Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or perhaps in the Midwest, you know darn well that the Buffalo Bills have a complicated relationship with any team that identifies itself as “New York”.
Out of respect for its loyal and long-suffering fan base, we won’t even discuss how they feel about the Giants. I’m told that even more than three decades later uttering the phrase “wide right” will guarantee you may be beaten like the blue cheese dressing at Anchor Bar.
As for the Jets, well, there’s no love lost there, either. They’ve been division rivals dating back to the AFL, and have often had their fates intertwined. I saw this first hand the one and only time I saw a Jets game at Shea Stadium, a damp and rainy December day when the Jets had somehow returned to the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons, a game they lost in the waning seconds five yards away from a go-ahead touchdown when Richard Todd threw an ill-timed interception. The Bills fans in the rapidly disintergrating temporary stands were so enthusiastic our section literally collapsed, which I guess all things considered was better than if it happened any earlier.
Now throw in the fact that their much-anticipated showdown Monday night, amidst all the sturm and drang surrounding the Jets in the wake of Robert Saleh’s abrupt firing, was anything but brilliant, as ATHLON SPORTS’ Austin Givan chronicled early today:
The Buffalo Bills entered the unknown and came out victorious over the New York Jets on Monday night, winning 23-20 at MetLife Stadium – with defense making the big play when needed.
And now the Bills are 4-2, dropping the Jets to 2-4, creating a distinct line of demarcation in the AFC East – at least before Tuesday’s trade-craze day.
The Jets orchestrated their long-anticipated trade for the Raiders’ Davante Adams. And then, in what almost seems like an arms-race response, the Bills pulled off a deal to get Amari Cooper from Cleveland. And the goals here are perfectly clear: Josh Allen needs one more weapon to keep that “line” distinct, while Rodgers’ Jets need to be “all in” in pursuit.
Not that there is much mhistory to suggest either team did anything to move their respective needles, as THE ATHLETIC’s duo of Jacob Robinson and Dianna Russini were quick to remind:
There have been 34 in-season wide receiver trades since 2000. Of those, 17 included at least a fourth-round draft pick. And in hindsight, most didn’t pan out.
Clearly, it’s difficult to pull these off. Of the 17 receivers acquired for significant capital mid-season, only five were obvious successes. Now, this isn’t some big surprise. Receivers need to understand a new playbook, develop chemistry within the offense and a new quarterback; this isn’t just plug and play. Some successes:
Despite the positives that point to success for both Adams and Cooper, acquiring a talented receiver is often a gamble — Randy Moss was cut by the Vikings after four games, Roy Williams averaged fewer than 20 yards per game in Dallas, etc. — these moves are rarely massive success stories.
But at least in the eyes of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s Connor Allen, the Bills seemed to show a tad more acumen in their reactive move than the Jets showed in their “proactive” one:
Buffalo was reportedly in the mix for Adams as well, but acquiring Cooper for the price they did was a far better option than trading for Adams for a litany of reasons.
First of all, the Jets will have to take on the remainder of Adams’ contract, which equates to roughly $11.6 million in cap hit, after restructures take effect. This is big enough on its own because Buffalo couldn’t afford to take on that kind of contract with its limited cap space. Instead, the Bills acquired Amari Cooper for less than $1 million on their salary cap ($806,667 to be precise); Buffalo still gets a game-altering pass-catcher for a fraction of the price.
Besides, aside from the boardroom chess game being played, something else is at stake.
As Bills Nation and so many media sources were quick to remind, especially on a day when both the Mets and Yankees were victorious, the Bills are the only team based in the state of New York. So it was almost pre-ordained that they would escape the Jersey swamps with a win, albeit one that was hardly impressive.
Jets fans, or at least those still on board after all of the recent drama, can take heart that they still remain a second place team within two games of a playoff berth, and the teams are scheduled for a rematch in Buffalo in Week 17, just around the time when the potential of a blizzard could negate both teams’ passing games.
So the Bills need all the resources they can muster to maximize their potential ahead of time, and make sure that those carpetbagging Jerseyites are buried deeper than the stands at Highmark Stadium could be in late December. And potentially reverse the one glaring statistic that haunts their fans.
Jets’ lifetime Super Bowl record: 1-0. Bills’ lifetime Super Bowl record: 0-4.
Welcome to this war, Davante and Amari.
Courage…