The Frankish Reich Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 (edited) The question is this: not the 5 Best Bills Teams of All Time (that would get boring; the 4 Super Bowl teams plus any other playoff team). It's more like "Which Bills Teams Provided the Most Pure Fan Entertainment Value?" So that may be all good (the first SB team) or a mix of highs and lows, or even "I can't make myself look away" trainwrecks. Here's mine; I don't go back to the pre-merger days just because I was too young to remember them: 1. 1990. The first Super Bowl team. That one's easy. Finally made it, and just about won it. And when it ended, we all thought we'll get 'em next year. A marvelous ride with a thrilling/crushing end. 2. 2017. Really, you could make a good argument that this was probably the most flat-out entertaining season of them all. Started 5-2. Then hit a wall, crushed by the Saints. 5-4 after that, but still in the hunt. And then ... inexplicably ... Nathan Peterman! A stunning change, and a stunningly horrible result. Return to normalcy the next week with Tyrod. Sputtering along, stumbling toward that 3% statistical chance of making the playoffs, and then ... the return of Nathan Peterman in the great snow game, with the astounding Joe Webb pass. And then ... Andy Dalton! The drought was over. The good, the bad, the ugly, the ridiculous, all in one season. 3. 1973. OJ's 2000 yard season. The team wasn't very good, but the run for 2,000 was reason enough to keep watching all by itself. I went to my first Bills game in 1971. 1973 was when it started feeling like we might just have the best player in football, and that that might be enough to actually win something. The next season was better, but not as memorable for me, even though we made the playoffs. Couldn't beat the Dolphins in the regular season but actually played them close. One and done in the playoffs (Steelers, but really, that was peak Steelers). And we all thought next season would be better. It was ... o.k., but then the decline started again. 4. 1999. The Music City debacle. Flutie! The inexplicable change to Rob Johnson for that playoff game. (We specialize in those.) The sluggish offense, and then suddenly shoeless Rob making a big play for the win! And then, well, we all know what happened then. 5. 2014. The inexplicable switch to Kyle Orton when EJ was 2-2. It worked! For a while. The Detroit "home" game after the epic snow. Sammy Watkins! Robert Woods! The Jim Schwartz defense. It had it all until Kyle slid on that last series. Honorable Mentions: - 1992. It ended ugly. The Super Bowl collapse. But ... The Comeback. As improbable as comebacks come, with Frank Reich leading it. Amazing. And still a damn good team, although by the Super Bowl it became obvious that this was the NFC's time, and specifically, the NFC East's. - 1981. Ground Chuck! Hey, maybe this will work after all. Joe Cribbs. Window of opportunity opening with the Steelers and Dolphins nearing the end (this was pre-Marino). Oops, didn't see the game going in the reverse direction at the time (Air Coryell, Marino, Montana, Kelly ...) EDIT: after reading some replies, I moved some things around! Edited September 28, 2019 by The Frankish Reich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 1973, my first as a 7-year old fan, Juice gets 2003 yards on the ground 1980 a playoff run with Joe Cribbs, was there when they beat Miami after 20 losses in a row, Chuck Knox was easily the best coach of my decades of cheering 1988, after 2 disasters with Kelly they turned it around and got to the AFC title game. 1990, after winning at The Meadowlands in December, the Bills were the best team in the NFL, until Wide Right, I don't think I will every believe they are the at a given moment the best team in the NFL again... i'll combine 91 to 93 but it wasn't the same as 88 or 90... 92 and 93 wasn't that great as it was just a season heading towards a SB massacre..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 1966 - played the Chiefs to go to the first Super Bowl but lost; I attended the AFL Championship game went home sad. 1973 - OJ and 2000 yards; after six years of really bad football it was great! For those who complain about McBeane or even Peterman you have no idea what bad is! 1980 - loved this team and its personalities; the win against the Rams. 1988 - We were finally back and you knew we would be for awhile! 1998/1999 - Sorry, loved watching Flutie and the defense 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franco_92 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 (edited) I only started watching in 2005. 2017 easy. Playoffs, and I loved that team every step of the way. 2014. That defense was amazing, we still liked Sammy, who provided us with plenty of electric, exciting rookie moments. Fred was still there. That Packers game in December is a top 5 all time game for me. (easy choice considering the stretch we've had since 2005) It gets hard after this haha. 2015. Wasn't sick of Rex until the middle/end, the opener and then week 3 against Miami were awesome. Always fun to sweep the Jets and Dolphins. The game in KC was so fun before we fell apart. 2011. 2008. The last two seasons just because there were brief glimpses of hope at the beginning, and Fred Jackson (2011) was just so damn fun to watch. Based on the criteria for 08/11, this season is ALREADY going to be guaranteed in the top 5. Let's hope it climbs all the way to the top. Edited September 27, 2019 by arcane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Spartacus Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 I'm going to go with the 1980 Bills. Exciting team to watch. Beating the Rams & meeting the Bills at the airport in sub-zero weather! I loved you uniforms then too. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 (edited) 1990. I witnessed some of the wins leading up to our first SB experience didn't suffer the pain of watching that SB - I was deployed in Saudi for Operation Desert Storm. Great to watch the Bills offense that season move the ball almost at will. 1973. I loved watching OJ play. His skill was preternatural. Going to a Bills game was like visiting the Sistine Chapel - you would gape in awe - except that Bills games were a lot more exciting of course! 1989. A fun team: Jerry Butler, Joe Cribs, the "Bermuda Triangle"... Breaking the Fin Streak gave me a sense that good times were coming. 1991. Another great offense and SB run. 1975. Another great year by OJ as the Bills led the league in scoring, producing 30 points per game (which was awesome in that era). Edited September 27, 2019 by hondo in seattle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Easy. The five times they made the AFC Championship game (4 times making the SB). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 36 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said: 1990. I witnessed some of the wins leading up to our first SB experience didn't suffer the pain of watching that SB - I was deployed in Saudi for Operation Desert Storm. Great to watch the Bills offense that season move the ball almost at will. 1973. I loved watching OJ play. His skill was preternatural. Going to a Bills game was like visiting the Sistine Chapel - you would gape in awe - except that Bills games were a lot more exciting of course! 1989. A fun team: Jerry Butler, Joe Cribs, the "Bermuda Triangle"... Breaking the Fin Streak gave me a sense that good times were coming. 1991. Another great offense and SB run. 1975. Another great year by OJ as the Bills led the league in scoring, producing 30 points per game (which was awesome in that era). c'mon... gotta be room in your heart for the Knox/Cribbs 1980 season..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, row_33 said: c'mon... gotta be room in your heart for the Knox/Cribbs 1980 season..... I think he meant 1980 where it's 1989. 1989 is the Ronnie freaking Harmon year. Cribbs and Butler were nowhere in sight in 1989. Edited September 27, 2019 by njbuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 11 minutes ago, njbuff said: I think he meant 1980 where it's 1989. yes, 1989 was capped off by "he who shall not be mentioned" dropping the perfectly placed TD pass from Kelly at Cleveland in the playoffs.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Too many to categorize into 5, so 5 periods it is ’64-‘66 ’73-‘75 ’79-‘82 ’88-‘93 ’17-Present 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 My earliest Bills memories are from the 1999 season. So that one is up there. Best Bills memory for me is 2017. Ironic that the crowning moment of the season was without the Bills even on the field (Dalton's 4th down pass). 2004 with the great defense we had was interesting. Not really any others worth mentioning for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Just now, row_33 said: yes, 1989 was capped off by "he who shall not be mentioned" dropping the perfectly placed TD pass from Kelly at Cleveland in the playoffs.... Ronnie freaking Harmon. That team might have won in Denver, but would have gotten crushed by the greatest team in SB history, the 89 Niners. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 15 minutes ago, njbuff said: Ronnie freaking Harmon. That team might have won in Denver, but would have gotten crushed by the greatest team in SB history, the 89 Niners. 15 minutes ago, njbuff said: Ronnie freaking Harmon. That team might have won in Denver, but would have gotten crushed by the greatest team in SB history, the 89 Niners. The worst part was bozos blamed Kelly for many years until youtube gave us that play to re-watch if we want... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloRebound Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 My fandom memory only goes back to 1986. 1986 - palpable excitement over arrival of franchise QB 1988 - the golden years had arrived 1990 - wild ride of a season. Only year we were the NFL’s juggernaut 1998 - Flutie mania 2017 - drought ends 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 11 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said: My fandom memory only goes back to 1986. 1986 - palpable excitement over arrival of franchise QB 1988 - the golden years had arrived 1990 - wild ride of a season. Only year we were the NFL’s juggernaut 1998 - Flutie mania 2017 - drought ends happy i don't have to use 1998 or it's reason even 1% in my enjoyment of the franchise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 9 minutes ago, row_33 said: yes, 1989 was capped off by "he who shall not be mentioned" dropping the perfectly placed TD pass from Kelly at Cleveland in the playoffs.... At the time Merlon Olson said it perfectly if you go back and listen to his commentary after the dropped pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 19 minutes ago, njbuff said: At the time Merlon Olson said it perfectly if you go back and listen to his commentary after the dropped pass. he was my all-time color man, Gowdy play by play they got replaced by my least favourites in Dierdorf and Enberg..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 1 minute ago, row_33 said: he was my all-time color man, Gowdy play by play they got replaced by my least favourites in Dierdorf and Enberg..... Can they be any worse than Buck and Aikman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 IMO in all the years of Bills football they were the best team in the entire league two times. 1990 and 1980. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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