Cleveland 1989

[Tim Tindale]

1 hour ago, tenderland said:

Cleveland loss was due to a poor play by a player who was run out of town. Yesterday was  caused by ineffective coaching that will be here for the foreseeable future

That’s not what everyone was saying then. It was the ‘Bickering Bills’ year and people thought Marv lost the locker room, with some players mailing it in in Cleveland. The difference is that there wasn’t social media and 24-7 sports news turning the volume up on 11 in the aftermath like today.  
 

What I remember about that game is that Thurman and Kelly were unstoppable, and I kept thinking these guys have to be “The Ones” that take us there. 
 

The OP is definitely onto something, in my view.  That 1988-1989 journey of learning how to win, learning to be the hunted, learning how to impose your will - feels analogous to the 2020-2021 experience.  The Josh Allen I saw the last month looks like another level, a la Kelly around that same timeframe. 

[Ray Stonada]

I love this post, OP.

 

Everyone says 2021 has nothing to do with 1989.

 

But the analogy works well.

 

Josh last year was elite, but in two games against the best (KC), he underwhelmed.

 

This year he played lights out, calmly, in both KC games.

 

That’s incredible growth.

 

I see us in the Super Bowl multiple times in the next five seasons. 

[out]

1 hour ago, Tim Tindale said:

That’s not what everyone was saying then. It was the ‘Bickering Bills’ year and people thought Marv lost the locker room, with some players mailing it in in Cleveland. The difference is that there wasn’t social media and 24-7 sports news turning the volume up on 11 in the aftermath like today.  
 

What I remember about that game is that Thurman and Kelly were unstoppable, and I kept thinking these guys have to be “The Ones” that take us there. 
 

The OP is definitely onto something, in my view.  That 1988-1989 journey of learning how to win, learning to be the hunted, learning how to impose your will - feels analogous to the 2020-2021 experience.  The Josh Allen I saw the last month looks like another level, a la Kelly around that same timeframe. 

 

This is  GREAT response However the bills did have Bruce Smith

[SectionC3]

22 minutes ago, tenderland said:

 

This is  GREAT response However the bills did have Bruce Smith

Another fair point.  And one I thought of when I started the thread.  In the flip side, this iteration of the Bills has Josh Allen.  Kelly was great, but this kid is the best QB the franchise has ever seen.  

[Tim Tindale]

1 hour ago, SectionC3 said:

Another fair point.  And one I thought of when I started the thread.  In the flip side, this iteration of the Bills has Josh Allen.  Kelly was great, but this kid is the best QB the franchise has ever seen.  

They had Bruce, but another thing people don’t remember about the 1988-1989 seasons. This was circulating. That 1989 year was one thing after another:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-11-sp-260-story.html?_amp=true

[SectionC3]

10 hours ago, Tim Tindale said:

They had Bruce, but another thing people don’t remember about the 1988-1989 seasons. This was circulating. That 1989 year was one thing after another:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-11-sp-260-story.html?_amp=true

It was.  Kind of like this year, with all of the fires in social media. Not quite the same, but close.  
 

Bottom line for this year is that the last game should have been played in Buffalo.  But we screwed up the Titans game, the Steelers game, and the Jags game.  Frankly a lot of where we are now falls on McD.  Not for strategy at the end of the Chiefs game (it’s debatable, but the chiefs screwed a lot of stuff up too in that game and we never should have been in position to win with 13 seconds remaining).   But for the body of work this year.  The team itself lacked that killer instinct.  Sort of like 1989.  We are in the cusp of something great.  Enjoy the ride, because the next five years are going g to have some pretty great “ups.”  Can’t wait. 

[JMF2006]

16 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

He’s a monster now.  And I agree with you.  Next year is going to be special.  This kid has it all.  He’s a great leader.  Best QB in football.  We will be in every game for the next 10 years.  We will crack the Mahomes nut sooner or later.  Probably sooner, actually, because Kelce is what makes them tick and he’s getting older.  

 

The wrong side of 30 for TE is not optimum  

 

He might have 1 or 2 years left.

 

[zow2]

I like the analogies comparing stuff that has happened in the past to stuff we have experienced now.   However, that's where it ends.  You can't project anything forward.  The Bills have come close 2 straight years.  With coaching changes, players turnover, other teams getting better, injuries, etc..  we could experience a regression next season, OR they could be amazing.  Nothing from 30+ years ago will have any bearing on 2022-2023.