Did Bills Fans Protest The Steve Christie Signing In 1992?

[Marv's Neighbor]

Were the 1500 "protesting,"  or praying for an intervention? 

[RoyBatty is alive]

24 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I wonder if the '1500' were actually the ones at the rally to welcome back the Bills after the loss to the Giants.  Different event, hazy memories?  You would be amazed what shows up on the interweb.

Yeah that is possible,  there were more like 25,000 at that event, not sure about the number but there were a lot more than 1,500

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

12 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Yeah that is possible,  there were more like 25,000 at that event, not sure about the number but there were a lot more than 1,500

Reading the summary, I see it was Christie's recollection.  I was basing my earlier comment on the assumption it was a third party making the claim of the number of protesters.  I should 'read' instead of 'skim'.  I doubt someone actually there could misread a count so badly.  Then again, look at Washington D.C. In January 2017.  ?

Edited December 12, 2018 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[dave mcbride]

1 hour ago, Ned Flanders said:

I remember Bill Polian saying he was running down the hall at OBD screaming with joy when the Bills signed Christie.  I believe the fan base was equally as enthused.  I don't recall any backlash...at all.  

 

Norwood was beloved after SB XXV, but the next season proved his undoing.  Remember the Raiders game in LA?  Thurman offered to throw him off the plane on the ride back if he missed the game-winning chip shot.  By 1991, anything over 40 yards was considered iffy, at best.

I strongly remember it being Bruce being the one who threatened to throw him off the plane. My wife went to that game (we lived in LA at the time) and said it's the only time she has feared for her bodily safety. 

59 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

He missed crucial field goals and extra points in that first Super Bowl year, and he was lousy beyond 35 yards. Lots of kickers (including Christie) were miles better than Norwood, even in that era when field goals over 50 yards were rare. For instance, in that season against Denver, Norwood missed two field goals and an extra point in a game the Bills managed to win by one point. 

 

69 percent on FG kicks in 1990 and 62.1 percent in 1991. Those numbers are terrible, even for back then. They were 22nd out of 28 teams in FG percentage in 1990 and 26th out of 28 teams in 1991. 

Edited December 12, 2018 by dave mcbride

[Gordio]

I always thought we were a bit too eagerly forgiving for the Norwood miss against the Giants.  Perhaps it was the fact that everybody knew that team was so good that the fan base knew we would have other chances in the near future to win a championship, but to give him the ovation he got at the pep rally I thought was a bit ridiculous.  Hell if Norwood played in NYC Market or the Boston market or Philadelphia, his house would of been burnt to the ground before the plane even landed in Buffalo from Tampa.

 

Yeah I was happy as hell Christie signed with the Bills.  It was nice watching our FG kicker not struggle with any kick over 35 yards.  

20 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

I strongly remember it being Bruce being the one who threatened to throw him off the plane. My wife went to that game (we lived in LA at the time) and said it's the only time she has feared for her bodily safety. 

69 percent on FG kicks in 1990 and 62.1 percent in 1991. Those numbers are terrible, even for back then. They were 22nd out of 28 teams in FG percentage in 1990 and 26th out of 28 teams in 1991. 

 

 

Your memory is going, it was a Thurman that said it when asked what would he have done if Norwood missed the game winning FG.  Thomas said something to the effect of "I think we would drop him off the plane somewhere over North Dakota. "

[coloradobillsfan]

Is 1992 really "old-time" ?  

Ugh

[DasNootz]

No memory of protests.  People might have felt loyalty to Norwood, but he was never a dominant kicker, whereas Christie was one of the best in the game at the time of the signing.

[apuszczalowski]

2 hours ago, JMF2006 said:

 

Oakville but close enough

Outside of southern Ontario, no one knows where Oakville is and just consider it either Toronto or to some, Hamilton.

[row_33]

4 hours ago, Protocal69 said:

Too bad we didn’t have Christie 2 years prior. If we did we would have been Super Bowl Champs

 

he would have made that blindfolded

 

[Gugny]

4 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

I am listening to an interesting interview with Steve Christie on Pat Moran’s podcast.  He talks about coming to Buffalo in 1992, and mentions that when he arrived in town to sign the deal there were 1,500 Bills fans protesting outside of One Bills Drive.  They were protesting in loyalty to Scott Norwood, who by all accounts was a terrible kicker at this point.

 

Christie also said he competed with Norwood in the 1992 training camp (which I don’t remember).  He said many well-known Bills players gave him the cold shoulder because they were friends of Scott.  

 

Ironically after the Bills cut Scott, he wouldn’t get picked up by any other NFL team after the Super Bowl in early 1992.  As I said, he was a very unreliable kicker at this point his career.

 

My question to any old-time Bills fans - do you remember this happening?  I do remember the Christie signing and knew he was the kicker from TB, but I don’t recall any outrage over his signing.  Nor do I recall disappointment when Norwood was cut.  I feel most people were pleased with the move.

 

Listen for yourself here:

http://moranalytics.com/ep-76-steve-christie-former-nfl-kicker/

 

4 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

Wait...that Pat Moran?

 

 

If this story turns out to be untrue, Pat Moran is going to run over his daughter in the driveway on Christmas morning in front of his wife.

[prissythecat]

4 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

I am listening to an interesting interview with Steve Christie on Pat Moran’s podcast.  He talks about coming to Buffalo in 1992, and mentions that when he arrived in town to sign the deal there were 1,500 Bills fans protesting outside of One Bills Drive.  They were protesting in loyalty to Scott Norwood, who by all accounts was a terrible kicker at this point.

 

Christie also said he competed with Norwood in the 1992 training camp (which I don’t remember).  He said many well-known Bills players gave him the cold shoulder because they were friends of Scott.  

 

Ironically after the Bills cut Scott, he wouldn’t get picked up by any other NFL team after the Super Bowl in early 1992.  As I said, he was a very unreliable kicker at this point his career.

 

My question to any old-time Bills fans - do you remember this happening?  I do remember the Christie signing and knew he was the kicker from TB, but I don’t recall any outrage over his signing.  Nor do I recall disappointment when Norwood was cut.  I feel most people were pleased with the move.

 

Listen for yourself here:

http://moranalytics.com/ep-76-steve-christie-former-nfl-kicker/

 

 

Are you related to BuffaloRush?  BuffaloRush stopped posting within a week of your profile being created.   Its also interesting that posting style is the similar and you both like to start polls.  

Edited December 12, 2018 by prissythecat

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

10 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

he would have made that blindfolded

 

?. Shhh!  The XFL (version 2.0) will hear you!

[BADOLBILZ]

3 hours ago, Charles Romes said:

I still can't believe Norwood made that "redemption" kick in the AFC championship game in '91 in the cold to seal the win against the Broncos the year after the Super Bowl tragedy.  I had it in my head that it was a 54 yarder, but looking it up on line it was only 44 yards.  If you see a 44 yarder as a miracle kick your kicker is very shaky. Every Bills fans I knew was thrilled when the team finally addressed the position with the Christie signing.   Tampa Bay had tried to sneak Christie through waivers as a strategic roster move which he was aware of and the story I was told is that Christie advised the Bucs that he would only leave if Buffalo called as he is a Hamilton ON native.  

 

 

That "redemption" kick narrative is BS.

 

"The Four Falls of Buffalo"  had some nonsense in it.

 

There was no special "bookend" drama between that kick and the miss in SB XXV.

 

Also conveniently forgotten in the whole "Chuck Dickerson cost us SBXXVI" story was the bigger furor.........which was Bruce Smith labeling Bills fans as racists with his stories about racist hate mail.

 

 

[leonbus23]

Bills fans in 1992:

 

 

[GG]

3 hours ago, Dr. K said:

He missed crucial field goals and extra points in that first Super Bowl year, and he was lousy beyond 35 yards. Lots of kickers (including Christie) were miles better than Norwood, even in that era when field goals over 50 yards were rare. For instance, in that season against Denver, Norwood missed two field goals and an extra point in a game the Bills managed to win by one point. 

 

 

Wasn't that the game that Bruce or Biscuit threatened to throw him off the plane in mid-flight if he missed the winning PAT, or something like that?

[row_33]

i don't recall any outcry after giving Norwood another year and then bringing in one of the best in the game.

 

 

[nucci]

I was thrilled....so was Polian

[Formerly Allan in MD]

There may have been some die hard Norwood protesters but I don't remember anything about 1500.

[RiotAct]

3 hours ago, coloradobillsfan said:

Is 1992 really "old-time" ?  

Ugh

yep!

[Phil The Thrill]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

i don't recall any outcry after giving Norwood another year and then bringing in one of the best in the game.

 

 

 

That’s why I asked the question.  I’m not sure where Christie is getting this story from.