Rubes Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 A true story. A story about a Bills team. A mostly young team, one that hadn’t tasted the playoffs for a very long time. Oh, they came close. The year before, they had only to beat a relatively mediocre conference opponent in the last home game of the season to finally clinch a playoff spot. Instead, they came out flat and laid an egg, losing the game and, as a result, eliminating themselves from the playoffs. They were described by a local writer as “one part preoccupied and one part wound too tightly.” It was disappointing, but the team would use it as motivation for the following season. They came into that next season with a strong defense and a young, inexperienced offense, with a lot of studs at the skill positions. The year started out on a high note, with a victory in the home opener. The defense dominated that game, but the offense had its troubles, particularly the young talented QB. A local writer described his game this way: “He came out hot in the first half, but he couldn’t quite close the sale once the Bills came close to the 20-yard line. If he had been a little sharper close to the goal line, Buffalo might have had a commanding lead at halftime.” The Bills didn’t score much, but it was just enough, with their suffocating defense. The following weeks were similar, with low-scoring nail-biters that essentialy came down to the field goal kicker. The defense continued its domination, but the offense also continued to sputter. In the first three games, the offense managed only 2 touchdowns, and the young QB had only 1 touchdown pass and a couple of interceptions. But most of their games early on were at home, and they did well enough there to win. Soon they would go on the road against a tough NFC opponent, one with an efficient offense and a stellar defense. It was time to see just how ready the Bills were to compete with good teams on the road. If they could continue to play tough defense and good enough offense, they just might make a statement. In the end, they did make a statement: they weren’t ready yet for the big time. As one local writer put it: “Sunday was the day the Bills were supposed to show they could play with the NFL’s big boys. Instead, (they were) tormented for 2 hours and 59 minutes.” The Bills could only manage a single field goal. Their offensive output included a mind-boggling 24-yard loss on one run, a net of zero yards rushing, and six sacks against. The defense played decently, but allowed enough big plays, especially on third downs, to put this one too far out of reach for the struggling offense. They gave up 67% of third downs, the feared pass rush had no sacks, and there were numerous lapses in coverage. People began wondering if those previous wins were just lucky, coming against inferior opponents. They began wondering if the defense really was as good as they thought. They wondered if the offense would ever get on track. There was much hand wringing. Sound familiar? Of course, this isn’t the story of the 2005 Bills, it’s the 1988 Bills. But the similarities are interesting. So what happened after that humbling loss? The following week they came back home to play another tough opponent. Things didn’t look good in the first half. The offense continued to sputter, with the young QB tossing an interception on his second pass of the game, followed by four possessions that led to zero points. By then, the Bills found themselves down 17-0, and the home crowd started booing their offense and their young QB. That little wake-up call seemed to turn things around for the team, especially the offense. Suddenly, they came alive, outscoring their opponent the rest of the way, 34-6. Said the coach of his young QB: “I told him he came of age as an NFL quarterback. He got booed by the home fans.” Said his star receiver: “People gotta realize you can’t be perfect all the time. He isn’t God and he’s not gonna come out winging touchdown passes all the time and be accurate on every pass. He’s only one man and the whole team’s gotta help him out.” We all know what happened after that. Of course, I’m not trying to say the 2005 Bills are the same as the 1988 Bills, nor is JP in the same league as Jimbo, at least not yet. But there are some similarities in those seasons. Sometimes it takes a while to get the offense all on one page. Sometimes the defense has bad days and doesn’t live up to its expectations. Sometimes you go on the road and get slapped in the face by a superior opponent. And sometimes, despite all that, great things still lie ahead. Even the same season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 A true story. A story about a Bills team. A mostly young team, one that hadn’t tasted the playoffs for a very long time. Oh, they came close. The year before, they had only to beat a relatively mediocre conference opponent in the last home game of the season to finally clinch a playoff spot. Instead, they came out flat and laid an egg, losing the game and, as a result, eliminating themselves from the playoffs. They were described by a local writer as “one part preoccupied and one part wound too tightly.” It was disappointing, but the team would use it as motivation for the following season. They came into that next season with a strong defense and a young, inexperienced offense, with a lot of studs at the skill positions. The year started out on a high note, with a victory in the home opener. The defense dominated that game, but the offense had its troubles, particularly the young talented QB. A local writer described his game this way: “He came out hot in the first half, but he couldn’t quite close the sale once the Bills came close to the 20-yard line. If he had been a little sharper close to the goal line, Buffalo might have had a commanding lead at halftime.” The Bills didn’t score much, but it was just enough, with their suffocating defense. The following weeks were similar, with low-scoring nail-biters that essentialy came down to the field goal kicker. The defense continued its domination, but the offense also continued to sputter. In the first three games, the offense managed only 2 touchdowns, and the young QB had only 1 touchdown pass and a couple of interceptions. But most of their games early on were at home, and they did well enough there to win. Soon they would go on the road against a tough NFC opponent, one with an efficient offense and a stellar defense. It was time to see just how ready the Bills were to compete with good teams on the road. If they could continue to play tough defense and good enough offense, they just might make a statement. In the end, they did make a statement: they weren’t ready yet for the big time. As one local writer put it: “Sunday was the day the Bills were supposed to show they could play with the NFL’s big boys. Instead, (they were) tormented for 2 hours and 59 minutes.” The Bills could only manage a single field goal. Their offensive output included a mind-boggling 24-yard loss on one run, a net of zero yards rushing, and six sacks against. The defense played decently, but allowed enough big plays, especially on third downs, to put this one too far out of reach for the struggling offense. They gave up 67% of third downs, the feared pass rush had no sacks, and there were numerous lapses in coverage. People began wondering if those previous wins were just lucky, coming against inferior opponents. They began wondering if the defense really was as good as they thought. They wondered if the offense would ever get on track. There was much hand wringing. Sound familiar? Of course, this isn’t the story of the 2005 Bills, it’s the 1988 Bills. But the similarities are interesting. So what happened after that humbling loss? The following week they came back home to play another tough opponent. Things didn’t look good in the first half. The offense continued to sputter, with the young QB tossing an interception on his second pass of the game, followed by four possessions that led to zero points. By then, the Bills found themselves down 17-0, and the home crowd started booing their offense and their young QB. That little wake-up call seemed to turn things around for the team, especially the offense. Suddenly, they came alive, outscoring their opponent the rest of the way, 34-6. Said the coach of his young QB: “I told him he came of age as an NFL quarterback. He got booed by the home fans.” Said his star receiver: “People gotta realize you can’t be perfect all the time. He isn’t God and he’s not gonna come out winging touchdown passes all the time and be accurate on every pass. He’s only one man and the whole team’s gotta help him out.” We all know what happened after that. Of course, I’m not trying to say the 2005 Bills are the same as the 1988 Bills, nor is JP in the same league as Jimbo, at least not yet. But there are some similarities in those seasons. Sometimes it takes a while to get the offense all on one page. Sometimes the defense has bad days and doesn’t live up to its expectations. Sometimes you go on the road and get slapped in the face by a superior opponent. And sometimes, despite all that, great things still lie ahead. Even the same season. 452450[/snapback] You’re lucky to have all those pharmaceuticals at your disposal, I’m jealous. Nice story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted September 24, 2005 Author Share Posted September 24, 2005 You’re lucky to have all those pharmaceuticals at your disposal, I’m jealous. Nice story. 452452[/snapback] Luck has nothing to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 Luck has nothing to do with it. 452454[/snapback] Good point. Though, learning how to write like a two year old again, must have been fun. I kid, nice post Rubes....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightRider Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 I thought Bears when you said the -24 yrd run! We won a lot of games on the leg of Scott Norwood that year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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