It's officially put up or shut up time for the Buffalo Bills.
The offseason is over, a stretch of months that saw the team spend big money to retain its offensive core (Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson) and rebuild a suspect defense (Mario Williams, Mark Anderson).
Throw in No. 10 overall draft pick Stephon Gilmore at cornerback, and the franchise has expectations to contend with for the first time in years.
Bills general manager Buddy Nix believes that's a good thing.
"No, I like high expectations. I've never been many places where if you didn't have 'em, that good things happen," he told the Toronto Sun. "So I think they oughta expect a lot of us. We expect a lot out of ourselves. New England, the AFC -- they don't scare me. I think we can compete with any of 'em, and our intention is to try to win the division."
I would counter that the New England Patriots should scare every AFC East team so as long as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are prominently involved. But don't forget the Bills outlasted New England in a Week 3 shootout last season, a game that appeared to signal a turning point for the franchise.
It didn't work out that way, of course, but it was a start. Now Nix expects the Bills to take the next step. Having opened up the organization's coffers, they better.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
