Bills 'Not Buzzy'? Other AFC East Teams 'Flashier' Says Analyst
After being a popular pick to win the Super Bowl, the Buffalo Bills have slowly fallen out of the spotlight heading into this season.
Good Morning Football broke down why that's been the case for Buffalo. For NFL insider Peter Schrager, the biggest cause for the Bills not finding themselves in headlines is the offseason their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, put together.
"The Jets and the Dolphins are flashier teams," Schrager said. "Let's just call it like it is. You say the word buzzy, I look at that AFC East, and it's like we love our Dolphins content. Tyreek Hill is out there talking and we know that Tua is always a lightning rod for conversation and they added real pieces this offseason."
Schrager added: "The Jets are a rating bonanza right now. The NFL made them do Hard Knocks because they're a ratings bonanza right now. So when you talk about buzzy AFC teams, it's a combination of the Bills, we gave them their love last year, and they didn't finish the job. Maybe one of these other teams will."
Buffalo didn't do anything this offseason that compared to the Jets trading for quarterback Aaron Rodgers or the Dolphins trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. It also doesn't help matters that the last time the Bills were on the field in a meaningful game, they were rolled at home by the Cincinnati Bengals 27-10 in the AFC Divisional.
The most headlines Buffalo got was when Stefon Diggs was supposedly upset with the team earlier in the offseason before he reported for camp.
But being buzzy and constantly in headlines doesn't always equate to success. For as good as Rodgers was at his peak, he is 39 years old and is playing behind an offensive line that struggled in joint practices. Tua Tagovailoa's health remains a significant question mark for the Dolphins while Ramsey is set to be out until at least December with a knee injury.
Being out of the headlines could be a good thing for the Bills. At the end of the day, the Bills have questions of their own but they're the team that took the AFC East throne from the New England Patriots and has won the division three years in a row.
"We're so internally focused every season," Bills coach Sean McDermott said on GMFB. "We know what we're all about here and the amount of work we've got to get done to get ourselves ready to go to give ourselves a chance to win games. We really just believe in earning it every week, and I think that's the right approach, staying focused on the process. The external expectations year to year, we really don't focus on that."
Buffalo will have a chance to prove its still the team to beat in the AFC East on Sept. 11 when they head to MetLife Stadium to play the Jets on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET.
