Last year I spoke with Joe about doing a weekly piece about being a Bills fan in New England. I thought it would be a good idea to bring some perspective about the team I grew up loving from deep within enemy lines.
It’s not easy being a Bills fan in New England.
For decades the New England Patriots were a laughing stock in the NFL. They struggled to sell tickets at that dump called Foxboro Stadium and were a distant fourth behind the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins. While they were in the toilet, the Bills were winning AFC Championships and losing Super Bowls – but hey, they weren’t the Patriots.
Then Tom Brady happened and we all know the outcome.
I want this first installment to basically be an introduction. I’ve grown up in the outskirts of Boston my entire life. I’m a die-hard Boston Bruins fan and I write a hockey blog most of you will hate. I grew up watching the Celtics win NBA Championships in the 80’s to the ML Carr days and back to glory. I’ve squeezed my ass into numerous games at Fenway Park, ridiculed the morons who sang Sweet Caroline and still curse Fever Pitch.
I’ve been to one Patriots game in my lifetime and it was when they played the Bills. I wore an Eric Moulds jersey while being there and while leaving early because the Patriots were losing and my ride was a Pats fan, I taunted people walking by, by hanging his jersey out the truck window – only to find out Buffalo coughed up a lead late in the 4th.
The reason I became a Bills fan dates back to when I was a kid.
My father grew up in Mississippi and, at the time, the Dolphins were the only real NFL team around so by proxy he became a huge Dolphins fan – and later an even bigger Dan Marino fan. Throughout my childhood, my parents had a little bet going on during Patriots/Dolphins game. Growing up, I wanted in on this little family rivalry and picked Buffalo with no idea who they were.
22 years later (I was 8 when I did that), I’ve watched the Bills go from a Super Bowl team to a damn laughing stock and everything in between. I’ve watched the “Music City Miracle” more times than I’d care to admit.
Like I said, I just wanted this to be a quick introduction and what you’ll be getting from me for the next 17 weeks or so.
With all that said, I’m excited to see what EJ Manuel/CJ Spiller can do against a Patriots defense that looks like it can’t stop a real offense.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
