Question for those who witnessed the SB years?

[Ethan in Cleveland]

If they won XXV, they would not have gone back. Think of the incredible things that had to happen for them to make it back.. The comeback, Kelly’s injuries, the Broncos championship game where they only scored 10 points. Just don’t see them willing themselves to victory if they had already won it all.

And if Wilson had a SuperBowl win do you think he would have kept spending?

[mjt328]

I've always believed that if Scott Norwood made the kick, we definitely would have repeated as AFC Champs in 1991.  The Bills were still the best team in that conference by a wide margin.  But the Redskins were always a very tough matchup and we very likely would have still lost that game. 

 

After that, it's anyone's guess.  The Bills always seemed to be driven by an "unfinished business" attitude that I'm not sure would have existed if they had already won the Super Bowl once.  Would they have put together the "Greatest Comeback" if not for that drive?  Hard to say.  They certainly had the talent to make 4 straight Super Bowls.  But it was that edge that seemed to put them over the top.

 

My biggest question has always been, "What if the 90s Bills had played the 49ers in one of those Super Bowls?"

Buffalo no doubt had an excellent team from top to bottom, loaded with Hall of Famers.  But their one weakness was occasionally stopping teams with big/physical offensive lines, and strong running games.  Most of the time we could jump out to early leads against run-heavy teams, and force them to abandon the ground game.  But every so often, our offense wouldn't get into a rhythm, allowing these units to dominate the time of possession and gradually wear down the defense.  It just so happens that during the 90s, the NFC East teams were known for this kind of style.  And in every single Super Bowl matchup, our offense came out flat.

 

I've always thought the Bills matched up way better against the 49ers, who ran the West Coast Offense at the time.  The 49ers made the Super Bowl in 1988, 1989 and 1995.  Our Super Bowl run was 1990-1994.  What are the odds?

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by mjt328

[corta765]

This has always been the big question with those teams. I was just a little guy back then and I barely remember any SB as by 28 I was 5-6ish so its a haze, but my father and I have talked and he firmly believes if they had one they wouldn't have went to four in a row but they would've went back at least one more time maybe another. They were so fueled to get back after 25 and it just bled across the next few years.

 

My opinion though is a much more macro view of the situation. Lets say the Bills win a SB but never go back on maybe make just one more SB. They go down as champions but given the subsequent downfall and what came after do we become another great champion in the books? Even though the 90s teams didn't win, going to 4 SBs in a row made them into a mystique legend type status. Yea they lost but they went to four freaking in a row, it won't happen again. So in a weird way they are probably more immortalized in an odd way then had they just won 25. (Of course I would've taken a SB win) Another thing I have looked at is how the fans are viewed nationally. Between the four SB losses, the uncertainty of the team in Buffalo, being a small market, and the drought I feel Bills fans (Mafia) have now been embraced nationally as among the very best if not thee best and as a fanbase mentally its "throw what ever you have at us but we will still be standing". I doubt we would be viewed the same if they had won imo.

 

 

[Thurman#1]

9 hours ago, whatdrought said:

Prompted by someone mentioning the fans response to Norwood after the miss, and looking at some articles from then, I’m curious... what do you think happens in the following 3 years is the kick goes in?

 

 

 

IMO they then lose to the Football Team and go 1 - 1 against the Cowpats.

 

4 hours ago, CSBill said:

 

It really was the coaching that cost that game. The Giants couldn't, and didn't stop the offense. Our D never adjusted and the Giants just kept running it at us, and thus, the huge time consumption--especially in the 2nd half. Our offense just never got the ball.

 

Agreed that we couldn't stop the run. Disagree that was a coaching problem. It was much more a "their Olsons outweighed our DLs by  about 40 pounds per person and only Bruce could still win despite that" problem.

[chaccof]

8 hours ago, wjag said:

Too painful still. Otis F....ing Anderson.  Are you kidding me. 

My exact thoughts.....If the kick goes in then Thurman Thomas is the SB 25 MVP....and I'd argue he still should have been....

[Repulsif]

I think our defense was mainly designed to stop Marino (and Elway) as they were the main threats in AFC

This defense couldn't adjust well against NFC powerhouses Olines.

[The Jokeman]

2 hours ago, Houston's #1 Bills Fan said:

I was going to mention this as well. By the time SB27 and 28 had come along, we had gotten older and lost some players. I truly think that the '88 team should have beaten the Bengals and played the 49ers. I think we matched up better than the Bengals did. Would have been a good fight against Montana for sure! '89 was also a good team, but the "Bickering Bills" discussion needed to take place and it set up the team for the SB run.

 

As others had mentioned, SB26 was just a tough day at the office. The Hogs were mad thanks to Dickerson's comments. Just like Otis Anderson in SB25, how do you have a guy like Mark Rypien beat you?!?! SB27, that Dallas team was unstoppable. Every aspect of their game was top notch. SB28, we had the lead at the half, but just couldn't hang on. 

Rypein was in a zone that season, the Redskins with that offense and defense was one of the best teams in NFL history. Super Bowl XXV was a winnable game that I blame on the offense more than the defense as yes Andre Reed was taken away but some of the drives we had on offense took less than 3 minutes off the clock which lead to the defense on the field way too long. I also have nightmares of Mark Ingram's 3rd down completion. The first game against the Cowboys was just an absolute slaughter but still think we could have one the second one if we scored a TD after the Nate Odomes INT before halftime. Yet to answer the OP question about feeling of the team, yes this team feels the teams of that era in that the team is really close almost family like. Josh Allen has embraced Buffalo and we have in turn embraced him very much like Jim Kelly maybe even moreso as I wasn't a big Kelly fan because way he shunned us initially and he was very cocky when he first came here. Like Marv I think McDermott does great things in keeping that locker room together moreso than Marv though as Jim, Thurman, Bruce and Andre all have big egos which haven't seen on this team. Yet those teams had far more talent than we have now. 

Edited November 12, 2020 by The Jokeman

[loyal2dagame]

10 hours ago, BillsFan619 said:

 

 

How cool would’ve been to be 2-2 in Super Bowls. What a different legacy we’d have as Bills fans. All because of (possibly) one kick. And a ton of missed tackles on a 3rd and forever. 

Fixed it for ya.

That game should have never come down to a kick. 

Edited November 12, 2020 by loyal2dagame

[Buffalo Boy]

We win 1 Super Bowl and we don’t make four in a row.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Ahhh....my 13th birthday 🤬

Signing back up for therapy, thanks for the reminder! 

Id imagine they'd go to at least one more, given the AFC at that time. 

Wash and Dallas were monsters, I dont see them winning another sadly. 

 

[ILBillsfan]

Remember them all ..... the one that the comes to my mind that the Bills could of had after the loss of the first one was the rematch vs the Cowboys.  The team came out with a good game plan taking the underneath stuff and just methodically controlling the game and went into halftime with a lead.  Then the second half.  The Bills were driving again and then the fumble happened that was returned for a TD and you could almost see the balloon pop the Bills heads went down and you could sense it that they just went into a funk.  It's mentioned a lot in football about momentum swings and that was huge.  The Bills were never able to do anything in that second half to get back in front as the Cowboys went on to win.  That game was just as much heartbreaking to me as the wide right game.

[freddyjj]

11 hours ago, whatdrought said:

Prompted by someone mentioning the fans response to Norwood after the miss, and looking at some articles from then, I’m curious... what do you think happens in the following 3 years is the kick goes in?

 

Good question here.  I was convinced we would have played SF in 1988 but Bills lost AFC Championship game to Bengals in Cincinnati.  The 1988 49ers would have featured Rice/Montana/Craig and as a finesse team would have been a better matchup. 

 

So saw earlier upthread that SB's 19-31 were won by NFC.  Although Bills went 3-1 vs then NFC East (Eagles, Cards, Giants W's, Redskins L game 16 with starters rested) in 1990, it was obvious Bills were smaller, finesse team as compared to NFC East teams.  The Giants exposed this in SB 25 and the Skins and Cowboys manhandled Bills in other 3.

 

Even if Norwood made kick in SB25, outcome the same in other 3 IMHO.

[BillsFan619]

1 hour ago, loyal2dagame said:

Fixed it for ya.

That game should have never come down to a kick. 

Oh, I totally get what you’re saying. Especially with the K-Gun offense.

[May Day 10]

It is hard/impossible to say...

 

The AFC was fairly poor during that time period though.  A very good chance they make at least 2 more of those Superbowls.  With that said, those Dallas teams were juggernauts, and Washington was in a fluke season where they could do no wrong.  

 

So I am going to say in my construct, the Bills go to the next 2 Superbowls, and experience a similar result as to real life.  They don't make it to XXVIII.  You could tell they were fading slightly, and perhaps their will to 'win one' pushed them through.

[Wacka]

There were 3 plays or situations that would have changed SB 25 and not required Norwood's kick. 

Lofton catches a first down on the  NYG 9. I believe we got a FG instead of a  TD.

Bruce  strip sacks Hostettler (sp?). and the ball bounces back into his hands for a safety.  Bills fall on it, TD instead.

NYG get a long run of 35 yards or so  where  5 Bills missed tackling  the runner. They scored a TD on that drive. Tackle him and maybe a FG instead of a TD.

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Wacka

[Doctor Duck]

12 hours ago, whatdrought said:

Prompted by someone mentioning the fans response to Norwood after the miss, and looking at some articles from then, I’m curious... what do you think happens in the following 3 years is the kick goes in?

 

Please don't undo years of therapy...it's still too soon.

[Nextmanup]

If they had won XXV, I'm pretty sure they would NOT have gone to 4.

 

Would they have gone to 2 or 3?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

 

Many players from the team back then (Mark Kelso immediately comes to mind) have commented at length on this, and believe they only made it to 4 because of that fire that burned inside them to take care of unfinished business.

 

If they had won right away, who knows how many they would have made it back for.

 

 

 

 

[ALLEN1QB]

6 hours ago, JMF2006 said:

 

Yeah he should have locked them up until game time  

 

 

Exactly Glad You See It My Way