Today is Thursday January 4th, 2017 and as I sit in front of a Dell computer monitor with high speed internet access (was high speed internet a thing in 1999?) and a smile from ear-to-ear, I can’t help but reflect on the past 17-years– A two decade long period of pain, agony, and constant defeat for the Buffalo Bills and their fans.
I was 7 years-old, and 99% likely to have been donning some sort of Buffalo sports apparel. I was probably watching the Music City Miracle, but I was just Seven: I don’t remember.
Now, fast forward to 2017: The Buffalo Bills are in the NFL playoffs.
I’ll say that again… “The 2017 Buffalo Bills are in the NFL playoffs.”
I’ve never been able to say that, and BOY IS IT GREAT.
In 1999, the last time the Bills had a shot at a title, Brittney Spears and Cher we’re topping the music charts, Pokemon was one of the hottest toys on the market, Bill Clinton was impeached, a gallon of gas just topped $1.15 a gallon, and a price of eggs was a small fortune at $1.08.
Yes, all those numbers and names are now, in 2017, a thing of the past. But the one thing that stayed constant over the past 17-years is the fans. Rain, wind sleet, snow, consecutive losing seasons, bad management, draft blunders, and poor coaching never kept fans out of their seats on Sundays. Instead, in that time frame the Bills organization made records for consecutive sellouts and season ticket holders.
Us fans are a special bunch, and now we get to bask in the glory as the Buffalo Bills march into the 2018 NFL Playoffs. And of course, everyone is already sick of all my Bills playoff banter.
On Sunday, I had the privilege to attend the Bills Dolphins game in Miami, and I was able to witness history– History, with an exclamation point. I hugged people I have never met before, and I cried for almost two-hours straight. I honestly couldn’t believe it. The Buffalo Bills won, and got the help they needed (Thanks to some Andy Dalton heroics) to get into the 2018 NFL Playoffs. It was seriously one of the greatest spectacles I have ever been apart of. Whether it was seeing the countless fans donning the red, white and blue with tears dripping down their faces, or the likes of Bills Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas standing on a table screaming “it’s over” it was an event, and a moment I will truly never forget.
Making the playoffs almost seemed like a pipe dream in August. When Sean McDermott took over for Rex Ryan, he made a point about changing the team culture, offloading some talented players along the way. In his words, “the process.” In the preseason, they traded away Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby, prompting speculation that the Bills were punting this season away.
But none of that mattered. In fact, it all seemed to just be a part of the master plan.
Shipping off talented players, and veterans normally doesn’t equal success. But for this team, it equals playoff caliber.
Now Sunday, the Bills will take the field in Jacksonville, Florida with a Wild Card Playoffs logo stamped on the 25-yard line– something Bills fans haven’t seen this century. And they’ll be taking the field as heavy underdogs, but that hasn’t stopped them all season long.
Look at the Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, and Oakland games just to name a few. The Bills have taken the underdog mentality and grasped it by the horns.
I think the Bills have a better than normal shot on Sunday. I’ve gone on record saying this throughout the week, but no team should want to play this Bills team in the playoffs. They’re motivated. They’re hungry. They’re upset minded. And they want to shock the world.
My prediction: Bills 29, Jags 21
BILL-ieve it Bills fans. It’s not a dream. The Bills are in the NFL’s version of the “Big Dance.”
Fasten your seat belts, folks. For the first time in 17-years, it’s Playoff Time.
Michael Loffredo 