shelby
12-27-2008, 07:01 AM
As the Buffalo Bills wrap up their ninth consecutive season outside the NFL playoffs, it's easy to forget how high they were flying early on.
On Oct. 19, the Bills were 5-1 and had sole possession of first place in the AFC East. Sophomore quarterback Trent Edwards was coming off the most accurate day ever for a Buffalo quarterback in a win over the San Diego Chargers. Bills management was busy working on a three-year contract extension for head coach Dick Jauron, who it appeared was leading the team out of the NFL's wilderness.
It was Jauron who early in the season cautioned that a hot start doesn't necessarily correlate with a strong finish in football. But even he couldn't have imagined what would follow as the Bills lost seven of their next eight games and fell from first to last place in their division.
Emotions in Buffalo right now range from disappointment to despair and desperation, not surprising given that fans rallied to buy the most season tickets since the club's string of four consecutive AFC championships in the early 1990s.
With a win over the New England Patriots tomorrow, Buffalo would finish 8-8 on the year, a one-game improvement from last season. Few view that as a step forward.
more.. (http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081226.wsptbillsnew26/GSStory/GlobeSportsFootball/home)
On Oct. 19, the Bills were 5-1 and had sole possession of first place in the AFC East. Sophomore quarterback Trent Edwards was coming off the most accurate day ever for a Buffalo quarterback in a win over the San Diego Chargers. Bills management was busy working on a three-year contract extension for head coach Dick Jauron, who it appeared was leading the team out of the NFL's wilderness.
It was Jauron who early in the season cautioned that a hot start doesn't necessarily correlate with a strong finish in football. But even he couldn't have imagined what would follow as the Bills lost seven of their next eight games and fell from first to last place in their division.
Emotions in Buffalo right now range from disappointment to despair and desperation, not surprising given that fans rallied to buy the most season tickets since the club's string of four consecutive AFC championships in the early 1990s.
With a win over the New England Patriots tomorrow, Buffalo would finish 8-8 on the year, a one-game improvement from last season. Few view that as a step forward.
more.. (http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081226.wsptbillsnew26/GSStory/GlobeSportsFootball/home)