Buffalo Bills: How Long Will the Playoff Drought Last?
By Erik Smeal
It seems like the honeymoon with the Pegulas might be over, but I ask Bills fans to please give them some time to fully adjust to life as an NFL owner.
I can only imagine it’s not an easy job and takes some time to adjust and learn the ropes.
They bought the team a little over two years ago, but they inherited a 15 year playoff drought. They also inherited a loyal and very passionate fan base. A fan base that is also getting impatient and aren’t afraid to express their “concerns”.
Let’s picture ourselves in their shoes for a minute — as hard as that may be. As great as that would sound on the surface, I’m sure there is a lot of pressure and stress behind the scenes. Robert Kraft took over the Patriots in January of 1994 with one of the all time great coaches in place, Bill Parcells. They did have some success in the coming years, making the playoffs 4 out of the next 5 seasons.
It wasn’t until seven years later and their third head coaching hire under Kraft that they struck gold in another all time great, Bill Belichick. Let’s not forget hitting the lottery in the sixth round of the draft with yet another all time great, Tom Brady.
That’s a once-in-a-lifetime combination that we may never see again. The Patriots were at the bottom of the league when Kraft took over. If you look into other changes of ownership there has always been some kind of rebuild process to get that team back into contention.
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When Terry and Kim Pegula took over, there had been several years of sever neglect in regards to building and maintaining a competitive franchise. Ralph Wilson was unable to actively be involved for several years prior to the Pegulas taking over. There were many questions leading up to that point as to how things were being run. Ralph Wilson was facing health concerns and it was only a matter of time before the unfortunate passing of a legend.
During that time, the front office was managed with the personnel already in place, most changes and promotions were within the organization. It seemed like a franchise just going through the motions while awaiting their future path.
One thing is for sure, the Pegulas are committed to WNY. Saving both of the professional sports franchises and their investment in the city of Buffalo proves that. They are also fans and want to see success of their teams just as much as us fans do.
Will they make some mistakes? Of course, there is a huge learning curve to building a successful franchise in the NFL. Add in the17 year playoff drought and one can only imagine the pressure of the situation.
Eventually, the time will come when the reset button has to be pushed. The question is when and how? Do they give it one more year of keeping things together? Two or three more years? How long does Doug Whaley have to prove he should keep his job? Is there more going on behind the scenes we don’t know about? Based on the end of season press conference, there just might be.
It’s obvious the intent is there. The Pegulas have shown resources are of no object, hand over fist. They just need to find the right direction. A direction that may have been delayed by the urgency to end the longest post season drought in professional sports history.
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Do you think the Pegulas are on the right track or no? Leave your comments below!