The Mark Falls

The Flagellants were a 13th century sect of extreme Catholic ascetics (eventually declared a heresy) that practiced extreme mortification of the flesh by repeatedly whipping themselves until they bled. Reveling in pain, self-torture, and the macabre, historians believe that these troubled fanatics injured themselves as part of a longer pagan tradition believed to bring about hope for fertility or harvest in troubled times. Today their descendants of this pointless self-torture are known as "Buffalo Bills fans."

Yesterday the Bills were all but eliminated from playoff contention, marking the 16th consecutive year the team has missed the playoffs. And yes, that is the longest playoff drought in the NFL. Despite the perception that the Bills had assembled a formidably talented roster for this season, they are now sitting at 6-7. I read, with appropriate wincing and cringing, that the team "outgained their opponents in six of the seven losses, but turnovers, penalties, and bad luck have all led to losses."

Appropriately, a 30 for 30 documentary on the 90s era Bills, losers of four straight Super Bowls, premiered on ESPN this week. It was met with rave reviews and tears in the Buffalo era. We just can't get enough losing, apparently.

On the other hand, everyone knows that we'll all be coming back for more next year.

After all, next year could be our year.