A View from Calico Jack’s

By Phil Mann

What does BILLS stand for?

Boy, I Love Losing Starters.

Yes, it's a cheap shot. But, come on, after a while you have to laugh, the Kevin Everett situation aside.

When Jerry Ford addressed the country after Richard Nixon resigned, he famously said: "the state of the union is not good."

Well, the state of the Bills is not good. It stinks. If it were an animal, it'd be a skunk.

I'm not going to analyze it, assess it, or try to explain it. You've already done that yourselves. There is no logical explanation. A questionably talented team to begin with, the Bills have caught more bad breaks than any team should catch in five seasons, let alone three games.

Yet, as of this past week, the crowd at Calico Jack's was still pretty large, and pretty intense. Incredible. How many teams in the Bills' situation would attract so many fans outside their home city? That's one of the great things about this group: I look (almost) as forward to watching the games when the team is bad as when it's good -- and, I swear, the team used to be good. Really.

More than ever, I think other football fans are going to be amazed by the passion of this fan base. They won't believe we continue to watch, and root (do you ever hear from a Cowboy fan when the team isn't winning?) But, I really think a lot of us will continue to do that. Not as many as on opening day, but a respectable number.

The Bills Fan is a weird breed, fortified by some mixture of cold weather, wings and beer that enables it to withstand peer pressure and unspeakable setbacks. What else would you expect from a group who proudly proclaims the team's punter, of all people, to be the MVP?

Meanwhile, we can enjoy watching McCargo, Lynch, Peters and some of the other guys develop. And we can eat and drink with our friends without the bother of having to calculate playoff scenarios. Draft day scenarios...that's a different story.

The Bills will be good again one day. Those who stick with them during the lean times will enjoy the good days even more.

E-mail feedback and comments to Phil Mann at
pjmann at nyc.rr.com

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