San Francisco’s Worst Draft Blunders of the Last 15 Years

A few days ago, I wrote a piece about Jacksonville’s top five draft-doers.
That assignment was relatively easy, although there was some controversy about my inclusion of Tony Boselli on that list. But controversy is what makes these lists inherently interesting.
That got me thinking about my favorite NFL team: the San Francisco 49ers. I chose to focus on the last 15 years for two reasons.
First, our last Super Bowl title came in 1994, which is the first year I looked at. Since that year, things have gone downhill pretty quickly. The 49ers have only made the playoffs six times in the following 14 years, and only two of those trips came after 2000.
The second reason is that I have been hypercritical of the current ownership and front office team, and thought that this would be a good way to vent some of my frustration.
While there were more than a few crappy draft picks in this decade, there were plenty of shockingly bad draft picks in the second half of the 1990s, some that I had forgotten.
Enough with the intro. On to the top five (or should I say bottom five) awful draft picks.

Vikings Mini-camp Review 5/30: Peterson Praises Harvin; Murphy Adjusts

Saturday meant imagination and excitement for the Vikings offense, as offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell implemented some “wildcat” plays into practice for rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin.

This shouldn’t be surprising, considering Harvin’s speed and explosiveness. The wildcat offense consists of Harvin lining up next to a quarterback or running back out of the shotgun and running draw plays or handoffs to confuse the defense.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bevell said the offensive changes will grant players the opportunity to use their best abilities.

“We’re up there trying to diagram everything we can,” Bevell said. “We’re looking at things we do, we’re looking at things other teams have done and trying to get the ball to our playmakers.”

Harvin agreed when asked about using the wildcat at the University of Florida, saying he had success with the formation because it lets him use his explosiveness.

“I did that a lot,” Harvin said. “That is a lot of my versatility. They put that in now and we’re kind of working that with me and a couple of the other running backs.”

Along with practicing the wildcat formation, Harvin also impressed with many nice catches over the middle. He did say that it was a bit overwhelming with everything that was going on during practice.

They just want me to learn multiple positions,” he said. “We don’t know quite where I’m going to play right now. I’m just learning kind of a little bit of everything. I’m just working hard and whatever they need me to play, that’s what I’ll do.”

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is also quite impressed with the young rookie and the way he plays the game.

“We’re throwing in some new plays and different looks out there,” Peterson said. “I know that guy is exhausted because I’m exhausted for him— all the running around he’s doing. He’s a tremendous athlete, and he has a lot of ability.”

Peterson is also quite excited about some heat being taken off of him with the addition of Harvin.

“When you have guys out there with speed running around in different formations—you’ve got running backs out wide and motioning across and things like that— (defenses) are really going to have to be on top of their game,” he said.

The offense is not the only unit making adjustments. The special teams unit has taken a cue from the new NFL rule that only allows a maximum of two players on a wedge during the kick return. New special teams coordinator Brian Murphy said the NFL is just looking out for the health of the players.

“It was player safety,” said Murphy. “To my understanding, they felt that if you had a two-man wedge, there was a better chance of a guy running around a wedge and not having to go in between two giants. That’s what it was. It was three offensive linemen running right into a safety or a corner.

“They felt like if they removed one of those guys it gives the safety or corner a chance to run around a block and make it, rather than have to put himself in harm’s way and go into the wedge.”

If a team has three or more players creating a wedge on a kick return, they will receive a 15-yard penalty from the spot of the wedge.

The Vikings will wrap up their first mandatory mini-camp session on Sunday. Check back for more updates from everything that is happening at Winter Park.

Photo by Jerry Holt/Star Tribune

Possible Concern Over Jim Johnson: Eagles Add Defensive Coach Brian Stewart

Matt Mosley of ESPN.com has confirmed that the Eagles have indeed brought in former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Brian Stewart in an “undetermined role.”

As of now, his role with the team is undefined, but this could mean that Jim Johnson’s chemotherapy and attempt to beat his cancer is not going so well.

The Eagles do not have an opening for a coach on their staff, which makes this move all the more puzzling and frightening.

If the Eagles do not believe that Johnson’s recovery is going so well and that he will be out for an extended period of time, they may be bringing in Stewart to help McDermott in his transition into becoming the defensive coordinator for longer than first thought.

Perhaps, for good.

Johnson has been battling cancer for a few months now, and had seemed to be fighting it off pretty well. He was at the NovaCare complex every day, working late, coaching up his players, and just going about his normal day.

Unfortunately, he was forced to take an indefinite leave of absence in order to continue his fight against the cancer.

In his absence, McDermott has been running the defense as the interim defensive coordinator. Even though the leave of absence had no ending date, it was widely assumed that Johnson would be back for the season, if not Training Camp.

Bringing in Stewart shows that the Eagles are at least worried that they will be without the services of Jim Johnson for a good portion, if not all, of the 2009-2010 season. Stewart would serve as a kind of consultant for McDermott, helping him set a schedule for his defense and helping with meetings, among other things.

Stewart was a defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys for two seasons before being fired this past offseason. Former defensive coordinators are not brought in without reason.

Stewart was scheduled to join the UFL’s San Francisco franchise with Dennis Green until this recent hiring.

If Johnson’s health has taken a turn for the worse, or perhaps has just not shown improvement, the defense could be in for a drastic change. Or, perhaps not.

The point is, no one knows how McDermott will react or run this defense. If Johnson is not on the sidelines, or at least in the coaches’ box, the defense all of a sudden becomes a huge question mark.

Let’s hope this is only a precaution.

Life Lessons I Have Learned from Playing Madden

Sometimes you look for other inspirations in life to teach you something other than your parents—I turned to Madden.

 

For those who have never played Madden, imagine immersing yourself into something for nine hours only to remember you have forgotten to eat, missed class, have not showered, and have your parents on the verge of filing a missing person report.

 

That is exactly what Madden is like for some individuals, but for me, it has been more than an escape from reality—it is a gateway to many life lessons I have learned in my young life.  Here are my favorite lessons I can personally thank John Madden for.

 

Playing It Safe Is Always the Best Policy

 

Many of us would disagree.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “take a chance on something; it could change your life!”  Very rarely is this true.

 

In Madden, you always take the 40 yard field-goal on a fourth-and-10 from the opposing team’s 23 yard-line, even though you have a tall wide receiver who could school that weak corner. They’re points on the board and it gives you momentum against your opponent.

 

In life it is the same way.  Imagine you go to a restaurant, and while you already had a preconceived notion of what you were going to order, you still give the menu a chance. 

 

Then some magical dish catches your eye.  It looks good, it has everything you like, and the waiter even says it’s his choice.  What do you do?  I always revert to my 40 yard field-goal and go with what I already know is a good dish. 

 

I have tried to go for it on fourth-and-10—more often than not, I end up regretting that decision.  The food is terrible and I never eat there again and the waiter who gave me the “good advice” gets zilch for his tip.

 

Hail Marys Never Work

 

Unless you’re playing the computer on beginner mode, Hail Marys never work.  Usually you chuck up a prayer from your strong armed QB to the wide out who has an absurd amount of height in hopes he comes down with it.

 

Usually, the QB either gets a sack, throws it too far, or the opposing team knocks it down.  Hail Marys are a praying chance that rarely gets answered.

 

The same goes for life as well.  Let’s say you’re walking through the mall and you spot the really, really good looking girl from school or work.  You have had a crush on her for a while, but you rarely talk to her.  Until today, when you decide you want to throw up a Hail Mary and see if she will go out with you.

 

Sometimes it works and you execute flawlessly.  More often than not however, you fumble, get sacked, or get rejected.  I always revert back to Madden in this instance.  Instead of trying to win the game with one play, try setting yourself up for victory with several small plays.  Talk to her, get to know her, and try not to get stuck in the friend zone.

 

Patience Is a Virtue Rarely Followed

 

Madden taught me that I have zero patience in life.  Usually on my first play of the game, I go deep to my No. 1 receiver in an attempt to score quickly.  Than in some act of poetic justice, I get intercepted and my best WR goes down with a knee injury.

 

If I had just set up the defense with a couple of runs and then hit a deep play-action pass, I could have secured that early lead with both my WR and dignity still intact.

 

No question this is true in real life as well.  Imagine studying for a test for a week.  You feel confident and ready to show that you know the material. 

 

Then comes test day.  You sit down, are handed your multiple choice test and you fly right through it, finishing in 20 minutes when you have two more hours to go.

 

You receive your score and find out it was extremely lower than you had thought it would be.  You realize that you answered some of the questions with blatant wrong answers in an effort to finish quickly.

 

Had you taken your time to establish your dominance, your grade could have been much higher.

 

Life Is Short, Have Fun!

 

A game of Madden usually lasts about 30 minutes maximum.  You get so into the game you realize you have broken your controller and made your wife/girlfriend so mad, she left to go shopping—with your credit card!

 

Just relax and remember it’s just a video game.  Winning and losing mean nothing really, just enjoy the fact you got to relax.

 

Life is the same way.  You realize how much you hate work that it makes you angry every day. Just remember to take a step back and separate life from work.  Enjoy the time you have away from it.

Why Brian Mitchell Is the Best Return Specialist in NFL History

Brian was a college quarterback who was drafted in the 5th round of the 1990 draft by the Washington Redskins.

He was converted to running back, but did his major work as a return specialist in the NFL. Brian split return duties with 2 other players in his rookie season, but did rush for a touchdown on 15 attempts.

Taking over the full time return duties the next season, Brian led the NFL with 600 punt return yards and two touchdowns. He also averaged 13.3 yards per return, helping the Redskins win Super Bowl XXVI. He was selected to his first All Pro team that year.

Mitchell then scored on a career long 84 yard punt return the next season.

Brian led the NFL in all purpose yards 4 times from 1994 to 1998. In 1994, he led the NFL with a career best 14.1 yards per punt return average. He also led the NFL with two punt return touchdowns. Mitchell piled up a career high 1,478 kickoff return yards that year, while averaging 25.5 yards per return, and made the All Pro team.

His last All Pro season was in 1995, when Mitchell averaged a career best 25.6 yards per kickoff return, and scoring off of a punt return. Brian scored his first kickoff return touchdown in 1997, and also scored on a punt return. Mitchell then scored on a career long 101 yard kickoff return in 1998.

Brian joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000. He played 3 seasons with them, and scored a touchdown on both a punt return and kickoff return in two of those years. His last NFL season was the 2003 season, which he played with the New York Giants.

Brian ran for 1,967 yards and 12 TD’s at an impressive 5.1 yards per carry average for his career. He also caught 255 passes for 4 TD’s. Brian got to throw 18 passes in his career, completed 7 of them, and tossed a TD on the last pass of his career. He also recovered 20 fumbles on special teams in his 13 year career.

The 23,330 total yards he accumulated ranks second all-time in NFL history.

Not only did he average 23.1 yards per kick return on 607 returns, scoring 4 times, he also averaged 10.8 yards per punt return on 463 attempts in his career.

Brian Mitchell holds MANY NFL records.

His 19,013 total return yards is a record, as is his 14,014 kickoff return yards, as is his 4,999 punt return yards. His 1,070 kick returns are the most ever, and his 9 punt return touchdowns is the second most ever in NFL history.

Brian’s 231 fair catches are the most ever in a career, and his 33 in one season is also an NFL record.

He is one of just four players in NFL history to gain over 2,000 yards four times in a career.

Brian Mitchell BETTER NOT wait long for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

TAB’s Top 20 Favorite Chicago Bears Since 1980

Why 1980? It’s when I was born.

No, Jay Cutler does not make this list. Well, he gets his photo here, so I guess that somehow qualifies him as an honorable mention candidate.

In the last 30 years there have been some great highs and some deep lows, with characters leading along the way that Chicago football fans will always remember.

A few names that won’t make this list include Rashan Salaam, Curtis Enis and the ultimate d-bag, Cedric Benson. There are certainly more than 20 great personalities and players I could have ranked, but this is my Top 20.

New England Vs Miami: 2009 AFC East Championship Won in Offseason?

No disrespect to 2009 Buffalo Bills or the 2009 New York Jets.

I think the Miami Dolphins (2008 AFC East Champs) and the New England Patriots (2007 AFC East Champs) built their teams in the offseason for the upcoming quest to be AFC East Champ for the 2009 NFL season.

The battle lines have been drawn and both teams have added players on both sides.

Key additions to the New England Patriots include recently signed LB Paris Lenon, WR Greg Lewis, WR Joey Galloway, CB Shawn Springs, CB Leigh Bodden, RB Fred Taylor (who is not done and is a perfect complement to Lawrence Maroney), WR Brandon Tate (rookie), DB Darius Butler (rookie), S Brandon McGowan, and TE Chris Baker (formerly of the NY Jets).

Hmmmm.

Sounds to me like the the Patriots are on the attack for an offensive and defensive beatdown of the AFC East. They have trimmed the fat (getting rid of older players) and adding younger, speedier and coachable players. Coach Belichick is not taking any chances on being surprised or underestimating the Dolphins once again.

QB Tom Brady is back and is thirsty after missing the entire 2008 season and watching Matt Cassel lead the team and then be traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.  Expanding the offense with veterans receivers and running backs will make the Patriots very hard to stop.

The depth chart is stacking up in New England’s favor, which means they have learned from the injury issues that have slowed them down in the past. The new defensive backfield should gel in enough time to cover every aspect of the Dolphins by Nov. 8’s first showdown in Foxboro, Mass.

In a contrast of style and tone, but keeping up with the Patriots’ changes, the Miami Dolphins have welcomed back Jason Taylor (who was actually courted by Pats’ owner Bob Kraft) and added young pieces to a defensive secondary that will be severely tested by the offenses of the AFC East.

Coach Sparano has focused his Dolphin team on toughness in offseason OTA’s (Organized Team Activities).

Ushering in rookies like Vontae Davis, Chris Clemons, Sean Smith and veteran Eric Green into the schemes that will try to slow down the Patriot receivers, the Dolphins are confident the season’s schedule will force the defense to be excellent quickly.

Having little known but effective Yeremiah Bell back again at safety should stabilize any fears of Dolphin doubters.

Pat White was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round out of West Virginia.

White is certainly an “X factor”, so the Dolphins will add some new wrinkles to “The Wildcat,” which worked well against most defenses last year.

QB Chad Pennington is the general who will lead the team again in 2009 and read the Patriot defense with their new changes.

His knowledge and veteran leadership in the AFC East cannot be questioned after last year’s crafty display in the last game of the season, a 24-17 victory in New York.

The most important glaring weakness in the Dolphin offense is the wide receiver position.

Greg Camarillo will be back after injury along with Ted Ginn, Jr and Davone Bess. Dolphin rookies Patrick Turner, Brian Hartline, Brennan Marion and veterans Anthony Armstrong, Todd Lowber and Brandon London will compete for time on the field, spots in the lineup and a plunge into the hearts of Dol-fans everywhere.

Pennington must work very hard to get the passing game up to speed quickly to balance the powerful running attack and give the Dolphins a chance to win every game.

Ball control was highly effective for the Miami Dolphins’ offense last year as well as coming up with the Big Play at the right time.

The Dolphins will need to do it again to capture the 2009 AFC East title.

Line play of both teams is strong and it just depends on turnovers and field position how the score will turn out.

For sure, the two games these teams play against each other in November and December will be battles with hopes of going to the Super Bowl.

 

 

 

The Reality of What I Really Believe (About Boston and The Patriots)

For regular readers and writers of the Bleacher Report, surely you know of my tirades about Boston fans and the New England Patriots.

Here then is a clarification, because perhaps you can understand the angle of my perspective on the issue.

I despise the myths perpetuated by the sports media, or those interested in the protection of their reputation…to the wrongful detriment of others (i.e. Al Davis).  Many of those myths are perpetuated by the “East Coast Bias” under the guise of objectivity. 

Especially since, Al Davis was an East Coast apostate who left Brooklyn for USC (not the University of South Carolina), and in my opinion, has been critical in the transformation of the sports world on the West Coast, as was Pete Rozelle and others.

Problem is, many of those journalists have actually convinced themselves of their objectivity, yet continue to spin myths from their bias. 

That is why I assert that a journalist must “Own Thy Bias,” because by owning your bias and putting it on the line, yet later stating things against your bias…then that is true integrity.

I also despise delusional thinking, such as, Boston fans that think the Red Sox represent the proletariat while the Yankees represent the bourgeois. 

That should indicate to you that there truly is an ‘East Coast Bias.’  Especially when a city like Oakland is in one of the mostly densely populated areas of the country, the SF Bay Area, yet has long been referred to as a ‘small market.’ 

It is not really a small market and all you must do to prove that is drive through Oakland or Fremont at rush-hour and I use the word ‘drive’ very loosely, but people have believed that it is a small market, which does make it difficult to attract free-agents, which can be detrimental to a team’s ability to succeed and thus, their ticket sales. 

What people want you to believe is that the East and South Bay are just subsections of San Francisco, when the reality is, the Bay is a wide array of people with different identities that don’t all identify with San Francisco.

Thus, I do assert that most of Oakland’s problems with ticket-sales have stemmed from the lies and myths about Oakland that are perpetuated in the media.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s just schadenfreude for the fact that the Raiders won the Super Bowl before the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, while the Athletics would wander into Oakland from their mediocre days in Kansas City and win the World Series three times in the 1970s after the San Francisco Giants had long struggled with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.

For a franchise like Boston that regularly has a payroll in excess of 100 million, it smacks of idiocy and narcissism to compare the Red Sox to proletariat.  Especially, when that team is able to snipe the best players from other teams (i.e. the Oakland Athletics).

A more accurate analogy for the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees is not proletariat vs. bourgeois, but rather, the rivalry after a divorce.  The Yankees got the the House that Ruth Built, while the Red Sox got the sickly cat and race car bed.

Your problem then was this: You thought that you had sniped the best, but still lost to the Yankees. 

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Let me make this as clear as possible.  I give credit where credit is due, however, I do not buy the nonsensical mentality of ‘admire ’em’ or ‘respect ’em.’

If you win, then you won.

However, I would much rather phrase it passively rather than to actively enable your ego by submission.  In an aside, I do believe that Curt Schilling does belong in the Hall of Fame, and that the main arguments against him, come from Yankee (and Cardinals) fans.

This might sound convoluted but, the Patriots earned their Super Bowl wins in 2003 and 2004, but I do believe that 2001 was a dubious win, while 2003 and 2004 were predicated mostly on the success of 2001. 

With that said, I do not argue that the Raiders would have won the Super Bowl in 2001-2002 because I’m not sure that they would have defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, but I do argue that New England would not have won without stealing-signals in 2001, and that the Raiders would have likely kept Gruden instead of trade him to Tampa.

The problem I have is that journalists and sports fans do not give credit where credit is due (i.e. the Raiders) and instead resort to defamation and other lies (i.e., ‘biggest post-Super Bowl collapse in NFL history’).

Generic lies and defamation only culminate in discord and dysfunction, such as Bill Callahan and the “dumbest team in America.”  That comment truly did symbolize the creation of a poisonous tree in Oakland in which reactionary decisions followed accordingly to the discord and dysfunction created by drama. 

The reality is … drama queens, not Al Davis, have sabotaged the Raiders

When people fail within the Raiders organization, their ego is tempted to use Al Davis as a scapegoat (i.e. Lane Kiffin, Michael Lombardi), and point to the success of Mike Shanahan.  When the reality is, Shanahan merely lucked-out, because he was able to coach John Elway.

All thanks to a media that loves to call itself unbiased with one hand, and perpetuate myths with the other.  The fact, however, is that most sports journalists are just bad poker players who reveal their bias with their tells.  Must be why many of them shoot Botox in hopes of masking their tells.

If Callahan had any real intelligence rather than the desire to fly on Gruden auto-pilot, then he would have adjusted the game-plan before the 2002-2003 Super Bowl against Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

How could Callahan have done so, you say?  Well, even I knew that Tampa Bay’s front seven had trouble with bigger running backs, which is why they lost a game that season to the Philadelphia Eagles by the legs of Duce Staley.  In other matchups that season, the Eagles did not run Staley and instead focused on the passing game.

That begged the question: Why did Bill Callahan keep the ball from Tyrone Wheatley in the Super Bowl?  Wheatley was a bigger runner who was healthy at the time, yet the Raiders, not once, gave the ball to Wheatley.

I remain convinced that had the Raiders done so, the Raiders would have won that Super Bowl.

For those of you that question the importance of stealing signals, then chew on this: The reason that the Raiders lost that Super Bowl is that Gruden knew all their plays in advance, which is also information that a coach would have from stealing signals.

“Change your plays,” they all say. I say  a team should not be wrongfully forced to change plays when those plays are tailored to the skills of the personnel.  Thus, by stealing signals, a team is in effect depriving another team of their right to maximize strengths in order to mask the weaknesses of the personnel.

With that said, had Callahan merely given the ball to Wheatley, the Raiders would have won that Super Bowl. 

Where’s the Beef?

My other beef with Boston fans is that they love to be crybabies who act like nothing goes their way. 

The fact is that the Boston Celtics have benefited from some of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, one of which was on the back of my Golden State Warriors.

For those who don’t know, in 1980 the Warriors traded C Robert Parrish and the pick that landed F Kevin McHale to the Boston Celtics for C Joe Barry Carroll, aka Joe Barely Cares.

That trade helped build the foundation for the three championships by the Celtics in the 1980s.  That though is one reason I have torn allegiances with basketball teams.  It’s hard to follow the Warriors, but I can support the Lakers to beat the Celtics.

In other Celtic trades, the Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett by trade before the 2007 season, both trades powered the Celtics to victory in 2008.

 

More Trades

When all is said and done, my San Jose Sharks benefited from the trade of C Joe Thornton by the Boston Bruins.

When it comes to the Raiders, people within the Raiders have lied to Al Davis, yet make him a scapegoat when things go wrong.  That is what I believe to be true, and a truth that I will defend, and one that others must accept as a sound argument.

The Patriots benefited from the collusion between Lane Kiffin and Michael Lombardi that sent Randy Moss to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick.  The myth has been that Al Davis pulled the trigger on that trade, when the reality was, Michael Lombardi did.

The other reality is, Kiffin is a cronyist and a “Master of Flops.”  Meanwhile, Lombardi proved that he was more loyal to his former colleague in Cleveland, Bill Belichick, than to Al Davis; especially since Lombardi was a dead man walking before he traded Moss, and would be fired two weeks later.

Lombardi told Davis that Moss had passed his prime, while he told Belichick that Moss could still run.  Meanwhile, Lombardi would assure Kiffin that Kiffin would receive his friend and former Trojan, Mike Williams, to replace Randy Moss.

Surely too, Lombardi must have believed that such a trade would position him well in any interviews for job-openings within the Patriots organization, but Belichick has yet to return that gesture. 

Likely because, the Patriots would be embroiled in the Spygate scandal, while Davis would accuse Lombardi of tampering; thus preventing the Patriots from hiring Lombardi without the appearance of impropriety.

So gloat if you want to that the Patriots acquired Moss for a song, just get the truth straight that it was not a blunder by Davis, but rather, an act of sabotage.

Thus, at the end of the day, all I’m saying to you Boston fans is to be grateful rather than pretend like you’re the victims of the sports universe.

Ingratitude is the reason why losing will begin

Frankly, gratitude is the reason why the Yankees won for so long.  Ironically, it it took cheating by the Patriots to win the Super Bowl in order for Red Sox fans to show gratitude.

All one must do is read the speech by Lou Gehrig on retirement from the Yankees.  Even in the face of death, Gehrig was thankful for all the things in his life from the squabbles to the success. 

The Yankees became ingrateful after winning the World Series four times with Derek Jeter and others, but lost in 2001.  Thus, they started throwing around money for players like Jason Giambi, Carl Pavano, and Alex Rodriguez and thus have struggled ever since.

That is truly a lesson that every one can learn from.

Same Face, New Place: Which NFL Head Coach Will Find the Most Success in 2009?

In the 2008 season, the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, and the Atlanta Falcons caught everyones attention. Three teams that were put on as a bottom-feeder, yet they make the playoffs, all under head coaches who were in their 1st year with the team. This year, we have many head coaches, whether rookie a coach, or have just found a new home. Who will find the most success this season?

A Short Recap Of the First 50 Years Of Buffalo Bills Football

Way before I was born, the Buffalo Bills became one of the eight expansion AFL franchises in 1960.

In the early 1960s the Buffalo Bills enjoyed an era of glory behind head coach Lou Saban. Under Saban, the Bills did not allow a rushing touchdown in 17 consecutive games over the 1964-1965 seasons. His record at Buffalo during the AFL years was 36-17-3, with winning seasons in each of his four years.

In 1964 and 1965, the Bills went 12-2 and 10-3-1, en route to consecutive AFL championships. With players like quarterback Jack Kemp, running back Cookie Gilchrist, offensive lineman Billy Shaw, safety George Saimes, defensive tackle Tom Sestak, and wide receiver Elbert Dubenion, the Bills were just short of a dynasty.   

’70s

The Bills entered the NFL in 1970. After a few losing seasons without Saban, coach returned to the Bills from 1972 through 1976. This team was led by Joe Ferguson, O.J. Simpson, and even included receiver Ahmad Rashad.

Though this team never won anything of significance, they helped solidify the Bills position in the NFL, and Simpson broke numerous rushing records behind right guard Joe DeLamielleure.

’80s

The 1980s were highlighted with running back Joe Cribbs, still behind Ferguson for the first few years. They started the decade by winning the division, but went on to lose to San Diego 14-20 in the Divisional playoffs.

In 1986, a new era began with the beginning of Marv Levy’s coaching career with the Buffalo Bills and Jim Kelly’s move from the USFL to the NFL.

After a few losing seasons the 1988 Bills won the AFC East division title led by Kelly, Andre Reed, and Thurman Thomas in his rookie year, under Robb Riddick who scored 12 touchdowns. This team also solidified for many years the great Buffalo defense with Fred Smerlas in the end of his career, Bruce Smith, Daryl Talley, Shane Conlan, Cornelius Bennett, Mark Kelso, and Nate Odomes.

The next year the Bills picked up James Lofton and Kelly threw 25 touchdowns, but they lost to Cleveland in the Divisional Playoffs.

’90s

By 1990, the Bills had solidified themselves as one of the best teams each season and looked to have a dynasty. In the AFC Championship, the Bills defeated the Raiders with the most lopsided victory in the history of the playoffs 51-3, only to fall 20-19 to the NY Giants in the Super Bowl after a missed field-goal that would have given the Bills the victory.

The year 1992 marked the biggest comeback in NFL history in the first round vs. Houston. With Kelly out, Frank Reich came in and brought the Bills back, down 38-3, only to win the game 41-38 in overtime. This momentum took them to the Super Bowl for a third straight year only to lose to the Cowboys team that featured Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin.

They went back to the Super Bowl in 1993 and lost to the Cowboys again, making it four straight lost Super Bowls. After a few more seasons making the playoffs, the Bills started to fall apart later in the 1990s as the greats retired.

In 1998 the Bills were led by Doug Flutie, Eric Moulds, Ted Washington, and still with greats Smith and Reed, went to the playoffs and lost to Miami in the wild card.

The next year the Bills returned to the wild card and experienced the “Music City Miracle” vs. the Titans in a game they were winning with less than a minute left, until they kicked off and…

2000s

They would get Drew Bledsoe from the Patriots in 2002, but faced a couple years of mediocre finishes and never quite made it to the playoffs. One year, they nearly squeezed in the playoffs when in a win-or-go-home situation, they lost to Pittsburgh (who played their reserves) at home.

Next came J.P. Losman who threw for 3,051 yards in 2006, but the Bills went 7-9 and left fans unimpressed. In 2008, the Bills had another 7-9 finish, making it three straight seasons.

They head into the 2009 season with high expectations as fans continue to “Billieve” each year, continuing to buy season tickets in record numbers.

Hoping that this year is “our” year.

The beginning of a new era is upon us with Trent Edwards as the leader, and a solid roster that combines great veterans with young standout players.

How sweet it would be if the team honored the fans, and original owner Ralph Wilson with an NFL Championship in the Bills 50^th season.

 

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