Bills fans rent billboard. They aren't happy

Its So Easy

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-fanbillboard&prov=ap&type=lgns

Oh dear. I wonder if those reports about TO going to chicago have/had any truth to them.

eagle eye

What a bunch of idiots. I wouldn't blame any player who wants out of there right now. Every team has their hard times, you just keep supporting them and hope things take a positive turn quickly. Look at the Raider fans, they have had a rough time over the last few years but you don't get any of this idiocy from them.

TheHeadhunter

Actually the Raider fans have been talking about doing something for the last few weeks, discussion of a billboard or a full page newspaper ad.

themont85

eagle eye wrote: »

What a bunch of idiots. I wouldn't blame any player who wants out of there right now. Every team has their hard times, you just keep supporting them and hope things take a positive turn quickly. Look at the Raider fans, they have had a rough time over the last few years but you don't get any of this idiocy from them.

Easy to say when your team has been good for so long. When a team is that bad for so long i.e. pretty much a whole decade, you can understand the anger like from Detroit fans with fire Millen campaign.

eagle eye

themont85 wrote: »

Easy to say when your team has been good for so long. When a team is that bad for so long i.e. pretty much a whole decade, you can understand the anger like from Detroit fans with fire Millen campaign.

I supported my team long before they were good, but there was never any talk about billboards or any rubbish like that.

tallaghtoutlaws

eagle eye wrote: »

I supported my team long before they were good, but there was never any talk about billboards or any rubbish like that.

Isnt it funny the way everyone thinks the Pats have always been good Jebus I wish that was the case would have made me less angry as a teenager haha:D:D

themont85

*sigh*

I never said it was just because you were a Pats fan. There are certain teams, however, which stink up pretty much an entire decade and the Bills are one along quickly followed by the Raiders who have been fairly awful for 7 years. Of course then there is the Lions...

There are teams like the Steelers who have been competative since pretty much the early 70s barring a few years in the 80s. A lot easier to stick through the franchise's crappy years when you can remember a few good things recently

The Pats reached Superbowls in the middle of both the 80s and 90s so whilst I recognise that every team nearly has lulls such as the Pats in the early 90s not all are bad for a decade (ie no playoffs..zip) or in the Lions case decades (I know they made the playoffs in the 90s but they have a horrendus overall NFL record). There is also the Browns who have been awful for yonks.

There are very few excuses for pathetic annual efforts like from the Bills(who incidentally I support), the Browns, the Lions and quickly followed by the Raiders. At some stage fans give up and don't go, at least these guys care in my opinion, I still watch and follow the team and wouldnt do it but at the same time I understand their pov especially being from Bills territory every day unlike you or I elsewhere.

tallaghtoutlaws

themont85 wrote: »

*sigh*

I never said it was just because you were a Pats fan. There are certain teams, however, which stink up pretty much an entire decade and the Bills are one along quickly followed by the Raiders who have been fairly awful for 7 years. Of course then there is the Lions...

There are teams like the Steelers who have been competative since pretty much the early 70s barring a few years in the 80s. A lot easier to stick through the franchise's crappy years when you can remember a few good things recently

The Pats reached Superbowls in the middle of both the 80s and 90s so whilst I recognise that every team nearly has lulls such as the Pats in the early 90s not all are bad for a decade (ie no playoffs..zip) or in the Lions case decades (I know they made the playoffs in the 90s but they have a horrendus overall NFL record). There is also the Browns who have been awful for yonks.

There are very few excuses for pathetic annual efforts like from the Bills(who incidentally I support), the Browns, the Lions and quickly followed by the Raiders. At some stage fans give up and don't go, at least these guys care in my opinion, I still watch and follow the team and wouldnt do it but at the same time I understand their pov especially being from Bills territory every day unlike you or I elsewhere.

Just like the Bills the Patriots went through a period from 87 to 1993, 7 seasons of ok to atrocious seasons including the Franshise wort 1-15.

As Eagle Eye said sure every team goes through a period of rough times some slightly long than others.

Sure 7 seasons arent 10 seasons but dont forget the Bills did enjoy 10 season of 12 with visits to the playoffs with 4 visits to a superbowl in a row. So to say the situation with Buffalo is any different to what other teams have gone through including the Pats is a bit mad to be honest. We all have had our mad periods of crap.

Karlusss

It's true, I managed to time getting into football and picking the Rams pretty much exactly simultaneous with the breakdown of the O-line and the gradual dissolution of the GSOT. It's not gonna stop soon either. This season is already a losing season in all but the books, and next season will be too.

We don't have a ridiculous Al Davis type to blame, but drafting has been poor and coaching has been poor. We got a new GM and a head coach who hasn't overtly done anything wrong despite being 0-5, but I know there'd be an anti-Linehan ad on a billboard somewhere in Missouri right now if they hadn't sacked him at this point last season.

So I don't blame Buffalo. Also, people only care about Buffalo because they're in a division with the Jets, the Dolphins and the Patriots. Imagine what it's like to suck in a division no-one cares about.


</self-pity>

themont85

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Just like the Bills the Patriots went through a period from 87 to 1993, 7 seasons of ok to atrocious seasons including the Franshise wort 1-15.

As Eagle Eye said sure every team goes through a period of rough times some slightly long than others.

Sure 7 seasons arent 10 seasons but dont forget the Bills did enjoy 10 season of 12 with visits to the playoffs with 4 visits to a superbowl in a row. So to say the situation with Buffalo is any different to what other teams have gone through including the Pats is a bit mad to be honest. We all have had our mad periods of crap.

10 years is a very long time, far worse than 7 years in which there was no salary cap or any where near the level of 'parity' there is now. There is little excuse for 10 consecutive years of incompetence from a franchise these days. As a Bills fan, it is clear the Franchise has been badly run for years. Hiring Marv Levy as GM whilst he is a legend there had no long term focus.

If the Steelers go forward with 10 years of playoff less seasons there would be murder in Pittesburg.

tallaghtoutlaws

themont85 wrote: »

10 years is a very long time, far worse than 7 years in which there was no salary cap or any where near the level of 'parity' there is now. There is little excuse for 10 consecutive years of incompetence from a franchise these days. As a Bills fan, it is clear the Franchise has been badly run for years. Hiring Marv Levy as GM whilst he is a legend there had no long term focus.

If the Steelers go forward with 10 years of playoff less seasons there would be murder in Pittesburg.

But wait we are talking about the understanding of having to put up with a bad team or performance by a team struggling. Which is what Eagle Eye was saying. He was not talking about how badly a club is run. So from that standpoint yes he can understand it. When teams struggle with performances on the field and it seems all is lost sure we can blame poor ownership or management for everything because usually thats where the book stops. Every fan has some right to complain about how the club is run. Whether its 7 years in the 80's/90's it doesnt matter because expectation from fans to perform will always be there. And the blame will pass down the line until someone takes responsibility.

Personally I see GMs like I see a Coach. You can get it wrong and finding the right GM is not an easy task. To be honest with you though the Bills have the makings of a decent team but I dont think Juaron will ever put it together. Decent QB decent pair of RB, Decent WR corp and a half decent O-line. Defense isnt all that bad either. They need to bring in someone more respected and with more experience.

eagle eye

I remember when the Patriots were the worst team in the AFC East. At that time the Dolphins had Marino, the Bulls had Jim Kelly and the Jets had Ken O'Brien. We had an old and battered Steve Grogan and then a couple of duds. We had ownership problems too, there were rumours of the franchise moving to St. Louis when Orthwein was the owner.

It really started to turn around in one draft, that was 1993, we took Drew Bledsoe in the first round, then picked up Chris Slade(one of my favourite players ever) and Todd Rucci, and in the last round a guy called Troy Brown.

We picked up Willie McGinest the next year in the first round and in 95 we had another excellent draft picking up Ty Law in the first round, Ted Johnson in the second and amazingly Curtis Martin(oh how I wish he had stayed with us) in the third.
We had another great draft in 96 getting Terry Glenn, Lawyer Milloy and Tedy Bruschi with our first three picks.

We had brought in the Tuna in 93 by the way, but it just shows you how things can change overnight.
Of course this was after a period of changing owners which ended up with Bob Kraft buying the franchise in 1994.

Of course Michael Jackson RIP is responsible for the evolution of the New England Patriots in case you don't know. It was a bust tour of his that forced the Sullivans to sell Foxboro Stadium to Bob Kraft and left him in a position to buy the Patriots franchise.

So basically Bills fans should hope for some superstar singer to come along and set things in motion.:)

davyjose

in fairness, it's not as if Bills fans have shown disloyalty, or threatened to turn their backs on them. They just want better for their team.
I'm not a fan of booing your own team, and everybody has to take the rough with the smooth. But supporters put a lot of money and emotional investment into their teams. So they shouldn't just sit there with their mouths shut for fear of being disloyal, like good little boys, when their team is being run to sh!t. This isn't Philly, where the fans are just pr!cks.

Fair play.

tallaghtoutlaws

davyjose wrote: »

in fairness, it's not as if Bills fans have shown disloyalty, or threatened to turn their backs on them. They just want better for their team.
I'm not a fan of booing your own team, and everybody has to take the rough with the smooth. But supporters put a lot of money and emotional investment into their teams. So they shouldn't just sit there with their mouths shut for fear of being disloyal, like good little boys, when their team is being run to sh!t. This isn't Philly, where the fans are just pr!cks.

Fair play.

I know lots of Bills fans and have gone to a game up that way and asking some of my Bills friends who are season ticket holders why they still go to the games when they think its being that badly run and not one of them can give me a solid answer. The sad fact is they still turn up in their droves to watch it.

What they should do instead of wasting money on a billboard is simply not turn up. Do you think the Bills care that some kid rallied up money for billboards when the stadium is still filling? Hell no because they know people will still turn up.

Start a campaign to not turn up and they will take notice.

davyjose

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

I know lots of Bills fans and have gone to a game up that way and asking some of my Bills friends who are season ticket holders why they still go to the games when they think its being that badly run and not one of them can give me a solid answer. The sad fact is they still turn up in their droves to watch it.

What they should do instead of wasting money on a billboard is simply not turn up. Do you think the Bills care that some kid rallied up money for billboards when the stadium is still filling? Hell no because they know people will still turn up.

Start a campaign to not turn up and they will take notice.

I see your point, but with nearby Toronto breathing down their necks for a franchise, dwindling ticket sales might not be a great idea???

eagle eye

Not attending games is what fairweather fans do, hiring out billboards is what fairweather fans do. You go to the game, if things are bad on the day you can boo them, nothing wrong with that, but you don't organise booing the team before the game has even started.

If there are problems with a franchise its really down to the GM first and foremost, not the head coach or the players. If the players or head coach are not good enough then they can be replaced.

Its just ridiculous to see whats going on there.

tallaghtoutlaws

eagle eye wrote: »

Not attending games is what fairweather fans do, hiring out billboards is what fairweather fans do. You go to the game, if things are bad on the day you can boo them, nothing wrong with that, but you don't organise booing the team before the game has even started.

If there are problems with a franchise its really down to the GM first and foremost, not the head coach or the players. If the players or head coach are not good enough then they can be replaced.

Its just ridiculous to see whats going on there.

See you missed my point. If they all did it en mass they are all fair weathered? Really? So a guy who has attended every home game for 10 years say jumps on the en mass not going to game plan or they all walk out he is now fair weathered? Fooking huge difference to standing your ground and making your point and being fair weathered now in fairness.

Personally I agree you attend every game but if every one gets on board a plan you can hardly be fair weathered.

tallaghtoutlaws

davyjose wrote: »

I see your point, but with nearby Toronto breathing down their necks for a franchise, dwindling ticket sales might not be a great idea???

Ralph Wilsons death could see the move happen even quicker. There has always been talk of the team moving city if he dies.

eagle eye

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

See you missed my point. If they all did it en mass they are all fair weathered? Really? So a guy who has attended every home game for 10 years say jumps on the en mass not going to game plan or they all walk out he is now fair weathered? Fooking huge difference to standing your ground and making your point and being fair weathered now in fairness.

Personally I agree you attend every game but if every one gets on board a plan you can hardly be fair weathered.

Well my point is that those who would organise something like this are not real fans. I can understand how a real fan could feel compelled to join in if everyone around him was doing it.

tallaghtoutlaws

eagle eye wrote: »

Well my point is that those who would organise something like this are not real fans. I can understand how a real fan could feel compelled to join in if everyone around him was doing it.

Ok look at it this way a group of season ticket holders for the last 20 years organise this and go to all the home games and some of the away decide that their organisation is being run badly and they decide of the boycott or walk out so all of sudden they are not fair weathered even though they have always supported their team through thick and thin but now realise in this day and age they are paying far too much $ to put up with it anymore. So these guys are now Fair weathered?

Personally I think the billboard is stupid and if you really are bothered to send a message you have to hit the owner where it hurts. Would I do it myself probably not but Im the type of guy who will argue when it bothers me but hey Im a Block Booking Irish Soccer fan and havent missed a game that I could attend in the last 12 years. Would I start something nah not my scene. But I do know the difference between fair weathered fans and those passionate about the club and want whats best and sometimes to justify this they feel a mass event is needed to send a message.

TheHeadhunter

You can see the billboard here

kryogen

eagle eye wrote: »

Well my point is that those who would organise something like this are not real fans. I can understand how a real fan could feel compelled to join in if everyone around him was doing it.

this is not necessaily true, as a fan you can be very capable of loving your club and not being happy with how things are going and be willing to do what you think is right to help your club....not your GM you HC, your owner even!

GM's and Coaches and players come and go but real fans will always be there and protests in the form of boycotts although not enjoyable for anyone, can be a good way of showing the your anger

I would certainly not label everyone who decides to protest or do what they think is right for their club (even if it may be misguided) as a fairweather fan.