| January 01, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 05:45 PM |
Following a very bitter defeat in the 1989 divisional playoffs to the Cleveland Browns in which the game was decided by the length of Ronnie Harmon's fingers, the Buffalo Bills underwent a metamorphosis. While highly paid and highly talented, the Bills also had a reputation of infighting, making accusations about players and management in the press, star players continually holding out, and earning the moniker of the "Bickering Bills". This was the season to change all that. Ralph Wilson and head coach Marv Levy took steps to keep the press out of the locker room, and discipline players who were critical of the team.
Buffalo released or lost through Plan –B free agency long time veterans OL Joe Devlin, Nose Tackle Fred Smerlas, RB Ronnie Harmon, OL Tim Vogler, RB Rob Riddick, CB Derrick Burroughs, DE Art Still, and punter John Kidd. Punter John Tuten and RB Don Smith were added via free agency.
In another outstanding Bill Polian –led draft, Buffalo reloaded their talent base with more outstanding picks well into the middle rounds. Buffalo selected Fresno State cornerback J.D. Williams in round 1, FB Carwell Gardner in round #2, OT Glenn Parker in round 3, and RB Eddie Fuller in round 4. Outstanding talent was found in the bottom half of the draft as well, with LB Marvcus Patton selected in round 8, NT Mike Lodish in round 10, and WR Al Edwards in round 11.
The preseason didn't inspire the fans or the coaches. Missing veteran leadership due to injuries, off-season losses, and some camp hold outs, the Bills lost all four contests, to the NY Giants 20-6, Detroit 24-13, New Orleans 28-23, and an ugly preseason finale to the Chicago Bears 35-7. To add insult to injury, the Bills lost veteran LB Scott Radecic when they tried to slip him through waivers to division rival Indianapolis. Bu the Bills received some good news, LBs Shane Conlon, & Darryl Talley ended hold outs, as well as Thurman Thomas. Guard Jim Ritcher also returned from shoulder surgery to enter the starting lineup as well. The Bills were headed into the 1990 campaign with 11 new faces, including 8 rookies on the roster.
Buffalo opened the season at home to a sell out crowd as they played host to the Indianapolis Colts, with their #1 overall pick Jeff George starting at quarterback. Buffalo surprised the Colts opening with a no-huddle offense. QB Jim Kelly and offensive coordinator Ted Marchibroda devised the no huddle offense off of their success moving the ball against the Cleveland Browns in last season's playoff loss. Completing all 9 passes in the drive, Buffalo moved 78 yards to open the game with a Norwood field goal. The no-huddle was the offensive spark the team needed. However, coach Marv Levy had no plans on using the no-huddle as his staple offense on every play. The Bills finally turned on the switch and thrashed the Colts 26-10, in a game where the Bills offense were not forced to punt. Thurman Thomas proved his versatility with 84 yards on the ground and another 61 in the air for 145 total yards and a touchdown. The defensive highlight of the game was provided by Bills LB Cornelius Bennett, who knocked out Jeff George with a vicious tackle. Butch Rolle scored the Bills' 1000th TD in team history in the second quarter.
In what was one of the biggest comebacks in team history, Buffalo snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at home against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos jumped out to an early 14-0 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining in the half. Denver pushed the Bills around all day, out-gaining them 2-1 in total yards in the game and by 10 minutes in time of possession. The Bills managed to claw their way back into the game, when Don Smith's 12-yard TD run put the Bills 14-9 down. Denver again scored with Sammy Winder's 3-yard TD run putting the visitors up 21-9 with 20 minutes remaining in the game.
The spark that ignited the powder keg was provided by the Bills special teams. Lining up for what would have been a chip shot field goal and a 15 point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game, Nate Odomes' strong rush off the corner resulted in a blocked kick. Cornelius Bennett scooped up the ball and returned it 80 yards for the score. Exactly 60 seconds later, Leonard Smith stepped in front of a John Elway pass and returned the interception 39 yards for the Bills first lead of the game. The Bills botched their second extra point attempt of the game, giving them a slim 22-21 advantage. The Bills opportunistic defense wasn't finished. After a clipping call on the ensuing kickoff pushed the Broncos' drive start to their own 5, Elway fumbled the snap and Bennett recovered. Ken Davis punched in the Bill's 3rd TD in 77 seconds to give the Bills the winning score. Denver wasn't finished- John Elway managed to hit Ricky Nattiel with a 7 yard TD pass making the score 29-28 with 1:25 left. Buffalo managed to recover the onside kick and kill the clock to push their record to 3-1 and into a tie with the Dolphins for the AFC East lead.
The Raiders repeated the Bronco's success of holding the Bills offense in check while moving the ball at will on their own. WR Willie Gault hauled in a Jay Schroeder 11 yard pas for the game's first score. Special teams ace Steve Tasker put Buffalo back into the game by forcing Raider punt return man Tim Brown to fumble on the LA 15 yard line. The Bills Chris Hale recovered, setting up a Jim Kelly to Andre Reed 13 yard scoring strike to tie it 7-7. The Raiders went on to control the second and third quarters jumping out to a 17-7 lead. After Keith McKellar's 15 yard TD reception pulled Buffalo within 17-14 late in the third, the Raiders seemed to take control with Steve Smith's 4 yard reception with 10:25 left in the game. But just like the week before, the Bills special teams and defense led another dramatic comeback.
Jim Kelly began the rally on a quick 5 play drive ending in former Raider James Lofton's 42-yard TD reception. It consumed a mere 1:58 on the clock and drew the Bills within 3 at 24-21. After a raider 3-and-out, Steve Tasker was the hero again. Tasker broke in free and clear and blocked the punt, which was scooped up and returned 38 yards for the lead by JD Williams with 7:52 remaining. The Bills onslaught continued when Bennett sacked Schroeder 3 plays later forcing a fumble. The Turnover led to a Scott Norwood Field goal and a 31-21 lead. The game ended on another defensive TD, as Nate Odoms stripped Willie Gault of the ball and returned it 49 yards for the game's final score. The Bills comeback tidal wave
scored 24 points in a 6:03 span, sparking the 38-24 win.
Following a Jet FG, Kelly hit deep threat James Lofton for their second big TD pass in as many weeks, connecting on a 60 yard bomb to draw Buffalo into a tie score, 24-24. The Jets managed to push ahead on a 25 yard Pat Leahy FG with 2:46 left in the game. Kelly took over on his own 29 yard line. Don Smith converted a huge 3rd and 1 on the drive. Kelly completed 3 more passes that put Buffalo on the Jet 29 with 1:06 on the clock. A pair of incomplete passes led to a big 3rd and 10, which Reed converted into another 1st down on a clutch 13-yard completion. With 19 seconds in the game, Kelly found FB Jamie Mueller alone in the corner of the endzone for the game winning score. The Bills pushed their record 5-1 and remained tied with Miami for the division lead with the 30-27 victory.
Buffalo scored on their first possession when RB Thurman Thomas ran in from three yards out. With 13:06 left in the second quarter, Thomas hit pay dirt again as he bolted in from 11 yards out. LB Shane Conlan blocked Cleveland's first FG attempt and the second attempt was foiled by a bad snap. One the second half's opening drive, the Bills drove 80 yards in only 6 plays, scoring on a 10-yard scamper by FB Jamie Mueller. Thomas scored his third six-pointer of the day when he hauled in a 11-yard pass from QB Jim Kelly. Buffalo continued their scoring spree early in the fourth quarter when RB Kenneth Davis exploded on a 3-yard jaunt, to run the score to 35-0. LB Darryl Talley recorded his very first NFL Touchdown late in the 4th Quarter, intercepting a pass and returning it 60 yards. He would end the day recording 2 interceptions.
Week 9 was played in dismal conditions back home at Rich Stadium. During the game, a consistent 30-40 mph gale force wind blew, driving rain and later sleet and hail. 59 points were scored by both teams, all of them with the wind. The visiting Arizona Cardinals managed the only points of the first quarter. A Kelly fumble on a sack resulted in a Johnny Johnson TD score. In the second, Kelly managed 3 TD passes, including Steve Tasker's first of his career at WR. Tasker was pressed into service when Both Beebe and Reed were knocked out of the game due to injury. Tasker set up a second TD recovering a Rich Camarillo bobbled snap at the Cardinal 6 yard line. Butch Rolle contributed a TD reception, his 8th TD catch on his last 8 receptions. Kelly defied the conditions to toss 4 TDs as the Bills rolled themselves to a 45-14 win.
Week 10 saw the cellar dwelling Patriots come to town, and they gave the Bills all they could handle. After scoring 87 points in 2 games, the Patriots held the potent Bills offense to a mere 7 points in 58 minutes of play. A lone Thurman Thomas TD in the first quarter provided the game's only points. The Patriots drove deep into Bills territory, but a JD Williams intercepted a Marc Wilson pass intended for Irving Fryar with 1:51 in the game. On the next play, Thurman Thomas exploded around the left side for an 80-yard run to salt the game away at 14-0. He would finish with 161 yards on 22 carries. It was the second shutout for the Buffalo defense in 3 games. Miami's loss to the Raiders gave Buffalo sole possession The Bills made their second MNF appearance of the season in Houston, when they took on the run-and-shoot offense of the Houston Oilers and QB Warren Moon. The Oilers countered the Bills' use of 5 and 6 defensive backs with the effective running of RB Lorenzo White, ending the 8 game win streak with a 27-24 win.
Week 12 found the Bills back home in Buffalo against the Philadelphia Eagles. After experimenting with the no-huddle offense all season long with success, Levy and offensive coordinator Ted Marchibroda decided to open the game with the fast paced offensive attack and to stick with it. The results were astonishing. Against Reggie White and one of the more feared defenses in the league, the Bills moved the ball at will against the Eagles in the first quarter. On the game's second play from scrimmage, Jim Kelly hit a wide open James Lofton on a 63 yard bomb to open the scoring 7-0. After holding the Eagles and forcing a punt, the Bills drove 39 yards for a Scott Norwood FG. The Eagles were held to 2 more 3-and-outs, and the Bills made them pay with 2 more lightning quick scoring drives- a 56 yard TD pass to Andre Reed and 4 yard scoring toss from Kelley to Thurman Thomas. Thomas' TD was set up by Lofton's second huge play of the game, a 71 yard reception deep into Eagle territory. Buffalo jumped out to a 24-0 lead 13:37 into the game. By the end of the first quarter Jim Kelley was 8 for 8 passing for 229 yards and 3 scores.
The Eagles had some big play magic of their own. Eagle QB Randall Cunningham threw 3 TD passes, and had a 51 yard scramble to bring the Eagles to within a missed extra point, 24-23. On one of the more wild plays of the season, Cunningham pulled a rabbit out of his hat with an amazing 95 yard TD pass to WR Fred Barnett with only 54 seconds left in the half. Backed up on their own 5-yard line on 3rd and 14, Cunningham attempted to pass- under severe pressure from the Bills defense and Bruce Smith, the tall athletic QB somehow managed to elude Bills pursuers to heave the ball 60 yards downfield to Barnett, who outran Bills defenders to the end zone. Buffalo sealed the victory in the 4th quarter. Holding a slim 27-23 edge, Steve Tasker blocked yet another punt attempt by the Eagles setting up the final score of the game, a Norwood FG. The 30-24 win pushed the team record to 10-2.
Week 14 had the 11-2 Bills meeting the 11-2 New York Giants in what many were calling a possible preview of the Super Bowl. Both teams had major blows dealt to their post season hopes when both stating QBs were knocked out of the game. Giants QB Phil Simms was lost for the year and was replaced by Jeff Hostetler. Buffalo QB Jim Kelly and starting tackle Will Wolford both looked done for the season with knee injuries on the same play. Both defenses stepped up their efforts after the starting QBs went down, with the Bills escaping with a 17-13 win.
On the opening drive of the 3rd, Reich connected with Andre Reed for a 14-0 lead. The fast paced no huddle gave way to a more conservative approach, and Thurman Thomas was the beneficiary. The Dolphins could not stop the Buffalo RB as he pounded the fish for 154 yards rushing. His 4th quarter TD gave the Bills the insurance they needed in the 24-14 victory. WR Don Beebe was lost for the season with a broken leg. The Bills clinched home field throughout the playoffs with a team record 13th win in 15 games. Buffalo fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts in the victory celebration.
After their first round bye, the Bills played host to the Miami Dolphins for their third meeting of the year. The week off allowed Buffalo to get Jim Kelly well enough to get back into the line up and to fine tune their new offensive look. When the no-huddle was unleashed upon the Dolphins, it produced the highest scoring non-overtime game in NFL playoff history.
With intermittent snow showers and bitter cold temperatures, the Bills won the coin flip and elected to receive. Kelly connected with Reed for 20 on the first play of the game. After Thomas broke off a 14 yard run, Kelly found Reed all alone for a 40 yard TD 1:54 into the game. QB Jim Kelly ran the no-huddle offense to a 13-3 first quarter lead . Miami answered the opening drive with a 49-yard Pete Stoyanovich FG. The next two Buffalo drives were capped off with FGs of 24 and 22 yards by K Scott Norwood.
Kelly and Reed connected again on a 43 yard pass play that set up a 5 yard Thomas TD and a 20-3 Bills lead. Miami rallied with a 64 yard Marino to Duper strike on the next series to pull the fins within 10. James Lofton added to the Bills lead with his own 13 yard TD reception, but Miami answered just before the half with a rare Dan Marino TD run to make it 27-17 Buffalo lead. . In a 3rd quarter kickers' dual, Stoyanovich split the uprights from 22 yards out before Norwood drew claim to his 3rd FG of the day with a 28-yard shot. Miami drew to within a FG, 30-27, when Marino hit guard eligible Roy Foster with a 2-yard TD pass. But the Bills added 14 points to their 4th quarter lead when Thomas put the finishing touch on a 63-yard drive by strolling in from the 5. Buffalo wasted no time getting the ball back when LB Hal Garner forced a fumble on the ensuing KO return. Just 2 plays later, Reed grabbed a 23-yard Kelly pass for the Bills final tally. The Dolphins made the final score 44-34 with an 8-yard Marino-to-WR Tony Martin TD pass.
Buffalo's no huddle produced handsomely. Thurman Thomas had 117 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Jim Kelly had 339 yards via the air in a 3 TD performance. Both Andre Reed (4 rec. 122 yards) and James Lofton (7 receptions for 149) torched the Miami secondary.
After their first round bye, the Bills played host to the The Bills won their first AFC Championship with one of the most dominating performances ever displayed in a title game. Buffalo set the tone for the day by driving 75 yards after the opening KO and scored the initial TD when QB Jim Kelly picked up a bad shotgun snap and scrambled to find WR James Lofton for a 13-yard pass. Kelly was 6-6 for completions in the 9-play 75- yard drive. After Raiders K Jeff Jaeger cut the lead to 7-3, the Buffalo onslaught began. Kelly took the Bills the length of the field again, this time set up with a 41 yard pass to Lofton to the raider 23. Two plays later, Thurman Thomas ran for a 12-yard TD. Later in the first, the Bills LB Darryl Talley returned an INT 27 yards to extend the early lead to 21-3.
After their first round bye, the Bills played host to the The Bills' no-huddle offense showcased its power by scoring 20 more points in the 2nd quarter on 2 TD runs by RB Kenneth Davis and an 8-yard TD pass from Kelly to Lofton. Buffalo posted an impressive 41-3 halftime advantage, establishing an NFL postseason record for most points in a first half. Davis added his 3rd TD in the 4th quarter, tying an NFL playoff record for the most TDs in a game, while K Scott Norwood hit a 39-yard FG to provide the final margin. Thomas rushed for a Bills playoff record 138 yards as Buffalo gained a total of 502 yards compared to L.A.'s 320. When the smoke cleared, the two teams combined for 18 Championship game records, including 30 Buffalo first downs in the game, as well as Kelly's incredible 73.9% completion rate. The party was just beginning, as the Buffalo Bills earned a trip to their first Super Bowl.
-1990 AFC championship- Bills Backers United recap
With the nation's collective mind focused on America's entry 11 days earlier into war in the Gulf, the spectacle associated with the Super Bowl was in little evidence. NFL officials and Tampa authorities downplayed -- and even canceled -- many of the festive events leading up to pro football's showcase game.
Furthermore, for only the second time in 21 seasons, the NFL had a one-week gap -- not the usual two weeks -- between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. There had been the contention that the Super Bowl qualifiers had lost much of their competitive edge over two weeks and that the long wait had contributed to one not-so-super Super Bowl after another. The matchup of the NFL's best points-allowed defense (the Giants yielded only 13.2 points per game in the 1990 season) against the league's highest-scoring offense (the Bills averaged 26.8 points) lived up to its potential, generating the kind of game worthy of this worldwide arena. Most Super Bowls have been dull and lopsided -- especially during the National Football Conference's streak of six consecutive victories from 1985 through 1990. The NFC extended that string to seven on the strength of the Giants' upset triumph against Buffalo, a victory that wasn't clinched until the Bills' Scott Norwood misfired on a 47-yard field-goal attempt with eight seconds remaining in the game.
It took almost perfect execution of the Giants' game plan and some small mistakes by the Bills' offense to determine the final outcome.
The Giants controlled the clock, limiting the number of times Buffalo's hurry-up offense touched the ball. The Giants wound up setting a Super Bowl record for possession time (40 minutes, 33 seconds). They had to disrupt Buffalo's offensive timing and not allow receivers to roam untouched in the secondary. The Giants wound up pounding the Bills, forcing them into uncharacteristic dropped passes and brief, unsuccessful possessions. They received stellar performances from quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who was an inexperienced second-string player only six weeks earlier, and running back Otis Anderson. Hostetler and Anderson put forth brilliant efforts. Hostetler shrugged off a first-half battering and passed for 222 yards. For the third consecutive playoff game, he didn't yield an interception. Anderson pounded for 102 yards on 21 carries, good enough to earn Most Valuable Player honors.
The Bills traded field goals with the Giants in the first quarter, with Buffalo's score being set up by a tipped-pass play -- Kelly to James Lofton -- that covered 61 yards. Buffalo, getting six consecutive completions from Kelly, then drove 80 yards at the beginning of the second quarter and scored a go-ahead touchdown on a one-yard run by Don Smith. Although the Bills were not crisp in their execution, they nevertheless were on the verge of knocking out the Giants midway through the second quarter. After end Bruce Smith sacked Hostetler for a safety,(coming a fingertip away from forcing a fumble in the end zone) the Bills led by a 12-3 score, and Hostetler and the Giants were staggering. One more touchdown and Buffalo likely would have been too far ahead for the Giants' methodical offense to rally.
But Kelly misfired on consecutive possessions, allowing the Giants to settle down. They answered with an 87-yard drive that culminated in a 14-yard touchdown reception by Stephen Baker just before the half. The Giants used up 3:24 of the final 3:49 in the half to trim New York's deficit to 12-10 at halftime.
The Giants then embarked on the record-breaking touchdown march of 9:29 to open the second half. Buffalo had two opportunities to stop the 14-play drive (capped by Anderson's one-yard TD burst), but the Bills failed both times. Anderson's one-yard touchdown run capped the 75-yard drive. With the Giants scoring on the last drive of the half, the extended halftime festivities, and the long march for the lead, Kelly and the Bills offense sat idle on the sideline for over an hour in real time. Timing for the no-huddle suffered, and the Buffalo defense was running out of gas.
The Bills regained the lead at the outset of the fourth quarter on a 31-yard run by Thurman Thomas, but the Giants responded to the 19-17 deficit with a 74-yard drive that ended with what proved to be the game-winning field goal, a 21-yard kick by Matt Bahr. New York's Everson Walls, normally a cornerback, played a deep safety for most of the game and also orchestrated the Giants' containment defense, making two-thirds of the calls without signals from coordinator Bill Belichick. Instead of substituting liberally, Belichick went primarily with his most versatile defenders, concentrating mainly on Thomas, who gained 135 yards rushing and 55 yards on five receptions. On almost every pass route, he was bumped by a lineman, then worked over by a linebacker. The Giants repeatedly pounded on Buffalo's other major receiving threat, Andre Reed, who dropped two passes and was held to one reception in the second half.
Despite the Giants' immense defensive effort and the Bills' lack of execution, things weren't settled until Buffalo's last desperate possession. The Bills took over at their 10-yard line with 2:16 remaining, and Kelly guided the Bills on one last hurry-up effort. A 22-yard run by Thomas gave Buffalo a first down at its 41. An eight-yard scramble by Kelly yielded another first down at the New York 46, but the Bills had to use their last timeout with 48 seconds left. Kelly's six-yard pass to tight end Keith McKeller and an 11-yard run by Thomas moved the Bills to the 29. On the next play, Kelly threw the ball to the ground, stopping the clock with eight seconds left.
Adam Lingner snapped the ball and holder Frank Reich placed it cleanly on the grass. Little groups of players and coaches on both teams knelt in open prayer, for and against, as Norwood swung his right leg in an electrifying moment. The kick was long enough, but it started to the right of the goal post and never did draw or hook to the left. It remained - forever -- wide right, by the slimmest of margins.
Buffalonians welcomed their heroes back from the Super Bowl as conquering heroes instead of vanquished soldiers. 20,000 fans rallied in downtown Buffalo, saving some of their biggest cheers for Kicker Scott Norwood. The Buffalo Bills vowed to go back.
Ten Buffalo Bills were named to the Pro-Bowl. Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, and center Kent Hull were named on the offense. Tackle Will Wolford was a last minute injury replacement. Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, and Shane Conlon were selected on defense. Darryl Talley was a late addition by Raider coach Art Shell. Steve Tasker was also selected as a starter on special teams. In the Pro Bowl, Jim Kelly's 13-19 210-yard 1 TD performance earned him the game's MVP award, as Bruce Smith added 3 sacks and Andre Reed 4 catches for 80 yards. The AFC won 23-21.
Super Bowl XXIV- Giants 20, Bills 19- Bills Backers United recap
1990 Draft- 1990 Stats- 1990 Results
