Live and Die in Buffalo

Mario Williams: A Reason For Optimism in Buffalo?

It has to be our year. This would be the first time in thirteen years, so it's about time, right? We went out and spent a ton of money, and it has to pay off. Yeah, so this will finally be it.

Buffalo Bills fans aren't much different than any other fans, at least that's what I like to think. Sure we may be a little bit bitter about not winning a Super Bowl or maybe the Music City Miracle or it could be the fact that we haven't been to the playoffs in a couple years (since 1999/2000 to be exact). See, with Buffalo fans, things are usually pretty dark and gloomy after a losing season, but right around draft time things start to pick up around here. Sign a few free agents and that optimism comes back. It's weird though because Bills fans seem to be pessimistically optimistic. In other words, we generally try to keep from getting too excited because we have been burned too many times before, but we still keep finding ourselves thinking about the playoffs. Take last year for instance...

Going into the season, the city was not very optimistic because we didn't know what to expect from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, and there were no major offseason moves (aside from drafting Marcell Dareus). We struggled the season before, so we were just hoping to improve. Then, the season started and we won at Kansas City for an easy win. OK, that's just one win, we couldn't get too excited.

In our home opener, we beat the Raiders on a last second touchdown. Looking back, that was one of the most memorable wins I can remember (I became a godfather just hours before the game started). We were 2-0 and things were starting to get more interesting, but hey, we've been here before. Let's not get too happy because we have to play New England the next week. I remember when we beat New England the last time...nine years ago (Sam Adams was on the cover of Sports Illustrated!).

Unfortunately that season had its share of parallels to last season, but that's a story for a different day. We had this game against the Patriots marked down as a loss, which no one in Buffalo was really complaining about. If we stayed close, that would be a huge bonus. Obviously you know what I am getting at and hopefully you guys remember the win too. Buffalo improved to 3-0 and was alive and now the city started to get excited. We were on the cover of Sports Illustrated again, we were the talk of the NFL, we were on top of the division.

Then, the wheels fell off of the wagon and injuries got the best of the 2011 Buffalo Bills. We were let down yet again. So this year, we won't get too excited.

Yeah right.

The Bills went out and signed Mario Williams, one of the top pass rushers in the game. Then, we signed Mark Anderson, who had 10 sacks for the Patriots last year. We had a very good draft by getting a couple starters with our first two picks and the optimism was back in a big way. I'm not sure if I have been this optimistic about a Bills team (no, seriously), seeing as the last time we were in the playoffs, I was seven years old. I really get nervous when I feel this way, but I want this team to be good so bad. So, I will continue my Sunday rituals like I always have. That means waking up very early, reading the NFL Sunday section of the Buffalo news, playing catch with my dad and my brother, watching the pre-game shows (NFL countdown for an hour and then NFL Today before the game), and then that magical time comes. This year will be no different. Well, hopefully I will just be continuing my Sunday rituals a little later into the year (January please!).

Put aside all of the reasons I want this team to be good. It's bigger than that. The city needs this team to be good, to go back to the playoffs, to make us all a little less bitter. As the Bills go, the city goes and you'll begin to see that in my writing throughout the season. But, don't worry about depressing articles because this is our year, this has to be our year.