The Four Faults of Buffalo

[IDBillzFan]

@Alaska Darin's impressive recollection of the Bears "Flu Game" prompted me to start a thread I've been reluctant to create, in part because it requires a confession.

 

I initially grew up watching the NFL in the early 70s because my father was a gambler, so the games were always on. He had no interest in teaching me the game. At one point, watching a running back once again take a handoff and hit a wall of people, I asked my father why they keep doing it and the only response he had was "He's trying to find a hole."

 

End if conversation.

 

The internet fixed that for me, but not until LONG after the Bills lost four straight SBs. The confession here is that I never once had the balls to re-watch any of those SB, even after I learned about the roles played via individual positions (LT, LG, MLB, FB, one technique, A gap, B gap, etc.). I know more about the game positionally than I ever have, and yet refuse to watch those games because, y'know, why?

 

Subsequently, when I think of those games, I think of wide-right, Bills partying, Thurman's helmet, Beebe chasing Lett, and whatever the phkc happened against the Redskins. I didn't have All-22 or the internet. I basically had whatever the LA Times was reporting.

 

So I ask my compadres here to try this: give me no more than one or two sentences to explain why the Bills, as a team, from coaching to players, lost each of those games, from your perspective. What did they really do wrong. If you need more than two sentences, have at it. My hope is I will not only learn, but trigger some old arguments that were taking place before I found the internet.

 

SB XXV:

 

SB XXVI:

 

SB XXVII

 

SB XXVIII:

 

Go.

 

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

SB XXVIII: Thurman fumbled the ball away, first possession of the second half.  Worse, the possession after, he sulked on the bench over it, which completely sucked the wind out of the team.  Bills had the game well in hand up to that point (most people don't remember - it was a dominating, businesslike performance in the first half.)  And while the fumble may have changed the momentum, Thurman's sulk made it an unrecoverable change.

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, Crap Throwing Monkey said:

SB XXVIII: Thurman fumbled the ball away, first possession of the second half.  Worse, the possession after, he sulked on the bench over it, which completely sucked the wind out of the team.  Bills had the game well in hand up to that point (most people don't remember - it was a dominating, businesslike performance in the first half.)  And while the fumble may have changed the momentum, Thurman's sulk made it an unrecoverable change.

 

And the sulking was on the coaches.  None of them went over to him & got his head out of his arse.

[Taro T]

The 1st Cowboys game honestly might've come down to the weather.  It'd been raining in LA in the days leading up to the SB.  The league even brought in a pair of helicopters to hover a few feet over the Rosebowl's field to try to dry it out.  The Bills 1st turnover came when Metzalars fell & Kelly ended up hitting g the guy covering g him in the #'s.  If he's got the right friggin' cleats for the surface ...

 

Also, Marv's play calling on 4th down & goal line situations was terrible.  They left at least 11 points on the field when it actually might have mattered.

 

Reed not being able to follow his blockers on the 2 long receptions that got stopped short of the end zone hurt too.  

[Taro T]

The 1st SB came down to Kelly not taking what the Jints were giving on the offensive side.

 

And then things that didn't help were:

 

On the defensive side, with Talley playing w/ 1 arm, nobody could make a big play when given the opportunity.  Smith got the safety, but couldn't get the ball out of Hostetler's hand.  Biscuit dropped a sure pick six on the drive the Jints got the winning field goal.  Nobody could tackle on 3rd & long.

 

They couldn't catch a break on the final drive.  Kelly got shook up early in the drive & they wasted a timeout on 1st down when, if he was good, he'd've been able to spike it..  The officials reviewing McKeller's catch on the final drive cost them at least 7 seconds which was probably enough to get the extra 7 yards to make Norwood automatic.  The ball wasn't within a foot of the ground; no idea why they reviewed it.

[devnull]

[Taro T]

Skins superbowl:  Rypien had sold his soul that year.  Combine that w/ Markbright being the ref & they were hosed.

 

Had Mayhew given Kelly the concussion earlier in the game maybe things work out different.  Kelly was much more effective after the hit. 

[KD in CA]

SB XXV:  Worst two minute drive ever.  Longest pass play was for six yards.  Kelly ran the ball three times.  For you younguns', he wasn't exactly Josh Allen with the ball in his hands.

 

Amazing to think that in today's NFL, they couldn't hold a lead for :13 &#%$ing seconds, yet Kelly had over two minutes and couldn't get them inside the 30.

[Ann]

SB XXV:   My boys like to party all the time, party all the time, party alllll the tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime... 🎶

 

[Ann]

SB XXVI: Washington was the better team.

 

 

[Ann]

 

SB XXVIII: It was like they gave up in the second half. Maybe it was the sulking as @Crap Throwing Monkey said, but this one was baffling. 

[Uncle Joe]

SB XXV: Time of Possession. The Giants kept the ball away from the Bills offense, see also Mark Bavaro in the 4th quarter .

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

10 minutes ago, Uncle Joe said:

SB XXV: Time of Possession. The Giants kept the ball away from the Bills offense, see also Mark Bavaro in the 4th quarter .

 

Including half time, the Bills' offense was off the field for something like an hour?

 

Have to give Parcells credit for that game plan.  (Don't even mention Belichick - I'm not giving that fat &#%$ credit for anything.)

[Spartacus]

4 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

And the sulking was on the coaches.  None of them went over to him & got his head out of his arse.

but Marv was a player's coach!

was probably too busy arguing with the refs over some penalty in the 1st qtr

[Spartacus]

2 hours ago, Uncle Joe said:

SB XXV: Time of Possession. The Giants kept the ball away from the Bills offense, see also Mark Bavaro in the 4th quarter .

Bills defense couldn't win 3rd down

[Fansince88]

On 6/15/2022 at 4:33 PM, Crap Throwing Monkey said:

SB XXVIII: Thurman fumbled the ball away, first possession of the second half.  Worse, the possession after, he sulked on the bench over it, which completely sucked the wind out of the team.  Bills had the game well in hand up to that point (most people don't remember - it was a dominating, businesslike performance in the first half.)  And while the fumble may have changed the momentum, Thurman's sulk made it an unrecoverable change.

The lack of discipline was the downfall through that era.  

[Core Four]

SB XXV:  Should have run the ball at the end of the game.  Giants had a hard time stopping Thurmond.  If any of the four SBs should have been won by the Bills, this was it.

 

SB XXVI: No way they were going to beat the Redskins, who were a complete team.

 

SB XXVII:  Lack of discipline + Cowboys were a better team, especially on defense.

 

SB XXVIII:  Lack of discipline.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

2 hours ago, Core Four said:

SB XXV:  Should have run the ball at the end of the game.  Giants had a hard time stopping Thurmond.  If any of the four SBs should have been won by the Bills, this was it.

 

SB XXVI: No way they were going to beat the Redskins, who were a complete team.

 

SB XXVII:  Lack of discipline + Cowboys were a better team, especially on defense.

 

SB XXVIII:  Lack of discipline.

 

Thurmond?  Thurmond?????

 

Reported.  Mods, ban this asshat.  

[IDBillzFan]

46 minutes ago, Crap Throwing Monkey said:

 

Thurmond?  Thurmond?????

 

Reported.  Mods, ban this asshat.  

 

In all fairness, Strom was something of a threat out of the backfield in his younger days.

[Alaska Darin]

25 minutes ago, IDBillzFan said:

 

In all fairness, Strom was something of a threat out of the backfield in his younger days.

According to "the help" anyway.