Before I even contemplate the outcome of Sunday's game vs the Redskins and give a careful, prediction-free preview, there's some necessary business to take care of real quick.
This football season has been strange and I've used this bye week to sort through exactly what's been going on, what it means and where the Bills are headed. The problem is, I've been talking about these things with myself and that's crazy person behavior (even crazier than what I'm usually capable of) so I'm hoping y'all will offer your thoughts and help draw the self-therapying out of my head and into real life.
We're winning. Awesome. But it's taking a toll on my sanity! Usually I can make it until at least Week 10 before I have a psychotic-ish break and start freaking out over everything. This year, I've been freaking out since Week 2 and it's exhausting! I just spend the last 8 minutes of a game desperately yearning and praying for a win. The exhilarating high from those wins is great for about 30 minutes and then all of a sudden I've been coming down HARD and have been forced to run 6+ miles or crawl in my bed for a couple hours. Totally not normal, stable behavior. Anyone else experiencing odd side effects from winning?
Then there's the losses. Losing used to be par for the course -- as unfortunate as it was, losing was the expected outcome and winning was a surprising treat. Now that the Bills have their ish together and are playing GOOD football that's actually exciting to watch, it hurts so much more when we lose by this [ ] much. Both losses so far were games the Bills were fully capable of winning. It's a different type of disappointment that's less selfish ... I'm not so much upset as a fan as I am hurting for the players themselves. This must be what motherhood is like.
So what does this season meannnn? We're 4-2 but it seems like the games are getting less explosive, which could be a good thing because the hype is lessening, but could also be a bad sign that the tides are turning. I'm in no way forgoing my positivity or losing faith, I'm just legit questioning what's going on. Do the Bills have what it takes to keep the spark going? I definitely think we do. The talent is there. We clearly have a solid, adaptable offense that can thrive if the O-line steps up. We have a very capable defense that simply needs some work on consistency -- they've been stingy on the ground and have held their own against the pass, they just need to do that every game. I want our record to reflect the talent we've finally put together ... oh, I've never wanted something so badly since our last Playoff run!
And, once again, injury is rearing its very ugly head. I swear there's an injury curse someone put on the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Bills only. I'm highly distressed by the players slowly being taken out for varying amounts of time. Kyle Williams... we need him on D. Donald Jones was JUST finding his rhythm and becoming a useful WR. Demetrius Bell was one of the only vets on the unpredictable O-line. Shawne Merriman didn't exactly do much on defense but as long as he was healthy the potential was there...now that he's on injured reserve, it's not. Whoever is in charge of the curse, listen up: my body is already broken in various ways so feel free to transfer all team injuries to me until the season ends... seriously.
Basically what all that rambling means is I feel extremely bipolar and overwhelmed by the season and am hoping someone else is feeling the same. If you are, please share!
GO BILLS!!!