if they are hungry for a win. I especially am anxious to see if Turk starts calling plays properly and provides Trent with good balance.

by keysh67 on Nov 12, 2008 5:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

poz

Not to trash you because I like what you have written before, but you still have Hardy and McKelvin as ROY on your sig. Probably time to drop that one off…. :-)

by MattRichWarren on Nov 12, 2008 7:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

haha!

I was waiting for that one to finally come up. I decided on being lazy until someone said something haha. As soon as I can think of something to put up that is not depressing, you will see a new sig. Unfortunately that means we actually have to win a game before I can do so. So let’s go on Monday night! Maybe a big Lee Evans performance to give me something to change it to? Or will we finally get Marshawn over 100 yards?

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Nov 12, 2008 8:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not in my experience

there’s a lot to learn from losing: most notably how to win.

Couldn’t disagree more!!!! Winning teaches you how to win. Losing a game or two might make you hungry. A losing streak breeds a culture of losing. When things start to go wrong, you expect to lose. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Players have to believe in each other’s ability to do their jobs and the coaches’ ability to come up with an effective game plan. Can you honestly say the Bills do?

by Joe P. on Nov 12, 2008 10:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Seriously?

If anyone accepts a “culture” of losing then they don’t belong anywhere near a venue that exhibits competitive sports. And I mean that to be as profound of a statement as possible. I don’t care if you lose 100 games in a row, you should NEVER expect to lose, because then you are a loser yourself.

If you lose a game, there’s something you could have done to win it (most of the time, e.g. mistakes you made). Mistakes are good spots for LEARNING. The fact that you disagree with that leads me to believe you are just an argumentative person in general.

Saying “winning teaches you to win” is like saying “walking teaches you to walk.” Duh.

"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."

by ForeignArrow on Nov 13, 2008 12:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So, you have never heard

about a coach coming in and trying the change the “culture of losing”? Because I have heard it many times, even at the Pro level. I am not saying you can’t learn something from a lose, but it is not the same as learning how to win.

As far as the personal attacks go…..I will pass.

by Joe P. on Nov 13, 2008 10:48 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Foreign’s always had a problem with that. Props for taking the high road.

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Nov 13, 2008 11:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

saying

someone is being argumentative is a “personal attack”….. sheesh…. if i say y’all have thin skin is that a personal attack as well?

"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."

by ForeignArrow on Nov 13, 2008 3:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It was the “duh”. Things like that aren’t really necessary, my friend.

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Nov 13, 2008 4:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It was for emphesis...

and seriously, if “duh” is a personal attack (it’s more of a playful “cmon” to me) then I’m in a lot of trouble… because I don’t mean things like that to belittle people… it’s more of a lack of cadence and intonation that text can’t really provide. Either way, I apologize. I’ll try to keep it rated G from now on, or is sarcasm not allowed, either?

"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."

by ForeignArrow on Nov 13, 2008 4:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sarcasm is allowed, but we all have to kind of play to the medium. Rumblings is text-based. We’re reading, not hearing.

I’m not trying to trash you and I’m not pissed at you in any way, just FYI.

Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more

by Brian Galliford on Nov 13, 2008 4:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ForeignArrow

No worries man. I did think you were trying to call me stupid, but it would be the first time!!! LOL. Thanks for the clarification. Peace.

by Joe P. on Nov 13, 2008 10:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So, you don’t believe the Bills (and obviously the Lions, Bengals….) have a so-called culture of losing? Maybe it’s more along the lines of Murphy’s Law, so to say.

Obviously when you lose, there are areas you could have been better in to win. But for teams that have been losing for as long as ours, when things start to go wrong, you can kind of see them saying to themselves “here we go again”.

And if you don’t believe in it, please know that the players just might:

“We thought we were on the verge of changing the culture around the clubhouse,” said Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who played for the Giants last year. “It comes down to believing you can beat your guy out there in every situation, and the last three weeks I’m not sure we’ve had that.”

by Kurupt on Nov 13, 2008 11:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice example K

by Joe P. on Nov 13, 2008 12:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yuck!

where did you find that quote?? Yuck. Thank god, makes me even happier we have a guy like Kawika on the team. I’m glad he’s saying it like is.

However, Kurupt and Joe, I have to disagree with you in regards to the Bills not learning from these losses. What you are overlooking is that a culture of losing tends to develop on teams with middle aged players who have lost a lot together, the Bengals Team of Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, TJ Housh, and Rudi Johnson comes to mind.

The Bills are extremely young, Lynch, Edwards, Hardy, Whtiner, Poz, etc. just had their first taste of dominating a division, even if briefly. Now they have likely learned that when you are winning things don’t get easier, it in fact gets progressively more difficult to keep winning.

I think ForeignArrow is right, this team is very young and will learn and I think get better from these string of divisional losses. Don’t be suprised to see them turn this thing around, especially with a vet leader like Mitchell surrounding all the young guys.

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Nov 13, 2008 12:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope you are right,

but the Bills have to take that step soon or this season will be lost.

by Joe P. on Nov 13, 2008 1:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm denying...

a “culture of losing” (as loosely defined as that term is) exists in clubhouses… but as a professional athlete (or any competitive athlete, in general), you should always feel like you can beat your guy… otherwise why on earth would you be playing?

"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."

by ForeignArrow on Nov 13, 2008 3:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Meant to say I'm not denying

"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."

by ForeignArrow on Nov 13, 2008 3:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

bills

but good teams, no matter how bad they play, find a way to get it done in the 4th quarter cuz they have that resolve. Our team doesn’t have that. Our team has to play perfect pretty much….and that’s tough to do in the NFL, and impossible to do against the best teams like Dallas last year, MIA/NYJ/NE this year.,…all teams that are better than us…pure and simple….The Bills need to prove to me they can handle the spotlight, they can handle the success….they need to show me they can and will win football games they should win and win football games against good teams down the stretch…

I’m not asking for much

MARVelous

by MARVelous on Nov 12, 2008 11:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs