Teams even tried to resurrect dead legends in Joe Montana, Buddy Ryan, Keith Jackson, and Marcus Allen to knock us off…yet the Bills kept marching. Public scorn or ridicule as the Super Bowl losses began to mount.
#Buffalo bills roster 1992 free#
We watched as they endured the advent of true free agency and kept on winning. The Bills were undefeated in Rich Stadium in the playoffs until 1996. The entire AFC had been caught in a vice as they had to deal with the 1st prolific passing offense to hail from a cold climate.
No one else could share in the pure elation after the greatest comeback in NFL history either. Bills players and fans had to endure that purgatory together and it could be the genesis of all this closeness. Then six month later we had to endure the fall of OJ Simpson, the greatest player in the history of the franchise. The excitement leading up to each of those Super Bowls were tempered as you came down after each loss. There is nothing like being a Buffalo Bills fan. It was felt with conviction when Reed declared “The Bills will stay in Buffalo!”
#Buffalo bills roster 1992 full#
It was on full display as you watched last weeks induction ceremony. The outside world caught a glimpse into the closeness of this team. The AFC Championship at stake.Īs we’re winding down the football life of these Buffalo Bill teams of the early 90’s, we get to really appreciate it several decades later. After a 29-23 come from behind win against the LA Raiders in sub zero weather in the divisional playoffs, here came Joe Montana, Marcus Allen and the Kansas City Chiefs. With the wear and tear of 10 additional postseason games over the previous 3 seasons, would they have enough in the tank to make it to that 4th Super Bowl? That became the prevailing question. The result? Thurman did rush for 1,315 yards but a career low 3.7 yard average. Thurman Thomas was still in his prime but defenses ganged up on the run now that the Bills couldn’t stretch the field. Lofton retired after ’92 and the Bills brought in possession receiver Bill Brooks. Where in previous years the team really stretched the field with James Lofton and Andre Reed. The offense evolved into Kelly engineering more of a controlled passing game as TE Pete Metzellars led the team in receiving. Was this still the AFC’s best team? They seemed to be just a step ahead of the competition within the conference instead of leaps and bounds as they had been in 1990 or 1991. The 1993 team fought it’s way to another 12-4 record although the games were much closer. After all it was the defensive collapse in the 41-38 loss to the Bills in the ’92 playoffs that propelled Ryan’s hire in the first place. All of these teams wanted a shot at the aging Bills. They signed LB Wilber Marshall to help fortify an already talented defense. The Houston Oilers resurrected Buddy Ryan and his 46 defense to conquer the AFC. The Raiders pulled a coup and brought in Jeff Hostetler to quarterback the Raiders back to the playoffs. The Dolphins started to acquire talent around Dan Marino as they brought in free agents Keith Byars and Mark Ingram. Other AFC teams bolstered their offensive units as QB Joe Montana and Marcus Allen joined the Kansas City Chiefs. How much longer could they jeep their core players intact? LT Will Wolford signed with the Indianpolis Colts. Gone were LBs Shane Conlan and Carlton Bailey. The 1993season brought on the first season of free agency as the Bills roster started to be plucked over. Once the most dominant team in the AFC, several teams had caught up to the Bills and the K-Gun offense. Going into the final week of the season the Bills were ready to clinch homefield in the AFC when: Good enough for homefield advantage in the NFC. During this season they were 4-0 against the NFC west including a 38-35 win in San Francisco vs. How would they recover? Yet all these players were in their prime and led by unsung leaders like LB Darryl Talley, they dusted themselves off and came right back in 1992. Thurman Thomas was league MVP and Bruce Smith was coming back from injury as the 1991 playoffs beckoned.īack to back Super Bowl losses had many fans and pundits writing off the Bills. Most experts and pundits believed they would be dominant in 1991 as they went 13-3 with homefield advantage again. The 1990 Buffalo Bills were the first team to lose the NFL Championship or Super Bowl by a single point…20-19. They would go on to become the NFL’s most galvanized team as the new decade took shape. Infighting almost derailed a season as they went 9-7 after a 12-4 campaign the year before marked them as a team on the rise. Most people don’t realize or remember this team was known as the “Bickering Bills” during the 1989 campaign. The amazing thing is how far this group had grown as men. Kelly and Reed before taking the field for the 1990 AFC Championship Game.
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