dhgold

IMO, the Bills have to significantly reduce the number of JA's regular season designed runs.

For me the killers are SB 25, Home run throw forward & 13 seconds.

I was wondering that during last Sunday's game as JA was reminding me of a young Elway.

+1

+1 Also, a quibble with the chain of command: Lt General is too high a rank as Allen must be subordinate to McDermott.

The field goal block by Odomes and return by Bennet against the Broncos in 1990 is my choice as I feel it set the Super Bowl run in motion. After the auspicious 12-4 1988 season the very talented Bills seemed posed to become a juggernaut. However, it seemed like they read too many of their press clippings and in '89 they regressed to 9-7 and some degree of infamy as the "Bickering Bills." The NFL world wondered which version of Bills would show up in 1990. The Bills season had a shaky start, getting trounced by the Dolphins and then beating the Jets. After falling behind 21-9 at the start of the fourth quarter against the Broncos in Buffalo, it felt like the Bills were on the verge on implosion. As the Broncos lined for a 24 yard field goal attempt, the Bills' prospects for the game and the season seemed bleak. Then Odomes broke through, blocked the kicked, Bennet caught it and the fly and proceeded directly to pay dirt. This sent the crowd into a frenzy, discombobulating the Broncos offense leading very quickly to a pick-six and a fumble inside their own five yard line. Within a minute and a half of game time the Bills had gone from being on the verge of a 15 point deficit to an 8 point lead. The Bills held on to beat the Broncos by one point, won their next six games and were rolling. They pretty much didn't look back for the next four seasons after the blocked field goal against the Broncos (except in Super Bowls). I've long felt that that play was the catalyst of the Bills' golden age and the pivotal moment in Bills history.

It seems that Cookie Gilchrist was a free agent when the Bills acquired him. He'd played in the CFL, ala Flutie. During the three years he played for the Bills: AFL MVP (1962) First 1000 yard rusher in AFL history. Set pro football single game rushing record (243 yards) Ran for 122 yards in 1964 AFL championship game (Bills won) John Madden: "Cookie Gilchrist may have been the best blocking running back that ever played the game."

Another vote for Rex Ryan

You've been a Bills fan for too long if... Your seminal sports memory is the Bills losing at home to the Chiefs 31-7 for the right to go the the first Super Bowl. You were unable to watch the game on your family's single black and white TV (presumably because it wasn't broadcast in Buffalo), so you listened to the game on the vacuum tube radio in your parent's bedroom.

RR has been a big disappointment. I guess I put too much stock in the Jets occasionally beating NE when he was NY's HC. I couldn't make it through all ten previous pages of this thread, but I noticed that many posters pointed out the complete organizational breakdown WRT replay challenges, total lack of pass rush and general disorganization/lack of discipline (#1 in NFL in penalties by a wide margin). All of those things infuriated me but another aspect of the game that really bothered me was the gutlessness and lack of strategic understanding of the modern NFL game that lead to punting twice in Chiefs territory; on both occasions the Chiefs made it back to the Bills' last line of scrimmage within a couple of plays and scored on that possession.

I try not to watch the Bills any more, it's just too painful. I had big Bills avoidance plans for today but I fell off a wall a couple of days ago and am semi-immobilized, so in spite of myself I headed down to a local sports bar to watch the late games. The highlight of this session was a 15 second real time interval where I watched RGIII sprint 76 yards for a TD, Russel Wison (like Flutie, but worse) and Sydney Rice beat the Patriots wretched secondary to steal a game and finally, Feely clank an upright to botch the game winner moments after hitting the 61 yarder. Positives: The Bills didn't give up any draft picks to acquire their non-playoff caliber quarterback. Even though he didn't do much, Fred Jackson is probably my favorite Bills since Thurman. I really like his ability to turn a no-gainer into two or three yards. CJ Spiller is one of the most exciting players in the league. Defensive line somehow managed to find some pride after the humiliations of the last two weeks. Stevie Johnson. Negatives: The quarterback play on both sides. Hard to believe there will be a worse pair of starting QBs this season. I don't know what happened to Fitzpatrick's arm -- until he signed his extension it was passable -- but right now it might be the worst I've seen on an NFL quarterback, terribly inaccurate and underpowered. Punt coverage team totally unprepared for fake. Fitzgerald wide open on crucial 4th and 11. I've wondered why Brad Smith always runs when he's the wildcat QB. Now I now. That was an inexcusable interception.

Don't know if anyone's come up with this conspiracy theory yet, but give it a try: I'm working at home in CO and loosely following the game on NFL.com. Of course I was surprised at the Bills fast start and all things considered became suspicious. Then it occurred to me, what if Belichick deliberately let the Bills get ahead in order to give Brady an excuse to air it out break the single season passing record without looking like they're running it up.

Resignation and despair. Year after year of Decembers spent hoping the Bills lose out so that they can draft high. At this point I'm pretty sure I want the Bills to leave Buffalo because then I won't care about the franchise and can enjoy the quality product that the NFL otherwise puts out.

So frustrating to have to tolerate this crap year after year. At the top of my mind: WTF with having nearly every decent kick return called back? WTF with terrible defense year after year? Basic probability would indicate that once in a while the Bills would draft a decent defensive back; maybe our defensive coaches suck. Maybe???

This one would make my list. It felt like the fix was in.

Actively rooting for: Colts - Manning's the class of the league, deserves a trophy Chargers - Have caused Bills very few problems over the years Saints - The last shall be first, fun to watch Bears - family ties Don't really care, it doesn't matter, they have no shot Chiefs - I have a soft spot for them since they knocked Bills out of SBI, sparing BB premature national humiliation Jets - The divisional rival that's caused BB fewest problems over the years Eagles - Another hard luck franchise that I wouldn't mind seeing on top. Seahawks - They had their shot Giants - I feel sorry for Manning (I know I shouldn't). Otherwise, I'm still bitter about SBXXV. Anybody but these guys Ravens - Winning once w/ a one dimensional team is plenty Patriots - Can't stand to hear any more hosannahs about Bellicick or Brady Cowboys - My most hated team in all sports.

I didn't have the patience to read this whole thread, but a couple of opinions. 1. For the last few games of the season, the run defense was a bigger problem than the o-line. Not that the OL doesn't have a lot of room for improvement, but it improved after the bye, unline RD which seemed to get worse. 2. I've seen Leonard Davis' name pop up in at least a couple of threads as a free agent acquisition that would fix the OL. I assume we're talking about Davis of the Cardinals, a team with a terrible OL -- definitely worse than the Bills. Why do people think that a lineman the Cardinals didn't want to keep would improve the Bills' line?

I completely agree that the Bills need to go back to some earlier generation of uniform. The current outfit is a crime against nature and probably costs the Bills at least two wins a year.

I generally agree with people's good and bad moments. Here are some more: Bad: Bruce Smith getting a 15 yard facemask penalty after making the most amazing sack I'd ever seen, on Esiason in 1989 AFC Championship game. The play, a horizontally airborne BS grabbing Boomer's jersey at the collar with one hand and pulling him down, was so remarkable that the ref figured it wasn't' possible to do w/out a facemask so he threw a flag, resulting in a 20+ yard swing in field position. (After the game, Bruce called the flag "the worst call in NFL history.) The Bills had chance in that game, but not with that kind of bad luck. The Giants game towards the end of the 1990 season, when the Bills were having their way, in Meadowlands, with the very highly regarded Giants and a fan could finally believe the Bills were for real, when LT pushed Will Wolford into Kelly, injuring both Bills. As I watched the two Bills writhing on the field, that same old sinking feeling came over me. The game at Foxborough during the 98 season (the year of Flutie), when the Bills had the Pats beat until the refs made two terrible calls in the final minute, giving the Pats the game. Those calls, along with the Vinny non-touchdown resulted in the reinstatement of instant replay. The Mark Ingram play of the Bills first Super Bowl, when the Bills were ahead in the 3rd quarter and the Giants converted 3rd and 13 after about five Bills missed tackles on Ingram. Losing Joe Cribbs out of cheapness. Was that the year when RW cut the all the assistant coach's salaries? Good: (2nd tier since the best ones, esp 51-3, have already been mentioned) This goes way back, the 1968 season I believe (I was a little kid), when the doormat Bills beat the mighty Jets by picking off Namath four times and running a couple back. The second game of Bledsoe's first year as a Bill, the shootout at Minnesota, when the Bills amazingly won and indicated that after having been horrible the year before, they would at least be fun to watch. Bizarre: Jack Spike swallowing his tongue against the Oilers. 1967? The Bills' D-lineman (Edwards?) who stepped on Bradshaw's unhelmeted head. When asked about it after the game, the Bills player said that he "thought it was the football."

"The line continues to be its worst unit, for the last who knows how many years. That is a result of poor scouting, poor drafting and poor free agent acquisitions. " Poor coaching must also play a role as it also must with the recurrent penalties you mentioned.

No! After this year's draft I had the sinking sensation that the Bills will not have another good team for the rest of my life. What I've seen this season only strengthens that feeling. Observations: The Bills' strategy is to play well enough to not get blown out. The tactic they employ towards this end is to put the ball in the hand of their best player, Moorman. What does it say when the best player on the team is the punter? The inevitable drive killing offensive penalties diminish what scant enjoyment exists in watching the team. Is there a reason why journeyman/retread Thomas has looked at least as good as the self proclaimed star he is replacing other than that McGahee is overrated? The Bills' biggest weakness is the offensive line. It's not a question of which smells worse, the rotten chicken or the rotten egg. As unpromising as Losman has been, the o-line has been even worse. Priorities 1,2 & 3 in the offseason should be signifigantly upgrading this unit; this doesn't mean shelling out chump change for the guard/tackle/center equivalent of Tripplet, it means spending real money and draft picks to to acquire legitimate talent and competitiveness. I sometimes wonder if the Bills don't sign top-tier free agents because players don't want to come to Buffalo, possibly the least desireable location in the league, and play for the new-millenium perenial loser Bills; but then I remember when then terrible Philly signed John Runyon away from then formidable Tennessee by paying above market rates and how well that move, criticized at the time, worked out for player and team. Evans is the Bills second best player and possibly only blue chipper beside Moorman and probably Clements (who would probably be better if the team were more competive.) Bills need to sack up and pay Clements market rates; as someone said in another thread, they have to hold onto any real talent they have -- they are on the verge of becoming what the Clippers had been for the past three decades up to last year. I currently live in CO where the only info I get about the Bills is from watching them in a sportsbar without sound, so my opinions are based on nothing but what I see. Just had to vent.

Jim Brown was before my time, but from everything I've read and seen, he's not just the best running back in football history, but the best player. For example: a few years ago Pro Football Digest had an issue devoted to the 100 best players ever: Brown was the no-doubt #1. Postulating Sanders as a superior player is comparable to saying Kobe is better than Jordan -- it seems impossible that a person with a clear understanding of what the two accomplished and what matters in the sport would make that claim. Brown was indestructible, he was the fastest player on the field, he was bigger than some of his offensive linemen and he had moves too -- sounds like the formula for the perfect football player. He did play on great teams, but one tends to think that he would have made any team he played on great. Sanders was certainly fun to watch, but having seen them both play, I'd say OJ was even more exciting. He wasn't a miraculous jumping bean like Sanders, but he was faster, more fluid and more powerful. Obviously, OJ is completely disgraced now, but I'm still surprised that he hasn't really been mentioned in this thread. Anybody out there who followed the Bills when OJ was in his prime willing to assert that Sanders was a more exciting or better player?

Another long timer chiming in here -- I watched OJ play in War Memorial Stadium. OJ remains the most electric athlete I've ever witnessed in any sport. He had the elusiveness of Sanders, with an ability to make cuts that left defenders staring into space while not losing his forward speed. He had Bo Jackson type speed where you new that once he got into the open field, no one was going to catch him. Plus he even had decent power -- his first touchdown against UCLA in '67 went straight up the middle and over several defenders. (The second was as thrilling a piece of open field running as you'll ever see.) As a Bills fan, I love what Thurman did for the team and am outraged he didn't make the HOF on the first ballot, but OJ was hands down a greater talent. While we're at it, my list of greatest Bills post 1966 (in order): OJ, Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, Thurman.