Throughout the Buffalo Bills’ 17-year playoff drought, the NFL Draft has been a somewhat centerpiece of the purgatory for Bills fans – troubling to recall and prompting Buffalo fans to consult their doctors because the pain has lasted 17 seasons, much longer than anticipated.

Players names dash into the mind like night terrors on a still, dark evening alone. Names such as Erik Flowers, Mike Williams, Aaron Maybin, and E.J. Manuel come to thought and upset the collective fan base when spoken.

Just as the names of blundered draft picks upset the diehard fans of Western New York, the overarching success of a division rival does the trick just as well.

The New England Patriots have shown dominance over the AFC East since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were married at the altar of Super Bowl XXVI in 2002. Unlike most celebrity marriages that falter after only a short amount of time, this union has strengthened over time and has created a dynasty atop the AFC East as well as the NFL.

This didn’t happen by happenstance or by luck, this happened because of smart thinking and execution.