It took 35 years, but finally, another franchise gets to feel our pain

[TrentEdwardsCheckDownOn4th]

2 hours ago, Chris from Rochester said:

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I was more worried about us not recovering the onside kick and them kicking a field goal to win after Andrews drop. I felt like Josh would have marched us down the field and scored for the win. I'm sure happy with the outcome but all I could think of was the most "Billsy" thing, the Ravens recovering the kick and more heartbreak for us. Hopefully we passed the curse to them lol

I know it's a ridiculous thought but as it was happening I asked my wife if she preferred the ravens made the 2 point conversion because as absurd as it sounds I felt more confident in josh driving us down the field than recovering an onside kick.

[GaryPinC]

2 hours ago, corta765 said:

I emphasize in the frustration of having such a great QB and not being able to breakthrough. That frustration and know you have a certain timeframe to get rings with them hangs until it happens or it doesnt and every miss adds to the frustration.

 

I do not emphasize with this being the end of the world and their cursed or other crap I have seen. I have seen the Ravens win 2 SB titles in my life. Lamar right now is playing to win a title and etch his name as an all time great. Josh & this group are playing not only for that but to finally end 60+ years of pain and heartbreak which hangs over the franchise and city/area in general to finally win it all. The circumstances are vastly different and outside of Viking fans no other fanbase knows the feeling of being this close so many times and being 0-4 and the weight that sits there because of it. CLE/DET fans have had their misery but truthfully losing in the big game the way BUF/MIN has and knowing you were so close mixed with the other misses is another level of pain.

 

Realistically odds are Lamar will break through one of these times and get his shot. At least while Raven fans wait they can count the rings and watch the highlight film in frustration instead of sitting here hoping for one in my lifetime.

I would rather lose 4 superbowls in a row then deal with the pain Browns fans experience.  They have never been to a single SuperBowl, lost 3 AFC championship games in the late 80's, 2 year record 1-31, lost their team that went on to win 2 super bowls, and the times they are starting to put it together ownership meddles and sabotages the situation.   Their fan suffering is worse then ours in almost every single way at this point. 

 

Yep, losing 4 superbowls in a row is acutely painful but as a Bills fan living in Cleveland the never-ending failures is an incomparable level of long term pain.

It was a privilege to watch Jimbo and that offense and Bruce and that defense, those were really amazing football years and personalities for the Bills despite never winning a Super Bowl.  Much better than even the subsequent 17 years. 

[Jukester]

3 hours ago, Stroke 17 said:

Don't need the videos  it's all etched in my memory. The wide right, the lost helmet, the 4 losses, the hail Mary throw forward, 13 seconds., Fergy limping through a playoff game vs Chargers, I was in Cleveland when Harmon dropped that pass, the 17 QB's between Kelly and Josh, the 2-3 win seasons. I can close my eyes and see the near empty stadium during the 80's. I've seen it all so I don't give a rats a** how any player or fan of any other team feels today. I don't care about Andrews feelings especially considering how Norwood is/was the butt of jokes for years. One went our way, finally.

 

maybe I did feel a little sad for the Lions fans who expected so much more. Seeing their pained faces on Saturday brought back some memories of so many Bills fans.

 

Enough, GO BILLS!

This right here. I’ve been through all of the above myself. The football gods have not been kind to us. I can only hope they built this up for us to learn patience, overcome disappointment, and enjoy the unbridled elation we’ll have when they finally allow us to win the big one!  And if not:
 

“if you no help me now, I say ***** you Jobu! I do it myself!”

- Pedro Cerrano 1989

- Josh Allen 2025

[Matt_In_NH]

If Harmon catches the ball the bills win.  If Andrews catches the ball it ties the game and the bills have 1.5 minutes and 2 timeouts to break the tie.    The Andrews thing is way more analogous to the bass miss last year.  That fg ties the game and Mahomes has time to break the tie.  

Edited 11 hours ago by Matt_In_NH

[LABILLBACKER]

3 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

I told my wife at the time that as happy as I was, I also felt sorry for Ravens fans. 

 

I also remembered the Harmon Drop and the disbelief and disappointment I experienced.  

I'll never feel sorry for an organization with 2 Lombardis. It's like saying " those poor Patriots, they've only gone to 11 Super Bowls".  For every heartbreak an organization suffers, we've suffered 10 fold.

[TheMightyMaxio]

One of the things that I have noticed about this current team as opposed to the teams during the drought, I billieve (pun intended) that this group of players is much more situationally aware during the game. I know that we still struggle with 3rd down stops or a bad penalty, but our guys know when /what is needed at the big moments and more often than not will make the play.

 

During the drought, I remember many examples of failed big moment plays that snatched loss from the jaws of victory. Nate Clements (knock it down), Robert Royal (get your feet inbounds), JP Losman rollout fumble, Donte Whitner jump on the ball, Stevie Johnson (just catch it). Many more examples of failing in the big moment as a team. Antawn Randle El game, Chad Morton double kick return, the Monday nighter vs Dallas, so many Patriots come from behind to beat us, Dick Jauron years. My gawd I loved a lot of those players but more often than not... they failed to make the play when needed. But something has changed and I hope it continues.

 

When I played, one of our def coaches would always walk up and down the sidelines screaming "Down and Distance", over and over, and as an offensive player, I never really clued in until later, but it is a phrase I use in my daily life and say it to my kids to preach situational awareness. Down and Distance...know what you are dealing with in front of you so you can make smart decisions and you know what's at stake. This current team knows the down and distance. I hope it continues.

 

Go Bills.

Edited 10 hours ago by TheMightyMaxio

[Spiderweb]

3 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

I told my wife at the time that as happy as I was, I also felt sorry for Ravens fans. 

 

I also remembered the Harmon Drop and the disbelief and disappointment I experienced.  

... And Harmon had the gull to say it was a bad ball from Kelly and not his fault.

[hondo in seattle]

49 minutes ago, Spiderweb said:

... And Harmon had the gull to say it was a bad ball from Kelly and not his fault.

 

I'd forgotten that.  No wonders he wasn't resigned.  

 

Bad ball?  Most high school receivers would make that catch.  I mean, damn, I'm 65 and could easily make that catch (if you ignore the fact that an NFL DB would have knocked me unconscious at the line of scrimmage).  

[skibum]

I feel bad for Ravens fans until I remember that they have two Super Bowl championships to look back on, both in the past 25 years no less. 

[JP51]

5 hours ago, Steve O said:

 

 

 

The Andrews drop brought back a bad memory for me.  It occurred 35 years and 14 days after the Ronnie Harmon drop against the Browns, who would move to Baltimore and become the Ravens in 1996. You can relive these memorable moments by clicking on the watch on YouTube links.

With this demon exorcised, maybe we beat KC on a 13 second drive at the end of the game. Or maybe we just blow them out.

(Side note: I know it's been 35 years and I should just get over it, can't seem to though. I would have gotten kicked out of the tailgate if I dropped that pass!)

 

 

Andrews drop

 

 

 

Harmon Drop

 

Well when they were the Browns they did endure to gut wrenching losses in the Championship games to Denver... the Earnest Byner fumble near the goal line at the end of regulations sticks out... 

[Sweats]

1 hour ago, GaryPinC said:

I would rather lose 4 superbowls in a row then deal with the pain Browns fans experience.  They have never been to a single SuperBowl, lost 3 AFC championship games in the late 80's, 2 year record 1-31, lost their team that went on to win 2 super bowls, and the times they are starting to put it together ownership meddles and sabotages the situation.   Their fan suffering is worse then ours in almost every single way at this point. 

 

Yep, losing 4 superbowls in a row is acutely painful but as a Bills fan living in Cleveland the never-ending failures is an incomparable level of long term pain.

It was a privilege to watch Jimbo and that offense and Bruce and that defense, those were really amazing football years and personalities for the Bills despite never winning a Super Bowl.  Much better than even the subsequent 17 years. 

 

 

 

 

Now that you bring it all together in one statement..........i have no words, except that every team's legacy is remembered for something.

[BarleyNY]

2 hours ago, buffblue said:

This is exactly how I felt. When Andrews dropped the ball I immediately felt a sense of dread. That onside kick was absolutely nerve wracking

During the Eagles game, I said aloud that I hoped there would be an onside kick because it would be a mess in that weather. I really thought I’d jinxed it for us.

Edited 10 hours ago by BarleyNY

[Ralonzo]

Anyone else remember, I think it might have been 97 Rock with Snorton Norton the next day after that game where they staged a phone call to Ronnie Harmon...

 

<Ring> <Ring>

"Hello?"

<Bang> <Crash> <Clatter>

"Ronnie? Ronnie Harmon? What's going on there?"

"Yeah man... I just dropped the phone. If only you had called me a second earlier I wouldn't have dropped it"

 

Was it Chris Simms that was torching Lamar for double-clutching that throw and thought it threw the timing off and made it much much tougher for Andrews?

[GaryPinC]

18 minutes ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

Now that you bring it all together in one statement..........i have no words, except that every team's legacy is remembered for something.

And I'm just scratching the surface.  Ozzie Newsome was immensely popular here and working his way up the executive ladder.  He continued to do so in Baltimore and Browns fans got to watch him become GM of the Ravens and help them build their second Super Bowl team.

Edited 9 hours ago by GaryPinC

[Ralonzo]

5 hours ago, muppy said:

past traumas are events I tend to block out and want to forget not revisit

 

 

Yeah, but in a historical perspective the Bills might never get to 4 Super Bowls without this game, as iirc it marked the first appearance of the K-gun offense - no-huddle with Kelly calling plays, and they were almost unstoppable with it. After the 1989 Bickering Bills season the K-gun became a regular thing and they mowed down the opposition for years.

[Danger Mouse]

5 hours ago, Chris from Rochester said:

I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I was more worried about us not recovering the onside kick and them kicking a field goal to win after Andrews drop. I felt like Josh would have marched us down the field and scored for the win. I'm sure happy with the outcome but all I could think of was the most "Billsy" thing, the Ravens recovering the kick and more heartbreak for us. Hopefully we passed the curse to them lol

I’ve been as nervous about a kick off in my life. I really thought it was written 

[Steve O]

9 minutes ago, JP51 said:

Well when they were the Browns they did endure to gut wrenching losses in the Championship games to Denver... the Earnest Byner fumble near the goal line at the end of regulations sticks out... 

If any fan base has endured as much heartbreak as the  Bills it's the Browns. Like the Bills, 4 years in a row ending just before our super bowl run. Starting in the 86 season which ended in Denver with a 97 yard broncos touchdown drive which became known as The Drive, The Byner fumble you mentioned, again against the Broncos following the 87 season, a one point loss to the Oilers in the 88 wild card game or they would have come here for the divisional game, and losing again against the Broncos in the AFC championship game following the Harmon drop. Then they move to Baltimore and win a super bowl a few years later, pretty sure it was before getting a new Browns team.

[HOUSE]

There was 1:33 left on the clock after the Andrews drop. Why does everyone assume Buffalo was doomed to lose?

I say a 45 yard Tyler Bass wins the game anyway

So, no tears for Baltimore 

[mjt328]

2 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

I would rather lose 4 superbowls in a row then deal with the pain Browns fans experience.  They have never been to a single SuperBowl, lost 3 AFC championship games in the late 80's, 2 year record 1-31, lost their team that went on to win 2 super bowls, and the times they are starting to put it together ownership meddles and sabotages the situation.   Their fan suffering is worse then ours in almost every single way at this point. 

 

Yep, losing 4 superbowls in a row is acutely painful but as a Bills fan living in Cleveland the never-ending failures is an incomparable level of long term pain.

It was a privilege to watch Jimbo and that offense and Bruce and that defense, those were really amazing football years and personalities for the Bills despite never winning a Super Bowl.  Much better than even the subsequent 17 years. 

 

When it comes to football, there are two different kinds of pain.  Hard to really say what is worse.

 

There are teams that always seem to be awful, have never really drafted an elite Quarterback to lead them, and never really seem to come close.  Cleveland is the most obvious, for all the reasons you stated.  Detroit still hasn't made a Super Bowl either.  Arizona basically had that one shot with Kurt Warner's career winding down.  None of these franchises have even experienced long-term success during the modern era.

 

Then you have us.  On the doorstep multiple times, but unable to finish the job.  Our 1990's roster had multiple Hall of Famers, including at Quarterback.  Now struggling to break-through again, despite having possibly the best QB in the entire NFL.  I can't think of another team who has been so close, so many times, with zero rings to show for it.  The next closest may be Cincinnati, especially if they fail to get one with Joe Burrow.

 

Yeah, the Ravens have plenty of reason to be upset and disappointed after the last couple years.  But they were still on top of the world twice, so I'm not willing to lump them with us.

 

[Steve O]

15 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

There was 1:33 left on the clock after the Andrews drop. Why does everyone assume Buffalo was doomed to lose?

I say a 45 yard Tyler Bass wins the game anyway

So, no tears for Baltimore 

A few of us have expressed that we would have felt better with the ball and 1:33 left than we did with the onside kick.