Is it just me, or whenever a Buffalo athlete, who starts their career here, and gets their second contract (Usually, a big payday), they normally don’t get as much scrutiny from the fans and media?
Valid point, Lee Evans. Everyone seems to give Evans the benefit of the doubt of struggling because he plays with a bad quarterback. Yet, Terrell Owens doesn’t get the same treatment. Now, I know T.O is a lightning rod and has that great personality that all Buffalo fans can relate to (sarcasm). But I just don’t get why Evans gets a pass. You can’t even get a blurb in Allen Wilson’s notebook that Evans has only 5 catches in his last four games.
Part of me thinks that it’s the same reason why fans cheer for Patrick Kane when he comes back to Buffalo. Any big time athlete that has Buffalo roots in them, always gets the benefit of the doubt. You get fans who call into post-game shows, who say it’s a travesty that fans boo guys like Kane because he’s from South Buffalo.
The thing about Buffalo fans, is they always take a mentality of being a parent of a bad kid. How dare anyone write or say anything bad about my Buffalo guys! Guys like Evans and Thomas Vanek don’t get as much flack, because fans feel they are the best that the city has to offer, so lets not rock the boat. It’s kind of small time thinking if you ask me.
It’s strange that fans were so into berating Jason Peters because he struggled last year and wanted more money. Yet, fans don’t really have an opinion that Evans hasn’t come close to earning his money. Even Chris Kelsay, whose making six million a year, doesn’t get as much of the burden for the Bills shortcomings on defense.
It seems like whenever an athlete decides to extend their stay in Buffalo, fans seem to get all gushy and happy that an athlete would actually decide to stay in the cold confines of Western New York. We all know if a player says something nice about the city or living in downtown Buffalo, everyone cheers.
I don’t exactly care if a Buffalo athlete hates or loves the city. I don’t buy into the logic that the players and teams of Buffalo represent the city. They represent football and hockey.
What I do care about is if the players are producing. Evans hasn’t, and he’s starting to creep into the category of Derek Dockery and Larry Triplet category. But hey, he has only Buffalo roots and he has name recognition outside of the city, so we should just cut him a break.
Sorry, but this isn’t a popularity contest in my book.
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