Beast Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 2 hours ago, todzilla said: I was 8. I listened on my little red transistor radio at my grandparents house. My folks had seasons and were there. I hung on every word Van Miller said. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it. Yep. I was 13 years old listening to the game on my boom box. Was so damned excited to beat Miami! The year prior my brother took me to the game and we watched Dempsey miss a chance to end the streak in a monsoon.
Buftex Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 3 hours ago, ALLEN1QB said: Great game thanks for sharing. I was in 10th grade. Jim Kelly year 2 @ Miami right? Wow just looked at his college stats not really that impressive I assumed they would be much better. No, this is the season opener of the 1980 season, where the Bills brokie their 20 game losing streak to the Dolphins. Jim Kelly had nothing to do with this game...it was 6 years before Jim ever played a game for the Bills. This was Joe Ferguson, Joe Cribbs (his first game) Jerry Butler, the "Bermuda Tirangle" (Smerlas, Haslett and Nelson)...Chuck Knox was the Bills head coach. The begining of the great (though too brief) "Talking Proud" era of Buffalo Bills football.
Red Squirrel Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 (edited) Thanks for this a LOT! Now if anyone can find the @Jets game from that season... Edited June 9, 2021 by Red Squirrel hit submit 2x accidentally 1 1
Buftex Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 29 minutes ago, Red Squirrel said: Thanks for this a LOT! Now if anyone can find the @Jets game from that season... I have it on DVD. I am too tech challenged to download it...pm me if you want a copy 1
ALLEN1QB Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Buftex said: No, this is the season opener of the 1980 season, where the Bills brokie their 20 game losing streak to the Dolphins. Jim Kelly had nothing to do with this game...it was 6 years before Jim ever played a game for the Bills. This was Joe Ferguson, Joe Cribbs (his first game) Jerry Butler, the "Bermuda Tirangle" (Smerlas, Haslett and Nelson)...Chuck Knox was the Bills head coach. The begining of the great (though too brief) "Talking Proud" era of Buffalo Bills football. I was only saying Kelly would have been in year 2 of college at the time of this pro game between Bills & Dolphins. When looking up his stats to verify this I realized that his numbers in college were not eye popping like I assumed they were. Was nice to see a win over the fish though. 2
Chandler#81 Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 I, too, didn’t realize we/Fergy played so poorly. The first 40 minutes are unwatchable! This long overdue win coupled with the emergence of Joe Cribbs, catapulted the team to a 5-0 start and eventual Division Championship. Some truly memorable games in this season, including a thriller in San Diego week 4, crushing the Raiders (which became Plunketts’ new birth, OT vs the Rams, late game heroics @ Jets and Division Title at Joe Montana-led San Fran. Were it not for breaking a decade-long losing streak, this would have quickly become a very forgettable game. WHAT?! No video of the goalposts being torn down??😳 3
Billy Claude Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 2 hours ago, TheBrownBear said: Yikes. That was one ugly game. Watched the beginning and then skipped to the end. Exciting game at the end but the play was awful. The first three (four?) drives ended in turnovers. There were a lot more dropped passes than you would expect now. The linemen looked like normal, albeit, large people instead of sumo wrestlers. There was a whole lot of run it into the line for 3 or 4 yards. 13 turnovers total -- 9 interceptions (5 for Fergy, 2 for Griese, 2 for Strock) and 4 lost (8 total) fumbles. Bob Griese wearing glasses? Commentary was pure gold: The rule changes have made it impossible for the defense. Nobody runs it on 3rd and two anymore. Here comes the shotgun! Why don't more teams use the shotgun? Not everybody has a Staubach or a Ferguson. It's hard to find centers who can make that snap consistently. You're telling teams that they don't have to worry about the run. Amazing how conservative NFL coaches were (are?) -- it appears that even in 1980 only a few teams were running the shotgun even though the Cowboys had been having success with it for at least for half a decade.
machine gun kelly Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 13 hours ago, Greg S said: Greg, thanks fir finding and will watch tonight. I was a little boy, but remember how empassioned my Dad and older brother were watching it. 1
TBBills Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 So hard to watch these just b.c of how clear we have TV these days. Made me wonder how did I watch TV when it looked that bad.
Greg S Posted June 9, 2021 Author Posted June 9, 2021 14 hours ago, teef said: does it hurt to be so old? Yes it does
SoCal Deek Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 I’ve told the story before. To this very day I still carry the ticket stub from that game around with me in my wallet. Somehow it seemed like it should bring good luck but after four straight Super Bowls and The Draught there’s a chance I may have to rethink that strategy. Face value on the stub for a lower deck sideline seat....$13.00 😁 2
Greg S Posted June 9, 2021 Author Posted June 9, 2021 40 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said: I’ve told the story before. To this very day I still carry the ticket stub from that game around with me in my wallet. Somehow it seemed like it should bring good luck but after four straight Super Bowls and The Draught there’s a chance I may have to rethink that strategy. Face value on the stub for a lower deck sideline seat....$13.00 😁 41 years later $13.00 may buy you a beer at the stadium (MAYBE)!!! 1
Buftex Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 8 hours ago, ALLEN1QB said: I was only saying Kelly would have been in year 2 of college at the time of this pro game between Bills & Dolphins. When looking up his stats to verify this I realized that his numbers in college were not eye popping like I assumed they were. Was nice to see a win over the fish though. Sorry, I guess I misunderstood the point you were making! But, yes, the pro game, and the college game were a lot different then.
Buftex Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 7 hours ago, Chandler#81 said: I, too, didn’t realize we/Fergy played so poorly. The first 40 minutes are unwatchable! This long overdue win coupled with the emergence of Joe Cribbs, catapulted the team to a 5-0 start and eventual Division Championship. Some truly memorable games in this season, including a thriller in San Diego week 4, crushing the Raiders (which became Plunketts’ new birth, OT vs the Rams, late game heroics @ Jets and Division Title at Joe Montana-led San Fran. Were it not for breaking a decade-long losing streak, this would have quickly become a very forgettable game. WHAT?! No video of the goalposts being torn down??😳 It's funny, growing up, I loved Ferguson. Some of my older relatives hated him...the usual complaints: hangs his head, always looks miserable... for some reason, their criticism only made me like him more. But, sometimes, going back and looking at some of these old games, I do see notice it a bit more. The biggest thing coming out of this game, for me, beside ending the streak, was the revelation of Joe Cribbs. There just weren't too many running backs catching passes out of the backfield at that time. Of course, Roger Craig is always known for this, but Cribbs was every bit his equal in that regards. I swear, if Cribbs career in Buffalo hadn't been so acrimonious (Ralph was cheap!), he would be a more revered figure in Bills history, if not NFL history. He was a hell of a threat in his first stint with the Bills. Barely used in his second stint... 2 1
Ned Flanders Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 I was there and part of the field stormers after the game...I of course remember the goal posts coming down and people ripping up pieces of turf to have as souvenirs (the next week's home game against the Jets, you could see where the patches were laid). Really an unforgettable game, one of the top five I've been lucky to be at, and dang, was it ever hot! 2
dollars 2 donuts Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 17 hours ago, Greg S said: I was 12 and I remember it well. End of the streak. I was there with my brother. Total euphoria. I remember it like it was yesterday. Truly I do. It remains one of my fondest Bills memories. 2
Greg S Posted June 9, 2021 Author Posted June 9, 2021 1 minute ago, dollars 2 donuts said: I was there with my brother. Total euphoria. I remember it like it was yesterday. Truly I do. It remains one of my fondest Bills memories. Probably one of the best regular season games in Bills history. Yes, the game was sloppy with all the turnovers, but it ended the streak. People storming the field and going crazy like the Bills had just won the Super Bowl tells you how important that win was. 1
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