Livinginthepast Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Todays cuts had me thinking about the last time we mass released some beloved veteran players. Although I can safely say that I support today's moves and didnt support the cuts in 2000. Todays moves seem professional and done respectfully but I didn't get that feeling about Bruce, Thurman and Andre's release. That smacked of disrespect and cheapness. How do you remember Black Thursday 2000? https://theathletic.com/2106913/2020/10/01/bills-bruce-smith-thurman-thomas-andre-reed/ 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo03 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I still think that day was worse. That was Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas all the same day. This might be number 2 but I don't think it could ever pass that 6 13 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Three future HOF’ers in 2000. Highly unlikely that anyone let go today is even considered for nomination. 4 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Not even comparable. Those were hall of fame caliber players. Legendary Bills. White, Poyer, and Morse are good, but nothing like Bruce, Thurman, and Reed. 8 8 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Those were HOF'ers who got teams to SB's and that team was in a DIRE cap situation with an uncertain QB future. These are just some "good" players who aged/injured out from a team that has yet to achieve much but has a great trajectory do to Josh Allen at QB. 3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlgarsh Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 They should have kept Bruce 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Oi Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Not even comparable, We WILL be a playoff team next year and for years to come with Josh. This is just a blip...nothing more . Bean did a much needed "reset" with the cap and the crazy thing is we aren't worse in the wear for it .Next years cap is so squeaky clean even with some more moves to come. Nail the draft(no easy task ), make a few smart moves...Very happy with the outlook after today...GO Bills!!!! 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverboat Ritchie Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 43 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said: I still think that day was worse. That was Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas all the same day. This might be number 2 but I don't think it could ever pass that They were three future Hall of Famers who were in Super Bowl. I’ll miss Tre Jordan and Mitch but not even close to comparable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 47 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said: I still think that day was worse. That was Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas all the same day. This might be number 2 but I don't think it could ever pass that Those 3 were HOFers who helped us to 4 SB's. These guys today were good and beloved players but not in the same tier as 34, 83 & 78. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillyG Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Yeah, that was one of the worst days of my Buffalo Bills fandom. I had moved temporarily to Wichita, Ks. Was working the overnight shift in a dispatch office and flipped on SportsCenter as I did every morning right before getting off work. Saw it come across the bottom line. Was absolutely gutted. That was the core of the team I grew up with. Gone in one tick. That was the day I learned not to get attached to players and root more for the laundry then the individual. Tough lesson at the time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_In_NH Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 It does not compare. HOFers vs good players. That was the end period. This is a new beginning. The team is still ascending and. Needs a eeset 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreboding Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Not remotely close. Sad, but wayyyy different and a star lined history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uticaclub Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, Buffalo03 said: I still think that day was worse. That was Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas all the same day. This might be number 2 but I don't think it could ever pass that Agreed. Bruce, Andre & Thurman are Hall of Famers that played in multiple Super Bowls. These are good players that won a few division titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo03 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 35 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said: Those 3 were HOFers who helped us to 4 SB's. These guys today were good and beloved players but not in the same tier as 34, 83 & 78. Exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnNord Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I see the parallels for sure but it doesn’t compare in any way. In 2000, Kelly and Levy were gone for years and the 3 big releases truly felt like “the end of an era.” It kind of does today but it’s just not the same. Bruce and Andre played 14 seasons which was twice as many as the group cut today. Thurman had 11 years which is 4 more. Also the group in 2000 experienced more success individually and as a team for a longer span of time. So not having the marquee names on the felt like a huge blow. Where there are similarities with 2000 and 2024. We could noticeably see these great players slowing down a bit as they aged and battled injury. Players couldn’t play at the level that they paid at anymore and the cap situation was bad. We knew that the releases were a definite possibility based on the cap, but we’re still surprised when it happened. Interestingly enough, releasing Andre and Thurman proved to be the right move. Both players were out of football in less than 12 months. I can see Poyer and White follow a similar path though probably longer than 12 months. Bruce played 4 more seasons and still a very good DE but a far cry from the dominant All Pro he had been. Either was I think when we look back we’ll realize it was the right decision just as we did in 2000 but it still sucks. 1 hour ago, jlgarsh said: They should have kept Bruce Much like the players released today, the problem was his contract. While he was a good DE at his age he just couldn’t live up to his contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhg Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Not even close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerBillsFan Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, Livinginthepast said: Todays cuts had me thinking about the last time we mass released some beloved veteran players. Although I can safely say that I support today's moves and didnt support the cuts in 2000. Todays moves seem professional and done respectfully but I didn't get that feeling about Bruce, Thurman and Andre's release. That smacked of disrespect and cheapness. How do you remember Black Thursday 2000? https://theathletic.com/2106913/2020/10/01/bills-bruce-smith-thurman-thomas-andre-reed/ It's different but the same. We cut 3 future HOF players that were past their prime. Bruce held on long enough with Washington to get the sack title. Today was cutting players that were older and took up too much cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMM Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 NOT...EVEN...CLOSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 1 hour ago, Livinginthepast said: Todays cuts had me thinking about the last time we mass released some beloved veteran players. Although I can safely say that I support today's moves and didnt support the cuts in 2000. Todays moves seem professional and done respectfully but I didn't get that feeling about Bruce, Thurman and Andre's release. That smacked of disrespect and cheapness. How do you remember Black Thursday 2000? https://theathletic.com/2106913/2020/10/01/bills-bruce-smith-thurman-thomas-andre-reed/ just a wildly inappropriate comparison right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That's No Moon Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Not even remotely close. Hell, half of this board has been trying to release Mitch Morse for nigh on 3 years. Poyer could have been gone last year and Tre, God Bless him is going to have a heckuva time playing football again let alone being worth his contract. The 2000 releases were all of healthy players who all had MUCH larger roles on teams that accomplished MUCH more than this group. As much as this is better than the drought, the current team has accomplished virtually nothing of note and seems to have plateaued. Before you yell at me about "nothing of note" tell me, without looking, who lost in the division round games played from 1990 to 1994. Not just the ones we played in. All of them. You can't. Nobody cares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanForever19 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 (edited) I mean - no offense to Tre, Poyer, and Morse. Great players who were here a long time. They weren't what Bruce, Thurman, and Andre were to this franchise. Edited March 7 by BillsFanForever19 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Brown Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I can't really remember a day like this. The closest is pry when we traded Watkins and Darby on a random Friday morning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB2004 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 3 hours ago, Buffalo03 said: I still think that day was worse. That was Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas all the same day. This might be number 2 but I don't think it could ever pass that I agree 100%. That was a painful day. Still thought we should have kept Bruce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyBills Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I'm just seeing the news, while I agree, I'm speechless, also had no idea that happened in 1 day. Wow. I'm upset Poyer,Hyde,White won't get a ring here, can't imagine how that felt for yall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo03 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 52 minutes ago, BB2004 said: I agree 100%. That was a painful day. Still thought we should have kept Bruce. Me as well. And then watching Thurman go to Miami? It hurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 4 hours ago, jlgarsh said: They should have kept Bruce Last I saw of him, at a HOF induction ceremony, he looked like he could still play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holla83 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 5 hours ago, Buffalo03 said: Me as well. And then watching Thurman go to Miami? It hurt Thurman going to Miami was brutal but I understand his side of it. If I remember correctly, he found out he'd been released from ESPN before anyone from the team had let him know. He was pissed! He said that if the the team had come to him and told him they couldn't afford him, he would have retired. 4 hours ago, BobbyC81 said: Last I saw of him, at a HOF induction ceremony, he looked like he could still play. I saw him speak at a fundraiser in Corning in June. He still looks like he could play. So does Andre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 In both cases, the cuts were more or less expected. The differences are: Bruce/Andre/Thurman were Bills a LOT longer than anyone cut yesterday, and they were all HOF players. Also, the 2000 cuts kicked off more of a proper rebuild - the team was not really built to carry on the success of the previous generation, and it was going to take some time to get back to being good (didn't think it would take THAT long...). This year, I feel there is still a really good team in place even after the cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuvian Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 in 2000, i didn't have a drawer full of useless Covid masks 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st pete gogolak Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Bills eventually recovered from Black Thursday (granted it took 20 years 🥲). Sabres still looking to recover from the day they lost Drury and Briere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Absolutely no comparison. Three HOF'ers released on the same day, vs. some HOVG'ers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Well seeing as none of the players will be in the HOF that were released i'm thinking it's nothing close to releasing those that you mentioned, good players and they did the Bills solid but nothing like that day . All 3 you mentioned should have if for nothing else out of respect for what they did for the Bills been allowed to retire in a Bills uni ! That was one of a few things Ralph did that was pretty dum in his days as our owner . But can't change them now so on to the future !! And thanks to all those players released for what they gave the Bills much respect to them all !! Hyde & Poyer should be among the first on the Bills WOF in the new stadium !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your Brown Eye Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 It does not compare. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amprov56 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 16 hours ago, Buffalo03 said: I still think that day was worse. That was Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas all the same day. This might be number 2 but I don't think it could ever pass that Agree, Bruce and Andre both started in 1985, Thurmon in 1988, all three well over ten years and all HOFers. Definitely the end of a winning era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrochester55 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Yesterday hurt a bit, but those releases in 2000 signified the end of an era. As good as Poyer, White, and Morse are, no one would see them at the hall-of-fame level as Smith, Reed, and Thomas. Something like Allen, Diggs, and Milano might be a more apt comparison. Even then, It does not compare because this group has not accomplished anything near four straight Super Bowls. A second factor to add is what happened after. Those cuts don't sting as much if Buffalo makes the Super Bowls or even the playoffs shortly after. There were no playoffs until 2017, which adds to the significance of those moves. The recent releases were in decline and in positions that could easily be replaced. I will miss them, but I am confident we can replace them based on our depth and the number of draft picks that we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedboy7 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Once they released Deonte, yes we hit that mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I get why people wanna make the comparison but two completely different situations in my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 (edited) Sal C keeps making the rounds on sports shows making this comparison, and honestly I find it a little embarrassing to listen to. Look, I love Josh Allen and the Bills, but this team hasn't accomplished jack squat. Zilch. It's a step above Denver's purge, because these guys played in some playoff games. Time passes and people forget just how incredible those 90's Bills team were, loaded with HOF players and borderline HOF guys, with a HOF coach and HOF GM (for the beginning of the run). 4 straight Super Bowls vs losing in the Divisional round every year. It is not the same. Edited March 7 by TheFunPolice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 I am going to be sick the first time I see Siran Neal wearing a different team's jersey... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Feb 2000 was officially the end of a competitive era and the signaling of a total rebuild. Players who everyone thought would retire as Bills were unceremoniously cut. It was the hard realization that the sun had totally set on the super bowl era Bills. What would come was anybody's guess (hint, it was bad). Tuesday was another day. Anyone of those moves considered alone would have been unsurprising. Most of the shock was due to the manner in which the news dropped. No windows have closed. This may be a setback and there will likely be growing pains but the 2024-2025 Buffalo Bills will remain AFC East division favorites and super bowl contenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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