Ugh. During the course of the week, I have become increasingly more excited about the Bills/Pats game and everytime I feel my excitement level rising, I become angry. I want the Bills to win BADLY. I despise the Patriots and everything they stand for. I hate Brady and his shirtless fagrance ads, I hate Belichek and his homelesslooking sideline attire, and I hate Robert Kraft and his Bill Lumberg business shirts on game day.
BUT, I realize, after 15 straight defeats, my anger and contempt for New England has the tendency to make me blind to reality. I know, no matter how much I want the Bills to win, that holding Brady and his merry men down is a tough proposition. So, while I WANT to win, my expectations fall below victory. The important thing for me, is that they don't get humiliated on their own field. The uplifting 2-0 start goes out the window if the Bills lose 45-10.
But at the same time, I can't handle more heartbreak. Don't miss a 38-yard field goal at the buzzer, don't fumble with two minutes left while trying to run the clock out. No Brady heroics in the final seconds, and NO game winning kick-returns. If the Bills are going to lose, they need to lose by ordinary circumstances. I have so much rage festering for these Patriots, that I can't deal with victory within my grasp, only to have it yanked away and be forced to listen to Brady and Belicheck give their same old soundbites: "We know we're always going to get a tough game out of these guys, they're a good club, feel lucky to get out of here with a win."
Then there's the thought that I just can't squash: victory. What if the Bills actually pull it off tomorrow? Besides setting up a very likely "let-down game" performance against Cincy, it would send a shockwave through Western New York and push even the most staunch Bills skeptic into a state of genuine optimism. But if victory some how was achieved, what then? I remember in 2003, the Bills were 2-0 and had eclipsed 30 points in each game. Bledsoe was all over the talk circuit and the team was buzzing. Then...lost 7 of their last 9.
2008, started 4-0, then 5-1! Then, rent Edwards got his brain rattled and the rest is history. I'm not saying don't be excited, you should! Go nuts! The Bills haven't been this interesting since OJ was still allowed to make movies. The problem is, the pundits will use this game to declare the Bills a success or declare them a failure. You will hear "team to beat in the AFC East" or "See, told you, they can't hang with the good teams."
S, as much as we want the Pats to suffer, we need to keep this game in perspective regardless of the outcome. Based on my math, the Bills won't clinch a playoff spot with a win, nor are they eliminated with a loss. This is a big game, no doubt, but don't get sucked into thinking the season is decided in week 3 ... I'd hate to see you get your heart broken.
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