Thurman Thomas became the Bills all-time leading rusher in 1996. (Photo Source)

View full size photo »

1994 - The Bottom Falls Out
7-9 record, four of five in AFC East, 9 of 14 in AFC, 17 of 28 in NFL
Coming off four straight Super Bowls, the Buffalo Bills were bound for a letdown at some point. The NFL helped dismantle the Bills dynasty starting with free agency in 1993 and culminating in 1994 with the addition of a salary cap.  At the time Buffalo was in the top five in league salary and were forced to release quality starters just to comply with the new cap.  The transition was a rough one for Buffalo's offensive line.  Guard Jim Ritcher was released, tackle Howard Ballard was not re-signed, and Keith McKeller had problems recovering from a knee injury and was let go.  Interception machine Mark Kelso retired after several concussions, and Nate Odomes also left via free agency.  The Bills secondary also lost starting cornerback JD Williams.  Due to these heavy losses, Buffalo received two additional second round picks and an additional third round selection as compensatory picks.  Cornerback Jeff Burris was selected first to bolster the pass defense.  Tight end Lonnie Johnson was picked in the second round to replace McKellar and linebacker Sam Rogers was also selected in the second.

The Bill lost to the Jets in Week 1, scoring only 3 points.  It was the first time since 1988 the Bills did not find the end zone at home.  In Week 2, Jim Kelly won a quarterback duel with then-Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe.  The two combined for over 700 passing yards and 7 touchdowns, and though Bledsoe had more yardage, Kelly had more touchdowns in a 38-35 Buffalo win.  After two more wins, the Bills lost to Chicago with Thurman Thomas watching from the sidelines.  The Bills beat Miami the next week before losing to the Colts.  Following the bye week, the Bills hung 44 points on the Chiefs defense and Steve Christie kicked two field goals to lift him to 15 for 15 on the year, breaking Scott Norwood's team record of 13 straight made field goals.  For the first time since Hank Bullough was coach of the Bills, the Jets beat the Bills twice in one year when Buffalo's offense was shut down in the second half, allowing Boomer Esiason to lead the Jets to the 22-17 win.  Following a loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football in Week 11, Buffalo sat at 5-5, two games behind the Dolphins and tied with the Jets who had beaten Buffalo twice.  A win versus Green Bay put the Bills over .500, but a loss to the Lions the following week drop them back.

With four games left, Buffalo was once again looking up at Miami (2 game lead) and now the red hot Patriots were a game up on the Bills, too. To make matters worse the Jets were still tied with Buffalo.  The Bills helped their cause in week 14 with a big win over the Dolphins.  Following a late home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, however, the Bills playoff hopes were in jeopardy and made worse by a Jim Kelly injury late in that game.  The Patriots came to town in Week 16 and Drew Bledsoe led New England to 35 unanswered points to beat th Frank Reich-led Bills 41-17 and put a wild card spot out of reach.  In Week 17 Reich once again filled in for Kelly in a loss to the Colts.  The Dolphins won the division and the Patriots earned a Wild Card berth for the first time under Bill Parcells.

On the season the Bills fell back a little finishing 11 in points, 10 in total yards and passing yards, and 8 in rushing yards.  After the loss of so many defensive backs, the passing defense really suffered finishing 23 in passing yards and 25 in passing touchdowns allowed.  The defense as a whole dropped as well finishing 22 in points allowed and 17 in overall yards allowed.  Wideout Andre Reed was the only offensive player selected to the Pro Bowl and was joined by defensive end Bruce Smith and special teamer Steve Tasker.  This was the first time in seven years the Bills did not make the playoffs.  Linebacker Mike Stratton, who turned the tide in the 1964 AFL Championship game with the "Hit Heard 'Round the World" on Chargers' running back Keith Lincoln, was added to the Wall of Fame.

1995 - Back to the Playoffs
10-6 record, first of five in AFC East third of 15 in AFC, six of 30 in NFL
In 1995 two teams joined the National Football League when the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers strapped on the pads for the very first time.  Several former Bills joined former general manager Bill Polian in Carolina as quarterback Frank Reich, tight end Pete Metzelaars, and wide receiver Don Beebe all left via free agency to join the new team.  More key losses came in the off-season when running back Kenneth Davis retired and Darryl Talley joined the Falcons.  To replace Talley the Bills signed Bryce Paup from the Packers and to replace the departed defenisve tackle Jeff Wright the Bills signed Ted Washington from the Broncos and added defensive lineman Jim Jeffcoat from the Cowboys.  In the draft the Bills selected guard Reuben Brown with the first-round pick and heir apparent to the Jim Kelly throne Todd Collins in the second.  In later rounds they would select DB Ken Irvin, LB John Holecek and RB Darick Holmes.  They also signed quarterback Alex Van Pelt in the off-season.  To revamp their No. 17-ranked defense, the Bills hired former Broncos defensive coordinator and head coach Wade Phillips to be their new defensive coordinator.

The Bills began the year with an anemic offense and a loss for the second straight year.  But this year Buffalo would respond with fire and win their next five games.  Poor offensive output led to two division losses to the Patriots and Dolphins to leave the Bills at 5-3.  The defense put the Bills on their back in a Week 10 win over the Colts.  Ted Washington plowed through the line on a fourth-and-goal stop, Bruce Smith caused a fumble that Henry Jones recoverd, and Bryce Paup sacked the three Indianapolis quarterbacks once each on the way to a 16-10 win.  The defense preserved a win the next week as well as Kurt Schulz intercepted a pass to hang on for the 23-17 win over the Falcons.  The next week was a different team but the same result.  The Jets scored on a Hail Mary with no time left on the clock but the two point conversion attempt was broken up by Thomas Smith, saving the win.  In week 13 the Bills lost to the Patriots for the third straight time, dropping them to 8-4, but Buffalo still had a one game lead or more on every team in the division and maintained that cushion after losing the next week to San Francisco.  The Bills offense scored 6 TD in a Week 15 blowout of the St. Louis Rams and gave them a chance to clinch the division with a Week 16 win over the Dolphins.  In the game the Bills would score and the Dolphins would answer until the defense forced a punt with 4:30 remaining.  The rushing offense led by Thurman Thomas would grind out the remaining time giving Buffalo a 23-20 and their sixth division crown in eight seasons.  In Week 17 Todd Collins made his first NFL start with Buffalo's playoff seed secured but was replaced by Alex Van Pelt after being sacked five times.  Andre Reed returned from a ten-week layoff to score a touchdown.

The Bills once again played the Miami Dolpins in the playoffs - this year in the Wild Card round.  Buffalo scored the first 27 points of the game and rushed for 344 yards in a big win over the Dophins.  Even Steve Tasker got involved going over one hundred yards receiving for the first time in his career.  Tasker played an important role on offense in 1995 as an injury replacement.  The Bills won 37-22 and would face the Steelers in the divisional round - a team they had lost to in both the preceding years.  Bruce Smith was not able to make the trip due to illness and the Steelers took advantage of the Bills' defense scoring the first 20 points of the game.  Thurman Thomas punched in the end zone for the Bills first points and in the process scored a touchdown in his seventh straight playoff game (second longest all time).  Alex Van Pelt threw a touchdown pass in relief for Jim Kelly and Kelly would come back to throw one of his own to Thurman Thomas.  It was Thomas' 18th career postseason touchdown, the most in NFL history at that time.  But the Steelers ground the clock for over five minutes and added two more late touchdowns in a 40-21 win.  (Personally, I remember thinking how weird it was that the Bills lost in the playoffs.  It was their first postseason loss to an AFC opponent since 1989.)

The absence of Reed to injury, Beebe and Metzelaars to free agency, and Kenneth Davis to retirement left the Bills with many holes on offense.  As a result the Bills dropped to 13 in points, 20 in yards, and 21 in passing yards.  The Bills' rushing attack managed to be number 6 in the league.  The defense, led by Defensive Player of the Year Bryce Paup and his 17.5 sacks, made big gains and finished 12 in points allowed and 13 in yards allowed.  Steve Tasker made the Pro Bowl as a special teams player for the fifth straight year and Bryce Paup and Bruce Smith were both Pro Bowlers and All-Pros.  Joe Ferguson was added to the Bills Wall of Fame in 1995.  Ferguson was the franchise's all-time leading passer throwing for 27,590 yards prior to Jim Kelly breaking the record in 1994.  Ferguson, despite two 3500+ yard season, was never named to a Pro Bowl roster.

1996 - Last Hurrah
10-6 record, second of five in AFC East, third of 15 in AFC, sixth of 30 in the NFL
The purge of high-priced starters and quality depth players due to salary cap restrictions continued.  Cornelius Bennett became the second linebacker icon to leave Buffalo in two seasons, fullback Carwell Gardner joined the relocated Baltimore Ravens and 1995 leading receiver Bill Brooks left via free agency as well.  To replace Bennett the Bills signed Lions linebacker Chris Spielman and Quinn Early was brought in to replace Brooks.  With eyes toward replacing aging veterans Andre Reed and Kent Hull, the Bills also drafted wide receiver Eric Moulds and center Dusty Ziegler in the 1996 draft.  Tight end Jay Riemersma was a seventh-round draft pick.

The Bills beat the New York Giants in overtime to start the year despite being down 17-0 early.  In the overtime session Bruce Smith became the second-leading sack artist ever, trailing only Reggie White, and forced a fumble that Spielman picked up.  A Christie field goal would win it.  The Bills won in Week 2 on a dramatic goal line stand.  Phil Hansen stopped Patriots running back Dave Meggett on the Bills two-yard line to preserve a 17-10 Buffalo win.  In Week 3, the Bills lost to the Steelers for the fourth time in four year on a Monday Night.  In Week 4 the Bills faced the defending Super Bowl champs when the Cowboys came to Orchard Park.  Without Jim Kelly Todd Collins got his second career start and executed an opening drive touchdown drive capped by Thurman Thomas and his franchise record-tying 57th touchdown run.  Alex Van Pelt came in for an injured Todd Collins and the defense held once again intercepting Troy Aikman to win 10-7.  The defense held the vaunted Cowboys triplets to 192 total yards (too bad it wasn't in the Super Bowl...).  Another game, another three point win as Todd Collins led the Bills over the Colts in Week 6 following the bye to earn first place in the division.  The Bills defense recorded 6 sacks, but Henry Jones was lost for the year with a broken leg.  Kelly returned but was ineffective throwing 3 interceptions and no touchdowns in a 21-7 home loss to the Dolphins.  The next week was the Steve Christie show.  Christie connected on a team record 6 field goals and Thurman Thomas became the all-time leading rusher in Bills history in a 25-22 win with the sixth field goal coming as time expired.  Following a loss to the Patriots the Bills won four straight games.  Against Indianapolis in Week 14 Todd Collins would start again for an inured Jim Kelly.  Collins connected with Quinn Early in the second quarter for the longest play from scrimmage in Bills history - a 95-yard touchdown pass.  The Colts would win in overtime dropping the Bills to 9-4 and a tie for the AFC East lead.  Buffalo lost in Seattle the next week and Miami, running their loss streak to 3 games.  The Colts and Bills both entered Week 17 at 9-6 with the Patriots at 10-5.  A win would clinch a playoff spot and with some luck and a win the Bills could clinch the division.  The Chiefs were also 9-6 making the game a playoff game with only the winner advancing.  Battling the flu, Jim Kelly led the Bills to a win in his final regular season game in Orchard Park.  The Bills scored the last 17 points of the game and won 20-9, clinching a playoff spot for the eighth time in nine years.

In the playoffs the Bills faced the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Bills opened the scoring with a Kelly to Thomas pass.  It was Thomas' 19th postseason touchdown - a new playoff record.  A Jim Kelly pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown to tie the score at 7 before another long touchdown drive by Buffalo reestablished a seven point Bills lead.  After 10 points by the Jaguars the Bills tied it at the two minute warning of the second quarter on a Steve Christie field goal.  A Jeff Burris pick-six gave Buffalo a 27-20 lead but Mark Burnell would throw a touchdown pass and a Bills fumble game Jacksonville the ball again.  With just over three minutes to play the Jaguars booted in the go-ahead field goal off the upright and held a 30-27 lead.  Jim Kelly was shaken up and watched Todd Collins take the final snaps of Kelly's career.  Jacksonville went on to lose in the AFC Championship game to the Patriots.

Buffalo dropped to the middle of the pack offensively with Jim Kelly in and out of the line up frequently.  They finished 15 in points, 16 in yards, 17 in passing yards, and 8 in rushing yards.  It was Jim Kelly's lowest passing yards since his second year in the league when he played 12 games.  The defense under Wade Phillips was once again impressive ranking 6 in points, 9 in yards, 8 against the pass and 14 against the run.  Bruce Smith was named to the All-Pro team with 13.5 sacks.  Guard Ruben Brown made his first Pro Bowl appearance and was joined by Bruce Smith and Bryce Paup on the AFC squad.  Head coach Marv Levy was added to the Bills' Wall of Fame joining Ralph Wilson as the only members to be inducted while still with the team in their original capacity.  Levy is the franchise's all-time leader in games coached and wins and is the only coach to lead any team to four consecutive Super Bowls.

1997 - Replacing Legends
6-10 record, fourth of five in AFC East, 12 of 15 in AFC, 22 of 30 in NFL
After the disappointing loss to the Jaguars at home and injured on the sidelines, Bills legend Jim Kelly called it quits after eleven years under center for the Bills.  His center for those eleven years, Kent Hull, also retired.  In the first round Buffalo selected running back Antowain Smith and in the second round selected defensive end Marcellus Wiley with an eye towards replacing the aging Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith, respectively.  They traded their third round pick to the Raiders for quarterback Billy Joe Hobert.  The Bills also drafted offensive lineman Jaime Nails and after the draft signed undrafted free agent defensive tackle Pat Williams. 

Replacing a legend like Jim Kelly is never easy and Todd Collins certainly had his problems attempting. Collins was solid in Week 1 going 25 for 39 for 299 yards and a touchdown pass including seven throws to Andre Reed for 142 yards.  The Bills offensive miscues and defensive blunders doomed the team and they lost to Minnesota, 34-13.  In Week 2 the Bills came back from ten points down on the back of a solid defensive performance to win in the Meadowslands 28-22.  The defense held the Jets to 39 rushing yards and sacked Neil O'Donnell eight times en route to the first win of Todd Collins' career.  A close week three loss to the Chiefs preceded a fierce effort in Week 4.  The Colts jumped on the Bills, scoring the first 26 points on the first five possessions of the game but before the end of the half the Bills had closed the lead to 26-10.  After an Antowain Smith run to bring the score to 26-16 (two point conversion failed) and a Colts field goal to go back to 29-16 the Bills took over on a touchdown pass from Collins to Quinn Early.  After a defensive stand the Bills marched down the field and Smith scored again giving the Bills a 30-29 lead.  After another goal line stand Antowain Smith took the first play at his own 46-yard line and ran for a 54-yard touchdown to put the Bills up 37-29.  The Colts rallied and scored on a Marvin Harrison touchdown with 14 seconds left.  Kurt Schultz prevented the two-point conversion and the Bills ran out the clock to preserve the win.  It was the second largest regular season comeback in NFL history (26 points).  After the bye week, the Bills opened the next game against the Lions in the K Gun offense and Buffalo won its second straight but the offensive mojo ran out and Buffalo alternated wins and losses to the Patriots (33-6 loss), Colts (9-6 win), Broncos (23-20 loss in OT), and Dolphins (9-6 win).  During the Patriots game Hobert saw action in relief at quarterback and looked awful.  Following the game he admitted to not studying the playbook and not anticipating playing before being waived a couple days later.  Against the Dolphins the Bills started their back-up quarterback Alex Van Pelt, fumbled six times (recovering five) and muffed a punt but still won the game.  The Bills sat at 5-4 and still very alive in the AFC East but three straight losses to the Patriots, Dolphins and Oilers dropped the Bills to two games under .500.  In Week 14, the Bills scored their first offensive first quarter touchdown of the year (think about that for a second) and went on to beat the Jets 20-10 at home.  Marv Levy called the next game against the Bears the worst offensive output he ever oversaw as coach.  The Bills were held to 160 yards by one of the league's worst defense and managed only three points in a loss.  After a loss to the Jaguars the Bills were 6-9 and out of the playoffs but headed to Green Bay.  In one of the weird events in Bills history, Steve Tasker, who had previously announced that this would be his last game, bumped an official while arguing a call and was ejected from his final game.  (I remember the umpire apologetically throwing Tasker out of the game.) Playing against the Packer back-ups the Bills could only mount a modest comeback from a 24-0 deficit and lost 31-21. The team finished the year 6-10, the worst record since 1986 when Hank Bullough was fired midway through the season and replaced by Marv Levy.

After the worst full season record as coach since his very first year with the Chiefs, Marv Levy hung up his whistle at the age of 71.  Levy's 112 regular season and 11 playoff wins put him far atop the hill of Bills coaches and his 17-5 record against the great Don Shula is one of my favorite stats.  Steve Tasker appeared in 195 regular season and playoff games during his career, he made 204 career special team tackles and seven blocked punts to his credit.The Bills offense dropped to 29 in points and 25 in yards.  The defense did not do much better ranking 23 in points allowed.  The team averaged just under 16 points a game while allowing almost 23.  Todd Collins went 5-8 in his first year starting at quarterback and Alex Van Pelt went 1-2 in relief.  Thurman Thomas was relegated to a second fiddle role and rushed for only 643 yards with Antowain Smith getting the bulk of the carries and racking up 840 yards on the ground.  Andre Reed and Quinn Early led the team with 60 catches each and five touchdowns , Reed going for 880 yards and Early for 853.  Guard Ruben Brown, Bruce Smith, Bryce Paup and big defensive tackle Ted Washington were selected to the Pro Bowl and Smith earned All-Pro honors for the fifth consecutive year, his eighth and final selection.  Electric Company guard Joe DeLamielleure was added to the Bills Wall of Fame in 1997.  Joe D. played eight seasons for the Bills opening holes for O.J. Simpson's record-breaking 2000 yard season and was named to six straight All-Pro teams from 1975-1980.

1998 - Changes in Bunches
10-6 record, second of five in AFC East, fourth of 15 in AFC, ninth of 30 in NFL
After losing Marv Levy the Bills elevated defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to head coach.  After the less-than-stellar quarterback play in the 1997 season GM John Butler went out and made two moves to shore up the position.  In January, Butler signed CFL star Doug Flutie but it was assumed that he would be fighting for a back-up role.  The other major move was trading the first- and fourth-round picks in the draft to obtain the rights to Jacksonville quarterback Rob Johnson.  The Jaguars spent the first round pick on running back Fred Taylor.  In the second round of the draft the Bills selected linebacker Sam Cowart to replace the departed Bryce Paup.  CB Jeff Burris and offensive lineman Corbin Lacina signed elsewhere in free agency and Todd Collins was released in the preseason.  The Bills also signed fullback Sam Gash from the Patriots.

The Bills started the year 0-3 but lost those games by a combined 9 points.  In Week 4 the Bills were missing Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith to injuries and Rob Johnson was knocked from the game with a bloodied chin.  Flutie came in and threw two touchdown passes to Andre Reed but a 54-yard John Carney field goal game the Chargers the lead with less than five minutes.  Flutie drove the Bills to the Charger 21 but Steve Christie missed a field goal with under five seconds to play to give the Chargers the win.  In Week 2 the Dolphins sacked Johson 8 times and held the Bills to 187 yards in a 13-7 Dolphins win.  For the second straight week the offensive line and Rob Johnson allowed the opposing defense to pound the quarterback, combining to allow 9 sacks.  Rob Johnson threw three touchdown passes and built a 28-10 lead.  The Rams fought back and with eleven seconds left quarterback Tony Banks ran the ball in for the go-ahead score.  On the final drive the Bills fell back into a prevent defense and allowed the Rams to methodically move the ball down the field in the loss.  Following the needed bye week the Bills turned it around.  The 49ers led by Steve Young were the most potent offense in the league but the Bills defense stepped up and held the offense in check in the first half while the Bills scored 20 points.  With just over a minute left Young threw his third touchdown pass of the quarter but Buffalo recovered the onside kick and won 26-21.  The next week Rob Johnson was injured taking a sack (surprise, surprise) and Flutie came in relief once again.  Buffalo scored 24 straight points and held on to beat the Colts 31-24.  Flutie started the next game for the first time in the season against the Jaguars.  Playing their fourth string running back the Jaguars offense was paltry all day but still held a 16-10 lead over Buffalo just prior to the two minute warning.  Defensive tackle Pat Williams sacked Brunell on third down and the Bills got the ball back with 1:38 left and Flutie worked his magic.  He drove the team down the field and a 38-yard pass to Eric Moulds put the Bills on the one yard line.  When veteran Thurman Thomas ran the wrong way on the next play it fooled everyone on the defense and Flutie, unfazed by the situation, was forced to tuck and run a naked bootleg in for the score and the 17-16 win.  (Some have speculated that Flutie intentionally held the ball and didn't tell the offensive line or Thomas to fool the defense.)   The Bills won their next two games and ran a five game winning streak into New Jersey to face the Jets.  The Bills wins had not come easy and the cardiac Bills ran out of steam and lost to the Jets for only the fourth time in 21 games.  The Bills beat the Patriots and Colts the following weeks and now at 7-4 had exceeded their win total from a year before.  Week 13 would prove very controversial in New England.  Down 17-24 with 1:51 remaining and no timeouts, Drew Bledsoe drove the Patriots into Bills territory.  On 4th and 9 with six seconds left Bledsoe passed to wideout Shawn Jefferson whose foot appeared to be out of bounds and who appeared to be stopped short of the marker.  With no replay the officials awarded the Patriots a first down and gave the Patriots a chance for a score.  On the ensuing play the pass to Ben Coates fell to the ground but a pass interference call gave the Patriots an untimed play from the one yard line and Bledsoe was not one to squander three straight opportunities (HA!).  He hit Coates on the next play for the go-ahead points.  Coach Phillips was so livid at the officiating he refused to field his defense for the extra point and kicked Adam Vinetiari ran the ball in for a two point conversion.  After the game Ralph Wilson vehemently challenged the officiating and was fined by the league.  Buffalo rattled off two more wins and sat at 9-5 heading into the final two weeks.  In a win-blown game the Jets beat the Bills to claim their first division title since 1970, a feat Buffalo repeatedly performed against the Jets in the earlier part of the decade, but the Bills clinched a wild card birth in the process.  With a playoff spot wrapped up and no chance of altering their standing the Bills rested many key starters in week 17 including Doug Flutie.  Rob Johnson threw three touchdowns and ran in another in Flutie's stead and the Bills blew out the Saints to finish 10-6.  The Bills entered the playoffs as the final playoff team.

The playoff game would be played in Miami on a tiebreaker and the game would end up almost needing a tiebreaker, too.  The Bills turned the ball over twice in the first half, including a Doug Flutie interception inside the six-yard line in the final seconds of the half, but still led 7-6.  But the Dolphins came out of halftime looking to score some points and found themselves up on the Bills 24-14 with just 3:42 remaining.  An Andre Reed catch was ruled down at the 1 instead of a touchdown and he was tossed for arguing the call at the two-minutes warning.  The Bills kicked a field goal to bring the game to 24-17.  Kurt Schultz recovered the onside kick and the Bills offense was in business moving the ball to the Miami 5 with just 17 seconds remaining on the clock.  On the very next play Flutie double-pumped his arm and was leveled, forcing the ball loose.  It was Buffalo's 4th fumble lost and 5th turnover of the game.  Eric Moulds set an NFL playoff record with 240 receiving yards on only 9 catches on the day. 

The Bills reloaded nicely from their unsuccessful 1997 season and Flutie provided the shot in the arm the offense needed.  The offense jumped back up into the top half of the league finishing 7 in points, 6 in yards, 12 in passing yards, and 3 in rushing yards.  The defense gave up the sixth-fewest yards but ranked 15 in points allowed and 25 in passing touchdowns.  Flutie passed for 2711 yards in 13 games (10 starts) and was named to the Pro Bowl.  Joining him was the AFC's leading receiver Eric Moulds who caught 67 balls for an amazing 1368 yards, still the most receiving yards in team history.  Joining the duo in Hawaii was guard Ruben Brown, fullback Sam Gash, nose tackle Ted Washington and defensive end Bruce Smith.   Robert James was added to the Wall of Fame in 1998.  The undrafted James was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro cornerback before severely injuring knee in 1975 preseason.

Next week the Bills have a controversial game in their last playoff appearance to date and undergo major changes on and off the field.  The turbulent times of the Bills are about to begin.