Random Bills’ Games Stuck in the Memory Bank

[wjag]

Good:

77 Seconds against Denver

 

Bad

Superbowl XXV...  Otis Freakin Anderson

 

Ugly

Randy and Tommy

[machine gun kelly]

37 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

‘nother one from ‘73. Season ender record-breaking performance and Weeb Eubanks’ last game.

 

Sorry, OP. Not an obscure game..🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️
 

 

 

 

Even the name Jim Ringo sounds tough.  I vaguely remember that day.  I was I think 4 and my dad and brother were going nuts screaming when the Jiluice broke the record.  I looked it up and that was the most yards per game in a season ever as only 14 games.  No one’s even come close to OJ.  Horrible person, but the best RB ever.

[eball]

12 hours ago, Pete said:

 

My father took me to this game, I was 10 years old.  He took me to a few games before, but this is first Bills game I can remember well 

 

Dude…me too!  I was also 10 and my dad took me to this game.  Crazy.

 

The first Bills game I really “remember” was the game at Miami in December of ‘76.  I’d have been 7.  I remember OJ breaking loose for a 75-yard TD but of course the Bills lost.

 

[Milano]

At NE 1998. Bills 7-4 NE 6-5. The "just give it to them" game. PI in end zone last play of the game.

Still p*ssed.

 

That game had serious consequences. Jet were the Division winners, Bills, Dolphins, Pats were the wild cards in the conf.

(I know, 4 teams from one division, crazy right?)

 

But for that BS officiating in Foxboro, Dolphins would have played Bills in Buffalo in January, not South Florida.

Bills lost in Miami 24-17 with a sh*t-ton of help from the officials again. 

 

s

[Pete]

41 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Dude…me too!  I was also 10 and my dad took me to this game.  Crazy.

 

The first Bills game I really “remember” was the game at Miami in December of ‘76.  I’d have been 7.  I remember OJ breaking loose for a 75-yard TD but of course the Bills lost.

 

Awesome brother! 
“Miami has the orange bowl, but Buffalo has the juice!”

[Billy Claude]

October 22, 1978 -- Bills 5 Bengals 0.   This game made those Bills-Browns 6-3  games in the late 2000's look exciting.

 

Safety happened when the Bengals tried to take a punt out of the end zone.  I could have sworn the stadium was 25% full but official attendance turns out was 45K.

 

 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

18 hours ago, BillsFan619 said:

One of the first games that came to my mind when I read your OP is December 1991.

 

It was Detroit at Buffalo. My dad got tickets for us and it was a treat to go because we didn’t live in New York. Buffalo was undefeated at home and just needed to beat the lowly and dome team Lions (it was cold and snowy on that day and should’ve been a piece of cake for us) to go 14-2 and 8-0 at home. That said, because they already had the #1 seed wrapped up they played their back-ups and lost by a field goal.

 

Per usual, Barry Sanders had a crazy escape on that day.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199112220buf.htm

I was there! People were hitting the Lions with snowballs 

 

Mine would be Chiefs 38-5 over the Bills in 03.

I was on my honeymoon and begged my brother to vhs tape the game for me so I could watch it when we got back. 

He left the vhs in my mailbox with a label that read "Bills-Chiefs DO NOT WATCH". I still watched but dear God what a beating. 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by The Firebaugh Kid

[Marlton Bills]

I went to the New England game in 1988 with my mom and brother. 

it ended with Bruce Smith swallowing Flutie at the end of the game.  It was awesome!

[The Firebaugh Kid]

15 hours ago, TheBrownBear said:

Patriots at Bills 1994.  Must win game for the playoffs and we had an early lead behind Frank Reich.  Bledsoe absolutely blew out doors off in the second half.  Officially ended our run of four straight Super Bowls and was the end of the early 90s dynasty.  I was 15 and at the game with my Dad and there was this sense of sadness and we knew the great run was over.  

 

Looking back, it's crazy how many big games Reich played in. Dint see the backup qb that involved generally.

[Marlton Bills]

Whose is this?  My Buddy is in Hawaii right now and took this picture…

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Marlton Bills

[Pete]

29 minutes ago, Marlton Bills said:

Whose is this?  My Buddy is in Hawaii right now and took this picture…

 

I was driving through the sticks of Massachusetts and I saw a house flying a Bills flag.  I pulled over, rang doorbell- no one was home lol(I had Bills gear on)

[Chandler#81]

3 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Even the name Jim Ringo sounds tough.  I vaguely remember that day.  I was I think 4 and my dad and brother were going nuts screaming when the Jiluice broke the record.  I looked it up and that was the most yards per game in a season ever as only 14 games.  No one’s even come close to OJ.  Horrible person, but the best RB ever.

Ringo was a Center for the Packers in their glory years, til he had a falling out with Lombardi in a contract squabble. Vince traded him away. But he became a great OL coach.

[Chandler#81]

18 hours ago, WotAGuy said:

 And in color!

 Not just color, LIVING Color on NBC

😉

Edited June 26, 2022 by Chandler#81

[WotAGuy]

7 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

This October 7, ‘73 Bills/Eagles game is one of my all time favorite games. It was my 18th birthday (I could drink booze!) and played in our brand spanking new, beautiful “RICH” Stadium. Roman Gabriel and Norm Bulasch had joined the Birds, Rookie Joe Ferguson has supplanted Dennis Shaw as our QB and “Orange Juice “ as he was nicknamed then, was on his quest to top 2000 yards rushing in a 14 game season -a feat still unmatched. Seesaw battle all day with multiple lead changes, crazy plays, thrills and spills! It came down to the final play, where record-holding PK Tom Dempsey was set up for a gimme GW FG. 
 

He STUBBED it!!

 

Spent the rest of the day gloriously drunk!

 

 

I remember this one very well.  I was 14 and working at Niagara County Produce outside selling potatoes and apples, etc. I was listening to the game on the radio. It was a tense, exciting game and I already had a case of BBFS, so

expected a loss when he lined up for the figgie. SURPRISE!  What a treat!

[Neo]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/18/nfl-1987-strike-replacement-players-scab-game-bills-giants-lawrence-taylor-bill-parcells-marv-levy

 

Long read, but worth it.

 

I was there with my wife.   Her family skied with the Schlopys growing up.

 

Taylor was a Madden 98 playing against Madden 63s.  It was crazy.   He was walking around everywhere when lining up on defense.   The whole offense pointing and gesticulating in a frenzy.  Left end.  Right end.  Tackle.  Nose.  Safety.  Switch.  Switch.  Dude played with a Super Bowl motor.  No mercy.   No let up.

 

The setting was sport, society, economics.  Schlopy gets a memory for a lifetime.

[WotAGuy]

14 hours ago, muppy said:

memory bank games. hmmm. Well I have one and its for sentimental as well as it being an iconic game in bills lore. It was the one and only Bills game I ever attended with my mother. She was born and raised in Buffalo NY. It was a special day to be able to attend the 1973 first ever Monday night football game at Rich Stadium with her. Bills against the KC Chiefs. Bills win in exciting fashion. Traffic into and out of the stadium was a horror show.

 

Howard Cosell with the call.....very fun memory  ..check out the sideline signage LOL Love it

 

 

 

 

We (my parents and my aunt and uncle, probably my sister too) drove out to around Geneva so we could get a motel room and watch the game on the Syracuse station. Seeing the Bills, and win!, on MNF was amazing. 
 

We went to the 1974 opener against the Raiders and the MNF game against the Giants.   Both very memorable. 

[Logic]

13 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

weirdly enough, this was the first game I thought of too. That Royal misstep infuriates me to this day, and pretty much summed up his career with the Bills in that one play. 
 

I think that game sticks with us because as I recall, if we won that game, we had a legit shot at making the playoffs, and by losing, we were eliminated. 

You’re correct.

 

It was the first year of the Jauron regime, and to be still alive for the playoffs in week 16 seemed like a miracle.

 

The Bills arguably controlled much of that game, and it sure felt like they should’ve won.

 

I can still so clearly see the Royal non-TD in my mind’s eye, because I was in that end zone and within 20 rows of the field. He had so much room and he just…..didn’t pay attention and had a foot out of bounds. I have no doubt that’s the play that cost them that game.

 

It’s weird the random games and plays that stick in our minds.

[BADOLBILZ]

19 minutes ago, Logic said:

You’re correct.

 

It was the first year of the Jauron regime, and to be still alive for the playoffs in week 16 seemed like a miracle.

 

The Bills arguably controlled much of that game, and it sure felt like they should’ve won.

 

I can still so clearly see the Royal non-TD in my mind’s eye, because I was in that end zone and within 20 rows of the field. He had so much room and he just…..didn’t pay attention and had a foot out of bounds. I have no doubt that’s the play that cost them that game.

 

It’s weird the random games and plays that stick in our minds.

 

 

Royal didn't catch the ball with one foot out of bounds.........the clumsy bastard caught it with one foot easily in and continued to take a full stride out of bounds when all he had to do was have the coordination and presence of mind to drag a toe.   Like basically every other skill player in the NFL possessed.

 

You can go entire NFL seasons and not see a single player botch an easy TD like that.  

 

But for him, just catching the ball was half the battle.  I've never heard home team announcers blast a player for being so terrible as the Redkins radio team when he was there.   And that was BEFORE Marv Levy paid him.   As time went on Bills opponents stopped even covering him.   It was pre-All-22 days but from the seats the sea would part defensively when he entered a zone.   He was like Draymond Green behind the 3 point line in a Warriors game.   Alone. 

[I'm Spartacus]

Monday night game, Bills vs. Giants (pretty sure).

Some tool climbed out on the guide wire for the field goal netting.

Was on TV - not a good look for Buffalo fans! But hey, that's who we are...

[Logic]

9 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Royal didn't catch the ball with one foot out of bounds.........the clumsy bastard caught it with one foot easily in and continued to take a full stride out of bounds when all he had to do was have the coordination and presence of mind to drag a toe.   Like basically every other skill player in the NFL possessed.

 

You can go entire NFL seasons and not see a single player botch an easy TD like that.  

 

But for him, just catching the ball was half the battle.  I've never heard home team announcers blast a player for being so terrible as the Redkins radio team when he was there.   And that was BEFORE Marv Levy paid him.   As time went on Bills opponents stopped even covering him.   It was pre-All-22 days but from the seats the sea would part defensively when he entered a zone.   He was like Draymond Green behind the 3 point line in a Warriors game.   Alone. 

One of the rare things I’m sure we can agree on: the Levy GM stint was an unmitigated disaster, during which a downright astonishing amount of horrific personnel moves were made. Embarrassingly bad.