Heart of the Matter

Apparently the Buffalo Bills Organization defines "off season" different than most. For most teams this time is spent away from football. A down time. A time of rest and relaxation. Well, while most were resting, the Bills were in high gear.

I'll admit I myself was a skeptic. As a lifelong Bills fan, it seems the team itself in the past 15+ years operated with skepticism and extreme caution. Perhaps that was the problem. How do you fix that problem? Throw caution to the wind and hire Rex Ryan.

I wasn't a fan of Rex Ryan. He didn't seem like a good fit for the Bills. After the first press conference I am proud to admit I appeared to be wrong about him. I became a victim (or willing participant) of the "Rex Effect" (Of course now I can't get that song out of my head. Something a child of the 80s or 90s would understand). His enthusiasm, knowledge and directness are exactly what this team needs. There wasn't a hint of caution except more of a warning for other teams who would face the Bills. Here was someone who promised the best fans in the league (Sorry Green Bay I realize you literally own your team but Bills fans are still the best) he would not let them down. When was the last time someone did that and meant it?

Then came the big player moves. Talk about not being the Bills of old! No one saw LeSean McCoy coming. Percy Harvin some may have seen coming. Richie Incognito lived up to his name by flying under the radar until the Bills blasted him the forefront when they signed him again. Matt Cassel. Who better to have on your team than an ex-Patriot. He will provide competition. Competition makes everyone, including EJ Manuel better.

The moves mentioned were just some of the big ones but there were so many more from players to coaches. The Bills we love have been in a holding pattern. These "off season" moves took them out of their pattern and created a whole new playbook, a playbook people would be fighting to get a hold of.

Rex gets it. Doug Whaley gets it. Russ Brandon gets it. Terry and Kim Pegula get it. They get what this organization has always been built on: HEART. The beat of that heart comes from the fans. Why do you think greats such as Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, to name a few, never left and why other greats still avidly support the team like Andre Reed, Steve Tasker and Darryl Talley? Why others, like C.J. Spiller find it hard to leave Buffalo? The fans.

These people define what it means to support and love a team. Buffalo is a city which prides itself on hard work, persistence and loyalty. Its football team should expect this and get nothing less. This "New Era" (shout out to hometown business) promises that. Almost two decades is a long time to wait. This is our home. This is our team. This is our time. These Bills went big and will go home with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Link to: Bills Fanatics FB Group

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