Every Bills Touchdown by Joe Cribbs -a fantastic player!

[Chandler#81]

Part 2

 

[Pete]

Cribbs is such an underrated RB, who was ahead of his time.  Awesome receiver! 

[T master]

So watching this video I realized the Bills helmets today are actually throw back helmets to that time . There may be a little difference but not a lot .

 

I remember that team they were pretty dam good & one of my all time favorite WR's at the time Jerry Butler was on the team then too, at one point it show Butler hugging Cribbs in the end zone . The coach was a pretty good one too !! 

Edited February 7 by T master

[stevewin]

In HS we had one day a year where teachers could use their period to talk about anything they wanted  - and my geometry teacher spent his time analyzing the Bills draft.  When he got to Cribbs he went on and on how great Cribbs was going to be - it always stuck with me

[BuffaloBillyG]

Joe really is a forgotten man from this teams history. Part of the problem was him jetting out in his prime for the USFL. When he walked out of the USFL, he was leading the league in rushing. 

 

Once he got back to the NFL, it looked like he hit the wall. Was never the same player. Bounced around the league for a few years and was done.  But man, during his first few years he was amazing. 

[eball]

12 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Joe really is a forgotten man from this teams history. Part of the problem was him jetting out in his prime for the USFL. When he walked out of the USFL, he was leading the league in rushing. 

 

Once he got back to the NFL, it looked like he hit the wall. Was never the same player. Bounced around the league for a few years and was done.  But man, during his first few years he was amazing. 

 

Ralph really screwed the Bills out of a chance at an early 80s run by not wanting to pay coaches.  Knox had us in prime position.

 

[chris heff]

21 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Ralph really screwed the Bills out of a chance at an early 80s run by not wanting to pay coaches.  Knox had us in prime position.

 

I met Ralph, talked about the Bills, he loved the team. He was a nice man. That being said, he was not a good franchise owner, he was good for the NFL. He made some bad decisions, bad coaching hires, bad organization personnel.

[JP51]

15 minutes ago, chris heff said:

I met Ralph, talked about the Bills, he loved the team. He was a nice man. That being said, he was not a good franchise owner, he was good for the NFL. He made some bad decisions, bad coaching hires, bad organization personnel.

agreed the Bills were a profit center for him... that is often not a good Combo, like the Browns in Cinci... not sure he ever really considered Brand and asset appreciation as much as year to year cash flow...  bottom line drove or had significant effect on a lot of decisions it seemed, not what do we need to win it all...  But... he steadfastly kept us here... and was committed to the community.. he was a good man trying to make a go in a difficult market especially before revenue sharing.

[eball]

1 hour ago, chris heff said:

I met Ralph, talked about the Bills, he loved the team. He was a nice man. That being said, he was not a good franchise owner, he was good for the NFL. He made some bad decisions, bad coaching hires, bad organization personnel.

 

Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I (and all Bills fans) appreciate what he did to keep the Bills here…and he lucked into Bill Polian and Marv Levy to steer the ship.  But he did make numerous and significant mistakes that prevented the franchise from having even more success.

 

Not speaking for the Sabres, but at least on the Bills side it’s good to know that ownership does not appear to be an impediment to success.

 

[billsbackto81]

He's the reason I'm a Bills fan!

 

My favorite player back in high school. 

[NewEra]

Joe carried me on his shoulders while he signed autographs from the Fredonia training facility to his dorm.  Talking and laughing with the crowd of autograph seekers the entire way.  It was the highlight of my childhood.  Thanks Joe.  Too bad my pops used up 3 Kodak disposable cameras worth of photos on the practices that day.  None left for the moment my fandom became much more than that

[Stranded in Boston]

7 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Thanks for that, Chan! It's almost hard to describe how electrifying Cribbs was in his rookie year in 1980. We had never seen a running back who was such a threat running and receiving. When he would split out on a play and the defense was dumb enough to try to cover him with a linebacker, you just knew a big play was coming ... 

[nuklz2594]

3 hours ago, chris heff said:

I met Ralph, talked about the Bills, he loved the team. He was a nice man. That being said, he was not a good franchise owner, he was good for the NFL. He made some bad decisions, bad coaching hires, bad organization personnel.

yeah...benching flutie worked well

[hondo in seattle]

Thanks for posting...

 

Before Josh came along, I used to think we've been blessed with RBs, cursed with QBs.

 

RBs: Cookie Gilchrist (who Larry Felser insisted was as good in his prime as Jim Brown), OJ, Thurm, Jimbo Cook, Cribbs, Travis Henry, Freddie Jackson, McCoy, McGahee, Beast Mode, Greg Bell, and so on.  Terry Miller had an excellent rookie season before something happened to him and he faded away.  CJ had that one awesome year when Chan found ways to get him out in space.  Even backups like Roland Hooks and Kenneth Davis had some great games for us.  We've had a lot of talented ball carriers.  

 

QB: Before Josh, Kelly was the only true quality QB to suit up as a Bill.  Bledsoe had one-half of a really good season.  Fergie's main job was to hand the ball off to OJ (though he became a capable passer later in his career).  Kemp led us to two AFL championships, but he was a better leader than thrower.   Fitz was more likeable than talented; I swear sometimes Fitz would just heave the ball deep and hope Stevie would find a way to get under it.  Flutie would play like bison patties for 3 quarters but then do something heroic in the 4th to win a game kept close by an elite defense.  We had a young Lamonica but inexplicably kept him glued to the bench.   Vince Ferragamo excitingly threw for 377 in his first game for us and then played like duck with a broken wing the rest of his time as a Bill.  

 

Our pre-Josh QB list doesn't conjure up as many good game day memories as our RB list does.  

[Livinginthepast]

I started watching the Bills in the 1979 season. I really couldn't tell you a single memory of that season. I guess the Bills were totally irrelevant. The 1980 team though made me a Bills fan. Cribbs was just one piece of a fun team to watch.  That season ended with my first of many Bills heartbreakers losing to the Chargers but that was the beginning of at least a modest bit of success.

Edited February 7 by Livinginthepast

[JP51]

6 minutes ago, Livinginthepast said:

I started watching the Bills in the 1979 season. I really couldn't tell you a single memory of that season. I guess the Bills were totally irrelevant. The 1980 team though made me a Bills fan. Cribbs was just one piece of the fun team to watch.  That season ended with my first of many Bills heartbreakers losing to the Chargers but that was the beginning of at least a modest bit of success.

and again... an untimely injury to Fergusons ankle doomed us against San Diego as Dan Manucci took over... I remember Joe giving it a go but he was just a statue back there... 

[BillyJoeBills]

James Cook modern day version of Joe Cribbs; both 5’11” 190 lbs, 2nd rd draft choices, both shifty runners

Don’t forget fullback Billy Joe, made 1965 AFL all star team for the Bills final championship season; he was gone after one season; could that had been the trigger point for the Bills Curse???

[Livinginthepast]

1 minute ago, JP51 said:

and again... an untimely injury to Fergusons ankle doomed us against San Diego as Dan Manucci took over... I remember Joe giving it a go but he was just a statue back there... 

The entire family watched that playoff game (on the only TV in the house) and the game was a nailbiter! I just remember watching Fouts hit that pass and staring in disbelief as the Charger player just ran into the end zone for what would be the game winning TD. 

[eball]

3 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

Fergie's main job was to hand the ball off to OJ (though he became a capable passer later in his career).

 

You are significantly understating Ferguson’s talent.  I know he threw a lot of picks, but Joe could sling it and was absolutely good enough to win with.

 

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, eball said:

 

You are significantly understating Ferguson’s talent.  I know he threw a lot of picks, but Joe could sling it and was absolutely good enough to win with.

 

 

The first Bills game I ever saw in person was our first home Monday night game.  When OJ got hurt right around halftime, I thought the game was over.  But we ended up beating the Raiders with Fergy's arm.  I get what you're saying.

 

But the start of Fergy's career wasn't exactly auspicious.  In his rookie year, he amazingly threw for less than 1,000 yards despite starting all 14 games!   He only threw the ball 164 times that year and only completed 44% of those passes.  But he successfully handed the ball off something like 552 times (300+ times to OJ).  That was his job - to hand the ball off - and he did it well.    

 

But a few years later when OJ got hurt (1977), Fergy ending up leading the league in passing yards.  It was a fun evolution to watch.  

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Pete said:

Cribbs is such an underrated RB, who was ahead of his time.  Awesome receiver! 

 

Agree.  I love Jimbo Cook but wish he could run routes and catch like Cribbs.