| January 01, 2004 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 05:55 PM |
The Buffalo Bills ushered in 1997 without Jim Kelly, the team's starting QB and field general the last 11 seasons. Unable to shake persistent injuries and suffering from untimely interceptions, Kelly hung up the cleats in an emotional post season press conference. Also leaving the game on his own terms was perennial Pro-Bowl center Kent Hull, who ironically came to Buffalo from the USFL the same day in 1986. Kelly came to the Bills offices in a limousine and with an entourage, while the blue-collar Kent Hull arrived in the back of a delivery van. Both went out the best players at their positions in team history.
The 1997 NFL draft was productive for the Bills at the top, but for the first time in recent history the later round picks were a disappointment. Buffalo picked RB Antoine Smith of Houston with their first overall selection, and DE Marcellus Willey in the second round. The Bills dealt the third pick to the Oakland raiders for QB depth, acquiring Billy Joe Hobart- a decision they would regret midway through the season. The Bills picked up OT's Jamie Nails and Marcus Spriggs in the 4th and 6th rounds respectively. The greatest addition was the signing of undrafted free agent DT Pat Williams.
The Bills played 5 preseason contests, going 2-3. They opened with a 31-10 loss at Denver, then returned home to lose in OT to the Bears 20-17. Minnesota followed the Bears to Buffalo and were soundly beaten 19-3. Green Bay thrashed the Bills in the Skydome in Toronto, 35-3. Buffalo finished on a high note on the road, 31-28.
Buffalo came into the game with Collins at quarterback, marking the first time since 1985 someone other than Kelly started the season running the offense. Collins was solid but not spectacular in completing 25 of 39 passes for 299 yards and a 19-yard touchdown to Jay Riemersma. Andre Reed had seven catches for 142 yards, and Steve Christie kicked field goals of 28 and 46 yards for the Bills.
The Bills scored their first touchdown in the second quarter when Collins found Riemersma wide open, and the tight end made a sliding catch for his first career reception. Johnson found holes in the middle of Buffalo's defense early, connecting on 13 of his first 17 passes and leading the Vikings to a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. After Davis opened the scoring with a 21-yarder in the second quarter, Minnesota went ahead when Johnson hit Carter for a 6-yard touchdown on the next series. Davis added a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter. Buffalo closed to 13-10 early in the fourth quarter on Christie's 28-yarder. Collins completed seven straight passes before throwing consecutive incompletions in Minnesota territory.At the beginning of the fourth quarter Smith found a huge hole off left tackle and whizzed past Buffalo defenders Bryce Paup and Bruce Smith before going untouched 78 yards into the end zone. Minnesota linebacker Jeff Brady put Buffalo away when he picked up a fumbled snap and ran 30 yards for a touchdown with 11:03 left in the game. Carter closed the scoring with a 35-yard TD catch with 2:30 left . Minnesota's Brad Johnson completed 17 of 30 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns to Cris Carter, who had eight catches for 119 yards. Robert Smith ran for a career-high 169 yards on 16 carries. Greg Davis kicked field goals of 21 and 43 yards.
When the Jets took a 10-0 first quarter lead in front of 72,988 at Giants Stadium, it was starting to look like the post Jim Kelly era would be a difficult period for Buffalo. But as they have done so many times the last decade, the Bills called on their tremendous pride and resolve to rally past the Jets 28-22. Buffalo's defense gave up just 39 yards rushing (1.9 yards per carry), allowed O'Donnell to complete just 43 percent of his passes, sacked him eight times and hit him at least eight more.
After New York took its 10-0 lead; Buffalo came back to go ahead 14-10 on a Thomas 2 yard run and a Reed 10-yard Pass from Collins. When the Bills' scored a Quinn Early 37 yard TD reception from Collins touchdown to take a 21-13 third-quarter lead, New York's Aaron Glenn returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. New York went ahead 22-21 with 9:52 left on John Hall's 52-yard field goal, but the Bills backup tight end Jay Riemersma made an acrobatic, leaning catch of a 10-yard pass from Todd Collins to give the Bills a 28-22 lead with 6:58 left. The Jets had one last chance on their last drive after O'Donnell found Keyshawn Johnson for 32 yards and a first down at the 24. But the Bills made sure they didn't convert.
The Bills dropped their second game of the season at Arrowhead Stadium when Todd Collins was denied at the Chief's goal line with 6 seconds left.
Buffalo ended a field-goal battle early in the third quarter when Collins connected with Andre Reed for a 77-yard touchdown to give the Bills their first lead, 10-9. Steve Christie kicked his second field goal of the game, a 33-yarder in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, to extend Buffalo's cushion to 13-9. The 57-yard drive was aided by an pair of pass interference penalties totaling 58 yards. The Chiefs regained the momentum when Tamarick Vanover returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a score, giving Kansas City a 16-13 edge. Buffalo needed two minutes to tie the score. Collins threw a 45-yard pass to Early to set up a 30-yard field goal by Christie with 11:52 to play.
Kansas City scored the game winning touchdown on a six-play, 50-yard drive that started when safety Reggie Tongue intercepted a Collins pass at mid-field. Greg Hill and Grbac each ripped off 16-yard runs to set up the touchdown, a 1-yard pass from Grbac to Tony Richardson with 6:55 remaining. Collins tried to rally the Bills. His 15-yard pass to tight end Lonnie Johnson set them up at the Kansas City 7-yard line with 27 seconds left, but Collins--under heavy pressure from the Chiefs pass rush--threw three consecutive incompletions before Mark McMillians interception sealed the win.
Rookie Antowain Smith rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills engineered the second-biggest comeback in NFL regular season history, holding on for a wild 37-35 victory over the winless Indianapolis Colts. The Bills overcame a 26-0 deficit, then stopped a 2-point conversion and a pair of desperation passes in the final seconds to beat the Colts. The Colts score opened the game scoring on 5 drives, a Jim Harbaugh 10 yard TD Pass, a Marshall Faulk 10 yard run, and 3 Corey Blanchard FGs put the Bills in a big hole. Lonnie Johnson got the Bills on the board with a 16 yard pass from Todd Collins with 2:32 left in the half, and Christie cut the lead again with a FG at the buzzer.
Antoine Smith took over in the second half, first scoring on a 15 yard TD run. A muffed punt set up Indy with another golden opportunity. Indy responded with Blanchard's 4th FG of the game to give the Colts a 29-16 lead with 10:19 left. Early capped an 11 pay drive with a 4 yard TD reception from Collins with 6:25 remaining. Buffalo quickly got the ball back at the Colt 44, and 3 plays later Antoine Smith gave the Bills a 30-29 lead with his 1 yard plunge with 4:43 remaining. Indianapolis was thwarted on offense again, turning the ball over to the Bills at midfield. On the next play, it appeared Smith shoveled the last bit of dirt on the Colt's grave with a 54-yarder that made it 37-29 and appeared to seal the victory with 1:14 left. But Indianapolis moved 80 yards and made it 37-35 when backup quarterback Paul Justin, playing for a groggy Jim Harbaugh, hit Marvin Harrison with a 2-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left. Kurt Schulz stepped in front of Justin's pass for Harrison on the 2-point conversion, preserving the win for the Bills. It appeared Schulz held Harrison on the play, but no penalty was called.
Buffalo opened the game in the K-Gun, a no-huddle offense it used to reach four Super Bowls with Jim Kelly at quarterback and immediately picked up good yardage. Andre Reed caught five passes for 95 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown pass from Collins. Steve Christie kicked field goals of 47 and 33 yards. Buffalo moved ahead 13-3 with two seconds remaining in the first half after Ken Irvin blocked John Jett's punt, giving the Bills the ball at the Detroit 15 with 11 seconds left. Collins threw one incomplete pass into the endzone before Christie kicked a 33-yarder.
Detroit drew within 13-6 when Hanson kicked a 30-yarder in the third quarter. Scott Mitchell tied the score at 13 with 5:54 remaining in the game when he ran into the endzone on a third-and-goal from the 8. Mitchell found Herman Moore for 31 and 19 yards on consecutive plays, and the Bills safety Henry Jones was penalized for removing his helmet deep in Buffalo territory. Late in the game, Buffalo special teamer Eric Smedley downed Chris Mohr's punt at the 1. Two plays later, Barry Sanders was tripped up by Bruce Smith and tackled by Phil Hansen for a safety, breaking a 13-13 tie with 2:12 remaining. Antowain Smith clinched the victory with a 56-yard run after the Bills got the ball back following Detroit's kickoff. The Bills improved to 3-2 on the season.
The Buffalo Bills were routed 33-6 on the road against division rival New England. The Bills fell behind early when Drew Bledsoe connected with Ben Coates for 20 yards on the first drive of the game. Adam Vinateri then added 4 straight FG's, followed up by a 26 yard Curtis Martin TD run. The Patriots conlculded the third quarter wit a 4 yard Bledsoe to Keith Byars TD pass to make it 33-0 at the end of the third. Buffalo managed to avoid its second shutout since Marv Levy became coach in 1986 when Darick Holmes scored on a 1-yard run with 13:59 left in the game.
Buffalo's chances dropped after quarterback Todd Collins left with a strained left rotator cuff on its second possession when he was sacked by Tedy Bruschi. There was no indication of how long he would be sidelined, and Levy said the shoulder wasn't fractured or separated. Billy Joe Hobert took over, and the Patriots took advantage. On Hobert's first play, he threw an interception to Willie Clay. He returned it to the Buffalo 20-yard line, but the Patriots couldn't get past the 3 and Vinatieri kicked a 20-yard field goal for the 10-0 lead. Hobert threw another interception on the second play of the second quarter that led to Vinatieri's 23-yarder. Buffalo punted on its next series and Vinatieri hit a 41-yarder for a 16-0 lead at halftime. The Bills kept the Patriots from scoring a touchdown again on the first possession of the second half, but Vinatieri came through again, from 52 yards.
With Collins hurt and the early deficit keeping the Bills from relying on the running of Antowain Smith and Thurman Thomas, the Patriots defense concentrated on the pass. Hobert moved the Bills well late in the third quarter. He completed four of five passes, going from the New England 49 to the 16, where the drive stalled. Steve Christie's 34-yard field goal attempt then sailed wide to the left.
Amazingly, Hobert after the game admitted that he didn't study the play book citing that he didn't expect to see action in the game as a backup. The Bills waived Hobert a couple of days later.
The Buffalo Bills didn't need a 26-point comeback this time. Steve Christie's three field goals were enough to keep the Indianapolis Colts winless. Christie's third field goal, a 27-yarder as time expired, gave the Bills a 9-6 victory on Monday Night Fooball. The game was just the second in the history of the NFL to be played without a touchdown or a turnover.
The Bills found some unlikely offense in the first half with Eric Moulds, their kick returner who had just five receptions for 51 yards this season. He topped that with 52 yards on the first Buffalo possession, including 32 yards on his first five catches. After two carries by Thurman Thomas, a 12-yard reception by Moulds took Buffalo to the Indianapolis 24. Five plays later, an 8-yard catch to the Colts 4 set up a 22-yard field goal by Christie for a 3-0 lead. Thomas, who became the 10th running back in NFL history with 11,000 career yards, left the game in the second quarter with a sore knee after he was flipped upside down on a tackle by Quentin Coryatt after a 2-yard gain to the Colts 29, setting up a 47-yard field goal by Christie. Thomas returned in the third quarter and finished with 10 carries for 42 yards and one reception for minus-2 yards The Colts started the tying drive from their own 23, moving 62 yards in 11 plays. Harrison dropped a pass that would have given Indianapolis a first down at the 11, however, forcing a fourth-down, 32-yard field goal by Blanchard that tied the game 6-6.
Todd Collins completed passes of 20 and 16 yards to Quinn Early and added a 14-yarder to Andre Reed to get Buffalo to the Indianapolis 20 with two minutes to go. Three runs by Antowain Smith took the Bills to the 7, then Collins took a knee and let the clock run down to three seconds before calling a timeout. Christie, who kicked earlier field goals of 22 and 47 yards, then kicked the game-winner.
The Buffalo Bills played their second OT game in six days, falling to the Denver Broncos after mounting a furious fourth quarter comeback. Terrell Davis rushed for 207 yards on 42 carries and scored one touchdown, and Elam added field goals of 23 and 22 yards for the Broncos. The Broncos had taken a 20-0 lead when 304-pound tackle Keith Traylor intercepted Collins and ran 62 yards for a touchdown with 4:13 left in the third quarter. Van Pelt came in on the next series and hit Andre Reed with a 27-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 20-7 in with 12:10 left in regulation. After Christie hit a 30-yard field goal, Van Pelt threw a 31-yard strike to Quinn Early with 2:23 remaining to cut the margin to 20-17. Steve Christie kicked a 55-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to tie the score for the Bills. In OT, both teams had 2 possessions. The Broncos drew within range for the winning field goal after quarterback John Elway hit Ed McCaffery with a 17-yard pass on third-and-10 and Rod Smith on a 14-yard completion on the next play. Five plays later, Elam nailed the game-winner.
The Buffalo Bills had six fumbles, one muffed punt, several bad plays and no touchdowns and still, somehow, wound up beating the Miami Dolphins. Steve Christie kicked three field goals and the Bills won for the second time in three weeks without reaching the endzone as they beat the Dolphins 9-6. The Bills won because they recovered five of their own fumbles and held the Dolphins without a touchdown 
despite playing a defense that was restructured on Friday, with linebackers Chris Spielman and Damien Covington nursing serious injuries. Third string QB Alex Van Pelt was solid if not spectacular in his first NFL start in place of Todd Collins, completing 13 of 22 passes for 89 yards.
Marino sprained his left ankle in the first half before leaving the game for good with 11:25 left in the third quarter after he was intercepted by defensive end Sean Moran. He completed only four of 14 passes for 67 yards and one interception before being replaced by Craig Erickson. Christie kicked field goals of 41, 40 and 39 yards for the Bills. Christie's 39-yard field goal gave the Bills a 9-6 lead with 10:42 remaining in the game after wide receiver Eric Moulds gained 29 yards on a reverse. Mare tied the score at 6-6 on his second field goal with 14:21 remaining in the fourth quarter after Miami's drive stalled at the Buffalo 18.The Dolphins moved into Buffalo territory in the final two minutes before Erickson was intercepted by Bills cornerback Jeff Burris at the Buffalo 19 with 1:01 remaining.
The New England Patriots hadn't won since beating the Bills handily one month prior. They got back on the winning track thumping the Bills again, 31-10 in Buffalo. Buffalo scored first on a Christie 23 yard FG, but Derrick Cullors returned the ensuing kick 86 yards for the score. New England began pulling away when Jimmy Hitchcock intercepted Van Pelt to set up Vinatieri's 42-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Coates then put the Patriots ahead 17-3 with his 40th career touchdown catch. LB Chris Slade made it 24-3 with 6:05 left in the third quarter when he batted a Collins' pass into the air and caught the ball at the 1-yard line and walked into the end zone. Buffalo running back Antowain Smith jumped over from the 1 with 48 seconds left in the third period. It was the Bills' first TD in seven quarters. Buffalo quarterback Alex Van Pelt completed three of 12 passes for 38 yards and had three interceptions before he was benched to start the second half. Todd Collins finished 12-for-21 for 89 yards.
The Dolphins, who failed to score a touchdown in a 9-6 loss at Buffalo earlier in November, this time raced to a 13-0 lead after 22 minutes. George Teague made a leaping interception on a pass by Collins, who was hit as he threw by Jason Taylor. The turnover led to Mare's 30-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead. Jason Taylor recovered Antowain Smith's fumble at the Buffalo 24, and three plays later Mare banked a 35-yard field goal off the right upright to put Miami ahead 16-7. Buffalo's offense finally got untracked on the first possession of the second half. The Bills converted two third-and-long situations to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Darick Holmes. Steve Christie's 36-yard field goal made the score 16-10. After Steve Tasker recovered Irving Spikes' fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Christie hit a 24-yard field goal. The Buffalo Bills stayed close to the Miami Dolphins until Troy Drayton went out for a pass. The wide-open tight end's 30-yard touchdown reception with 5:11 remaining gave the Dolphins some breathing room in a 30-13 victory.
The Bills, who lost at Miami last Monday, looked like they were suffering from jet lag from the beginning. Thurman Thomas lost the ball on the Bills' first play of the game, and the Oilers defender Marcus Robertson picked it up and returned it 25 yards for a 7-0 lead. McNair started quickly by moving Tennessee 69 yards, capping the nine-play drive with a 1-yard plunge and a 14-0 lead. His 3-yard run put the Oilers up 21-0 late in the second quarter. Proof that it was the Oilers' day came at the beginning of the third quarter. Tennessee held the ball for nearly six minutes and was forced to try a 51-yard field goal by Al Del Greco, who had missed four of his previous seven attempts. But his kick hit the middle of the cross bar and bounced over for a 24-7 lead. Todd Collins finally started taking advantage of a banged-up Oilers secondary. Using a no-huddle offense just before half-time, he moved the Bills 63 yards and capped the drive with a 9-yard TD toss to Quinn Early. But by the time Collins found Early for a second touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter, a 5-yarder, the score only cut the Oilers' lead to 24-14. Collins was 24-of-37 for 279 yards. Tennessee added a late TD with a 4 yard McNair pass.
The Bills made their first drive look easy. Thomas picked up 15 yards on a pass from Collins to start the drive, and Smith ran for 20 yards to set up Reed's score. Reed made a quick move to beat Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, caught Collins' short pass at the 3 and skidded into the end zone. The Bills scored a first-quarter touchdown for the first time in 17 games. It was Buffalo's first TD in the opening quarter since they scored in a 35-10 win over the Jets last season.Defensive end Phil Hansen helped give Buffalo a 10-3 lead when he sacked O'Donnell from behind, forcing a fumble that was recovered by safety Henry Jones with 1:22 left in the half. Christie then hit from 49 yards. Neil O'Donnell completed a 29-yard touchdown to Keyshawn Johnson that tied the game at 10 with 7:19 left in the third quarter. He found a hole in the Bills secondary and beat safety Kurt Schulz in the end zone for his fifth TD this season. John Hall added a 22-yard field goal for the Jets.
Todd Collins hit tight end Lonnie Johnson with a 62-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter as Buffalo snapped a three-game losing streak and won its sixth straight over the Jets. Johnson, who had dropped three passes earlier in the game, caught four passes for 81 yards. His touchdown came when he caught the ball at the 40, ran over safety Victor Green and beat linebacker Dwayne Gordon to the end zone with 12:47 left. Christie added an insurance FG with 5:21 to go. Thomas gained 104 yards on 18 carries and moved into ninth place on the career rushing list with 11,325 yards. It was his first 100-yard game since October 27, 1996, when he had 119 against New England. Rookie backup Antowain Smith had 78 yards rushing as the Bills rolled up 197 yards on the ground.
Mediocrity would have been a kind word to describe the Bills, who were ripped by coach Marv Levy after failing to get a touchdown against the NFL's most generous defense. Buffalo gained only 160 yards, looking nothing like the high-powered offensive team that made the playoffs in eight of the last nine years and reached four Super Bowls. "It's the worst we've played that I can remember," said Levy, whose team has lost four of its last five games. "Never, never, not in the 12 years I've been here" have the Bills played so poorly.
The Chicago Bears played their best all-around game this season in beating the Buffalo Bills 20-3. QB Eric Kramer atoned for two first-quarter interceptions by passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills, averaging an AFC-low 15.7 points, couldn't take advantage of Kramer's early mistakes. Todd Collins had a miserable day, consistently missed open receivers and completing 13 of 32 passes for 138 yards. Kramer, meanwhile, rebounded strongly. His 23-for-33 performance included second-quarter touchdown passes of 30 yards to Ryan Wetnight and 3 yards to Ricky Proehl. Kramer also connected with Curtis Conway seven times for 115 yards. Raymont Harris rushed for 59 yards before leaving in the third quarter with a broken left leg. He finished the season with 1,033 yards, becoming the seventh back in Chicago history to reach 1,000.
A series of Buffalo miscues gave Jacksonville a 7-0 lead 4:50 into the game, and the Jaguars never lost the lead in beating the Bills for the second straight time at Rich Stadium. On Jacksonville's first play from scrimmage, Brunell found receiver Keenan McCardell wide open for a 60-yard gain. Two plays later, Brunell scrambled around left end for a 13-yard TD. Jacksonville went 90 yards on its third possession, capped off by Means' 2-yard run with 12:50 left in the half. Christie connected from 38 yards to make it 14-3 two seconds before halftime, and he kicked the 31-yarder early in the fourth quarter to cut the Jacksonville lead to 14-6. The Jaguars appeared to be in playoff form for the first three quarters before a near collapse in the fourth almost cost them the game. Jacksonville had a 17-3 lead before Buffalo closed to 17-14 when Alex Van Pelt led the Bills on an 80-yard touchdown drive. Antowain Smith ran in from the 1 with 8:03 remaining, and Van Pelt hit Eric Moulds with a conversion pass to make it interesting. After Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis answered with a 47-yard field goal, Buffalo drove to the Jaguars 21 on its final possession before Deon Figures intercepted for Jacksonville with 53 seconds left preserving the 20-14 win.
Steve Tasker was ejected from his retirement game and Brett Favre nearly made an early exit himself. Favre was slow in getting up after getting plastered on his first pass, but he bounced back to throw two touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers beat the Buffalo Bills 31-21.
Buffalo finished the season 6-10 and Tasker said good-bye a little early. Tasker decided not to catch a punt deep in his own territory less than two minutes into the game. As he got out of the way, the ball bounced inside the 5-yard line and grazed the back of Bills' Raymond Jackson and caromed into the hands of Tyrone Davis for a Packers TD. Referee Mike Carey immediately signaled the score, and the usually easy going Tasker protested. He was ejected for accidentally bumping back judge Tom Sifferman.
"It's not really the way I wanted my career to end, obviously," Tasker said. "But it was my fault and it is a rule. Even though I had no intention of pushing an official, it is a rule."
Falling behind 24-0, the Bills mounted a comeback against the Packer's second unit, as the first unit was held out and rested for the playoffs. Antoine Smith scored a pair of TDs, the first set up by a Marcellus Willey fumble recovery and 40 yard return to the Packer 5. Packer DB Darren Sharper picked off Van Pelt and returned it 20 yards to put the game out of reach at 31-14. Van Pelt added a meaningless TD with 2 minutes remaining for the final 31-21 score.
The Bills finished a disappointing 6-10, 4th in the AFC East- their worst finish since a 4-12 finish in 1986. Marv Levy replaced head coach Hank Bullough after 9 games in that season. It was also the worst full season record for Levy since his first ever as a head coach, when he went 4-12 in 1978 with Kansas City. With the core of his championship teams retiring, lost to free agency, or becoming cap casualties, Levy chose to hang it up at age 71. The numbers alone are impressive: 112 wins and 70 losses with the Bills (123-78 including playoffs, making Levy by far the winningest coach in Bills history), six division championships (including four consecutive from 1988-1991), four straight AFC Championships, a 17-5 record against the winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula, and 143 NFL coaching victories (11th on the all-time list). In addition, Marv is one of only 14 coaches to win 100 games with one NFL team.
Also calling it quits at the end of the year was Steve Tasker, considered one of the greatest special teams players in the history of the NFL. Appearing in 195 regular season and playoff games during his career, he made 204 career special team tackles and seven blocked punts to his credit. Perhaps the most memorable blocked punt came against the Raiders in 1990 when Tasker blocked a punt that was returned for the touchdown to spark the greatest comeback victory. In 1996 when the Bills were in need of wide receivers late in the season Tasker, who had eight catches in seven seasons with the team, became an important part of the pass offense. In the playoff blowout against the Dolphins, he not only caught a touchdown pass but also tallied up five passes for 108 yards. During his 11 seasons as a Buffalo Bill Tasker was selected by his peers and coaches to represent the AFC in seven Pro Bowls and is the only true special teams' player to be selected as the Pro Bowl MVP, earning that destination in the 1993 Game.
1997 Draft-
1997 Stats- 1997 Results-
