KIDWCKED
09-15-2014, 10:45 PM
'm 37 years old. I believe that the week of Sept. 8, 2014 will go down as the most disturbing, upsetting, tumultuous week in the NFL in my lifetime. We all needed actual games and engaging Sunday subplots in the worst possible way.
We all needed a scene like we had in lovely Western New York.
After two brief weeks on the field, the best story in the NFL is, well, everything in Buffalo. The Bills are a surprising 2-0, sitting alone atop the AFC East. They have a new owner committed to their home region. And there's a wonderful big picture to remember when this squad eventually hits a rough patch.
New ownership should keep the Bills on course with head coach Doug Marrone, general manager Doug Whaley and a talented roster.
The scene was rocking Sunday in Buffalo during the first game since it was announced that Terry Pegula and his family were buying the Bills and keeping them in the area. And the amazing fans kept the volume at a fever pitch all afternoon during a 29-10 pummeling of the rival Miami Dolphins.
The great people of Buffalo needed a September smile as much as anyone. Think about the events leading up to this season.
Beloved owner Ralph Wilson, who founded the Bills in 1959, passed away. Franchise icon Jim Kelly continued to battle cancer, and at one point, some feared he wouldn't make it to Andre Reed's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Star linebacker Kiko Alonso ripped up his knee working out over the summer and was ruled out for the season. EJ Manuel couldn't complete the forward pass in preseason games, which is a rather big problem when that's kinda your job as a quarterback. Buffalo panicked enough to pay Kyle Orton a cool $5 million this year, essentially so that he could be on standby for what many assumed would be EJ's eventual flop.
Then it was reported by CBSSports.com that Marrone feuded with management in the preseason, verbally sparring with the team brass. The second-year coach reportedly referred to himself as "Saint Doug," intimating that the Bills would need a miracle to complete a turnaround -- similar to the one Marrone orchestrated in pulling Syracuse football out of the toilet.
And, of course, Buffalo started the season in Chicago, with the heavily favored Bears as the conventional-wisdom survivor pool pick.
But then something unexpected happened: Buffalo's defense played hard, Manuel rocked steady and resembled a functional quarterback, Fred Jackson barreled over Chris Conte, and the Bills shocked the football world with an overtime victory in Week 1.
With the glorious news breaking of the Pegula family buying the Bills just days before the home opener, you knew the atmosphere in Buffalo would be electric. Pegula's purchase represents hope for the future, extinguishing a long-held fear that the Bills -- so connected to and ingrained in the fabric, soul and economy of Buffalo -- would skip town.
We all needed a scene like we had in lovely Western New York.
After two brief weeks on the field, the best story in the NFL is, well, everything in Buffalo. The Bills are a surprising 2-0, sitting alone atop the AFC East. They have a new owner committed to their home region. And there's a wonderful big picture to remember when this squad eventually hits a rough patch.
New ownership should keep the Bills on course with head coach Doug Marrone, general manager Doug Whaley and a talented roster.
The scene was rocking Sunday in Buffalo during the first game since it was announced that Terry Pegula and his family were buying the Bills and keeping them in the area. And the amazing fans kept the volume at a fever pitch all afternoon during a 29-10 pummeling of the rival Miami Dolphins.
The great people of Buffalo needed a September smile as much as anyone. Think about the events leading up to this season.
Beloved owner Ralph Wilson, who founded the Bills in 1959, passed away. Franchise icon Jim Kelly continued to battle cancer, and at one point, some feared he wouldn't make it to Andre Reed's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Star linebacker Kiko Alonso ripped up his knee working out over the summer and was ruled out for the season. EJ Manuel couldn't complete the forward pass in preseason games, which is a rather big problem when that's kinda your job as a quarterback. Buffalo panicked enough to pay Kyle Orton a cool $5 million this year, essentially so that he could be on standby for what many assumed would be EJ's eventual flop.
Then it was reported by CBSSports.com that Marrone feuded with management in the preseason, verbally sparring with the team brass. The second-year coach reportedly referred to himself as "Saint Doug," intimating that the Bills would need a miracle to complete a turnaround -- similar to the one Marrone orchestrated in pulling Syracuse football out of the toilet.
And, of course, Buffalo started the season in Chicago, with the heavily favored Bears as the conventional-wisdom survivor pool pick.
But then something unexpected happened: Buffalo's defense played hard, Manuel rocked steady and resembled a functional quarterback, Fred Jackson barreled over Chris Conte, and the Bills shocked the football world with an overtime victory in Week 1.
With the glorious news breaking of the Pegula family buying the Bills just days before the home opener, you knew the atmosphere in Buffalo would be electric. Pegula's purchase represents hope for the future, extinguishing a long-held fear that the Bills -- so connected to and ingrained in the fabric, soul and economy of Buffalo -- would skip town.