Buffalo Bills: Things We Know This Week

Buffalo Bills fans, even if it hurts, have to concede that Tom Brady is the GOAT. As the starter, Brady has never had a losing season. He missed the playoffs once as the starter back in 2002. To consummate 17 AFC East Titles is simply sick. He attained the playoffs for the 18th time as a Wild Card in Tampa Bay which resulted in a Super Bowl victory… His very first season on his new team.

His dexterous 16-0 record in 2007 is peerless. Hello. It doesn’t not stop there. He advantageously secured 10 conference championship victories, thus strutting off to 10 Super Bowls… He won seven, yes seven, Super Bowls. FIVE SUPER BOWL MVPs. Brady has played in 14 Conference Championship Games (13 AFC and one NFC). I can go on for pages listing all of his records and awards.

“When you’re one of the leaders of the team, there are no days off.” – Tom Brady

Call him a cheater or a system quarterback, but that is so insignificant and goes on without teams being caught more often than you think. But durability and longevity are pivotal. He might not be the most athletic. He certainly does not have a Brett Favre, Jeff George, or Dan Marino cannon for an arm. Both Jim Kelly and Josh Allen boast arm strength superior to Brady. Gosh, Billy Joe Hobert, Rob Johnson, and J.P. Losman had elite arm strength. He has never been referred to as a gunslinger.

“Just a fool to believe. I have anything she needs. She’s like the wind.” – Patrick Swayze

My Patrick Swayze quote was, in no way, insinuating that Tom Brady is a she. Then again, these days, he can identify as whatever he chooses. Who am I to judge? He certainly does not run like-the-wind. Mistaking him for Fran Tarkenton or Michael Vick has never been an issue. More exhilarating quarterbacks who make more exciting plays come around every year. That means nothing without rallying a team to win game after game.

Just because Tom Brady is the GOAT and took his GOAT attributes to the NFC, doesn’t necessarily make the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills’ seasons are full of Gingerbread and Candy Canes.

“There is an old saying about the strength of the wolf is the pack, and I think there is a lot of truth to that. On a football team, it’s not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.” – Bill Belichick

The other element to the Patriots’ success in the 21st century is still capably the decision maker and coach. Bill Belichick. The hoodie. The GOAT. Bill Parcells referred to him as “DOOM”.

“We used to call him Doom because every time he walked around, it was the end of the world,” ex-Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor said. “‘Ah, you didn’t make this play.’ ‘Ah, you didn’t go over here.’ It was the end of the world.”

“Looking at the negative side and preparing for the negative has made him a better football coach, because he prepares for all of the things that can go bad,” said former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. “And to tell you the truth, I think he kind of halfway liked the idea that people were calling him Doom because that way, he didn’t have to be nice to anybody.”

Losing seasons? His rookie rebuild campaign had the Pats finish 5-11 in 2000. Last season, a rebuild year and search for a quarterback spelled a 7-9 season. Even in 2008 with Matt Cassel behind center, the Pats finished 11-5, missing the playoffs with a championship level regular season. Amazing.

His smothering defensive game plan in Super Bowl 25 as defensive coordinator cleared the path for the Giants’ famous upset win against Buffalo. Blame it on Scott Norwood all you want for missing a challenging 47 yard kick. Wide Right will identify the ALMOST-A-DYNASTY Buffalo Bills teams of the late 80s and 90s forever. It would be great had he made the kick. Steve Christie or Tyler Bass may have brought home the Lombardi in that scenario. But a team that destroyed the Raiders 51-3 in the AFC championship game shouldn’t have needed a kick to win the championship.

“Violence doesn’t solve anything? World War I. World War II. Star Wars. Every Super Bowl. Who says violence doesn’t solve anything?” – Drew Carey

Everyone forgets due to some mediocrity in Cleveland that he had an 11-5 record guiding Drew Carey’s town to the playoffs. So quickly we forget. CLEVELAND ROCKS.

Belichick served under Parcells again as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach with the Patriots for the 1996 season. The Patriots finished with an 11–5 record and won the AFC Championship, but lost the Super Bowl to the Cheese heads from Small-Ville, Green Bay.

“People from Cleveland either go and take their talents to South Beach, or they don’t talk about it after they’re famous. I always wanted to talk about being from Cleveland. I’m proud of being from Cleveland. I took my bark with me.” –Arsenio Hall

Belichick appears to have the Patriots back on track for this season as they are back at the top of the AFC East with an 8-4 record, looking tough to beat. This is with no Tom Brady.

So what does this all mean to those who debate the Brady vs. Belichick? Could we witness them meet in the Super Bowl? My take is that both coach and QB were responsible for the multi-decade dynasty. Maybe one without the other would have won some division titles and a couple Lombardis. But, together, they were at times unstoppable and retooled year after year with similar results. They both can be the GOAT at their respectable positions, can they not? Agree or disagree, both coach and QB have and continue to be an obstacle the Buffalo Bills have and will need to confront and overcome to bring the Lombardi Trophy to the Queen City.

Things We Know About The Buffalo Bills This Week:

If you have been on an island, you may not be aware that Tre’Davious White suffered a torn ACL against the Saints, ending his season. He had previously started 72 out of 72 games since being drafted by Buffalo. This is a huge loss for the Bills whose defense has dominated the league this season. Additionally, White has been named to the past two PRO BOWLS and has been both a first team and second team ALL-PRO as he developed into a premier defender in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Josh Allen keeps adding to his resume and, again, it was on the national stage. He completed 23 of 28 passes against the Saints, setting a new single-game record of 82.1%. Add in four touchdowns and two picks, and he recorded an amazing 115.2 passer rating. He also ran for 43 yards, keeping the chains moving.

Josh Allen has thrown 25 touchdown passes already this season, tying Jim Kelly for a franchise record in a season’s first 11 games.

Josh Allen has reached the 3,000-yard mark for the third consecutive season, joining Jim Kelly and Ryan Fitzpatrick as the only Buffalo Bills to accomplish this.