WNY Vibe: 1990/1991 vs 2022 Bills

[Mikie2times]

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

Edited October 27, 2022 by KzooMike

[SoCal Deek]

3 minutes ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

You picked the wrong years. The current Bills would be best compared to the 1998 or 1999 teams. The current group hasn’t been to a super bowl. Most people forget that the Kelly era Bills lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship and to the Browns in a playoff heartbreaker as well before they broke through in 1990.

[WotAGuy]

 Very difficult to compare; the world is so different in so many ways - social media, attitudes, media coverage, the economy and nature of the fan base, etc. 

 

I was 31 in 1990. I would say it’s a more intense vibe now just because everything is ramped up across the board media-wise. And the length of the drought means a couple generations of Bills fans never got to see them be good. In 1990, we were only 10 years away from a really good, Super Bowl-caliber team. 
 

The current team has only one or two HOF-potential players, and the turnover makes it tougher to really bond with individual players. But Josh is head and shoulders above Kelly and that carries all the weight for this team with the fan base. Josh is worth every penny and more. 

[BullBuchanan]

I don't think societally football is as impactful as it was 30 years ago. there are so many more draws for people's attention now that even winning the Super Bowl doesn't carry the weight it did back then. It used to be that nothing was bigger than winning a Super Bowl and people would talk about it for months or years. Now, April rolls around and it's on to the next year.

I still would very much like the Bills to win one, but I don't think it'll feel remotely close to the way it did in the mid 2000s and prior.

Edited October 27, 2022 by BullBuchanan

[strive_for_five_guy]

I’m a similar age as the OP.  My memory is that in 1990, there was still skepticism around how good the team was until we beat the Raiders in Week 5.  After that, we were considered to be right up there with the 49ers and Giants as the best teams in the league, boosted further when we beat the Giants later in the regular season.  Is it accurate to say that the team today is more highly regarded/feared than the 1990 Bills were, prior to even making any Super Bowl?  

[BullBuchanan]

Just now, strive_for_five_guy said:

I’m a similar age as the OP.  My memory is that in 1990, there was still skepticism around how good the team was until we beat the Raiders in Week 5.  After that, we were considered to be right up there with the 49ers and Giants as the best teams in the league, boosted further when we beat the Giants later in the regular season.  Is it accurate to say that the team today is more highly regarded/feared than the 1990 Bills were, prior to even making any Super Bowl?  

Every talking head has had us penciled is as a champion since last January, so I'd say that we're definitely more highly regarded. If other teams don't fear us the way we've been dismantling the league, they're foolish.

[Ga boy]

The Kelly and Bruce Bills ramped up energy in Bills nation.  Larry Felser and BN provided primary news about that team.  Those were great times and teams.  Looking back it’s hard to believe we didn’t win multiple SBs with those big time players.  If you compared each position, I think many would say the 90’s teams were better. However, the difference may be coaching.  The “process” approach seems to have everyone on board which seems to put an emphasis on we not me.  That was an issue with the 90s teams.  This current team may get over the hump.  Hope so.  It’s great to see the Bills being relevant again.  Go Bills 🦬

[AlfaBill]

23 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

You picked the wrong years. The current Bills would be best compared to the 1998 or 1999 teams. The current group hasn’t been to a super bowl. Most people forget that the Kelly era Bills lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship and to the Browns in a playoff heartbreaker as well before they broke through in 1990.

Did you mean 88-89 Bills?

[In Summary]

Biggest difference may be about the RB. Thurman led the league in total yards for 4 years in a row. Team identity and fan buzz was very much centered on Thurman and the run game. He was a gem.

[Marcus Aurelius]

Old guy here who also remembers the AFL Championship years. The biggest difference in my opinion between todays Bill's team and the team of the early 90s is twofold:

✔ Todays team has a better QB

✔ Todays team has better coaching

[otagoyellow]

I was 12 the last time the Bills were this good and remember, at least locally in Buffalo, there was tremendous enthusiasm and excitement. I agree with all the comments above that it was much different compared to the 24/7 of social media, but it was still palpable. I remember nearly every week on 97 Rock there would be some kind of parody Bills-themed song celebrating the team's success. The Bills dominated the Buffalo News headlines after every win. I very clearly remember, after the comeback against the Oilers, one of the local TV networks throwing up a "Congrats Bills! You're Unbilleivable" in the middle of regular programming set to EMF's "Unbelievable." 

 

Those incredible years sustained me, as I'm sure they did many, through the drought simply because we knew they could happen again. It's surreal and familiar all at the same time to be this good again. Older, wiser, and with more emotional football scars, I know not to take any of it for granted. 

[BillsPride12]

19 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I don't think societally football is as impactful as it was 30 years ago. there are so many more draws for people's attention now that even winning the Super Bowl doesn't carry the weight it did back then. It used to be that nothing was bigger than winning a Super Bowl and people would talk about it for months or years. Now, April rolls around and it's on to the next year.

I still would very much like the Bills to win one, but I don't think it'll feel remotely close to the way it did in the mid 2000s and prior.

This might be true from a societal perspective overall(I think many would agree the NFL was in it's prime during the 70s-90s)but I don't think that's true from the perspective of Western New York.  I'm a local and it's Bills all the time, everyday, everywhere you go.  Drive through any neighborhood in WNY right now and you will see Bills flags, yard signs etc...driving on the thruway you see Bills decals on every other car, go to the local grocery store and everybody is decked out in Bills gear.  It's all people are talking about.  Winning the Super Bowl would absolutely carry it's weight in Western New York.

[Einstein]

In my opinion the aura of the Bills in the early 90’s was greater than it is now. Pre-internet football felt a bit more magical than it is now.

 

My hypothesis is that social media has given us such instant close-up access to the team like never before, at the consequence of there now being little to no mystery.

 

I miss the excitement of waking up and watching ESPN and all the pre-game shows that came on before the game started and hearing all the injuries, inactives, news, and even 1 on 1 player interviews.

 

All those same things exist, but they’re now spread out along the previous 6 days because of the internet. Less magical and a lot of it gets lost in the noise.

[BullBuchanan]

1 minute ago, BillsPride12 said:

This might be true from a societal perspective overall(I think many would agree the NFL was in it's prime during the 70s-90s)but I don't think that's true from the perspective of Western New York.  I'm a local and it's Bills all the time, everyday, everywhere you go.  Drive through any neighborhood in WNY right now and you will see Bills flags, yard signs etc...driving on the thruway you see Bills decals on every other car, go to the local grocery store and everybody is decked out in Bills gear.  It's all people are talking about.  Winning the Super Bowl would absolutely carry it's weight in Western New York.

It was exactly like that back then. I'd say more so, just because it was the only thing to do besides bowling.

[BillsPride12]

2 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

It was exactly like that back then. I'd say more so, just because it was the only thing to do besides bowling.

I'm not disputing that but I'm just saying it would still be a MAJOR deal around here if Buffalo won the Super Bowl.  

 

A good analogy would be in my opinion the Bills winning the Super Bowl would be a much bigger deal in Buffalo than say Pittsburgh winning a Super Bowl in 2022 v.s. the 70s or even early 2000s.

[TheCockSportif]

This kind of reminds me of the 1990-1 squad, but simply because they missed the boat in 1988 and 1989, and 1990 was their coming out year.

 

Otherwise, different team, different era, different ethos, different ownership, different FO, different coaching, different everything else.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

 

Back in the 90’s I barely had any access to Bills info. Bills Digest, and a couple sentences in the USA Today once a week. It was hard to find a game on TV. 

 

Now? If you are lousy you can catch it live or on YouTube replay, on your phone, unless you want the all 22, or the away teams announcing crowd, or anything else. My how things have changed. 

 

 

 

.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Augie

[mabden]

As a long time fan, the 1988 season was one of the best to watch.  

 

During The Super Bowl years it was Bills frenzy even without the internet.  I remember taking my kids to the local sledding hill on Sunday mornings to wear them out so I could enjoy the games while they napped.  The hill was covered in Red, White, & Blue parents doing the same, all wearing their Bills gear talking about the Bills.

 

These days, I see a lot more Bills signs and flags hanging from poles and in yards.  This is on par with the excitement generated with the exception that with today's team, the expectation and confidence is much much more.

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, KzooMike said:

Curious how the vibe toward this team is locally compared the the 1990 and 1991 teams. I'm picking those years because they were the pinnacle years during the 90's run. Which isn't very debatable being the best run we had outside the AFL teams.

 

I'm 40 years old, not from the area, so I barely understood what the national exposure was really like until the drought hit and the coverage stopped.

 

So as far as the Buffalo and surrounding area in WNY, is the impact of this Bills team more noticeable, less noticeable?

 

More widely covered by media, less? (I understand media is different)

 

More national exposure, less national exposure?

 

Do we have more love from the national media? 

 

Any other comparisons would be welcome. 

 

In sum, I know this is a special time, I have 30 years in to tell me that much, but for those that really can see the full view of this, I really wanted your opinion of that vs the things you saw in our previous peak seasons. 

This is a very cool question…. From what I  can recall as a kid, fans were a bit more confident than today.  There definitely was an excitement which I think is starting to show currently in WNF.  
 

It seems like a portion of the fan base (myself included at times) feels that despite how good the Bills look one week, at some point the other shoe will drop.   This is what happened after losing 4 SB’s, the music city miracle, and of course 20 years of horrible football.   I don’t feel that there was as much skepticism during 1990 and 1991.

 

It’s hard to get a sense of the media exposure because the landscape of the media has changed so much.  Really the only exposure was ESPN Sportscenter,  newspapers, magazines or local news.  Today you have a million different outlets with internet based media plus traditional methods.  
 

I do vividly remember during the 1991 season, waking up to watch CBS this morning to find that the Chiefs crushed the Bills 33-6 at Arrowhead on MNF handing them their first their first loss of the year.  Pretty sure the games kicked off at 9:10 or so and I wasn’t allowed to stay up.  I remember the news anchor saying “a bad thing happened to a good team last night” when sharing highlights.   So I think that might speak to what the national media thought of the 1991 team.

Edited October 27, 2022 by JohnNord

[Buffalo Boy]

   Different eras both sports wise and where we are as a nation and civilization.

   Technology has changed SO much that it is an apples to oranges comparison.

    However, regarding the teams , Kelly was very good but it was the K gun/no huddle that was half of the equation.
    Also, That team had more bonafide HOF players. Bruce Smith and Reggie White were in a class by themselves and everyone knew it at the time. Add Thurman , Reed , Kent Hull and Loftin and that team was a combination of talent.

    Todays team, in terms of national recognition is  Allen, Diggs and Miller and maybe White. Sure, they talk about Hyde and Poyer but how many Pro Bowlers did our D have last year? 
    IMO This team is primarily understood to be Allen and Diggs on O and everyone else. And Miller on D and everyone else.

    I don’t remember the Earlier team being preseason SB favorite on the magnitude of this team.

    Also, Kelly wasn’t considered the best QB in the league much less the MVP. Allen should win it and may win multiple times. He is the face of this franchise where as Kelly, Bruce, Thurman and Reed shared that in their day.