Chandler#81 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Nope, he missed the game in Minnesota. Yup. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-987096.html As for Simms' thesis, who really gives a ? His last game that year was spent being bounced all over the Meadowlands by the very defense he now claims wasn't that good. IIRC, with him at the helm, the G-Men scored 3 points that game.. Nearly half of the Bills D then (Bruce Smith, Bennett, Conlan, Talley, Odomes) were all Pro Bowlers during this era. I didn't care for Corey's premise, but they were very good!
sabres...yawn Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4877119&bn_r=ecc (2:43 in) Phil Simms said that the key to playing well in the super bowl is to: "Play a defense that isn't that good". This has got me hotter than a firecracker on the 4th of July The Bills defense WASN'T that good. That's why they lost. Their tackling was horrrendous, they couldn't get off the field....etc... That's Jim Kelly's opinion, too. (Tim McCarver show WGRZ 1/31)
GOBILLS78 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Um, Phil didn't even play in SB 25. He got a ring standing on the sidelines. Well, technically he was at the team hotel after halftime.
RkFast Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 I never liked Walt Corey's defenses...this isn't a case of looking back with 20/20 hindsight... those defenses had so much talent that was poorly utilized. Simms is right... imagine what someone like Wade Phillips could have done with all that talent... they relied far too much on the "big play" (which admittedly, they were pretty good at), and never made any real in-game adjustments. Those early 90's teams didn't lose many games, but when they did, more often than not, it was ugly... as much as is made about Norwoods miss in 25, the 5 missed tackles on the Mark Ingram 3rd down conversion in the 3rd qtr, is every bit as painful a memory for me... I realize the Bills defense played pretty well in that game, but damn it...missed tackles hurt! Imagine Wade's 95-97 defense with that 90-92 offense. Wowza.
BillsfaninSixburgh Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4877119&bn_r=ecc (2:43 in) Phil Simms said that the key to playing well in the super bowl is to: "Play a defense that isn't that good". This has got me hotter than a firecracker on the 4th of July I've got to agree with DCfan and Max, Bills inability to tackle or stop Otis Anderson in general (which resulted in Giants 40+ minutes time of possession), and Mark Ingram on the infamous 3rd and long were the primary reason Bills lost. As painful as it is to watch "Wide Right" each year when they show the past SB highlights, the Ingram play is the real stake through the heart.
Jerry Christ Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 our secondary sucked, and thats why we lost them all
nostyle126 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 our secondary sucked, and thats why we lost them all Wow, that's the epitome of oversimplification.
wide_right Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 well Simms has a point. The unit was probaby over rated due to the presence of Smith. Take him away and everyone else looks rather average.
CardinalScotts Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Phil is correct. Walt Corey was a complete buffoon as a DC, who wasted Bruce and Bennett with his bend but don't break non-sense. The Bills could have had a great defense if they played an aggressive attacking style. DING! wait around for Bruce to make a play that was the scheme
sharper802 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4877119&bn_r=ecc (2:43 in) Phil Simms said that the key to playing well in the super bowl is to: "Play a defense that isn't that good". This has got me hotter than a firecracker on the 4th of July Truth hurts. Bills D was never a dominant force and played in a much weaker AFC.
pioniere Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Um, Phil didn't even play in SB 25. He got a ring standing on the sidelines. In fact, if it was Simms playing instead of Hostetler, I think the Bills would probably have won that Super Bowl. Hostetler's mobility was the difference on several plays. That 'not very good' defense would have sacked Simms about 5 times!
evilbuffalobob Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Sean McNanie? He was way gone by then. You mean Leon Seals? Didn't Seals pancake the Hoss and knock him into a round of smelling salts on the pine. Simms was keeping the pine warm.
truth on hold Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Didn't Seals pancake the Hoss and knock him into a round of smelling salts on the pine. Simms was keeping the pine warm. No Simms wasn't dressed. If Hoss stayed out it was going to be Jeff Rutledge, and he sucked. That was another one of those plays that if Hoss had stayed out we probably win
buffaloaggie Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 Imagine Wade's 95-97 defense with that 90-92 offense. Wowza. I think I remember Jim Kelly alluding to that during a sideline interview maybe during our last playoff game in '99. He mentioned if we had Wade's/Cottrell's defense from that year matched with the early 90's offense, there would have definitely been some Super Bowl wins for the Bills.
DarthICE Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 You guys do understand that overall our Defense wasn't that great? I mean one year we went we were ranked 28th.
TheMadCap Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 He's right. I am too lazy to look up the stats, but I seem to remember that our defense was ranked near the bottom of the league during the SB years. Lori? Also, in regards to Leon Seals pancaking the Hoss, I still can't believe that he got up from that hit. That was super nasty and I thought he was a goner for sure...
K-9 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 He's right. I am too lazy to look up the stats, but I seem to remember that our defense was ranked near the bottom of the league during the SB years. Lori? Also, in regards to Leon Seals pancaking the Hoss, I still can't believe that he got up from that hit. That was super nasty and I thought he was a goner for sure... There is a caveat that can't be ignored though. That is that due to the no huddle, hurry-up our defense was on the field for many more plays than other defenses. A closer look at the stats tells a better story. There are three major stats that coaces concern themselves with defensively: yards per play allowed, yards per rushing attempt, and number of rushing attempts against. The Bills ranked very well in these crtitical categories, the Giants SB notwithstanding. Of course playing with leads and making opposing offenses one-dimensional was the most critical factor contributing to our defensive success but even in close games we did ok. Success on offense often predicates success on defense. It's a team game, afterall. GO BILLS!!!
KD in CA Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 uh, he is right...Bills defense couldnt stop the run, couldnt tackle and gave up way too many 3rd down conversions this Bull. Simms spent his entire career in a watered down power offense with mostly mediocre receivers (sans Bavaro) surrounding him. That dude was a warrior who would have put up ridiculous numbers in a different situation. and that. I always liked Simms. I met him at a Father-Son night when I was about 14. He was still young, struggling (good thing for him there was no internet in the early 80s) and battling Scott Brunner (lol) for the QB job. But he was very nice and very confident in himself and sure enough, the next year he took over for good and enjoyed great success to the Giants.
dave mcbride Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 The Bills defensive rankings: 1988 - 4th overall (3rd in points) 1989 - 11th overall (4th in points) 1990 - 8th overall (6th in points) 1991 - 27th overall (out of 28 teams), 19th in points. Not coincidentally, Bruce Smith missed most of the 1991 season. Was it a great defense? Probably not. But it was certainly "good" using objective measures. As for the "weaker AFC" argument, in the years the Bills went to the SB, they were essentially 14-0 in the regular season against the NFC. The two games they lost were season enders in which they rested their starters (to the Redskins in the final game of the 1990 season, and to the Lions in OT in the final game of the 1991 season).
nostyle126 Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 If you want a modern-day comparison, our defense was a lot like the defenses you'll see in this Superbowl. They weren't dominant. They didn't win us games. But they seemed to make good plays at key times, and they benefitted from playing with a lead that always made the opposition's offense one-dimensional.
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