Most Depressing Time to be a Buffalo Sports Fan?

[Derrico]

After last nights loss to the Leafs and hearing the depressing talk on WGR this morning about how nobody wants to come coach the Bills I think this is the most depressed I've ever been cheering for these teams.  Not that it's necessary but let's rehash.

 

Sabres

 

We've sucked for 10 straight years now.  Finally the plan is to burn it down, start from scratch.  We know how those seasons go.  Then to miss out on the McDavid lottery...the Eichel injury to start this year...Matt Moulson is still on the books for another 2 seasons...our D is horrendous outside of 2 players...Lehner trade is blowing up in our face...Babcock spurn...now we have DDB who the GM seems to support....Pat Lafontaine fiasco...

 

The leafs rebuild is light years ahead of ours.  Did they get lucky in their lottery year?  Yes.  But man, after the Eichel pick and ROR trade I thought we'd left that team in the dust.  Nope.

 

Bills

 

Haven't made the playoffs since 1999 (are you friggen kidding me)...QB purgatory...Ground and Pound...Currently several coordinator candidates turned down the Bills offer for interview...Tyrod extention...Trade up for Sammy Watkins and then go with ground and pound approach...QB purgatory...Brady looks like he still has a few years left...QB purgatory...

 

The Bills don't look any closer to the playoffs then they did 10 years ago.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Derrico

[Jacque Richard]

Kinda resigned myself to think both teams will be good ever. Hoping is the word

[ddaryl]

LMAO... way to much self worth tied up into a form of entertainment.

Stop listening to WGR55 stop reading the BN blues

[JohnRobertEichel]

There were some rough little patches around 1986, 2001, and 2008...but yeah, this certainly feels like the worst it's been because the Bills are in the midst of a record-breaking 17-year playoff drought and the Sabres are in the midst of a franchise-worst 6-year playoff drought. Moreover, there seems to be no end in sight because ownership is proving to be completely incompetent. Here's a hint, Terrence: make sure your coach and general manager are on the same ###### page. Dan Abysmal's system doesn't mesh at all with the kind of forward talent that Murray has brought in. And Rex Ryan's antiquated 3-4 defense and ground-and-pound philosophy wasn't a good fit for an elite 2014 4-3 defense with an elite WR that Whaley traded everything for....any dumbass casual WNY sports fan could foresee the incongruity. Hey, any pro lacrosse fans here? Don't forget the Bandits! Not to be outdone in the Pegulian manner of sports underachieving, they just lost their star player with an Eichel-like injury and have looked lifeless at home twice to start the year 0-2.

 

Mother of ######. As the "One Buffalo" factory of sadness continues to churn out ###### sandwiches for us all to eat, I'm starting to think maybe I am better off taking a break from all this for a while.

Edited January 18, 2017 by FuhrFury

[North Buffalo]

So the Answer is now.

Edited January 18, 2017 by North Buffalo

[bunomatic]

Don't follow the Bills so there's that to console me but I do follow the Sabres which has been like putting a hot poker in my one good eye for most of my life and going in for more. It is what I imagine an abused wife feels when she justifies going back. He'll change. I can change him. He'll be different this time. Same old story year after year and the braintrust just never figures it out. Oh there have been good times much like an abusive marriage but the black eyes and fat lips are getting harder to hide from my friends and family. 

Edited January 18, 2017 by bunomatic

[SCBILLFAN1]

been a fan of the Bills for 50 years and watched the Sabres very first game. Love the teams but I'm getting depressed watching them.

It is the worst of times as usually one was on the way up. I don't see anything happening for these team playoff wise for several years.

[TrueBlueGED]

I'm not depressed at all with the Sabres. Frustrated? For sure. But depressed? Nah. One thing about the NHL is a team's fortunes can turn around quick as long as there's a quality foundation in place, and I think there is. Just need better supplemental moves. Look no further than the turnaround in Minnesota. That team looked utterly lost in the wilderness with no upward trajectory, then boom, bring in Boudreau and they're tops in the conference.

 

The Bills? Meh. After 17 years, it honestly just doesn't faze me anymore. What's one more year? Certainly not cause for depression. I also don't think they're that far away from being pretty good. It's the NFL, you're never that far away.

[Stoner]

Yes, now, and it's not even close. I actually feel a glimmer of hope for both franchises, moreso for the Sabres, but it's just that, a glimmer.

 

The better part of the last decade has sucked; for the Sabres it's only gotten worse since TP Charmin-ed his way into town.

 

The funny thing is that the length of sports droughts in Buffalo has gone from a season or two to... a decade or two? It's scary, especially for those of us whose clocks are ticking big time. I got to thinking the other day that a championship really might not happen in my lifetime.

 

Seriously, the most depressing period for Buffalo sports (since 1970, anyway) was like 86 and 87 when the Bills were really bad and the Sabres missed the playoffs both years, getting the top pick in 87. But it was TWO YEARS. The Bills were on the rise by 87 and 88 and the Sabres recovered and were watchable even if the playoff series victory drought lasted until 93.

 

Time is playing tricks.

LMAO... way to much self worth tied up into a form of entertainment.

Stop listening to WGR55 stop reading the BN blues

And you need to get off sabres.com.

[Randall Flagg]

For me it's an easy yes. I've only been a fan for 11-12 years though. Even the tank years had a goal that we could strive for, and the goal was met. I felt more positive emotion towards the Sabres during those seasons even though the other negative ones were brutal.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Randall Flagg

[nucci]

on a complete opposite note, early to mid 70s was great...Bills, Sabres and Braves were all playing well. That was a fun time as a young sports fan. ( yes, I'm old)

Edited January 18, 2017 by nucci

[MattPie]

I'd think January 2000 would be worse having just lost the last playoff game the Bills were in in heartbreaking fashion and the SCF 6 months before in similarly heartbreaking fashion.

 

I told someone yesterday "The Bills will rise again; I only have about 50 years left so I'm not sure I'll see it."

[Jacque Richard]

on a complete opposite note, early to mid 70s was great...Bills, Sabres and Braves were all playing well. That was a fun time as a young sports fan. ( yes, I'm old)

No kidding I had seasons with the bills and split twenty games with my brother for the Sabres and did the braves in between

[North Buffalo]

We collected milk carton coupons for braves games and went to a Bills game a year and occasional Sabres game but listened to games on the rado.

[pi2000]

Consider there are infinite parallel universes, in at least one of those universes Terry Pegula doesn't strike it rich in the gas industry and the Bills and Sabres no longer exist.   I'm glad we don't live in that universe.

 

That said, I think the Sean McDermott hire is a step in the right direction (well firing Rex anyway), and the Sabres are on the upswing and will get better over the next few seasons as their core matures and guys like Gionta, Moulson (can't believe I'm saying this), and Franson are replaced with guys like Nylander, Bailey and Guhle adding much needed speed to the lineup.     

 

It's difficult to be patient with either franchise after all the pain and suffering, but we have no choice at this point.

[SwampD]

"Factory of sadness"

 

 

Fantastic.

[PromoTheRobot]

Depression is the natural state of WNY sports fans. In fact things are worse when we DON'T have something to be depressed over.

Edited January 18, 2017 by PromoTheRobot