"Oh, no. No. Come on, you're not… no, no. No! No."
-Doug Marrone on whether EJ Manuel has arrived-
Welcome to Buffalo, Doug. Yes, I know what Doug Marrone met when he said this. Hey, it is only one game and you can't say a QB has arrived after just 2 professional starts. Everyone knows that (Unless you are running the WGR web poll today). Yet, maybe some Bills fans were quoting Doug when they were checking themselves on Monday about whether things were really different.
The EJ Manuel TD Drive was awesome. It was a great way to start a career and to show what it is like to bring the team back from the brink. HOWEVER, when the narrative starts out with "Things feel different," that's when I start channeling Doug Marrone's quote.
Stop it.
Too damn early to say things are different. It feels exactly the same as it did when the Bills crushed Seattle (Division winners the year before) and James Hardy scored the game-winning TD against Jacksonville in 2008. Deja vu when they downed the reigning division champions (Chiefs) and had a heroic comeback win against Oakland in 2011. Fitz and Trent Edwards were looking great at those junctures, didn't they? I don't even wanna get to my excitement level with them beating the Patriots, Eagles and Chargers from those years.
Yes, maybe I'm being negative, but when you go through 13 years of losing, you tend to have the memory of an elephant when it comes to getting fooled. And God knows I've been fooled a shit load of times over that time.
You know what EJ's last drive kind of looked like to me…and don't kill me..JP Losman's drive against Houston. And guess where I was when I watched it? MCFADDENS!! Same place as Sunday.
I remember JP had a few check downs to A-Train that got 8-10 yards and then he delivered a nice throw to Evans for like 15-yards into the red zone and then it culminated with his bullet to Peerless Price in the back of the end zone. I remember yelling at my friend "THIS WAS HIS DEFINING MOMENT!" and high-fiving him. I did the exact same thing on Sunday after EJ's drive.
I'm sure if I mention the excitement about the 5-1 and 5-2 start in 2008 and 2011, you are probably going to quadruple quote "NO" like Marrone did. DON'T MENTION IT!!!
It kind of sucks that I'm damaged goods when it comes to believing and constantly having to say "But" or "WELLLLLLL". I think most fans are in a wait and see approach with this bunch. Tempered excitement at best.
However, don't start telling me it is different.
We won't know it is different until the end of the year or half way through the season. Even then I'd want someone to test me to see if I'm hallucinating from LSD if we are on the right track. We are a vulnerable fan base who have been burned too many times and vulnerability works two ways:
1) You are desperate.
2) You are cautious.
Now if you want to face palm some of the moments in my "Remember when we were this EXCITED?" conversations, it can be how Losman's "Drive" was his 18th start and he didn't come close to showing much promise during his first few starts in 2005 (Benched twice if you remember). EJ obviously showed great poise for a QB making only his 2nd career start.
And when the defense was forcing a shit ton of turnovers in 2011, you saw signs of deficiencies when they were giving up 450 yards a game. The Bills have held Brady/Newton more in check by comparison. They also currently don't have recycled coaches who were lucky to even get a 2nd NFL chance to begin with. Plus, Ralph is like gone..or something. So, there are some differences.
In the end, I'm not trying to tell you not to be excited. I sure as hell am, but I'm not willing to just say the grey clouds are gone and the 5th wife will be a charm. No declarations yet from me. Just living in the moment without having to put my fortune teller hat on to predict the future. God knows if the Bills somehow lose to the Jets, we will be in for a shit storm.
That's just how the NFL's most desperate fan base works. Every game is a vortex of definitive declarations of hope or despair.
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