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Everything posted by RJ (not THAT RJ)
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Scott Norwoods other big miss
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to JAMIEBUF12's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
It did not start right down the middle... it started right and stayed there for an agonizingly long time as we all waited for it to curl in.... Romes also dropped an INT (mayve a pick-6) on the play just before Fouts hit Ron Smith to beat the Bills in the 1980 playoffs.... Being a Bills fan is hard. -
The week they righted the ship after a terrible game in Miami, and began to put to rest memories of the Bickering Bills...
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#Quarantine Saturday 1981 Bills hi-lights
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to Chandler#81's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
Knox was a great coach but his teams (in LA and BUF especially) also had a bad habit of coming up flat at random times, and of having no luck in the playoffs. The 1980 team was great, but twice collapsed against the Colts and also against the Falcons at home--a win in any of those games, and they would have been hosting a playoff game. The 1981 team had horrific collapses in New York, Dallas, and St. Louis and blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead in Cincinnati, as well as a dismal performance in the season finale in Miami. It was as if something was missing in the team's character that kept them from getting higher when they had a chance to take that next step. The total fold after the 1982 strike was a back-breaker all around. (Many other franchises struggled to get it back together that year.) Knox lost the team in that last month, and whatever disagreements he had with Ralph on an extension were a convenient reason to go somewhere else and start over. Stevenson was young and inexperienced. He inherited an aging team that nonetheless started well only to collapse in the second half of 1983 under the weight of age and injuries and contract drama around Joe Cribbs. And that was it until the Arrival of Jim Kelly -
Marlin Briscoe, the NFL and the Bills
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to chris heff's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
The Bills drafted Harris before trading for Briscoe. Both were then dumped by Lou Saban as soon as he became coach of the Bills. That's where one can see the racism. -
Marlin Briscoe, the NFL and the Bills
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to chris heff's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
Harris was a big man, 6'4" and 200... prototypical QB size, which is why he, unlike many other black QBs (such as Marlin B or even Tony Dungy), was able to resist being turned into a WR or DB. Out of Grambling, he was groomed for the NFL, but was a bit too soon. Doug Williams was his clearest heir at Grambling and in the NFL. -
Marlin Briscoe, the NFL and the Bills
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to chris heff's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
Marlin Briscoe believed Lou Saban was responsible for him losing the QB job in Denver on the basis of his race, and there is evidence. He had success one season at QB in Denver, then when Lou was hired, Marlin was not even invited to the QB meetings at the first training camp, then was traded to Buffalo. Then when Lou shows up in Buffalo in 1972, the first things he does is dump both Marlin (traded to Dolphins) and James Harris. Briscoe responded to the trade by lashing out at Saban. This led to the situation in 1972 when Lou had to rely on sore-armed Dennis Shaw, and then when he was inevitably ineffective, to turn to such titans of the pivot as Mike Taliaferro and Leo Hart at QB. They stunk, but they were the right color for Lou. When the Bills traveled to LA in 1974 to play the Rams, even OJ commented on how shabbily James Harris (who was then starting for the Rams) had been treated. Saban was a fine coach in many ways, but this is a (pun intended) black mark on his career. That and his psychotic Wanderlust. -
Chances Bills play first game of wildcard weekend?
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to Negan's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
It is new. I wonder if they did this so that everyone in the conference has the same number of days off. Or maybe they will just jumble it back up the following week and only did this so the Patriots would play in prime time... -
Where were you during "wide right"?
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to class_of_2012's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
I was watching the game in Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap on 55th street in Chicago, where I had just moved to start grad school. Went through two pitchers of Old Style and a pack of Marlboro Reds. When the kick sailed wide, I tottered to the pay phone (kids, ask your parents!) and called home. My 15 year old sister answered in tears, and managed to gasp out, "nothing to be ashamed of" before handing the phone to my Dad. -
Plays were called on the fly by the coach wearing #12. But, in addition to better tackling on third down, a couple of catches from #83 (a third down drop after the safety comes to mind) and the game is completely different. As with so many historical events, there are many possible inflection points. The next three times, they happened to run into better teams.
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So true, 1975 really started out to be the year the OJ-led Bills would break through to a championship. They beat the SB Champ Steelers in PIT to avenge their playoff loss of the year before, got to 4-0, and were leading 14-0 in that MNF game against the Giants. Then the wheels fell off, the defense couldn't stop anyone (blowing the 21-0 lead to the Colts at home, losing in Cincinnati on MNF, 33-24 in a game where Cincy never had to punt), and the Mercury Morris Phantom Fumble the week after that Thanksgiving Day win over STL ended the playoff dreams. Then came the Marangi Year of 1976 and the dream fizzled out....
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Former Bills Coach Hank Bullough Passes at 85
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to Purplebulldog's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
Twice! -
Week 10: Bills at Browns
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to YoloinOhio's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
Only if they win. -
Best start since 1993.
RJ (not THAT RJ) replied to Pine Barrens Mafia's topic in The Stadium Wall Archives
Too many people think being unhappy proves they are smart. All it proves is that they are unhappy. -
In 1976, the Bills lost nine games in a row, including at least three games in which OJ ran for more than 150 yards; in one of them OJ set the NFL record for yards in a game (273, on Thanksgiving Day, against the Lions, a game DET won, 27-14). All those yards didn't matter a damn if the team couldn't do anything else. I worry about the Bills run defense as much as the next psychologically damaged fan, but it's much better to be ahead on the score board than the stat sheet.