No-Name Buffalo Bills Still Getting No Respect from National Media

The Buffalo Bills are 4-1. Surprising, right? Well, of course it is. This is the Bills, after all, the team that missed the playoffs for the last 10 years. This is the team that went 4-12 after a 0-8 start last year. The team that John Clayton picked to finish 32 out of 32 before the season. Okay, so they don't have a great track record.

What about this year? They lead their division. They beat the Patriots for the first time in fifteen attempts. Fred Jackson is looking like an all-pro running back. They have the best record in the AFC. I think George Wilson just picked off Michael Vick again. Where does ESPN place them in the power rankings? Sixth. Four slots BELOW the New England Patriots. (A team, I might add, that boasts the 32nd ranked defense in the NFL). No respect.

After each win, the Bills have heard, "Well yeah, but can they win NEXT week too?"  Does it bother them? WR Stevie Johnson opened up about it on WGR Sports Radio Tuesday afternoon:

"Right now it’s about winning football games. The whole are we gonna be good? Are we good? Are we contenders or pretenders? It was all like in the beginning of the season, but now that we are five weeks deep into the season it’s just about winning games now. We can’t worry about what people are saying if we’re legit. That conversation may go on all the way till we win the Super Bowl so we just have to worry about winning games week in and week out."

To the Bills players, each week is about winning games. Whether the respect comes with it is secondary.

They appear to have the right attitude: win, worry about what everyone else thinks later. If they continue to beat teams they aren't supposed to, maybe everyone else will take notice.