Buffalo Rumblings
Well… we’re getting closer. After voting earlier this week in our latest confidence poll, it would seem that a fair number of Rumblers are still uncertain about the direction of the Buffalo Bills under head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane.
It is important to note that the number is the best it’s been this season. Right now, 76% of fans are confident in the team’s direction. Did you believe that number would be higher for a 2-0 team head and shoulders better than their AFC East foes, and one well-tested in the playoffs?
Josh Allen continues to redefine what exceptional quarterback play is, and James Cook looks like he’s ready to challenge the best running backs in the NFL for top billing. But that defense. It looked great against the Jets, but that’s the Jets. It looked invisible for all but a few plays against the Baltimore Ravens… but that’s the Ravens. Yet again, the defense is a M.A.S.H. unit. Ed Oliver will miss his second game of the season, and Matt Milano has a nebulous pectoral injury that has him sidelined for at least Week 3.
Understand that while both Oliver and Milano aren’t easily replaced, the team does have quality reserves, notably at linebacker with Dorian Williams. Certainly, losing Oliver is a huge blow, but there’s strength in numbers along Buffalo’s interior d-line.
It’d be easy for me to sit here and write about how things could be so much worse. For example, you could be a fan of the Miami Dolphins, or worse yet… the Cleveland Browns (Wait until you see both teams’ fan confidence results below). The truth is, that comparing the Bills to those teams is unfair, and it’s not worthwhile saying how much worse it can be when Buffalo’s fans have yet to pump their chests out following a Super Bowl victory. That quarterback Josh Allen has yet to even play in a Super Bowl is remarkable for all the wrong reasons.
I often say that Allen is a fire-breathing unicorn. He makes everyone around him better, on the field and in the community. He’s as genuine a person as you can find, and Bills Mafia are fortunate to have him on their side — a place that makes Super Bowl dreams possible every season. But still, they continue to wake up before arriving at the stadium in February.
So it is that we’re unlikely to see a dramatic shift in confidence with these polls until the playoff cake is baked. I get it, Rumblers. You need to see more. It’s not unreasonable at this point. Things won’t get any easier at this point, with so many talented quarterbacks in the AFC who want nothing more than to carve their own names into NFL record books.
For now, all fans can do is sit back and enjoy the ride with Allen. Like any cross-country trip, it feels endless, but you know you’ll get there eventually. Wouldn’t it be fitting if this...
