Chandler#81 Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 Quick: who were the 1st 2 teams ever to have a losing season one year, then make the Conference Championship the next season? 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuba guy Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 Yup the bills and Bengals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 That was an ugly damn game. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redneck Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 Interesting - Kelly had 15 TD's an 17 picks that season, in his 3rd year with The Bills. Would that last in the NFL today? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan1959 Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 8 minutes ago, eball said: That was an ugly damn game. Amen. But, it was the 1st of five conference championship games in 6 seasons...a pretty good run, even with no SB wins 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 3 minutes ago, Redneck said: Interesting - Kelly had 15 TD's an 17 picks that season, in his 3rd year with The Bills. Would that last in the NFL today? Most QB stats from 1988 wouldn't be looked upon favorably in today's game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ (not THAT RJ) Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 26 minutes ago, eball said: That was an ugly damn game. Indeed. The Bills offense was putrid in the second half, buried deep in their own end. Also worth noting, a Scott Norwood miss before halftime killed momentum. Ominous for the future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsbackto81 Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 It did lead to the birth of the K-Gun No Huddle Offense. Cincy may have started it but the Bills turned it into an art form. Goes to show you it was a copycat league back then as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 My memory of that game was watching it from a ski lodge in Northern California. I went skiing because it never really occurred to me that the Bills were within a game of going to the Super Bowl. Back then it seemed like a dream and a destiny reserved for other franchises. Little did I know that all would change for the next half a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 The “REAL” Bills didn’t have a losing record in 1987. The “REAL” Bills went 6-6. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted July 4, 2021 Author Share Posted July 4, 2021 1 hour ago, njbuff said: The “REAL” Bills didn’t have a losing record in 1987. The “REAL” Bills went 6-6. Todd Scholpy for President! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticketssince61 Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 (edited) That delay of game on 4th down that nullified the 1st down completion to Lou Piccone still bothers me (and that Bruce Smith was out because had flu and had not his flu shot) Edited July 4, 2021 by ticketssince61 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple haze Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 I loved the edge Derrick Burroughs played with, but that personal foul was a killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 58 minutes ago, ticketssince61 said: That delay of game on 4th down that nullified the 1st down completion to Lou Piccone still bothers me (and that Bruce Smith was out because had flu and had not his flu shot) I think you're thinking about a different game, probably the playoff game against the Steelers when the Bills were trying to make it to the SB for the fifth time. 30 minutes ago, purple haze said: I loved the edge Derrick Burroughs played with, but that personal foul was a killer. The Burroughs PF was the dagger, but what killed the Bills in that game was the string of injuries on defense. Shane Conlan, Bruce Smith and others were out or limited. The Bengals had a great offense, and the Bills O was not able to keep up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv Levy Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 The Ickey shuffle. Bengals running back Ickey woods. He Killed us in that game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klos63 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, ticketssince61 said: That delay of game on 4th down that nullified the 1st down completion to Lou Piccone still bothers me (and that Bruce Smith was out because had flu and had not his flu shot) The Piccone game was 1980/81 season, Smith was against Pittsburgh. This is about 1989. 3 different games. Edited July 5, 2021 by klos63 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bermuda Triangle Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 One of the worst facemask calls I've ever seen was in that game. Bruce Smith grabbed Esiason by the jersey and brought him down for a sack. Refs called a 15-yard facemask. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticketssince61 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 3 hours ago, klos63 said: The Piccone game was 1980/81 season, Smith was against Pittsburgh. This is about 1989. 3 different games. Thanks for the correction on Lou Piccone - sorry (but it still stings) On Bruce Smith, it was the REGULAR season game against the Bengals that year not the playoff game "There also was talk that Smith was battling a bad case of the flu that day. He has refused to address the subject specifically." Thanks again for correcting. 18 hours ago, ticketssince61 said: That delay of game on 4th down that nullified the 1st down completion to Lou Piccone still bothers me (and that Bruce Smith was out because had flu and had not his flu shot) Sorry - a few people corrected me that I had confused a few games - those were not the game 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_In_NH Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 My memory from that game was Bruce crushing it til he hurt his knee. He played but probably should not have. This was not the flu game. He was crushing Munoz before he got hurt. They were not ready yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongli Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 On 7/4/2021 at 4:05 AM, Chandler#81 said: Quick: who were the 1st 2 teams ever to have a losing season one year, then make the Conference Championship the next season? San Francisco was 6-10 in 1980 and made the NFC Conference Championship Game (and Super Bowl) the following season at 13-3. Cincinnati was also 6-10 in 1980 and made the AFC Conference Championship Game (and Super Bowl) the following season at 12-4. What do I wiin?! :-) 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbRiddick Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 I love watching the intros to games from this era. Such a different time. Dick Enberg was a great announcer and I loved Merlin Olsen too. I also had hair at this point in time. Great days 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 If DerricK Burroughs didn't do a poor imitation of Mike Tyson against Tim McGee...... the Bills still would have had a chance in this game, even as poorly as they played offensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klos63 Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 5 hours ago, Bermuda Triangle said: One of the worst facemask calls I've ever seen was in that game. Bruce Smith grabbed Esiason by the jersey and brought him down for a sack. Refs called a 15-yard facemask. I think that would have been Bruce's 3rd sack of the first quarter. He ate Munoz alive until he got hurt later in the game. 4 hours ago, ticketssince61 said: Thanks for the correction on Lou Piccone - sorry (but it still stings) On Bruce Smith, it was the REGULAR season game against the Bengals that year not the playoff game "There also was talk that Smith was battling a bad case of the flu that day. He has refused to address the subject specifically." Thanks again for correcting. Sorry - a few people corrected me that I had confused a few games - those were not the game and Ferguson overthrew a wide open Hooks in the endzone on the next play. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheels Not So Golden Now Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 3 hours ago, njbuff said: If DerricK Burroughs didn't do a poor imitation of Mike Tyson against Tim McGee...... the Bills still would have had a chance in this game, even as poorly as they played offensively. I lived in Cincinnati at that the time. Later that week I heard Chris Collinsworth on the radio saying the Bengals knew they could easily get into Burroughs' head and mess with him. He laughed about Burroughs falling for their "strategy". https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiMocjxnM3xAhXOXM0KHUGaC0QQFnoECAMQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Fct-xpm-1989-01-09-8902240376-story.html&usg=AOvVaw32mWUa_btUbe-nE3LmQQJe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills fan since 87 Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 4 hours ago, RobbRiddick said: I love watching the intros to games from this era. Such a different time. Dick Enberg was a great announcer and I loved Merlin Olsen too. I also had hair at this point in time. Great days Ditto. Love the old 80s announce teams and pregame shows. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThurmanThomasEnglishMuffin Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 This team and the 1990 team are my favorite. So much potential, knew we were in for a ride. This game did more to help Buffalo than hurt it. It made Marv retool the offensive approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills fan since 87 Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, ThurmanThomasEnglishMuffin said: This team and the 1990 team are my favorite. So much potential, knew we were in for a ride. This game did more to help Buffalo than hurt it. It made Marv retool the offensive approach. Still would have loved the win though 😀 this was the third to last game I can remeber crying after. I was 12. The Ronnie Harmon drop and Norwood got me the next two years also:-( Edited July 7, 2021 by Bills fan since 87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 On 7/4/2021 at 8:44 AM, Redneck said: Interesting - Kelly had 15 TD's an 17 picks that season, in his 3rd year with The Bills. Would that last in the NFL today? Just a completely different era, even the best passing seasons from 1988 (Marino 4400 yards, 28 TD’s to 23 INT’s, Jim Evert 3900 yards, 31 TD’s to 18 INT’s and Cunningham 3800 yards 24 TD’s to 16 INT’s) would be pretty pedestrian numbers in today’s game. Teams passed less and the rules were more friendly to the defense. Also modern offenses have grown and adapted better to shorter and mid range passes. You just can’t compare the numbers without context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakingfane Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Interesting to see though that a rule like "in the grasp" was applied very liberally, at least in this game. Josh Allen would have been sacked last year at least twice as much if the refs called in the grasp the same nowadays. And they also called unnecessary roughness for driving the QB to the ground... And for spearing/ leading with the helmet. And the announcers called it like those defenders made boneheaded plays, not like the refs were too much of "over officious jerks" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einstein's Dog Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 This title is just wrong "Bills 1st Ever AFC Title Game. Jan. 89" What? How quickly we forget 1966! The very first AFC title game. Bills lost to KC for the right to get into the first Superbowl. C'mon two pages in and people are letting this slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 5 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said: This title is just wrong "Bills 1st Ever AFC Title Game. Jan. 89" What? How quickly we forget 1966! The very first AFC title game. Bills lost to KC for the right to get into the first Superbowl. C'mon two pages in and people are letting this slide. You’re new here, so I’m giving you a pass. Just 1. The 1960’s were AFL teams. No Conferences.🤦♂️ Chandler Rule#1 Newbs shouldn’t even be seen, let alone heard from. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einstein's Dog Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 2 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said: You’re new here, so I’m giving you a pass. Just 1. The 1960’s were AFL teams. No Conferences.🤦♂️ Chandler Rule#1 Newbs shouldn’t even be seen, let alone heard from. Quit digging your hole here Chandler. The Bills were in the deciding game to get into the Superbowl (and it wasn't called the Superbowl then). The deciding game is called the Conference Championship (doesn't matter what it was called then, that's what we call it now). If you're counting how many Superbowls a team won, Green Bay counts that first one. If you're counting how many Conference Championships a team has been in, you count the games that got you there. It's important for you youngsters to know and recognize Bills history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBear Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I remember watching this game and feeling as if we were never really in it despite being down by just a few points for the majority of the game. Felt like Cincinnati was clearly the better team and could put their foot down on our throat whenever they needed too. Also didn't help that there were 20+mph winds during the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 It's amazing how far the game has come since then, especially when it comes to stadiums, but also offense. AFC Title Game and it looked worse than most high school fields. Also, back then, if you were down 10 in the 4th quarter it was pretty much over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 2 hours ago, Einstein's Dog said: Quit digging your hole here Chandler. The Bills were in the deciding game to get into the Superbowl (and it wasn't called the Superbowl then). The deciding game is called the Conference Championship (doesn't matter what it was called then, that's what we call it now). If you're counting how many Superbowls a team won, Green Bay counts that first one. If you're counting how many Conference Championships a team has been in, you count the games that got you there. It's important for you youngsters to know and recognize Bills history. It matters that you’re WRONG! Just sit there in your Wrongness and be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_In_NH Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I did not realize they did not count the afl championship in 1966 to be an afc championship game. I guess this was prior to the merger. But it was for the right to play in SB1. Played in Buffalo. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_American_Football_League_Championship_Game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turk71 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 On 7/4/2021 at 9:34 AM, SoCal Deek said: My memory of that game was watching it from a ski lodge in Northern California. I went skiing because it never really occurred to me that the Bills were within a game of going to the Super Bowl. Back then it seemed like a dream and a destiny reserved for other franchises. Little did I know that all would change for the next half a decade. I was living and skiing in Park City UT at the time. A bunch of us skied Park West (The Canyons now) and then my buddy Herman from Montreal had a big Bills party for the game. I honestly don't remember much of the game but I know we had a blast.☺ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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