As tough as it's been to be a Bills fan for the past 10 years, one good thing about their playoff drought has been that I haven't had many tension-filled Sunday afternoons in the recent past. That's a far cry from how things were back in the 1990's when the Bills were in the playoffs virtually every year and it seemed like every game mattered. The outcome of each week's Bills game used to go a long way towards setting my mood for the week. I don't know how Kim made it through some of those years with me.
The Bills have been so bad for so long that I've pretty much forgotten how it feels to really care about an NFL game. I'm starting to get the feeling back, though. Thay may not be such a good thing.
Last week, I was lucky in that the Ravens had a bye week and the Bills - Eagles game was shown live down here. I watched the whole thing. It was a nail-biter but the Bills pulled it out at the end. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd seen the Bills win a game on TV. The "everything in the world is wonderful" feeling I had when the game ended was familiar. I'd describe it as being almost like Christmas Eve. You know, the early evening feeling when the clam chowder is heating up on the stove, you've got carols on in the background (preferably the Carpenters or John Denver), you're on your second glass of wine, and you're looking forward to that familiar, comfortable Christmas Eve church service. Yes, life was good last Sunday.
Today, things were different. The Bills - Giants game wasn't on TV so I had to follow it on the ticker as I watched the Eagles - Redskins game. Even I got a bit tired of doing that and, just before halftime, I headed outside to rake leaves. I couldn't take the suspense of not knowing what was happening, though, so I came back inside early in the 4th quarter. By this time, the Giants had taken the lead. For the rest of the game, I was zeroed in on the ticker. I tracked the game as the Bills came back to tie the score, then started to get more excited as they got the ball back late in the game and started to move down the field. I was getting that Christmas Even feeling all over again. Sadly, it wasn't to be. The Bills turned the ball over (in the red zone, of course) and let the Giants move right down the field to kick the winning field goal.
Just like I'd forgotten that winning feeling, I'd also forgotten how it feels when you really care about a game and your favorite NFL team loses. Trust me, it's not like Christmas Eve. Instead, it's more like waking up on the day of a scheduled dentist appointment. You tell yourself that it's no big deal, you've been through it plenty of times before, and it doesn't really hurt that much to have that plaque scraped off your teeth. You kid yourself and think that brushing and flossing a bit more thoroughly that morning will make the visit go by more smoothly. But, it doesn't. You've still got to sit in that chair for way too long. You've still got to watch out of the corner of your eye as that bright shiny dental pick makes its way towards your mouth (again and again and again). And, your gums are still going to bleed.
I hope not to have to visit the dentist on too many more Sundays this year. Two cleanings a year is all that's recommended. At 4-2 through week 6, I believe I've already met my quota.