25 years ago today

[bleve]

It was NOT a forward pass. 

 

 

Edited January 9 by bleve

[BillsFanForever19]

14 hours ago, scuba guy said:

Still easy to see that is was a forward pass.  The nfl did not won't us to go to the promised land again.

 

It wasn't. At the time, I was a child. Myself and every Bills fan I knew said it was a Forward Pass. Because it's always easier to say you were robbed or someone's out to get you than it is to admit the truth.

 

Over the years as it's been played over and over again - sowed down, zoomed in, and in high definition. It's obvious - it was a legal lateral. A literally perfect throw that should have went forward but sadly and miraculously didn't. A one in a million shot. Terribly bad luck for a terribly unlucky franchise.

 

Just look at the picture above my post. How can you say that's forward? 

[BritBill]

17 hours ago, BuffaloBillies said:

I was there. Long story. Bullet points.

• Jumped the night before by 3 dudes in the street, woke up to firemen with smelling salt

That ol' chestnut. 

[ChevyVanMiller]

19 hours ago, BuffaloBillies said:

I was there. Long story. Bullet points.

• Jumped the night before by 3 dudes in the street, woke up to firemen with smelling salt
• Went to game with bloodied face, broken tooth, concussed
• Head to toe in Bills gear and was very vocal (was still raging about last night)
• When Bills took the late lead I let every Titans fan in my area know about it
• After the disaster on the field an entire section of Titans fans were giving me the business (deserved, I guess)
• Started a new job the next day, not a good first impression AT ALL
• Worst 48 hours of my life

And that’s how I met your mother.

[Beast]

8 hours ago, bleve said:

It was NOT a forward pass. 

 

 

The hash marks are all crooked in that photo.

[CSBill]

What it really was was another spectacular Special Teams failure (they were so fooled on the play, and everyone was out of proper coverage position) that probably cost the Bills one of their most credible chances at a Super Bowl win.

 

That's three now: (1) Wide Right, (2) Forward lateral where the entire unit was out of position, and (3) the kickoff on 13 seconds.

 

Think about those three plays' misery on our lives as Bills fans.

 

. . . Which is why many of us get so nervous about Tyler Bass.

[LewPort71]

14 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Yeah but was it the last regular season game you've attended?

That was what gave me the guilt complex. 

Now I understand your guilt.  Mrs. Lew and I have attended many games since then.  Including the game when Kelly's number was retired.  That was a special event.

[BearNorth]

19 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

Possibly.  

1st down - run and quickly get back to the line. 

2nd down - spike

3rd down - kick 

 

I was there, not sure the spike rule was the same back then, and the refs were definitely doing whatever they could to keep Tennessee in the game.

[SoMAn]

There has been much analysis of the play, including computer models that show the pass was neither backward nor forward.

From the point where Wycheck's hand was positioned above his right shoulder at the time of release, to where Dyson caught the ball, it was pretty much a straight line across the field. 

 

On TV, it looked like a forward pass. But, the angles can be deceptive.  

 

If the Bills had won, would Wade have been forced by Ralph to continue with Rob Johnson? I seriously doubt Johnson could have led the team to a Superbowl win. In some ways, it's a good thing the Bills didn't get there only to have an 0-5 Superbowl record hanging over their heads through a 17 year drought. 

 

As painful as it was at the time, I've conceded that it was probably the correct call. The real issue is that the Bills' coverage teams blew it on that kickoff.

 

 

[TheFunPolice]

Who wins the Bills/Rams Super Bowl that year?

 

And how weird would it have been for Thurman, Andre, Bruce and all those guys to finally win one with Kelly retired? 

 

 

 

 

[Livinginthepast]

I was in Costa Rica during all of the 1999 season. It was hard to watch the NFL unless you could get to a good American sports bar in the San Jose area (and there weren't that many of those). The place where I lived (Alajuela) had no places to watch the NFL. So catching the Bills (which I had done religiously every week since September 1979 ) was a bit tricky.  I did see a few games and was stoked that the Bills were headed to the playoffs. But that season Flutie got figured out and the honeymoon with him as an effective QB was on the rocks. Anyway the first week of January 2000 I scheduled a side trip for a few days to Guatemala. I toured around various really cool places and on the Friday I got to Antigua, Guatemala. I was relieved to find a great American sports bar right near the main square and went there the next day to watch the game. The bar was filled with fans of other NFL teams (zero Bills Fans) who viewed this matchup with mostly indifference. There were a bunch of active Bills haters in the bar which was quite irritating. I was stunned to see Rob Johnson starting as I had seen no pregame buildup. The first half was excruciating to watch as RJ got pressured and sacked numerous times. He was an outright embarrassment in that first half. With the Bills down at the half I can remember Steve Young saying during the break that Wade had to put Flutie in now. Instead we got RJ again. To his credit RJ was much better in the 2nd half and he did enough to win. When Christie kicked that FG with 20 seconds left I erupted with cheers in the bar. It was so great to let all those Aholes in the bar laughing at the Bills know.  Then the "miracle" happened. The place went nuts and I just stared at the TV screen in disbelief. It was deja vu to wide right where I also just couldnt believe what had just happened. I looked for a flag, surely that was a forward pass. Meanwhile the place is rocking with excitement at the play and I have sunk down with my head on the table. The Bills had done it to me again! A knife to the heart which was twisted! Hard to believe 25 years have passed!

[DBilz2500]

My theory on this play was that when it first happened it looked so obviously like a forward pass. Had the officials threw a flag and called it a forward pass when they went to review it they wouldn’t have had enough evidence to overturn the call on the field. But looking  back many years later it was indeed somehow some way a “once in a lifetime” perfect lateral play. 

[T master]

On 1/8/2025 at 9:36 AM, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

Long-term effect on the Bills

 

The Music City Miracle was the last game in a Bills uniform for the remaining key members of the team's 1990s Super Bowl runs. Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, and Thurman Thomas were all released by the team in the offseason. all three would eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

 

Starting in 2000, the Bills missed the playoffs in 17 consecutive seasons, a streak that was the longest active playoff drought in major American sports when it ended.

 

 

 

 

Those decisions along with the firing of Phillips as the HC was some of the dumbest decisions Ralph ever made as the owner of the Bills !

 

I think Karma may have played a part of the 17 year drought because of those decisions . 

[Lafromboise]

On 1/8/2025 at 10:39 AM, Gugny said:

What did Elizabeth Hurley look like?

Maybe you can meet her in hell. I bet shell make you cookies that taste like your grandmas

[Gugny]

15 minutes ago, Lafromboise said:

Maybe you can meet her in hell. I bet shell make you cookies that taste like your grandmas

Why do you act like it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to hell?

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

19 hours ago, Livinginthepast said:

I was in Costa Rica during all of the 1999 season.

I read that, and immediately think:

 

Edited January 11 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[Steve O]

9 hours ago, Gugny said:

Why do you act like it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to hell?

Yeah, happens to me a lot too. Go figure.

[Sojourner]

On 1/9/2025 at 12:37 AM, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

It wasn't. At the time, I was a child. Myself and every Bills fan I knew said it was a Forward Pass. Because it's always easier to say you were robbed or someone's out to get you than it is to admit the truth.

 

Over the years as it's been played over and over again - sowed down, zoomed in, and in high definition. It's obvious - it was a legal lateral. A literally perfect throw that should have went forward but sadly and miraculously didn't. A one in a million shot. Terribly bad luck for a terribly unlucky franchise.

 

Just look at the picture above my post. How can you say that's forward? 

That whole season was a million in one for that franchise. 
 

Ironic that it began and ended on inches and yards. 

Playoffs that is. 

[MphsBillsfan]

I was at that game, made me sick 😫. 

[Jerome007]

On 1/10/2025 at 10:39 PM, Livinginthepast said:

When Christie kicked that FG with 20 seconds left I erupted with cheers in the bar. It was so great to let all those Aholes in the bar laughing at the Bills know.  Then the "miracle" happened. The place went nuts and I just stared at the TV screen in disbelief. It was deja vu to wide right where I also just couldnt believe what had just happened. I looked for a flag, surely that was a forward pass. Meanwhile the place is rocking with excitement at the play and I have sunk down with my head on the table. The Bills had done it to me again! A knife to the heart which was twisted! Hard to believe 25 years have passed!

Not  nearly as exotic as you ha ha, but I was in a sports bar in Montreal. At least half the crowd were a PITA and just rooting against the Bills, not really for the Titans. I still recall when that lateral happened, I was fully convinced it was a forward pass so wasn't concerned. Then there was no flag, and then... you know the  rest. I was so pissed off. Ready to fight (!). Still am POed, really ha ha. I hated the Titans for years, even more than the Cheats. Now it's meh.