Bills History Buffs: question that's been on my mind forever

[ThurmasThoman]

Now this isn't exactly the type of history that is going to take you back into the formation of the AFL, but I've always wondered the following:

 

Why did the 1994/1995 Buffalo Bills squad not make the playoffs?

 

I was in grade school at the time... a pretty young kid. I knew the Bills were a big deal, and had been in the super bowl the previous 4 years (obviously.) And, truth be told, it wasn't until the next season (1995-1996) that i REALLY got into the team. That year, if you recall, we beat the dolphins at home in the wild card round, then lost to pittsburgh on the road in the divisional round. The following year (96-97) we were upset at home by the jags, and then kelly and hull retired, and the end of that era was upon us.

 

But that 1994-1995 season has always baffled me. I "followed" the team that year, in so far as I watched the games with my dad and uncles and what not. But all i really remember is the bills went 7-9 and didn't make the playoffs. Yet the next year, Berman was right back to picking Bills/49ers super bowl matchups, and there we were, making it to the round of 8.

 

So what the hell happened?

Edited January 12, 2012 by JohnnyGold

[Cheddar's Dad]

Their best players got old.

[ThurmasThoman]

Their best players got old.

 

 

But they made the playoffs the following season, and actually won a playoff game. (the last playoff game they won.) hell, they won the division the next year. and made the playoffs the year after that. i know they were a team on the decline, i just don't understand why the wheels only fell off for that season?

[Max997]

team was getting old and just had a down year...they played a lot of games during the 4 super bowl years, more then any team in a 4 year stretch i believe

 

i believe this was the year they played at Detroit on Thanksgiving in a high scoring game but lost by 14

 

they couldnt run the ball like they used to and if i remember correctly they drafted Rueben Brown in the offseason and hired wade Phillips for DC which helped them bounce back and to their credit make the playoffs the next two years

Edited January 12, 2012 by Max997

[CBD]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Buffalo_Bills_season

[metzelaars_lives]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Buffalo_Bills_season

 

Yeah I don't know how the wheels fell off that year, especially with a young Lonnie Johnson on the roster!

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

That team was basically old and tired. The defense collapsed in many games, especially against the pass, and Kelly got hurt against Minnesota late in the season. That was a frustrating season from the opener, at home against the Jets, when they drove down the field for a FG on their first drive and went on to lose listlessly, 23-3.

 

The 1995 team turned it around in large part because they hired Wade as DC and brought in Paup and Washington.

 

team was getting old and just had a down year...they played a lot of games during the 4 super bowl years, more then any team in a 4 year stretch i believe

 

i believe this was the year they played at Detroit on Thanksgiving in a high scoring game but lost by 14

 

they couldnt run the ball like they used to and if i remember correctly they drafted Rueben Brown in the offseason and hired wade Phillips for DC which helped them bounce back and to their credit make the playoffs the next two years

 

 

Yup on the Thanksgiving game. They gave up a flea-flicker TD on the first drive (maybe even the first play?), and then a TD on the next drive. Spent the rest of the day fighting uphill. When they pulled within a TD late in the 4th, Kelly, who had a spectacular game, threw a pick-6. Another emblematic game of that season

[ThurmasThoman]

That team was basically old and tired. The defense collapsed in many games, especially against the pass, and Kelly got hurt against Minnesota late in the season. That was a frustrating season from the opener, at home against the Jets, when they drove down the field for a FG on their first drive and went on to lose listlessly, 23-3.

 

The 1995 team turned it around in large part because they hired Wade as DC and brought in Paup and Washington.

 

 

 

 

Yup on the Thanksgiving game. They gave up a flea-flicker TD on the first drive (maybe even the first play?), and then a TD on the next drive. Spent the rest of the day fighting uphill. When they pulled within a TD late in the 4th, Kelly, who had a spectacular game, threw a pick-6. Another emblematic game of that season

 

great post. thanks!

[Max997]

That team was basically old and tired. The defense collapsed in many games, especially against the pass, and Kelly got hurt against Minnesota late in the season. That was a frustrating season from the opener, at home against the Jets, when they drove down the field for a FG on their first drive and went on to lose listlessly, 23-3.

 

The 1995 team turned it around in large part because they hired Wade as DC and brought in Paup and Washington.

 

 

 

 

Yup on the Thanksgiving game. They gave up a flea-flicker TD on the first drive (maybe even the first play?), and then a TD on the next drive. Spent the rest of the day fighting uphill. When they pulled within a TD late in the 4th, Kelly, who had a spectacular game, threw a pick-6. Another emblematic game of that season

 

i think they tied that game at 21 after being down 14-0 and 21-7 too

 

Big Ted was a huge factor in getting back to the playoffs...I hated the 3-4 until I saw how it was run under Wade with a real NT

 

not to get off topic but just read a little bit about Paup and never knew he left with hard feelings about the team and wasnt really happy about the contract he signed with the bills calling it a miscalculation

Edited January 12, 2012 by Max997

[GRHater69]

I would have to agree, they were old & tired. I remember an interview with Thurman Thomas where he stated if you totaled all the playoff & Superbowl games since the '88 season the core of the team had essentially played 16 extra games in that span. That's an extra full season wedged into that time frame. They also had O-line issues, after losing Howard Ballard and essentially trying to replace him with Jerry Crafts....big mistake. It meant a lot of shuffling of players on that front. On defense Jeff Wright was hurt a lot and eventually retired, but the whole defensive philosophy needed a change, thus the dismissal of Walt Corey. I remember they actually ran a base 4-3 in the last game of the season against the Colts their run D was so bad that year.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

i think they tied that game at 21 after being down 14-0 and 21-7 too

 

Big Ted was a huge factor in getting back to the playoffs...I hated the 3-4 until I saw how it was under Wade with a real NT

 

not to get off topic but just read a little bit about Paup and never knew he left with hard feelings about the team and wasnt really happy about the contract he signed with the bills calling it a miscalculation

 

 

I did not know that about Paup's contract. Interesting. He was such a huge factor in the 1995 turnaround, playing on the opposite side of Bruce. If Bruce had gotten a flu shot, they would have beaten the Steelers that year... oh well.

 

Paup declined very fast though thanks to a groin injury. By 1997, the next collapse year, he was a shell of himself, constantly overrunning plays and being out of position against the run. Sic transit gloria mundi.

[Wayne Fontes]

not to get off topic but just read a little bit about Paup and never knew he left with hard feelings about the team and wasnt really happy about the contract he signed with the bills calling it a miscalculation

Where did you read that? I seem to remember Paup loving his time in WNY and a SI story about him at the time saying same. Didn't he also approach the Bills to resign after the Jags released him?

 

As for '94, it was clear the OL was not the same without Ballard and Wollford. Kelly was in decline and a possession receiver, Bill Brooks, was not a replacement for Lofton in his prime.

 

The middle part of the season had some fantastic wins versus KC and Miami bracketed by some middling losses. They could not get traction.

[Just Jack]

Wasn't this also around the time free agency started?

[Bob in STL]

That team was basically old and tired. The defense collapsed in many games, especially against the pass, and Kelly got hurt against Minnesota late in the season. That was a frustrating season from the opener, at home against the Jets, when they drove down the field for a FG on their first drive and went on to lose listlessly, 23-3.

 

The 1995 team turned it around in large part because they hired Wade as DC and brought in Paup and Washington.

 

 

 

 

Yup on the Thanksgiving game. They gave up a flea-flicker TD on the first drive (maybe even the first play?), and then a TD on the next drive. Spent the rest of the day fighting uphill. When they pulled within a TD late in the 4th, Kelly, who had a spectacular game, threw a pick-6. Another emblematic game of that season

 

^ This is it.

 

 

The team was old and tired. In the previous four years they played played what amounted to an extra season. I was at the home opener against the Jets. Attrition and injuries really impacted the RT position and forced Jerry Crafts to be the starting RT. He single handedly almost got Kelly killed that game.

 

They rebounded thanks to some great moves by John Butler who brought in Wade, and Big Ted, and Bryce Paup which started a run of excellent defensive football for our team.

 

Ironically, this defense was quickly dismantled by the alleged defensive expert and guru Greggggo Williams. (I still dislike that guy to this very day).

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1994.htm

 

The Bills were 7-6 and leading Minnesota 17-9 in the 3rd quarter of game 14 when Jim Kelly got hurt. We committed 8 turnovers and only scored 26 points while allowing 63 the rest of the year and lost out.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1994.htm

 

The Bills were 7-6 and leading Minnesota 17-9 in the 3rd quarter of game 14 when Jim Kelly got hurt. We committed 8 turnovers and only scored 26 points while allowing 63 the rest of the year and lost out.

 

 

That game was a real heartbreaker... coming just a week after the Bills had gone down to Miami and crushed the Dolphins. They were only 7-6 but held tiebreakers on all their possible rivals for the playoffs. Then Kelly got hurt, the D simply could not stop Warren Moon in the 4th Q, and they got blown out by the Pats the next week....

Edited January 12, 2012 by RJ (not THAT RJ)

[GRHater69]

Let's be more exact with that game shall we? The Bills were driving for a score that would have iced the game for them but Kelly threw a pick to Jack Del Rio who was the Vikings MLB at the time. The D couldn't stop Warren Moon on the ensuing drive (which was problem for them all season). After that series is when Kelly got hurt.....game over/season over even though they had a few games left.