What was your most frustrating season as a Bills fan?

[SoTier]

 Unfortunately, the Bills have given us so many frustrating years, it's hard to pick just one.  The mid 1980s, 1990, and 2004 are all worthy.  For me, though, 2009 represented the nadir of Bills existence because it was a season that was doomed back in October 2008 when Ralph Wilson verbally promised Dick Jauron an extension after the Bills started 5-1.  The team went 2-8 the rest of the way but Wilson wouldn't reconsider.  

 

Before the 2009 season,  Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters, angry over the Bills refusal to renegotiate his grossly unfair contract, decided to play it out and leave, was traded away to Philadelphia for a late first round pick (despite the fact that the Eagles had a much earlier pick in the first round).  In the draft, the Bills then wasted their own first round pick, #9, on Aaron Maybin .  Brandon and Jauron never replaced Peters.  RT Langston Walker rebelled when Jauron tried to move him to LT and  "retired".  Aside from rookie C Eric Wood, the Bills had no NFL caliber OLers but Brandon's signing of FA Terrell Owens convinced naive Bills fans that the team was going to be "good" -- and the Bills sold 55-60k season tix for 2009. 

 

During the actual season, Trent Edwards led an offensive offense.   Marshawn Lynch was sent to Jauron's "dog house" probably because of his own frustration -- like the time he made a 50 yard run to the 2 yard line and the team failed to score a TD.  This was the year that featured a 3-6 loss to the crappy Browns team in which the Cleveland QB Derek Anderson threw for all of 23 yards.  It took a drubbing by the Titans to finally get Wilson to fire Jauron.

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, SoTier said:

 Unfortunately, the Bills have given us so many frustrating years, it's hard to pick just one.  The mid 1980s, 1990, and 2004 are all worthy.  For me, though, 2009 represented the nadir of Bills existence because it was a season that was doomed back in October 2008 when Ralph Wilson verbally promised Dick Jauron an extension after the Bills started 5-1.  The team went 2-8 the rest of the way but Wilson wouldn't reconsider.  

 

Before the 2009 season,  Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters, angry over the Bills refusal to renegotiate his grossly unfair contract, decided to play it out and leave, was traded away to Philadelphia for a late first round pick (despite the fact that the Eagles had a much earlier pick in the first round).  In the draft, the Bills then wasted their own first round pick, #9, on Aaron Maybin .  Brandon and Jauron never replaced Peters.  RT Langston Walker rebelled when Jauron tried to move him to LT and  "retired".  Aside from rookie C Eric Wood, the Bills had no NFL caliber OLers but Brandon's signing of FA Terrell Owens convinced naive Bills fans that the team was going to be "good" -- and the Bills sold 55-60k season tix for 2009. 

 

During the actual season, Trent Edwards led an offensive offense.   Marshawn Lynch was sent to Jauron's "dog house" probably because of his own frustration -- like the time he made a 50 yard run to the 2 yard line and the team failed to score a TD.  This was the year that featured a 3-6 loss to the crappy Browns team in which the Cleveland QB Derek Anderson threw for all of 23 yards.  It took a drubbing by the Titans to finally get Wilson to fire Jauron.

 

So to me 2009 was the most depressing. It was not the most frustrating. I knew we never had a chance to be good in 2009. Or 2010. Or 2011 (though I confess I did buy in a bit to the miracle start). 2012 I thought we had a chance to be good. That made my shortlist. Still to this day think had Chan had a half decent DC that season we'd have made the playoffs.

[Sweats]

Take yer pick from 1999 to 2015.......every one of these seasons was a bust.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

20 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

So to me 2009 was the most depressing. It was not the most frustrating. I knew we never had a chance to be good in 2009. Or 2010. Or 2011 (though I confess I did buy in a bit to the miracle start). 2012 I thought we had a chance to be good. That made my shortlist. Still to this day think had Chan had a half decent DC that season we'd have made the playoffs.

2012 is a good call. Nothing more frustrating than having your defense just get shredded week and week on the ground. That was the Dave Wannstedt need to “fit it up” year. 
 

I think we had multiple games when we gave up 250-300 yards on the ground. I recall the embarrassing 49ers game where they set an NFL record for over 300 yards passing and over 300 yards rushing.

[JinxedBill]

I’ve been rewatching 2014.  That team was really good with the defense and the offensive weapons. Watkins was playing well with woods, Jackson, spiller, etc.  

 

If we had a decent quarterback in 2014 they would have made the playoffs and we might not be here with McD imo.  

 

That chiefs game was a disaster. That should have been a win.   

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, JinxedBill said:

I’ve been rewatching 2014.  That team was really good with the defense and the offensive weapons. Watkins was playing well with woods, Jackson, spiller, etc.  

 

If we had a decent quarterback in 2014 they would have made the playoffs and we might not be here with McD imo.  

 

That chiefs game was a disaster. That should have been a win.   

 

The Jamaal Charles 4th and 1 run for a touchdown still hurts. If the Bills get them off the field there they win that game. And we fumbled on the way into the endzone (who was that?) and McKelvin fumbled the punt. But still.... the 4th and 1. Man you got me angry. I was standing outside my niece's post Christening party in the freezing cold watching it on my phone.

[Golden Goat]

I'd like to nominate 1998.

 

1. We started off 0-3
2. We beat the powerhouse 49ers in Week 4, and went 10-3 the rest of the way.
3. It should have been 11-2... 
 

4. We made the playoffs! Eric Moulds had 240 receiving yards in that playoff game!

5. We still found a way to lose, and to the ****ing Dolphins, no less. ?

[T master]

I guess mine would have to be the 1990/1991 season the team was just killing it & could barely be stopped they went 13 & 3 they were in the SB where every one had them picked to win it looked like a sure thing then every one blamed Norwood for losing it when in reality it was the D that let it all slip through their hands, Literally to give the Giants the win .

 

If that's not the most disappointing season i don't know what is ! I was decked out in all Bills gear sure we had a win that year & they let it slip away, the only SB to be won by 1 point with 8 seconds on the clock (SO CLOSE) & if the D would have made 2 more talks & at the end if they would have gotten another 5 yds closer the Bills would have had it on the leg of Norwood ! 

Edited May 2, 2020 by T master

[BarleyNY]

9 hours ago, JimKellyTryouts said:

Rex's first year for me; I was initially nervous to see how his system would work with us, but they continued to assure that they weren't going to put square pegs in round holes despite doing exactly just that for his two years here.

 

The offseason was full of all sorts of flashy moves to improve our offense - Shady for free, Charles Clay who admittedly looked great when healthy with Miami, Percy Harvin, and Tyrod. Roman, and then especially Lynn, made the offense pull its weight with how dominant we were as a rushing team and relative ease of putting up points. Tyrod's agent's comments that were stressing that the defense and discipline were holding this team back from contention were spot on.

 

The over-confidence, self-destruction of what Schwartz did for us, nepotism hire, and exodus of players for various reasons were all rough times. After the colorblinding loss on TNF to the jets, I was at a low point because I didn't see us having any sort of short or long term trajectory for success. 

 

 

Fortunately, Terry did end up striking gold with McDermott's hire, though the handling of the draft leading up to Whaley getting fired made me just as uncomfortable. Luckily, it has all worked out for us rather quickly since our roster and front office is as good as it's ever been in many years

Agreed.  When they were talking about hiring Wrex I remember thinking, “Absolute worst case, but realistic, scenario is that Ryan is here just long enough to dismantle our top 5 defense before getting fired.”  Hiring Ryan just made no sense to me - and doubly so with his defensive philosophy being the polar opposite of Schwartz’s.

[BillsPride12]

For me the two that stick out were 2003 and 2004.  Both of those seasons I actually had high expectations for the team(but I had completely forgotten we started out 1-5 in 2004 until I started seeing some of you mention that), after that point there was never a time I truly had high expectations or believed in the team until this current group.  Not in 2008 or 2011 after those great starts we got off to.  Not during the Marrone or Rex Ryan years so for me 2003 and 2004 were definitely the most frustrating but not necessarily the most depressing..which could be a whole different discussion in itself.  

[CSBill]

2 hours ago, T master said:

I guess mine would have to be the 1990/1991 season the team was just killing it & could barely be stopped they went 13 & 3 they were in the SB where every one had them picked to win it looked like a sure thing then every one blamed Norwood for losing it when in reality it was the D that let it all slip through their hands, Literally to give the Giants the win .

 

If that's not the most disappointing season i don't know what is ! I was decked out in all Bills gear sure we had a win that year & they let it slip away, the only SB to be won by 1 point with 8 seconds on the clock (SO CLOSE) & if the D would have made 2 more talks & at the end if they would have gotten another 5 yds closer the Bills would have had it on the leg of Norwood ! 

Well, there are so many good candidates, but I agree, this is the one. To this day there is no way we should have lost to that Giants team. We were loaded, there were a couple of opportunities to put this game away in the first half, that 9+ minute Giants drive in the second half (4 3rd down conversions in that drive) and then the most infamous missed field goal call in NFL history, “wide right.” It still pains me to hear it. To be so much better and that close, and to lose it. ...... I’m depressed all over again.

[Success]

On one of the Pats boards, they had a “what is your favorite SB win” thread.  What different realities.

 

2002 - Bledsoe’s first year.  I was so excited to get him, and he had Moulds and Price to throw to.  That was a good team.

 

[JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS]

11 minutes ago, Success said:

On one of the Pats boards, they had a “what is your favorite SB win” thread.  What different realities.

 

 

 

this.

 

why oh why do we do this to ourselves?

[Phil The Thrill]

5 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

You were late on the bus. In the days when we used to have signatures on our posts around here I made mine "fire Rex" after the Jags London game in 2015. The man was a freaking moron. 2016 was like slow creeping death to me.

That was the game where fans lost all confidence in Rex.  Also I legit remember fans burning EJ Manuel jerseys on Twitter 

[Marv's Neighbor]

OH for the 70's vs Miami was pretty bad!

[Another Fan]

6 hours ago, JohnnyGold said:

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but 2012 really took the wind out of my sails as a fan, and I'm no youngster--I've seen it all (from the Super Bowl era on, at least.)

That year, I spent all offseason talking myself into the Bills chances. The year before was the 5-2 start, but Fitz had been injured in the game vs the Redskins in Toronto, so it seemed like there was a legitimate excuse as to why the wheels came off. The PREVIOUS year (2010) they had started 0-8, but went on such a nice run at the end of the season it felt like a young team coming together. Their hot start in 2011 seemed to be legitimate, and then they actually went out and made additions to improve the roster. Mario Wiliams! Dave Wansteadt to coach the D! 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was beyond excited for the season to start. Counting the minutes. I thought that team was going to go on a Cinderella run. 

Well, the details are a little fuzzy, but week 1 in the Meadowlands, I remember Fitz throwing a pick 6 about 3 minutes in, and we never recovered.
Losses to the Rams and the Titans at home stick out in my mind. 2 games we had to have, and just looked like absolute trash. 
It was so depressing to think that we were on the cusp of being an ACTUAL NFL team, but as the season wore on, I learned the value of having depth on the roster. We had none. 

The 2015 season wasn't that disappointing to me. I can't explain why, but I just absolutely LOATHED those teams. The roster construction drove me up a wall. It was like having 75,000$ worth of toys and living in a trailer park. Tyrod just wasn't a good QB. I saw it from day 1. He could scramble, he could "make plays", but he couldn't walk up to the line, check the d, audible out, exploit a weakness, and win when it mattered.

Haters aside, Josh Allen can actually do that. He just looks like an NFL QB, and it's fun to watch. Love the team we have now. To me, heartbreaking playoff losses hurt less than 6-10 campaigns. 

Agree on 2012.   I’d also add Stevie Johnson took less money to be a Bill that offseason.  I’m thinking all right they made improvements on their defense and everyone is happy and wants to be here.   
 

Needless to say I was very disappointed.  But as you say the team had no depth and no real clear vision.   I kick myself now for being so hyped on that team.

 

The 2019 opening win against the Jets in New Jersey though erased the memory of opening day in 2012 though ?

Edited May 2, 2020 by Another Fan

[Buffalo Boy]

    2006 into early 2007

    The whole “ Marv will save us as GM” crap and him picking Dick Jerkron over Mike Sherman to start.

     I knew he was a bum and we were going to suck..... and we did.

    In 2007 I got the Sunday Ticket against my better judgement and we had a horrible start. We got crushed by Pittsburg and DESTROYED by NE.
    The next week was Dallas on Monday night with the ? tease then brutal ending .

    I didn’t watch another Bills game till he was fired. 
   Low point for me? 

[Big Turk]

I think probably the 1990 season when they ran roughshod through the AFC and then lost in the SuperBowl to the Giants, a game they should have won.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

16 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

There were many frustrating seasons during the drought.  For me, it would have been either:

 

1994:  Coming odd 4 straight Super Bowl appearance we all expected the team to get “one for the thumb.”  But this was an old and tired football team that really hadn’t been upgraded enough.  Many of the players were on this team a year too late - especially on defense.  Kelly and Reed had a pretty decent season but Thurman seemed to be a little and Frank Reich really played poorly.  I remember being surprised that they wouldn’t play in the SB - it was the first time for me as a fan.  
 

2003 - the Bills came off a somewhat disappointing year (9-7) hut seemed to be firing on all cylinders after destroying New England 31-0 in the opener.  They looked like a bonafide Super Bowl contender.  But then of course, it all came crumbling down.  Terrible coach, terrible year.   Very frustrating.

 

2016 -  There was so much Talk this year from coaches, players, GM’s etc.  When it was nut-cutting time no one backed it up.  The best example was Rex Ryan.  Like a lot of fans I was excited when Rex was hired but he wore out his welcome fast.  By the end of the 2015 season, I was pretty sure he was fools gold but hoping I was wrong.  The worst was listening to Rex every talk about how they were going to turn things around.

 

Of course, the other person responsible was Doug Whaley.  Another example of someone who talked a big game but couldn’t do better than Tyrod Taylor at QB.  He whiffed at EJ then wasted draft capital to trade for a “generational player” who never panned out.  
 

The best thing Terry Pegula ever did was to move on from these two...but man was it frustrating.  
 

Let’s hear your thoughts!

Pegula was responsible for the Rex Ryan hire not Whaley.  And no one really knows who owns the EJ pick. Was it Nix or Whaley. Whaley added a lot of talent to the team. His offense was top 10 in scoring and number one in rushing. Ryan destroyed a top 3 defense. I too was ok with the Ryan hire because I thought he was a good game day coach and for the most part he was. I like the Greg Roman hire. All Rex had to do was keep Schwarz and add a few wrinkles to the defense. Instead the moron decided to blow it up. His fate was sealed at that moment.

[SirAndrew]

5 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

For me the two that stick out were 2003 and 2004.  Both of those seasons I actually had high expectations for the team(but I had completely forgotten we started out 1-5 in 2004 until I started seeing some of you mention that), after that point there was never a time I truly had high expectations or believed in the team until this current group.  Not in 2008 or 2011 after those great starts we got off to.  Not during the Marrone or Rex Ryan years so for me 2003 and 2004 were definitely the most frustrating but not necessarily the most depressing..which could be a whole different discussion in itself.  

This is exactly how I feel. I was a believer in those teams back in 03 and 04. I realized that most of our teams after that point didn’t have the talent to be competitive. None of the hot starts really fooled me, but 03 and 04 were real letdowns. Bledsoe felt like a legitimate QB, although he proved to be a bust here. After Bledsoe we started a bunch of guys who are backup level QB’s, and only fans who fooled themselves could have really believed in those guys.