Wild Card Playoff Bills The Aftermath

[RochesterRob]

6 minutes ago, NCBillsFan said:

 

The ultimate what if I always go to in that 1985 draft is what if we passed on Burroughs and instead drafted Jerry Rice who went a few picks later to the 49ers. 

  We had Jerry Butler at the time who battled injuries but had to be in Polian's plans for the next few years.  I think that Burroughs was a forgone conclusion and was rounding into a top 10 CB by the time 1989 rolled around.  I imagine a pick saved with Burroughs avoiding that injury and a back end tandem of Odomes and Burroughs at least through our first couple of SB's.  Maybe we get a top TE instead of JD Williams.  

[Alaska Darin]

2 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  Kutztown State was not exactly known as a factory for NFL players.  I don't recall any talk as to how Reed "fell" or every team bypassed him at least three times.

The BILLS drafted SIX (Smith, Burroughs, Traynowicz, Burkett, Reich, and Garner) before Reed. 

 

There wasn't a lot of scouting of small schools back then but apparently John Butler deserves a lot of credit for finding guys like Reed, McKeller, Norwood, Beebe and Metzelaars.  The BILLS have always used BLESTO, which back then covered all the major powers but the small school stuff was supposedly done through connections to Butler.

[Alaska Darin]

1 minute ago, RochesterRob said:

  We had Jerry Butler at the time who battled injuries but had to be in Polian's plans for the next few years.  I think that Burroughs was a forgone conclusion and was rounding into a top 10 CB by the time 1989 rolled around.  I imagine a pick saved with Burroughs avoiding that injury and a back end tandem of Odomes and Burroughs at least through our first couple of SB's.  Maybe we get a top TE instead of JD Williams.  

Burroughs really was turning into a great player before that injury.  That really hurt us.

[Alaska Darin]

10 minutes ago, IDBillzFan said:

 

And those two sonofabitches did it twice on that drive. Probably THE drive of the game. 96 yards in like 90 seconds to get the 6 before the half.

 

We're going to need more of it because I'm watching Baltimore and Tennessee and I'm not sure we're build to stop all that running.

I'm hoping for Pittsburgh to beat Cleveland so if we see one of these two, it's in Orchard Park for the AFC Championship.

 

Let KC deal with them first.

[Alaska Darin]

2 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

Traynowicz.    Picked him ahead of Randall Cunningham and Kevin Greene, too.  Same draft, Jets pick Al Toon ahead of Jerry Rice.

 

And two years earlier, the Bills pick Tony Hunter ahead of Jim Kelly.  It's really not an exact science.

 

The Hunter choice was because Marino and Kelly were still there.   There BILLS' were guaranteed one of the two with their next pick and were getting the tight end they coveted,

 

Unfortunately, Hunter got hurt and was never the same player. 

[Seasons1992]

9 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I'm hoping for Pittsburgh to beat Cleveland so if we see one of these two, it's in Orchard Park for the AFC Championship.

 

Let KC deal with them first.

 

10000% percent. I don't want either of these two.

 

[Chef Jim]

18 hours ago, TakeYouToTasker 2.0 said:

Hey, hey...

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa there...

 

You watched the game?!?

 

As I mentioned earlier a good friend invited me over for breakfast and the game.  I'm not turning down bagels and smoked salmon.  It was soooooo nice to watch a Bills game and not care if they won or not.  Happy for the fans but I'm meh...... 

[RochesterRob]

12 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

Burroughs really was turning into a great player before that injury.  That really hurt us.

  I'd also argue that Rice was not the biggest one who got away during our championship era.  Ray Childress was on the trading block over contract negotiations around 1990 and if he was our NT instead of Jeff Wright I think we would have won one of our SB's.  The window closed quickly as Childress and Bud Adams were closing in on an agreement.  I think that a couple of number 1 picks and a couple of lower picks would have got a trade done.  

[Chef Jim]

7 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

go back to not watching🤣🤣

 

I thought the question was really was his ankle on the ground ...i was not in a good place during that time period

 

It's a two part question.  What any part of his body on the ground as the Bills player had his hand on his back.  You could not tell by the replay so based on the the call on the field must stand.  

[IDBillzFan]

30 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I'm hoping for Pittsburgh to beat Cleveland so if we see one of these two, it's in Orchard Park for the AFC Championship.

 

Let KC deal with them first.

 

Exactly. The three I most worry about were Tenn, Balt and KC. It would be great to have two of them gone before we get to them.

 

Though II'm watching Tenn vs. Baltimore, I'm thinking I was incorrectly concerned about Tenn and their D. They KNOW Lamar is going to run inside two minutes, and the dude rips off 30 yards.

[RochesterRob]

35 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

Traynowicz.    Picked him ahead of Randall Cunningham and Kevin Greene, too.  Same draft, Jets pick Al Toon ahead of Jerry Rice.

 

And two years earlier, the Bills pick Tony Hunter ahead of Jim Kelly.  It's really not an exact science.

 

  I would contend that Al Toon was as good as any player in the AFCE during the mid-1980's including Irving Fryer and the Marks Brothers.

[KD in CA]

42 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

Tennessee and Indy are the only teams that really worried me going in, precisely because of their running games.

 

Baltimore...you never know who's going to show up, game-day.  They can be dominant one day, and cream-puffs the next.

 

I've been out doing yard clean up the past hour or two so just walked in for the last snap.  I guess Baltimore's defense came to play today, huh?  They would be a problem as I don't see the Bills running on them at all, plus they have a quality secondary.

 

[Alaska Darin]

3 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  I would contend that Al Toon was as good as any player in the AFCE during the mid-1980's including Irving Fryer and the Marks Brothers.

I agree.  The Jets had some bad coaches who wasted some really good player's careers.  The choice of Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino was one of the most epic draft mistakes ever.

[Alaska Darin]

33 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  I'd also argue that Rice was not the biggest one who got away during our championship era.  Ray Childress was on the trading block over contract negotiations around 1990 and if he was our NT instead of Jeff Wright I think we would have won one of our SB's.  The window closed quickly as Childress and Bud Adams were closing in on an agreement.  I think that a couple of number 1 picks and a couple of lower picks would have got a trade done.  

That would have been something.  Childress was a MONSTER.

 

I have always had a rough time with keeping Walt Corey on.  I can only imagine what someone like Wade would have done with that group when they were in their prime.

[Uncle Joe]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

You are correct.  Ridiculous.

 

I distinctly remember Gabe Davis talking about how much he admired Larry Fitzgerald.  He couldn't have honored him any better yesterday.  His route running, hands, and body control were all on full display.  This kid lasted to the FIFTH round?  What a tremendous player.

There was a poster at ATOP from Florida that watched him in college. He said that he was a great pick. I have watched Gabe all year and am one of his biggest fans.
I just have to get over him being left handed.

[RochesterRob]

2 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I agree.  The Jets had some bad coaches who wasted some really good player's careers.  The choice of Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino was one of the most epic draft mistakes ever.

  Yep.  I spent a lot of time imagining Klecko on our roster as well as Childress.  Childress was Bullough's preference over Smith for the 1985 draft leading to the feud between the 2 and Bullough's eventual firing.

[Alaska Darin]

4 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

One of my favorite videos...  O'Brien is the third pick featured.

 

What's amazing is how obviously bad the picks are to the people in the seats.  The Jets would be better off just letting the fans draft for them.

[RochesterRob]

14 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

That would have been something.  Childress was a MONSTER.

 

I have always had a rough time with keeping Walt Corey on.  I can only imagine what someone like Wade would have done with that group when they were in their prime.

  I remember Will McDonough saying on NBC's pregame that Buffalo was one of the teams rumored to be interested in Childress and that Adams was not being offered more than one number 1 pick plus the lower picks so Adams went back to the negotiating table.  

 

  Yeah, I never quite got Corey but he had that great year in 1988.  I think that for the most part Levy wanted coaches that were not to the strong side personality-wise.  

 

  Klecko I believe was released by the Jets during the late 1980's so it would have only cost a contract.  He was not as effective when he joined the Colts but I think his snap count should have been lowered.  I think he would have been very effective for 10-12 snaps per game.  He also had a reputation as a little rough around the edges so not a "Levy" type player.

[GG1]

Since we're down the memory lane, SB XXV was lost because Polian and Levy didn't sign Jim Burt after they cut Smerlas.   Wright was horrible against the run and it showed in Tampa.  

[RochesterRob]

18 minutes ago, GG1 said:

Since we're down the memory lane, SB XXV was lost because Polian and Levy didn't sign Jim Burt after they cut Smerlas.   Wright was horrible against the run and it showed in Tampa.  

  Burt (an Orchard Park native) would have been better than Wright but it seemed like he did not have much left in the gas tank when he got done with the Giants.  Having obtained Childress would have made our DL top notch for at least our first three SB's.  If true that we were looking into Childress I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in Polian's office to know just what we were thinking.  If I remember correctly Ralph more or less vetoed the Keith Jackson trade with the Eagles around the same time.