The Culture of Fear

I know with the loss last night against Ottawa, people are panicking, and worried. Just like usual around this town, when it comes to our sports teams. But I saw angry guys after the game yesterday. Angry is good. Angry gets you motivated the next time, angry makes you better. Angry makes you focused.

Worry makes you distracted. Worry makes you collapse. That is why I'm not worried about this team. They are going to make the playoffs. I could care less how they play right now. March and April are important. Ottawa is hot now, that's great, but let me see come April how they are playing and worry about them then. I have no time for panic. And its stress in my life that I can do without.

I feel this town worries too much about the sports teams. We have ZERO influence on the action of the game. The team wants to entertain the fans, sure, but winning is more important and how they do it should not matter. Just let things fall as they may and go from there. Maybe without worry, you'll fear you are not a good enough sports fan, and you aren't behind the team. What does it matter? Is Jason Pominville going to stay up at night, because Ralph from Depew isn't watching every minute and care about every win or loss?

Yes I know the Bills and Sabres have an effect on the Psyche of the town. As do most Sports teams. But I feel the feelings for the teams creep into everyday life. A can't do this or this won't happen or everybody is going to leave attitude. Can do attitude is as easy to find as a Panda in this town. And anyone that thinks they can do something or be successful is shot down and put down. It depresses me to no end. I know I'm guilty of it too.

But if I see another the Bills are moving, so who cares anyway comment. I'm going to scream. WNY has a inferiority complex the size of the Pacific Ocean. We aren't good enough, no one likes us, we're poor. blah blah blah. Doesn't mean we can't do what we want. But no one takes a chance, and without taking chances, you can't become a success, but then you can't also fail.

Buffalo: Too scared to succeed, too scared to fail.

I think we want our sports teams to be better then us. Take the chances and the heights we are too scared to go for. If they succeed then we succeed. And when they struggle, we worry. I think its time to take ourselves back from the close connection. I don't want the Bills to move because I love going to games, but in the back of my head, the Bills moving might be a good thing for the region as a whole. I don't think it will kill the region. Many places do well without NFL football.

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can make a comeback. The Bills are making us feel that we are bigger time then we are. There is nothing wrong with being a small city. With the right leaders and the right ideas, we can turn the region into a very nice place to live and work. And worrying about our local sports teams is the first thing that has to go. The lose, big deal, they move? Big deal. What about jobs, what about schools, what about safety. Deal with those first, then worry about if the Sabres can win a cup.

A stanley cup isn't going to bring jobs to Buffalo.

The Lombardi Trophy, isn't going to stop the snow jokes.

All they do is provide us with some entertainment, and a little bit of joy our team won. But nothing else.

Let the fear lose its grip and success will follow I believe that.

The Sabres believe that too.

NFL Draft Week 2009

Its almost here the NFL Draft, one of my favorite events. Its like Christmas time in the NFL. I will do some previews through the week, on some players the Bills may take, but who knows, anyone you know they like, maybe a smokescreen or their real opinion. But now with two first round picks, the Bills can really make their squad solid with real talent.

I've held back on the draft previews, mainly not to burn myself out. I love the draft and don't want to be tired of it come Saturday. So I left all my previews for this week. Plus my opinions.

First opinion.

You can never have enough draft picks.

With the Peters trade, possible Parrish and Kelsay trades, the Bills are stacking up picks. With 9 picks already, the Bills could use 11, 12 picks. The more bodies the better. Competition makes the team better. And with guys from last year trying again. Alvin Bowen and Chris Ellis trying to make the squad again. Training camp could be nice and physical and build the team. You can never have enough competition. Being comfortable equals laziness. I want these guys uncomfortable. Make them nasty. Afraid to lose their job.

I would love the Bills to pick up extra picks. Get something for guys who give you minimal on the field. Parrish is nice, but he is under utilized as a reciever. So let him go elsewhere so he can florish in a better scheme. If a player doesn't fit what you do, get rid of him. Get players who fit what you want to do. Losman didn't fit, so they let him go. And obviously no one wants him. Which is sad. He isn't that bad, is he?

I trust in Tom Modrak, I think they are drafting decent guys. People keep on bringing up John McCargo, well he had injury issues and things didn't work. Teams make mistakes. Guys won't work. They wanted to go with a certain defensive scheme and it failed. They went out and got Marcus Stroud. With the acquistion of another solid DE. (Denney and Kelsay are wastes of space) the D Line, could be really decent.

The fact that Bills extend a lot of guys, and didn't with Jason Peters, gives me a sign. No one knows a player then his own team. If they thought he was going to be a dominant LT. You would give them the money. I have no doubt about that. But why were they so relunctant? Is there a injury they are worried about. Since Peters has failed to finish the last two years. Or they just being selective with their money? We may never know. But quality LT's are in this draft, one can be had and developed.