Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
“Ay ay ay ay!”, one friend shouted. “Ay ay ay ay!” we echoed back.“Let’s go Buffalo!” he cried. “Let’s go Buffalo!” we screamed back. If an outsider were to stumble upon that house party, he would have no idea we were celebrating New Year’s Eve and not the Bills’ playoff berth. I am not a Bills’ fan, but growing up in Rochester, NY, a city thoroughly nested in Bills’ country, I could not help but feel overjoyed for my many friends who had suffered for so long when the Bills clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 18 years. I joined in with the cheers, which were led by my friend who donned a Bills jersey underneath his blazer at this formal-themed party.
I had watched my friends’ misery year after year, and while at times I laughed at their misery, I could not help but feel for them, especially when my New York Giants lost 13 games this season. So in Week 17 of the regular season when Andy Dalton miraculously found wide receiver Tyler Boyd on fourth and 12, and Boyd evaded Baltimore Ravens defenders to find the end zone, I jumped out of my seat, pumped my fists, and yelled. The Bills needed to win in Week 17 and get help to obtain a playoff spot, and, after finishing off the Miami Dolphins, they got the help they needed from the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bills are not yet an elite NFL team, and their disappointing 10–3 loss to the Jaguars in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs solidified that reality. Yet, they are headed in the right direction. In head coach Sean McDermott’s first year, the Bills accomplished a feat that they had not since I was two years old. The Bills parted ways with Offensive Coordinator Rick Dennison just five days after their playoff exit, replacing him with Brian Daboll, who has won both a Super Bowl and FBS national championship in the last year, as Tight Ends Coach for the New England Patriots and offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama, respectively. More coaching changes may come. The Bills will also need a new VP of Player Personnel as the role’s previous occupant, Brian Gaine, recently became general manager of the Texans.
Many questions linger for the Bills in this crucial offseason. Several key players will be unrestricted free agents, including team-leading tackler Preston Brown, mainstay of the defensive line Kyle Williams, who has indicated he will retire, and bruising running back Mike Tolbert, who has complimented LeSean McCoy nicely. It remains to be seen whether the Bills will re-sign these and other key contributors, and who they will pursue in free agency as well as the draft, where they have five picks in the first three rounds, including the 21st and 22nd overall picks. Perhaps the biggest question mark lies at the position that typically dominates the headlines: quarterback. LeSean McCoy is a game-breaking running back, Charles Clay is a solid pass-catching tight end, and the receiving corps, including Deonte Thompson, Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews, and Kelvin Benjamin, have potential. The question remains whether Tyrod Taylor — or Nathan Peterman — can effectively power this offense and lead this team to victories.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Taylor had his moments this season and is a great athlete, but he has neither proven himself as a leader or as a consistent player. McDermott’s choice to bench Taylor earlier this season, while questionable, was not outrageous until Nathan Peterman turned in perhaps the worst half of quarterback play in NFL history in the Bills’ loss to the Chargers. Taylor’s statistics are mediocre across the board. He only threw four interceptions this season but also threw just 14 touchdowns. His 89.2 pass rating is serviceable, as is his 62.2 percent completion percentage, but his 6.66 yards per attempt is not. Taylor’s statistics have declined over the past three seasons, and at 28 years old, many doubt that Taylor is the quarter- back of the future. Frankly, leading the Bills to the Wild Card Round is not enough to secure the starting role for next season. Though both Taylor and Peterman are under contract for the 2018 season, the Bills will likely obtain a quarterback through either free agency or the draft whom they expect to compete for the starting job right away.
The Bills are on the rise, and as a sports fan, particularly one from Bills country, I am happy for the fan base. Affectionately known as Bills Mafia, Bills fans are notorious for being not only rowdy but also faithful. Buffalo is one of the smallest markets in the NFL, and with a sluggish economy and the Sabres sitting at the bottom of the NHL Eastern Conference, the Bills are just about all Buffalo has going for it. Buffalo is a blue-collar town and its fans have held on dearly for years waiting for success. The combination has made the Bills fan base notoriously raucous, and
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has made the Bills Mafia a national sensation.
Bills Mafia characteristically loves the Bills, getting drunk, and documenting and reposting of table- smashing videos at tailgates. They stuck through many hard times: four consecutive Super Bowl losses, the Music City Miracle, and an 18-year playoff drought. The coaching carousel hopefully has come to a stop, and perhaps the quarterback carousel will soon. The Bills fan base deserved the playoff berth as well as much more future success. Being a Bills fan has not been easy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. The city of Buffalo needs a successful Bills franchise; the fan base deserves a Super Bowl. A strong offseason is critical for the Bills if they want to build on their success, but they have ended the longest active playoff drought in major American sports. To that I say, “dilly dilly, go Bills!”
