What was your most frustrating season as a Bills fan?

[Phil The Thrill]

There were many frustrating seasons during the drought.  For me, it would have been either:

 

1994:  Coming odd 4 straight Super Bowl appearance we all expected the team to get “one for the thumb.”  But this was an old and tired football team that really hadn’t been upgraded enough.  Many of the players were on this team a year too late - especially on defense.  Kelly and Reed had a pretty decent season but Thurman seemed to be a little and Frank Reich really played poorly.  I remember being surprised that they wouldn’t play in the SB - it was the first time for me as a fan.  
 

2003 - the Bills came off a somewhat disappointing year (9-7) hut seemed to be firing on all cylinders after destroying New England 31-0 in the opener.  They looked like a bonafide Super Bowl contender.  But then of course, it all came crumbling down.  Terrible coach, terrible year.   Very frustrating.

 

2016 -  There was so much Talk this year from coaches, players, GM’s etc.  When it was nut-cutting time no one backed it up.  The best example was Rex Ryan.  Like a lot of fans I was excited when Rex was hired but he wore out his welcome fast.  By the end of the 2015 season, I was pretty sure he was fools gold but hoping I was wrong.  The worst was listening to Rex every talk about how they were going to turn things around.

 

Of course, the other person responsible was Doug Whaley.  Another example of someone who talked a big game but couldn’t do better than Tyrod Taylor at QB.  He whiffed at EJ then wasted draft capital to trade for a “generational player” who never panned out.  
 

The best thing Terry Pegula ever did was to move on from these two...but man was it frustrating.  
 

Let’s hear your thoughts!

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

9 minutes ago, Phil The Thrill said:

There were many frustrating seasons during the drought.  For me, it would have been either:

 

1994:  Coming odd 4 straight Super Bowl appearance we all expected the team to get “one for the thumb.”  But this was an old and tired football team that really hadn’t been upgraded enough.  Many of the players were on this team a year too late - especially on defense.  Kelly and Reed had a pretty decent season but Thurman seemed to be a little and Frank Reich really played poorly.  I remember being surprised that they wouldn’t play in the SB - it was the first time for me as a fan.  
 

2003 - the Bills came off a somewhat disappointing year (9-7) hut seemed to be firing on all cylinders after destroying New England 31-0 in the opener.  They looked like a bonafide Super Bowl contender.  But then of course, it all came crumbling down.  Terrible coach, terrible year.   Very frustrating.

 

2016 -  There was so much Talk this year from coaches, players, GM’s etc.  When it was nut-cutting time no one backed it up.  The best example was Rex Ryan.  Like a lot of fans I was excited when Rex was hired but he wore out his welcome fast.  By the end of the 2015 season, I was pretty sure he was fools gold but hoping I was wrong.  The worst was listening to Rex every talk about how they were going to turn things around.

 

Of course, the other person responsible was Doug Whaley.  Another example of someone who talked a big game but couldn’t do better than Tyrod Taylor at QB.  He whiffed at EJ then wasted draft capital to trade for a “generational player” who never panned out.  
 

The best thing Terry Pegula ever did was to move on from these two...but man was it frustrating.  
 

Let’s hear your thoughts!

so many to choose from. 2003 is a really good choice.

 

i would put 2000 up there (year after the music city miracle). First year without a Thurman, Bruce, and Andre. Team embroiled in a QB controversy still, and neither guy played all that well. Started out okay, and then lost their last 4 and ended 8-8. And beginning of the end for Sam Cowhart. Suffered a season ending high-ankle sprain against TB. (And of course, Tore his Achilles to start the next season, and that was really the end). 

[mead107]

All of them from 91 on. Need that SB win 

[Rico]

2003 and it's not even close. The first 2 games were incredible though.

[thurst44]

2 minutes ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

i would put 2000 up there (year after the music city miracle). First year without a Thurman, Bruce, and Andre. Team embroiled in a QB controversy still, and neither guy played all that well. Started out okay, and then lost their last 4 and ended 8-8. And beginning of the end for Sam Cowhart. Suffered a season ending high-ankle sprain against TB. (And of course, Tore his Achilles to start the next season, and that was really the end). 

I'd also have to say 1999/2000 is one of them. The way the feel-good season crash landed into the mess with whole Flutie/Johnson divisive nonsense. It stung extra as I had been a Flutie fan since I was a kid and saw the Hail Mary pass and was so overjoyed he had not only come to the Bills but was winning with them, and did not care for Rob Johnson's blase attitude from the beginning. Even if I liked Johnson and hated Flutie, the move would have rubbed me the wrong way, because it just seemed all kinds of football wrong (never be fooled by a game against competition that's not trying). The last thing I want to do is open up that Pandora's Box, but that was my perspective and why it was an especially rough season from my perspective. Then a few weeks later was the cuts of the last remnants of the glory years and it was just salt in the wounds. 

 

Also,

2011: I just remember being in a bar in NY's Port Authority the day after the third of their three straight post-5-2 start blowouts, meeting up with a friend who couldn't care less about football. Before my friend arrived, I sat there musing about how it always falls apart for the Bills but had a bit of a joyful epiphany while thinking at least we can follow Fred Jackson's historic season as he was on pace for 1700 yards and well over 2000 from scrimmage at the age of 30 and what a fun underdog story that it was that an undrafted running back who had been through every other minor football league, after a couple training camps, caught on with the Bills and now was one of the best players in the league. What an amazing story. That will at least give this season some purpose. Then a few moments after my friend came in, I looked up at a TV screen tuned to ESPN and "Fred Jackson out for season" came across the crawl, and I just shook my head "Bleep football!" 

[JimKellyTryouts]

Rex's first year for me; I was initially nervous to see how his system would work with us, but they continued to assure that they weren't going to put square pegs in round holes despite doing exactly just that for his two years here.

 

The offseason was full of all sorts of flashy moves to improve our offense - Shady for free, Charles Clay who admittedly looked great when healthy with Miami, Percy Harvin, and Tyrod. Roman, and then especially Lynn, made the offense pull its weight with how dominant we were as a rushing team and relative ease of putting up points. Tyrod's agent's comments that were stressing that the defense and discipline were holding this team back from contention were spot on.

 

The over-confidence, self-destruction of what Schwartz did for us, nepotism hire, and exodus of players for various reasons were all rough times. After the colorblinding loss on TNF to the jets, I was at a low point because I didn't see us having any sort of short or long term trajectory for success. 

 

 

Fortunately, Terry did end up striking gold with McDermott's hire, though the handling of the draft leading up to Whaley getting fired made me just as uncomfortable. Luckily, it has all worked out for us rather quickly since our roster and front office is as good as it's ever been in many years

Edited May 2, 2020 by JimKellyTryouts

[DallasMac]

2011 for me.  Team looked so promising at 5-2 with a win over the Patriots.  Thought the drought was finally over.  7 straight losses after.  Hope squashed.

[Flip Johnson]

2005-12 - the irrelevance of Mularkey, Jauron, and Gailey and the incompetence of the front office was really agonizing.

 

2014 - on the edge of the playoffs and ending the drought, then losing to Oakland

 

2016 - when it became obvious that Rex had no answers and we were starting over.

[folz]

1984: 2-14

1985: 2-14

1986: 4-12

 

The recent drought was much longer, but the team wasn't anywhere near as bad at any point during the drought as it was in '84 to '86---except for maybe 2001, but at least that year we thought it was because we were rebuilding.

 

 

[Fr. Jerk]

More recently would be Rex's first year. He peaked in week 1. It was all downhill from there.

[Nuncha]

Year of the music city miracle......we had a really good team and if we win that game I think we go to the super bowl.

 

My expectations were really low when Rex was here.  I knew we would suck.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Azucho98

[Doc Brown]

All of these but I'll add 2008 after starting 5-1.

[longtimebillsfan]

Two words Rex Ryan.

Edited May 2, 2020 by longtimebillsfan

[MJS]

Rex Ryan's 2016 season. There was hope going in because we were told that Rex Ryan was going all in on his defense and we were to believe that he would get it on track. Turned out to be nothing but bluster. Ryan came in and destroyed an elite defense and a team that actually had some talent to compete. What a total waste of two seasons and a great defense.

 

The other season I'll mention is 2011 when we started off 5-2 with Ryan Fitzpatrick and then the wheels came off. Similar feeling to the 2008 5-1 start, but at least the QB got hurt that year, so there was a reason why they fell off a cliff.

 

There were years when we knew the team would be bad or mediocre and they were. Those aren't as bad as the years when you have hope and that hope is dashed.

Edited May 2, 2020 by MJS

[BobbyC81]

2004: a dismal start leaves them at 0-4 and then 1-5.  In weeks 11 thru 16 they have probably the best 6 game stretch in franchise history, scoring at least 33 points in each game, winning each by double digits with most by big margins.  Then, all they need to do is beat the Pittsburgh backups to get in the playoffs and they lose.

[BillsNutHawaii]

3 hours ago, folz said:

1984: 2-14

1985: 2-14

1986: 4-12

 

The recent drought was much longer, but the team wasn't anywhere near as bad at any point during the drought as it was in '84 to '86---except for maybe 2001, but at least that year we thought it was because we were rebuilding.

 

 

 

The 1985 season, a second consecutive 2-14 season, was just too much for me to withstand.  My justification:

- No signs of improvement from the previous season 

- losing players to the USFL

- team is getting blasted with regularity.

- uniform / helmet change bc Joe Ferguson supposedly had challenges distinguishing team mates from division opponents downfield (that’s actually attributed to 1984) Then Joe Ferguson, the inspiration for the change, departs   .... for a 7th round pick from Lions which to my knowledge we never received.

- The Vince Ferragamo / Bruce Mathison QB “battle”

- Jim Kelly laughing at Buffalo via national media, although he certainly made amends, but in 1985 we didn’t realize he would later make up for it.

- Bruce Smith relegated to the bench (I’ll always remember the photo of him in SI, or some national sports magazine at the time, doing push-ups for some practice related infraction he committed).

- Kay Stephenson gets fired mid season and things get worse with Hank Bullough

- Patrick McGroder passes away (January 15, 1986) which could technically be considered part of the 1985 season.  FYI Pat McGroder was key to bringing pro football back to Buffalo....post AAFC, (All American Football Conference) .... From what I learned, we can thank George Halas for that debacle.... but I diverge .. that’s for another thread.

 

Anyway, that season was a total mess.  Was there a Bills season which was actually worse than this ... if so, I would be curious to know which season that would be. Thoughts ? 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by BillsNutHawaii
More detail

[GunnerBill]

2015 by an absolute mile. That team had the talent not only to make the playoffs but to make a run. We played a relatively weak AFC South and an NFC East that was in turmoil. We came into the year boasting a top 5 defense from 2014 and with one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL plus upgraded weapons with McCoy and Clay and Harvin to add to Sammy, Woods, Hogan and Goodwin. We weren't sure what we had at Quarterback but Tyrod only needed to be average (he actually had the best year of his career). 

 

Sadly it was the worst Head Coaching season I can ever remember in Buffalo. Absolute shambles from the start. To finish 8-8 with that talent on that schedule was fireable. That we wasted another year on the fat, useless buffoon still to this day infuriates me. That said, that season we'd have had to wait until after the Superbowl to hire the guy I wanted to replace him because he was coordinating the defense of the Carolina Panthers. I can just about live with waiting an extra season to get the right outcome. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by GunnerBill

[BillsNutHawaii]

2 hours ago, Azucho98 said:

Year of the music city miracle......we had a really good team and if we win that game I think we go to the super bowl.

 

My expectations were really low when Rex was here.  I knew we would suck.

 

 

 

I think our number one ranked defense that year would have challenged the Rams offense.  I really believe the Bills had a better than 50% chance of defeating the St. Louis Rams in that SB, had Buffalo advanced.  

[Golden Goat]

1997. We went 6-10 and finished our season with a loss to Green Bay on a Saturday -- the early game. The Bills' season was officially over before any other team's. That pissed me off enough for me to remember it vividly 23 years later.

[eball]

2016 for me.  3/4 through the season I wrote a letter to the Pegulas that I would not be renewing my season tickets (after 27 years) and implored them to fire Rex and remove Brandon from all football operations.

[BreezeMafia]

Tie 1996, 1999.

[machine gun kelly]

Pretty much every after Kelly, and prior to McBeane.

[JaCrispy]

1990 hands down...

 

because it is so hard to get to that level...and to be that good and that close is the most crushing feeling ever...

[BananaB]

The disappointment of losing to the Steelers backups at home with playoffs on the line was super frustrating. We also started 1-5 because we were running Henry more then McGahee. Prettty sure McGahee started during the W also when Henry was injured. Once the made the switch we went on a real run. 
 

I think Taylor’s first season was the most frustrating though, some of it having to do with be another 10 years into the drought. What hurt the most was we had about 4 or 5 games that we lost by a TD or less. At the end of those games when we needed the best play out of our QB we got his worst. I remember the Philly game the best, we were down by 3 and got two opportunities. I know we hardly moved the ball, not sure if we even got a first down on the drives. When the drives stalled they were both on 3rd down and both the same deep pass down the right side, the second one was intercepted. 
 

The KC game was pretty frustrating also. Sammy had a career 1st half and after some KC adjustments Taylor is terrified to throw in his direction. Also another game where we had the ball and couldn’t score at the end. 
 

When you finish 8-8 and have 4 losses decided by a ess then a TD it’s not hard to determine better play out of our QB late in games could of been the difference. I don’t expect to win them all but I expect to win a couple.  Just move the ball and give yourself an opportunity, but we couldn’t go anywhere in those situations. 
 

Allen might not be the most consistent but when the game is good on the line he plays his best football. We won a decent amount of games in the 4th quarter this year, we also lost a few where we were knocking on the door at the end and just couldn’t get in the end zone. A Hauska missed FG cost is the game in Cleveland as well. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by BananaB

[billsfan1959]

1 minute ago, JaCrispy said:

1990 hands down...

 

because it is so hard to get to that level...and to be that good and that close is the most crushing feeling ever...

 

Looking back over my 50+ years of being a Bills fan, I would choose 1990. The season itself was not frustrating; however, the end result was, in hindsight, the most frustrating of any season. That was the one year that, IMHO, the Bills were clearly the best team in football, had the best opportunity to win the Super Bowl, and should have won it.

 

1999 was my second choice. That team clearly had the talent to win the Super Bowl that year, and I believe they could have if they would have had consistently decent play at QB. I couldn't stand Flutie or Johnson.

[ThurmasThoman]

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but 2012 really took the wind out of my sails as a fan, and I'm no youngster--I've seen it all (from the Super Bowl era on, at least.)

That year, I spent all offseason talking myself into the Bills chances. The year before was the 5-2 start, but Fitz had been injured in the game vs the Redskins in Toronto, so it seemed like there was a legitimate excuse as to why the wheels came off. The PREVIOUS year (2010) they had started 0-8, but went on such a nice run at the end of the season it felt like a young team coming together. Their hot start in 2011 seemed to be legitimate, and then they actually went out and made additions to improve the roster. Mario Wiliams! Dave Wansteadt to coach the D! 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was beyond excited for the season to start. Counting the minutes. I thought that team was going to go on a Cinderella run. 

Well, the details are a little fuzzy, but week 1 in the Meadowlands, I remember Fitz throwing a pick 6 about 3 minutes in, and we never recovered.
Losses to the Rams and the Titans at home stick out in my mind. 2 games we had to have, and just looked like absolute trash. 
It was so depressing to think that we were on the cusp of being an ACTUAL NFL team, but as the season wore on, I learned the value of having depth on the roster. We had none. 

The 2015 season wasn't that disappointing to me. I can't explain why, but I just absolutely LOATHED those teams. The roster construction drove me up a wall. It was like having 75,000$ worth of toys and living in a trailer park. Tyrod just wasn't a good QB. I saw it from day 1. He could scramble, he could "make plays", but he couldn't walk up to the line, check the d, audible out, exploit a weakness, and win when it mattered.

Haters aside, Josh Allen can actually do that. He just looks like an NFL QB, and it's fun to watch. Love the team we have now. To me, heartbreaking playoff losses hurt less than 6-10 campaigns. 

[Seasons1992]

1 hour ago, BillsNutHawaii said:

 

I think our number one ranked defense that year would have challenged the Rams offense.  I really believe the Bills had a better than 50% chance of defeating the St. Louis Rams in that SB, had Buffalo advanced.  

 

I agree with this. Tom Jackson on ESPN (met him here in Cincy once, super nice guy) said on NFL Countdown that morning of the Titans game, "The winner of this game will be in the Super Bowl." He was right.

 

OP topic, most disappointing season? Geez.......it's like a Rolodex when you're a Bills fan. For me, I think it's gotta be a tie between 2004 and 2011, with 2003 honorable mention. Bledsoe played arguably his worst game ever against Pittsburgh's backups (and we were at home!); The fool's gold of Fitzy in 2011; 2-0 start (remember James Hardy in Jacksonville, RIP) and it just bailing out after then.

[SirAndrew]

2003 is a great choice. We’ve had worse teams, but that was the most frustrating imo. I thought we had a really good defense and a decent QB (Bledsoe) who was good enough to take us to the playoffs. Many of us were wrong about both, and we should have seen it coming from the second half of Bledsoe’s 2002 season.

2004 isn’t being mentioned, but the loss to the Steelers backups that season was an all time low. That season started out so poorly before we made a run in the second half of the season led by McGahee. It was one of the more exciting second halves of a season I remember. Missing out on the playoffs was tough that year. I never really got frustrated during the Fitz/Gailey years, or Edwards/Jauron years because my expectations were non existent. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by SirAndrew

[Dr. K]

When they hired Rex Ryan, which I thought from day one was a stupid move. I could hardly watch them under him, the undisciplined play, the way he destroyed the defense, his ego and awful press conferences. It still makes me cringe. 

[BillsNutHawaii]

10 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

I agree with this. Tom Jackson on ESPN (met him here in Cincy once, super nice guy) said on NFL Countdown that morning of the Titans game, "The winner of this game will be in the Super Bowl." He was right.

 

OP topic, most disappointing season? Geez.......it's like a Rolodex when you're a Bills fan. For me, I think it's gotta be a tie between 2004 and 2011, with 2003 honorable mention. Bledsoe played arguably his worst game ever against Pittsburgh's backups (and we were at home!); The fool's gold of Fitzy in 2011; 2-0 start (remember James Hardy in Jacksonville, RIP) and it just bailing out after then.

 

“Like a Rolodex..... “ .... perfectly stated - PERFECT!  

And with regard to Tom Jackson’s statements, Bill Parcells was on that show too and said basically said the same thing.  it was the beginning of the playoffs and for the AFC he predicted the Bills would make the SB.  But I stand by my earlier post, worst Bills season for me as a fan (or any season of any sport ) is the Bills of 1985.  

 

 

 

 

[turftoe]

It's a toss up between the music city  miracle and the year that Bruce Smith got the flu and wasn't able to play in the playoffs against the Steelers. We had Bryce Paup and Smith that year and probably could have advanced to the Superbowl with a healthy Smith. 

[Royale with Cheese]

2015 recently.  I bought into Rex and then we were up I believe 28-0 in the 3rd in the opener against a popular Super Bowl pick in the Colts.  
 

2003 from years ago because of our hot start.

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, eball said:

2016 for me.  3/4 through the season I wrote a letter to the Pegulas that I would not be renewing my season tickets (after 27 years) and implored them to fire Rex and remove Brandon from all football operations.

 

You were late on the bus. In the days when we used to have signatures on our posts around here I made mine "fire Rex" after the Jags London game in 2015. The man was a freaking moron. 2016 was like slow creeping death to me.

[SoCal Deek]

Easy....the previous season is always the most frustrating....but then I’m right back in there every September! And I have been for over 50 years! 
Go Bills

[jwhit34]

1975 - All three Buffalo teams were really good and the Bills got off to a 4-0 start including a win vs. the Steelers who had thrashed them in the playoffs. I think that 1975 was OJ's best year, better than the 2,003 yard season because he had over 1,800 yards and set the NFL for TDs in a season (and had over 400 yards receiving). Jim Braxton had over 1,100 yards from scrimmage. Their offense was unstoppable but their defense couldn't stop anyone, especially in the 2nd half of the season. 

 

I was 13-14 years old, and when they started out 4-0 and beat Pittsburgh I thought they had a chance to go all the way. Then they lost to a bad Giants team on Monday night and of course lost to Miami the week later and the season headed south.

 

Watching McAdoo win another scoring title and the MVP (and the Braves having the 3rd best record in the NBA) and the Sabres make it to Stanley Cup helped a lot but that Bills season will always be a huge disappointment. I thought all 3 teams had a chance to win a championship that year. 

[CSBill]

2000-2016

Edited May 2, 2020 by CSBill

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

2010 (by a mile)

 

Started the season 0-8.  Starter was benched.  Owner Ralph Wilson went on the record saying Buddy Nix he one job, Find a QB in the Draft.

 

Then what happened?

 

Fitz went 4-4 final 8 games.

 

Buffalo finished 4-12.  Dropped to 3rd Overall in Draft.  Missed out on Cam Newton.  Drafted Marcel Dareus.  Did Buffalo Draft a QB...nope!

 

proably the most frustrating part was having to read on sites like this all the “FOOTBALL EXPERTS” say that Fitz was the guy and all he needed was more time with Gailey.  WOW!

[Freddie's Dead]

2011 for me.  Fitzmagic, the huge win over the Cheats, Fred Jackson having an MVP season as the best running back in the league.  Then Fred breaks his leg and it all went down the tubes.  That CJ Spiller pick really worked out, huh?

[Don Otreply]

Nice question, how much time do you have...

 

 

Go Bills!!!

[Bigvinny]

1 hour ago, JaCrispy said:

1990 hands down...

 

because it is so hard to get to that level...and to be that good and that close is the most crushing feeling ever...

 

Same. Beat the Raiders 51- 3. That team was loaded.