Threads from our Frenemies-part 2

[Nepa]

(01-17-2023, 09:19 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Eh, I have no hard feelings towards Buffalo, and should we lose to them, I'll be pulling for them. They are a darn site better than those miserable Chief's fans.

Fair enough. Although I don't get all the board love for Buffalo, as we are competitors, and I doubt we're looking at a friendly competition on Sunday. I do feel sympathy for all their tough losses over the years -- two I think have their own entries in Wikipedia -- and the city Buffalo itself has suffered a lot this year, with a mass shooting and massive snowstorm. And I generally like the fans -- my son attends the Buffalo games and one entire branch of my family are Buffalo fans.

But we are competitors and the last big meeting between the team -- the 1989 AFC championship -- the Buffalo franchise and their coach, Marv Levy, were absolutely horrible to the Bengals. They might well have cost us a Super Bowl. For 2 and 1/2 years the Bengals ran a no-huddle offense. Teams didn't like it -- Seattle, in the AFC at the time, would have one defensive player after another fake an injury so they could make their substitutions. Marv Levy and Buffalo threatened to do the same if the league didn't step in and put a stop to the Bengals no-huddle, which Boomer Esiaison had perfected. 

Buffalo got their way. On game day, less than two hours before the game, the league told the Bengals they could not run their no-huddle. and they declared if Buffalo wanted to fake injuries, that would not be considered a penalty. it was like one hour and 45-minutes before game time. Sam Wyche compared it to a restaurant owner (the Bengals, in this case) being told they had to close their restaurant at 5pm because if they were open they were inviting robberies (Buffalo's threatening to fake injuries).

The Bengals beat Buffalo that year. But who knows if the Bengals would have won the Super  Bowl that year if they could have kept playing the way they had perfected for over two years.

You had to live through it as a Bengals fan to know how unfairly the Bengals had been treated and all because of Buffalo's week-long complaining.

[CJ2etc]

Someone with posting ability to bills board please point out to them that their "better record" includes 1 more home game and 1 less road game than ours. Makes a big difference and should have been taken into account in the NFL's game site decision

[BengalYankee]

(01-17-2023, 11:47 AM)Nepa Wrote: Fair enough. Although I don't get all the board love for Buffalo, as we are competitors, and I doubt we're looking at a friendly competition on Sunday. I do feel sympathy for all their tough losses over the years -- two I think have their own entries in Wikipedia -- and the city Buffalo itself has suffered a lot this year, with a mass shooting and massive snowstorm. And I generally like the fans -- my son attends the Buffalo games and one entire branch of my family are Buffalo fans.

But we are competitors and the last big meeting between the team -- the 1989 AFC championship -- the Buffalo franchise and their coach, Marv Levy, were absolutely horrible to the Bengals. They might well have cost us a Super Bowl. For 2 and 1/2 years the Bengals ran a no-huddle offense. Teams didn't like it -- Seattle, in the AFC at the time, would have one defensive player after another fake an injury so they could make their substitutions. Marv Levy and Buffalo threatened to do the same if the league didn't step in and put a stop to the Bengals no-huddle, which Boomer Esiaison had perfected. 

Buffalo got their way. On game day, less than two hours before the game, the league told the Bengals they could not run their no-huddle. and they declared if Buffalo wanted to fake injuries, that would not be considered a penalty. it was like one hour and 45-minutes before game time. Sam Wyche compared it to a restaurant owner (the Bengals, in this case) being told they had to close their restaurant at 5pm because if they were open they were inviting robberies (Buffalo's threatening to fake injuries).

The Bengals beat Buffalo that year. But who knows if the Bengals would have won the Super  Bowl that year if they could have kept playing the way they had perfected for over two years.

You had to live through it as a Bengals fan to know how unfairly the Bengals had been treated and all because of Buffalo's week-long complaining.

Don't forget the hypocrite Bills then used the No huddle Offense themselves.



Glad the New York Football Giants beat them. 

[*rfaulk34*]

(01-16-2023, 10:44 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I think it's funny they're all talking about how the Bengals only put up 17 points against the Ravens and then comparing their defense to the Ravens' defense.

We put 7 quick points on them and were about to put 7 more on them before the game was cancelled.

Division games are just different. I don't know why they're pretending to not know that. After all, they nearly lost to Miami yesterday with their third string QB.

Because stupid.

[*rfaulk34*]

(01-16-2023, 02:22 PM)JaggedJimmyJay Wrote: Bills fans are generally fine. I wish the constant "Trey Hendrickson tried to hurt Josh Allen" bullshit would cease, but it's not like Bengals fans don't pull the same crap every week about some clean play or another.

If you wanna find a dirty player, look no further than Matt Milano. 

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-17-2023, 11:47 AM)Nepa Wrote: Fair enough. Although I don't get all the board love for Buffalo, as we are competitors, and I doubt we're looking at a friendly competition on Sunday. I do feel sympathy for all their tough losses over the years -- two I think have their own entries in Wikipedia -- and the city Buffalo itself has suffered a lot this year, with a mass shooting and massive snowstorm. And I generally like the fans -- my son attends the Buffalo games and one entire branch of my family are Buffalo fans.

But we are competitors and the last big meeting between the team -- the 1989 AFC championship -- the Buffalo franchise and their coach, Marv Levy, were absolutely horrible to the Bengals. They might well have cost us a Super Bowl. For 2 and 1/2 years the Bengals ran a no-huddle offense. Teams didn't like it -- Seattle, in the AFC at the time, would have one defensive player after another fake an injury so they could make their substitutions. Marv Levy and Buffalo threatened to do the same if the league didn't step in and put a stop to the Bengals no-huddle, which Boomer Esiaison had perfected. 

Buffalo got their way. On game day, less than two hours before the game, the league told the Bengals they could not run their no-huddle. and they declared if Buffalo wanted to fake injuries, that would not be considered a penalty. it was like one hour and 45-minutes before game time. Sam Wyche compared it to a restaurant owner (the Bengals, in this case) being told they had to close their restaurant at 5pm because if they were open they were inviting robberies (Buffalo's threatening to fake injuries).

The Bengals beat Buffalo that year. But who knows if the Bengals would have won the Super  Bowl that year if they could have kept playing the way they had perfected for over two years.

You had to live through it as a Bengals fan to know how unfairly the Bengals had been treated and all because of Buffalo's week-long complaining.

Nice post Nepa, that was a bunch of BS at the time that I really didn't live through because I became a Bengals fan in the SB
right after when we nearly beat Joe Montana and those 49ers. I was 7 years old and loved the striped helmets. 

One thing to note, every team that faced the 49ers got beat down in the Super Bowl besides the Bengals who played them 
very tough twice.

As much as that was a bunch of BS with Levy and the Bills it might be just as bad this time around with the NFL not giving a 
neutral site to this game after cancelling the Monday night game. Complete BS, oh well just have to beat them in their house.

But like Sled and you said, I feel empathy for their fans for losing all those Superbowls over those years and I will be rooting 
for them the rest of the way if they beat us. Doubt they will though, I think we match up really well with them, especially Joe
Burrow and our Offense against that Defense that could barely handle Skylar Thompson. If our OL plays well, we win because
I think we will score a lot, Touchdowns and not just Field Goals.

[Shake n Blake]

(01-17-2023, 09:19 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Eh, I have no hard feelings towards Buffalo, and should we lose to them, I'll be pulling for them. They are a darn site better than those miserable Chief's fans.

This. Every fan base has some douche nozzles. Overall, I think Buffalo fans are pretty solid. I hope they lose 40-0 this week, though.

[*Nately120*]

The whole bromance with the Bills worked better when one of both of our teams was struggling to make the playoffs. Now that we're good we can't be pally-pally with what is supposed to be our main impediment to the SB every year.

Also, as soon as we beat them I fully expect their fanbase to just dip into the laziest Marvin-era insults about how our team is a bunch of dirty players and criminals.

[Sled21]

It's going to make it harder for the fanbases to really develop a hatred for each other while at the same time Burrow and Allen are good friends.

[Mafioso]

Friendly Bills fan here. 20+ year member on the forum linked in the Op. I’ve been perusing your board off an on since our MNF meeting. I’m very impressed with your fan base and I appreciate the fan bases level of concern regarding Damar and the team.

First off- congrats on winning the AFC last season. I loved every second of that AFCCG. Well played. Your team is set up for a decade+ of being a SB favorite. I love the feel of your stadium and how loud your crowd gets. That’s what football is all about. Not every team has a true home field advantage. You guys have one and i hope to witness it sometime in the near future.

I’d just like to give my impressions of your team and hear some feedback and correct me if I’m off base. I’ll start with the D, because I don’t think it gets enough credit. Hendrickson and Hubbard are quite the duo. With reader and Hill in the middle, Pratt and Wilson at LB and bates and Bell you guys have the middle of the field on lock. Mike Hilton is one of the best slot corners in the league. Straight baller. Sad to see awuzie get hurt this year. I loved him at Colorado and was hoping the Bills drafted him before Dallas scooped him. Huge fan of Cam Taylor Britt, as Nebraska is my college team. He has all the tools to be a great CB and has huge hands. That said- I don’t know much about the enigma Eli Apple. Lots of negative things said about him (and his mother) league wide. I never really looked into any of the negativity. What are your guys’ thoughts on Apple? OSU kid playing at home. I figured he’d be loved.

the offense- good lord. Joe and Jamar won me a grip their last season @ LSU. I became a huge fan and was praying that Burrow would end up in the NFC. Now the AFC is stuck with the best 5 QBs in the league and they’re all just kids still. I’d put Mahomes-Burrow-Allen as 1A/B/C. Any given year, one of them will be the man. And that could change from year to year, with the other 2 coming in a close 2nd and 3rd. We should feel fortunate. We are fortunate. Herbert could join the club if they get Payton, but he failed in his first playoff game. Most of that loss is on Staley and Lombardi, but Herbert left a lot of plays on the field and failed in the 2nd half. With Burrow, you have a future HoF and possibly multi time super bowl champ-

Your playmakers are the best in the league imo. Chase and Higgins are both legit superstars imo. Boyd is the quintessential slot wr and an all time member of Bills Mafia. Thanks again Tyler (and Andy). You created one of the most memorable moments in my football life. I’ll forever be thankful. Hurst is a top 10 TE and a great locker room guy. Mixon, I’ll refrain from expressing many of my thoughts on the person, as that one moment in time will forever be one of the most disgusting things I’ve watched. He’s a helluva RB. Speed, power, elusiveness. He brings it all. Perine is one of the best backups in the league and I’m hoping the Bills can sign him if we let Singletary go via FA. Perine and Cook would compliment each other well imo. The OL is the question mark and what I know the least about. We faced a banged up Miami OL last week and didn’t provide very much pressure. If that happens again this week- we’ll need to score 40+ to have a chance.

I don’t think our D, without 2 all pros Miller and Hyde have much of a chance to stop your O. Our pass rush has been meh and our corners haven’t been playing the ball very well. They’ve been in decent position most of the year, but rarely, if ever, to they turn their heads and play the ball. Dane Jackson being the main culprit. We’re hoping that Elam can build on the Miami game last week. He has all the tools physically, but very little experience playing zone, which is what we play 70%+ of the time. Poyer is a stud but he’s been playing with a partially torn MCL (iirc) and an injured elbow most of the year and hasn’t been himself. The biggest weakness is the S opposite Poyer. With Hyde and Hamlin out, it’s manner by Dean Marlowe. He played his first snap (with the bills) last week. He had a pick but can be exploited like he was in Atlanta to start the season. You WRs are a matchup problem for the league, but especially for us as we lack speed in the back end. Elam is the only one with any semblance of speed. You guys should put 35+ on our heads.

I don’t like to talk about the O very much because we never know what we’re going to get with Ken Dorsey calling plays behind a poor OL. Josh is Our lord and savior and his play (or a coin toss) will likely determine our fate. Not much else to say about him. Diggs is a legit superstar and we thought we had a viable WR2 in Gabe Davis. But Davis hasn’t lived up to our hopes for him. He broke out last week vs Miami, so maybe it’s not too late for him, but most of our fanbase sees him as a WR3. Beasley, Mckenzie, Shakir and Brown are all capable but all are small, short armed targets with little to no catch radius. Shakir being the wildcard- he can go up and get it as well as RAC. It just seem as if Josh (or Dorsey) trusts him very much. Knox is a top 10 TE, possibly higher. He’s a great blocker and has turned himself into a dependable receiver. At RB, I’m happy with the combo of Cook and Motor. Cook looks like he could be special. He’s very patient and had the best hands of all RBs in the 2022 draft class imo. Dorsey just doesn’t dial up many passes to him. Some of us are hoping that we’ve been keeping his receiving prowess off the radar waiting til the games matter. Well, they matter now. I hope we throw him the ball. Motor is an unsung RB and always seems to move the chains when called up. Lacking speed but has a great feel for making the first defender miss. The OL is trash. Dawkins and Morse are solid. Bates is a JAG and Saffold and Brown are pretty terrible. Both are HUGE liabilities in pass pro, but decent road graders. Too bad we rarely run. Similar to you guys, the OL must be upgraded and the unit could end our season if they don’t play a good game. They can be downright terrible and get Josh killed. I feel that Josh’s first read should always be our OL- see who is going to get destroyed and avoid that pass rusher first, then scramble and unload.

Coaching- I can’t comment on your coaches very much other than I thought Taylor was awful as a Nebraska QB after I had high hopes for him. He seems like a class act. Does he call the plays? I don’t know much of anything about Lou. Mcdermott is a spiritual man and conservative coach by nature. Over the 3 seasons, he’s become more aggressive (thank god). The jury is still out if he can lead us to the promised land and his clock is ticking. 13 seconds will be on his head until he gets a Lombardi. Losing Daboll was a MASSIVE loss for Josh. They were pretty much best friends and he tempered Joshs enthusiasm for trying to make every play. Dorsey has been a roller coaster and has yet to give our O an identity. Time will tell if he’s cut out for the job of being Allens OC. Frazier is a steady influence and knows how to lead a defense. He too, is very conservative by nature. It’ll be interesting to see what he does if we can’t get pressure with 4. He blitzed twice in the MNF game vs y’all and got burned both times. He has his work cut out for him. Losing Von was about as big a loss as we could’ve suffered (other than Allen and Diggs). It’s up to frazier to somehow recreate the pressure we lost when he was injured.

ST- meh it matters but after this huge wall of text, I’ll spare you guys.

Thanks for reading of you made it this far. We’re all extremely nervous about the matchup as this was supposed to be “our year”. We were the Afc favorite to at least make the SB this year. Lots has happened since the beginning of the year and we are currently not the team we were hoping for. That’s said- every game is an opportunity to write a new story. We have a qb capable of beating anyone and the leadership in the locker room to inspire. All we can do now is ?? that the nfl gods declare us the Victor come Sunday. Both teams are worthy. I wish you guys luck. I hope it’s one for the ages.

[Mafioso]

(01-17-2023, 05:06 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Also, as soon as we beat them I fully expect their fanbase to just dip into the laziest Marvin-era insults about how our team is a bunch of dirty players and criminals.

I’m sure some may resort to that (every fan base has some of “those”), but I think things remain cordial as long as things remain cordial on the field, win or lose. Once the players start talking trash, things tend to intensify. Mixons comment about the Bills LBers “they aren’t the ravens” touched a nerve. We feel our LBers are better than the ravens LBer. Roquan and Milano, both All pro- Edmunds is pro bowl every year but wasn’t great. This year, Edmunds has been great…… while Queen hasn’t been as advertised. Solid, yet unspectacular. Those kind of comments don’t come out of our locker room. Ever. And will get a rise from our fan base when we feel our guys are being slighted. That’s really about all you’ll get in terms of insults from the majority of our fan base imo.

We have zero SB wins- we don’t have a leg to stand on with regards to talking about the past. 4 straight SB losses, Wide right, music city miracle, the drought and 13 seconds. I just couldn’t be happier to have what looks to be a 10+ year window to get one before I die. ??

[Mike M (the other one)]

(01-17-2023, 07:17 PM)Mafioso Wrote: Friendly Bills fan here.  20+ year member on the forum linked in the Op.  I’ve been perusing your board off an on since our MNF meeting. I’m very impressed with your fan base and I appreciate the fan bases level of concern regarding Damar and the team.

First off-  congrats on winning the AFC last season.  I loved every second of that AFCCG. Well played.  Your team is set up for a decade+ of being a SB favorite.  I love the feel of your stadium and how loud your crowd gets.  That’s what football is all about.  Not every team has a true home field advantage.  You guys have one and i hope to witness it sometime in the near future.  

Thanks, and your assessment isn't too far off, our current OL is same or better than what we rolled with last year, as long as we don't play Aaron Donald, we should be Ok.. lol 

You guys got a great team too.

I think it boils down to whomever wins the TO battle. Bills haven't been doing a good job collectively there. But game still has to be played.

also, i can't create an acct on your boards, so for the love of God,

Trey is not known as a dirty player.
watch this replay, there is no hitch in it when he's going down (the non-frontal view), also, please note, he landed on his broken wrist, he's a big boy so it's only natural to roll and keep that weight off of his wrist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPmrV5dUIys
(post that link for your fellow fans).


Next, 
I see some are saying Bengals-Bills shouldn't be on a neutral site because their records weren't the same. 
Yet you got KC at a neutral site and they have 1 more win than you?

Basically it was a "what if" Buffalo had won? All the Bengals got was a "what if" we had lost? If we had won, you'd be playing us at home. so how come it's not a neutral site?  Make sense?

[Mafioso]

(01-17-2023, 07:52 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Thanks, and your assessment isn't too far off, our current OL is same or better than what we rolled with last year, as long as we don't play Aaron Donald, we should be Ok.. lol 

You guys got a great team too.

I think it boils down to whomever wins the TO battle. Bills haven't been doing a good job collectively there. But game still has to be played.

also, i can't create an acct on your boards, so for the love of God,

Trey is not known as a dirty player.
watch this replay, there is no hitch in it when he's going down (the non-frontal view), also, please note, he landed on his broken wrist, he's a big boy so it's only natural to roll and keep that weight off of his wrist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPmrV5dUIys
(post that link for your fellow fans).


Next, 
I see some are saying Bengals-Bills shouldn't be on a neutral site because their records weren't the same. 
Yet you got KC at a neutral site and they have 1 more win than you?

Basically it was a "what if" Buffalo had won? All the Bengals got was a "what if" we had lost? If we had won, you'd be playing us at home. so how come it's not a neutral site?  Make sense?

I agree on Trey. I stood up for him saying that he rolled as to keep pressure off of his wrist. Many agree. Many disagree. Seems about 50/50.

I was miffed that we didn’t get a chance to play the game. We went into the game controlling our own destiny…..then we didn’t…..without playing a game. That was my initial thought and I haven’t thought about it since. Life is too short to harp on such things. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life…… life isn’t fair. Sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but causing unnecessary stress is one of the stupidest thing one can bring upon themselves. I move on very quickly with things that I cannot control

[Mafioso]

(01-17-2023, 07:52 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Thanks, and your assessment isn't too far off, our current OL is same or better than what we rolled with last year, as long as we don't play Aaron Donald, we should be Ok.. lol 

You guys got a great team too.

I think it boils down to whomever wins the TO battle. Bills haven't been doing a good job collectively there. But game still has to be played.

also, i can't create an acct on your boards, so for the love of God,

Trey is not known as a dirty player.
watch this replay, there is no hitch in it when he's going down (the non-frontal view), also, please note, he landed on his broken wrist, he's a big boy so it's only natural to roll and keep that weight off of his wrist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPmrV5dUIys
(post that link for your fellow fans).


Next, 
I see some are saying Bengals-Bills shouldn't be on a neutral site because their records weren't the same. 
Yet you got KC at a neutral site and they have 1 more win than you?

Basically it was a "what if" Buffalo had won? All the Bengals got was a "what if" we had lost? If we had won, you'd be playing us at home. so how come it's not a neutral site?  Make sense?

Regarding registering on our site, what does it say when you try and sign up? I’ve noticed that they shut down registration during some portions of the season to limit users. We have a very active and long standing community. Growing the community isn’t necessary.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-17-2023, 07:17 PM)Mafioso Wrote: Friendly Bills fan here.  20+ year member on the forum linked in the Op.  I’ve been perusing your board off an on since our MNF meeting. I’m very impressed with your fan base and I appreciate the fan bases level of concern regarding Damar and the team.

First off-  congrats on winning the AFC last season.  I loved every second of that AFCCG. Well played.  Your team is set up for a decade+ of being a SB favorite.  I love the feel of your stadium and how loud your crowd gets.  That’s what football is all about.  Not every team has a true home field advantage.  You guys have one and i hope to witness it sometime in the near future.  

I’d just like to give my impressions of your team and hear some feedback and correct me if I’m off base.  I’ll start with the D, because I don’t think it gets enough credit.  Hendrickson and Hubbard are quite the duo.  With reader and Hill in the middle, Pratt and Wilson at LB and bates and Bell you guys have the middle of the field on lock.  Mike Hilton is one of the best slot corners in the league.  Straight baller.  Sad to see awuzie get hurt this year.  I loved him at Colorado and was hoping the Bills drafted him before Dallas scooped him.  Huge fan of Cam Taylor Britt, as Nebraska is my college team.  He has all the tools to be a great CB and has huge hands.  That  said- I don’t know much about the enigma Eli Apple.  Lots of negative things said about him (and his mother) league wide. I never really looked into any of the negativity. What are your guys’ thoughts on Apple? OSU kid playing at home.  I figured he’d be loved.

the offense-  good lord.  Joe and Jamar won me a grip their last season @ LSU.  I became a huge fan and was praying that Burrow would end up in the NFC.  Now the AFC is stuck with the best 5 QBs in the league and they’re all just kids still.  I’d put Mahomes-Burrow-Allen as 1A/B/C.  Any given year, one of them will be the man.  And that could change from year to year, with the other 2 coming in a close 2nd and 3rd.  We should feel fortunate.  We are fortunate.  Herbert could join the club if they get Payton, but he failed in his first playoff game.  Most of that loss is on Staley and Lombardi, but Herbert left a lot of plays on the field and failed in the 2nd half.  With Burrow, you have a future HoF and possibly multi time super bowl champ-

Your playmakers are the best in the league imo.  Chase and Higgins are both legit superstars imo.  Boyd is the quintessential slot wr and an all time member of Bills Mafia.  Thanks again Tyler (and Andy). You created one of the most memorable moments in my football life. I’ll forever be thankful.  Hurst is a top 10 TE and a great locker room guy.  Mixon, I’ll refrain from expressing many of my thoughts on the person, as that one moment in time will forever be one of the most disgusting things I’ve watched. He’s a helluva RB. Speed, power, elusiveness. He brings it all. Perine is one of the best backups in the league and I’m hoping the Bills can sign him if we let Singletary go via FA.  Perine and Cook would compliment each other well imo.  The OL is the question mark and what I know the least about.  We faced a banged up Miami OL last week and didn’t provide very much pressure.  If that happens again this week-  we’ll need to score 40+ to have a chance.  

I don’t think our D, without 2 all pros Miller and Hyde have much of a chance to stop your O.  Our pass rush has been meh and our corners haven’t been playing the ball very well.  They’ve been in decent position most of the year, but rarely, if ever, to they turn their heads and play the ball.  Dane Jackson being the main culprit.  We’re hoping that Elam can build on the Miami game last week.  He has all the tools physically, but very little experience playing zone, which is what we play 70%+ of the time.  Poyer is a stud but he’s been playing with a partially torn MCL (iirc) and an injured elbow most of the year and hasn’t been himself.  The biggest weakness is the S opposite Poyer.  With Hyde and Hamlin out, it’s manner by Dean Marlowe.  He played his first snap (with the bills) last week.  He had a pick but can be exploited like he was in Atlanta to start the season. You WRs are a matchup problem for the league, but especially for us as we lack speed in the back end.  Elam is the only one with any semblance of speed.  You guys should put 35+ on our heads.  

I don’t like to talk about the O very much because we never know what we’re going to get with Ken Dorsey calling plays behind a poor OL.  Josh is Our lord and savior and his play (or a coin toss) will likely determine our fate. Not much else to say about him.  Diggs is a legit superstar and we thought we had a viable WR2 in Gabe Davis.  But Davis hasn’t lived up to our hopes for him.  He broke out last week vs Miami, so maybe it’s not too late for him, but most of our fanbase sees him as a WR3.  Beasley, Mckenzie, Shakir and Brown are all capable but all are small, short armed targets with little to no catch radius.  Shakir being the wildcard- he can go up and get it as well as RAC.  It just seem as if Josh (or Dorsey) trusts him very much.  Knox is a top 10 TE, possibly higher.  He’s a great blocker and has turned himself into a dependable receiver.  At RB, I’m happy with the combo of Cook and Motor.  Cook looks like he could be special.  He’s very patient and had the best hands of all RBs in the 2022 draft class imo.  Dorsey just doesn’t dial up many passes to him.  Some of us are hoping that we’ve been keeping his receiving prowess off the radar waiting til the games matter.  Well, they matter now.  I hope we throw him the ball.  Motor is an unsung RB and always seems to move the chains when called up.  Lacking speed but has a great feel for making the first defender miss.  The OL is trash.  Dawkins and Morse are solid.  Bates is a JAG and Saffold and Brown are pretty terrible.  Both are HUGE liabilities in pass pro, but decent road graders.  Too bad we rarely run.  Similar to you guys, the OL must be upgraded and the unit could end our season if they don’t play a good game.  They can be downright terrible and get Josh killed.  I feel that Josh’s first read should always be our OL-  see who is going to get destroyed and avoid that pass rusher first, then scramble and unload.  

Coaching- I can’t comment on your coaches very much other than I thought Taylor was awful as a Nebraska QB after I had high hopes for him.  He seems like a class act.  Does he call the plays?  I don’t know much of anything about Lou. Mcdermott is a spiritual man and conservative coach by nature.  Over the 3 seasons, he’s become more aggressive (thank god). The jury is still out if he can lead us to the promised land and his clock is ticking.  13 seconds will be on his head until he gets a Lombardi.  Losing Daboll was a MASSIVE loss for Josh.  They were pretty much best friends and he tempered Joshs enthusiasm for trying to make every play.  Dorsey has been a roller coaster and has yet to give our O an identity. Time will tell if he’s cut out for the job of being Allens OC.  Frazier is a steady influence and knows how to lead a defense.  He too, is very conservative by nature.  It’ll be interesting to see what he does if we can’t get pressure with 4.  He blitzed twice in the MNF game vs y’all and got burned both times.  He has his work cut out for him.  Losing Von was about as big a loss as we could’ve suffered (other than Allen and Diggs).  It’s up to frazier to somehow recreate the pressure we lost when he was injured.    

ST- meh it matters but after this huge wall of text, I’ll spare you guys.

Thanks for reading of you made it this far.   We’re all extremely nervous about the matchup as this was supposed to be “our year”.  We were the Afc favorite to at least make the SB this year.  Lots has happened since the beginning of the year and we are currently not the team we were hoping for.  That’s said- every game is an opportunity to write a new story.  We have a qb capable of beating anyone and the leadership in the locker room to inspire.  All we can do now is ?? that the nfl gods declare us the Victor come Sunday.  Both teams are worthy. I wish you guys luck.  I hope it’s one for the ages.

Great post Mafioso. Couldn't really breakdown the teams any better than this myself. The Bengals are obviously my favorite team, 
but the Bills are my second so if we do somehow lose I will be rooting for you guys the rest of the way. Honestly, I think it will be a 
high scoring game the opposite of this last one against the Ratbirds who know us so well. Burrow has yet to really have a great 
playoff game besides maybe the AFC Championship game last year against the Chiefs, so he is due.

I also think if the OL blocks somewhat well we match up very well with your Secondary. Bottom line, the Offense that scores TD's
and not FG's is going to win this game and it will probably be the team with the ball last.

Should be one for the ages. Sucked what happened to Damar, but hey, he is alright now thank God we get to play this game.

[Luvnit2]

(01-17-2023, 07:17 PM)Mafioso Wrote: Friendly Bills fan here.  20+ year member on the forum linked in the Op.  I’ve been perusing your board off an on since our MNF meeting. I’m very impressed with your fan base and I appreciate the fan bases level of concern regarding Damar and the team.

First off-  congrats on winning the AFC last season.  I loved every second of that AFCCG. Well played.  Your team is set up for a decade+ of being a SB favorite.  I love the feel of your stadium and how loud your crowd gets.  That’s what football is all about.  Not every team has a true home field advantage.  You guys have one and i hope to witness it sometime in the near future.  

I’d just like to give my impressions of your team and hear some feedback and correct me if I’m off base.  I’ll start with the D, because I don’t think it gets enough credit.  Hendrickson and Hubbard are quite the duo.  With reader and Hill in the middle, Pratt and Wilson at LB and bates and Bell you guys have the middle of the field on lock.  Mike Hilton is one of the best slot corners in the league.  Straight baller.  Sad to see awuzie get hurt this year.  I loved him at Colorado and was hoping the Bills drafted him before Dallas scooped him.  Huge fan of Cam Taylor Britt, as Nebraska is my college team.  He has all the tools to be a great CB and has huge hands.  That  said- I don’t know much about the enigma Eli Apple.  Lots of negative things said about him (and his mother) league wide. I never really looked into any of the negativity. What are your guys’ thoughts on Apple? OSU kid playing at home.  I figured he’d be loved.

the offense-  good lord.  Joe and Jamar won me a grip their last season @ LSU.  I became a huge fan and was praying that Burrow would end up in the NFC.  Now the AFC is stuck with the best 5 QBs in the league and they’re all just kids still.  I’d put Mahomes-Burrow-Allen as 1A/B/C.  Any given year, one of them will be the man.  And that could change from year to year, with the other 2 coming in a close 2nd and 3rd.  We should feel fortunate.  We are fortunate.  Herbert could join the club if they get Payton, but he failed in his first playoff game.  Most of that loss is on Staley and Lombardi, but Herbert left a lot of plays on the field and failed in the 2nd half.  With Burrow, you have a future HoF and possibly multi time super bowl champ-

Your playmakers are the best in the league imo.  Chase and Higgins are both legit superstars imo.  Boyd is the quintessential slot wr and an all time member of Bills Mafia.  Thanks again Tyler (and Andy). You created one of the most memorable moments in my football life. I’ll forever be thankful.  Hurst is a top 10 TE and a great locker room guy.  Mixon, I’ll refrain from expressing many of my thoughts on the person, as that one moment in time will forever be one of the most disgusting things I’ve watched. He’s a helluva RB. Speed, power, elusiveness. He brings it all. Perine is one of the best backups in the league and I’m hoping the Bills can sign him if we let Singletary go via FA.  Perine and Cook would compliment each other well imo.  The OL is the question mark and what I know the least about.  We faced a banged up Miami OL last week and didn’t provide very much pressure.  If that happens again this week-  we’ll need to score 40+ to have a chance.  

I don’t think our D, without 2 all pros Miller and Hyde have much of a chance to stop your O.  Our pass rush has been meh and our corners haven’t been playing the ball very well.  They’ve been in decent position most of the year, but rarely, if ever, to they turn their heads and play the ball.  Dane Jackson being the main culprit.  We’re hoping that Elam can build on the Miami game last week.  He has all the tools physically, but very little experience playing zone, which is what we play 70%+ of the time.  Poyer is a stud but he’s been playing with a partially torn MCL (iirc) and an injured elbow most of the year and hasn’t been himself.  The biggest weakness is the S opposite Poyer.  With Hyde and Hamlin out, it’s manner by Dean Marlowe.  He played his first snap (with the bills) last week.  He had a pick but can be exploited like he was in Atlanta to start the season. You WRs are a matchup problem for the league, but especially for us as we lack speed in the back end.  Elam is the only one with any semblance of speed.  You guys should put 35+ on our heads.  

I don’t like to talk about the O very much because we never know what we’re going to get with Ken Dorsey calling plays behind a poor OL.  Josh is Our lord and savior and his play (or a coin toss) will likely determine our fate. Not much else to say about him.  Diggs is a legit superstar and we thought we had a viable WR2 in Gabe Davis.  But Davis hasn’t lived up to our hopes for him.  He broke out last week vs Miami, so maybe it’s not too late for him, but most of our fanbase sees him as a WR3.  Beasley, Mckenzie, Shakir and Brown are all capable but all are small, short armed targets with little to no catch radius.  Shakir being the wildcard- he can go up and get it as well as RAC.  It just seem as if Josh (or Dorsey) trusts him very much.  Knox is a top 10 TE, possibly higher.  He’s a great blocker and has turned himself into a dependable receiver.  At RB, I’m happy with the combo of Cook and Motor.  Cook looks like he could be special.  He’s very patient and had the best hands of all RBs in the 2022 draft class imo.  Dorsey just doesn’t dial up many passes to him.  Some of us are hoping that we’ve been keeping his receiving prowess off the radar waiting til the games matter.  Well, they matter now.  I hope we throw him the ball.  Motor is an unsung RB and always seems to move the chains when called up.  Lacking speed but has a great feel for making the first defender miss.  The OL is trash.  Dawkins and Morse are solid.  Bates is a JAG and Saffold and Brown are pretty terrible.  Both are HUGE liabilities in pass pro, but decent road graders.  Too bad we rarely run.  Similar to you guys, the OL must be upgraded and the unit could end our season if they don’t play a good game.  They can be downright terrible and get Josh killed.  I feel that Josh’s first read should always be our OL-  see who is going to get destroyed and avoid that pass rusher first, then scramble and unload.  

Coaching- I can’t comment on your coaches very much other than I thought Taylor was awful as a Nebraska QB after I had high hopes for him.  He seems like a class act.  Does he call the plays?  I don’t know much of anything about Lou. Mcdermott is a spiritual man and conservative coach by nature.  Over the 3 seasons, he’s become more aggressive (thank god). The jury is still out if he can lead us to the promised land and his clock is ticking.  13 seconds will be on his head until he gets a Lombardi.  Losing Daboll was a MASSIVE loss for Josh.  They were pretty much best friends and he tempered Joshs enthusiasm for trying to make every play.  Dorsey has been a roller coaster and has yet to give our O an identity. Time will tell if he’s cut out for the job of being Allens OC.  Frazier is a steady influence and knows how to lead a defense.  He too, is very conservative by nature.  It’ll be interesting to see what he does if we can’t get pressure with 4.  He blitzed twice in the MNF game vs y’all and got burned both times.  He has his work cut out for him.  Losing Von was about as big a loss as we could’ve suffered (other than Allen and Diggs).  It’s up to frazier to somehow recreate the pressure we lost when he was injured.    

ST- meh it matters but after this huge wall of text, I’ll spare you guys.

Thanks for reading of you made it this far.   We’re all extremely nervous about the matchup as this was supposed to be “our year”.  We were the Afc favorite to at least make the SB this year.  Lots has happened since the beginning of the year and we are currently not the team we were hoping for.  That’s said- every game is an opportunity to write a new story.  We have a qb capable of beating anyone and the leadership in the locker room to inspire.  All we can do now is ?? that the nfl gods declare us the Victor come Sunday.  Both teams are worthy. I wish you guys luck.  I hope it’s one for the ages.

I am impressed, you know our team very well. I will just say this, if not us, then I hope the Bills win the Super Bowl. I loved the Jim Kelly, Thomas and Reid Bills. Also, I had a lot of family and friends at the Monday night nightmare a couple of weeks ago. I heard nothing but praise on interaction with Bills fans before and during the game.

Then you come on this board and show class and a wealth of knowledge. The Bills are a great team and like the Bengals have suffered some key injuries. Ot appears the healthiest AFC team resides in KC.

Enjoy the game and your journey.

[Mafioso]

(01-17-2023, 08:17 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Great post Mafioso. Couldn't really breakdown the teams any better than this myself. The Bengals are obviously my favorite team, 
but the Bills are my second so if we do somehow lose I will be rooting for you guys the rest of the way. Honestly, I think it will be a 
high scoring game the opposite of this last one against the Ratbirds who know us so well. Burrow has yet to really have a great 
playoff game besides maybe the AFC Championship game last year against the Chiefs, so he is due.

I also think if the OL blocks somewhat well we match up very well with your Secondary. Bottom line, the Offense that scores TD's
and not FG's is going to win this game and it will probably be the team with the ball last.

Should be one for the ages. Sucked what happened to Damar, but hey, he is alright now thank God we get to play this game.

Thank you. I appreciate the welcome.

So how does this 2 team thing work? Are you from Ohio orig? I’m assuming your from an area without its own team and liked the uniforms growing up? That’s how I became a UNC Tar Heel fan back in 1982. Loved those unis!

I couldn’t imagine having a second favorite team, especially in the AFC. Once you have a good QB, everyone is the enemy ? not trying to be disrespectful, it’s just Bills or bust for me forever.

[Essex Johnson]

(01-16-2023, 10:45 AM)Big Boss Wrote: I figure they're feeling pretty confident considering the state of our offensive line.  Personally I'm struggling to remain optimistic about Sunday for that very reason.

Just a real shame that this team can't catch a break with the o-line.

Well I'm sure they would trade a healthy Von Miller for our 2 tackles being healthy. . We made it to SB last year with a bad line , why not this year, our defense is better than last year , Burrow is better at taking what the def. Gives us.. 

[Mickeypoo]

(01-17-2023, 09:19 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Eh, I have no hard feelings towards Buffalo, and should we lose to them, I'll be pulling for them. They are a darn site better than those miserable Chief's fans.

I'm in Bills Country and all my friends are Bills fans.  At least I can root for them and enjoy the ride with my friends if we can't pull it off.

[*psychdoctor*]

(01-16-2023, 10:45 AM)Big Boss Wrote: I figure they're feeling pretty confident considering the state of our offensive line.  Personally I'm struggling to remain optimistic about Sunday for that very reason.

Just a real shame that this team can't catch a break with the o-line.

The Buffalo bills have offensive line issues.  The game will come down to weather. Josh Allen is reckless and turns over the ball and their DBs covering Jamar Chase and t Higgins.