Why Bills/Dolphins is the NFL's biggest rivalry
by sireric on Sep 30, 2009 1:30 PM EDT
in Buffalo Bills Opinion
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PrintI don't care what anybody says. THE biggest NFL rivalry is between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. Over the past decade or so it has cooled a bit; the emergence of the Patriots as a perennial powerhouse has caused some fans from both sides to direct some venom the Patriots' way. And the Brett Favre love-fest of last years New York Jets team, combined with the arrival of new head coach Rex Ryan and his rather large midsection (and even bigger mouth), has swayed some voters that way as well. But the Bills and Dolphins share so much natural hatred it really isn't a contest. There is a long history between these two franchises, which combined with their natural differences makes it THE rivalry to behold in professional football.
A little history
- Back in 1959, when Ralph Wilson Jr. was intent on starting a new franchise for the fledgling American Football League, he wanted to put a team in Miami. He owned a winter home down there and had been traveling there since he was a youngster, so having been very familiar with the area, that was were he wanted to go. Things fell through over stadium issues, so Wilson chose Buffalo instead.
- The Bills went 0-20 during the 1970s against the Dolphins. Think about that for a second: the Buffalo Bills did not win a single game against the Dolphins for an entire decade. If that doesn't breed hatred between two teams (or at least from one team toward another), I don't know what does.
- Manny Fernandez, the long time standout defensive tackle for the Dolphins, has been quoted as saying: "Get over it. They had their chance to win four Super Bowls and lost them all. Congratulations. I wasn't surprised. Any team that can lose twenty times in a row to one team can lose four straight Super Bowls."
- Bryan Cox, then linebacker for the Miami Dolphins came out of the tunnel giving Bills fans the double bird salute. He then later went and sued the NFL because he claimed that racial discrimination and taunts from fans in Buffalo made him a lesser player and prompted him to drink heavily. No Lie.
- Marv Levy's squads were a solid 18-8 against the Dolphins, including a perfect 3-0 in the playoffs. Needless to say, that led to some venomous reciprocation from the fans down south.
But even if you don't include the battles these two teams have had on the field, there are the cities themselves. Are there two cities that house NFL teams that are as different as Buffalo and Miami?
Consider this:
Miami is: Sitting in some place called Jazid, drinking Coronas and doing Tequila shots.
Buffalo is: Eating a beef on weck at Bar-Bill Tavern while drinking a Labatt's.
Miami is: Praying that the Hurricane doesn't blow your roof off.
Buffalo is: Praying that you don't throw your back out when you have to shovel all that snow tomorrow morning.
Miami is: Golf, polo shirts, and sandals.
Buffalo is: Snowmobiling, Carhartts, and Wolverines.
Miami is: White collar, and elitists.
Buffalo is: Blue collar, and down to Earth.
Miami is: Sushi and seafood.
Buffalo is: Chicken wings and steak.
I'm sure that some of these comparisons work for other teams in the AFC East. But not to the extreme that Buffalo vs Miami does. These two teams have a long history of conflict, and as a Bills fan there is no team in the NFL that I would rather beat then the Miami Dolphins.
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Well i think one of the reasons i chose to support the Bills when i was a child was that so many people over here were Dolphins fans and to be different i wanted to support their biggest rival.
The Miami games are always the ones i look forward too the most.
And we will win this one easily, but then again i always think that1
"I wouldn't ever set out to hurt anyone deliberately unless it was, you know, important - like a league game or something." Dick Butkus
I hate to say it, but i can’t so much agree with this post =(. I don’t really feel like the bills have a big rival, aside from all three other division teams. I think new york wins by default – they have two teams that play in the same stadium. Also, there’s the whole baltimore – indy thing….the colts just up and left baltimore for indy and left them without a team for years.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 1:35 PM EDT reply actions
and im an idiot for cutting my comment short – when i hear ‘nfl rivalry,’ pretty much the first thing i think of is giants – cowboys.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Jets/Giants isn’t a big rival at all. The Jets are the little bastard children of the giants, always have been always will be.
Baltimore/Indy is a and Baltimore/Cleveland are close but I think the Browns/Ravens is actually a stronger rivalry as long as Art Modell is still alive anyway. I would still put Bills/Dolphins ahead of them both though.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Let's not forget...
when Bryan Cox decided to spit on Bills fans.
Wearing my Bills jersey to the Eagles-Bills game in Philly probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But then again, that's why they call me die-hard.
by FemaleFanatic85 on Sep 30, 2009 1:36 PM EDT reply actions
You’re right . He did spit as well. Here’s an article on Cox and Buffalo; its not pretty:
In 1995, Cox was fined $17,500 as the result of a fight with Bills running back Carwell Gardner. Both players were ejected and fined $10,000, but Cox spat at the Buffalo fans as he left and was docked an additional $7,500. Gardner received an extra $5,000 fine for attempting to get into the Dolphins’ locker room, and for attempting to bait Cox off the team bus.
I remember watching the NFL playoffs that year when we defeated Miami 36-22
The entire Rich Stadium was chanting “BRY-AN….BRY-AN…BRY-AN” when Cox was on the field. Brent Musberger and Vermeil were covering the game, and Brent Musberger finally just stopped announcing and said, “This is for Bryan Cox!” after which you could hear the roar.
Mmmph rrgh prrmf! - someone with his mouth gagged
i hate bryan cox
i cant believe he was an analyst for awhile
Buffalo, that's where it's at baby. - Adam 'Pacman' Jones
by silverstreak3k on Sep 30, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Great job...rec'd
You forgot at least one reason to hate the Fins….Their “perfect season”……that really pisses me off when they trot those old players out when another team gets close.
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
LOL – and then tell us to stop re-living the glory years of the ’90s. :)
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 30, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions
This is what really pissed me off last year
Taking the great rivalry Bills-Dolphins game and switching it to Toronto. Disgusting!
by ccthemovieman on Sep 30, 2009 1:52 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
yeah....me too..rec'd
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
by Joe P. on Sep 30, 2009 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i live about an hour away from toronto and i feel the same way. the ralph is a way better place to watch a game i would rather drive for three hours, bring my bbq and a cooler full of cold beer and watch the game in a real football stadium. and to take out our advantage in the cold weatrher vs miami doesn’t make sense to me
I remember growing up and HATING the phins
And all the praise Dan Marino got on every throw or everytime he was an ass…
And despising Cox – in fact there was a kid at my school named Cox and I just never liked him…
But one of the reasons why my hatred for the phins has cooled is because I don’t see anyone on this team (Bills) having any fire! It is my feeling that the fans are an extremely passionate (as in top 5 for their team) and the fact that the players don’t even come close to that just makes me not be able to get excited (like I used to) for this game.
Though with Jason Taylor back on their team I do want to see any of our linemen take his head off or Lynch to just bull doze him…
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
by Ghetts on Sep 30, 2009 1:53 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
And despising Cox – in fact there was a kid at my school named Cox and I just never liked him…
This comment gets a rec for that line alone!
I remain convinced that somehow Drew Rosenhaus negotiated a playing time deal for Roscoe into the contract for TO.
by thefourwinds on Sep 30, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
and how could we forget? even though the teams are usually bad, browns bengals is pretty intense
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 1:53 PM EDT reply actions
It goes beyond teams though. As I said, are any two cities more different then Miami and Buffalo? How different could Cleveland and Cincinnati be? They are in the same state for goodness sakes.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Don’t nearby cities make for the best rivalries? Being completely different cities far from each hardly elicits a whole lot of animosity…
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 2:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think Eric was attempting to use the “they are so much different then us” angle, such as the difference in weather, attitudes towards others, etc. in supporting his point.
I think the single biggest factor in the rivalry was the 0 for streak in the 70’s. even as a young kid i despised the phins because of that streak.
The 0 for the 70’s means so much more than any city comparison. I just don’t think the difference in cities and lifestyles makes the rivalry more intense. On field stuff does.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 2:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh but it does. If browns fans are having a tough time of it, Bills fans can be somewhat sympathetic because we can relate to them. If Dolphins fans are having a tough time of it…good. Let those preppy beach goes suffer.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
but that has nothing to do with the rivalry on the field.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Rivalries are more then just the teams on the field. They are the fans, the cities, and everything that is encompassed in that.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
so michigan-ohio state is great because its ann arbor vs columbus?
i don’t think so.
i’m a yankee fan. no one who is a yankee fan hates the red sox because we hate boston. in fact, boston is an amazing city. i hate the red sox, because of the players and the team.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Again, this is your opinion, which you are entitled to that I disagree with. When i hate a team I hate that city also. As a Mets fan I wouldn’t go near Atlanta or Philadelphia if you paid me. You may like rubbing elbows with Rd Sox fans and that is fine. It is you prerogative.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Ever been to Philly? It sucks.
I’ve never been to ATL, but I got stuck in the airport for a night once and that’s as close as I ever wanna get.
Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.
yes, and you thinking that cities involved is your opinion. I just don’t see any major REAL rivalries that include anything that has to do with the cities themselves, especially the economic status of the cities. If anything, the cities would detract from the Bills-Dolphins rivalries, because no one in Miami gives a crapper about the dolphins.
Rivalries are created because of the games that are played and the players that play them.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions
also, your not going to ATL or philly is not based on the city at all, its based on your previous hatred of their baseball team. Therefore, the economic status of the city, the citizens, etc, have nothing to do with your hating the city. I like boston because i’ve been there. I hate red sox fans, but i like the city itself. Its full of history and cool buildings.
You hate philly and atlanta because they are in the same division and they have been whipping the mets for the past 20 years, not because of the people of the cities, which you admit you know nothing about if you’ve never even been to either of them.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
IMHO (which this article was all about in the first place) A good rivalry goes beyond just what happens on the field of play and does incorporate the two cities. Fans that not only hate the opposing team, but the team’s fans, city and the very moral fiber that that city represents to me makes for a more intense rivalry. Bryan Cox suing the NFL because he claimed that Buffalo was a hostile and racist environment only feeds my argument.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
agree somewhat
That’s a good description of Cleveland vs Pittsburgh or any Boston vs NY team, but I just don’t think too many Miamigos feel much towards Buffalo…
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 11:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I would have to eliminate any rivalry involving the Browns/Ravens. At what point do we stop counting the Browns and start counting for the Ravens? The whole move, then restart of the Browns franchise makes the whole thing convoluted.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Well rivalries don’t have to date back 30 years.
Why can’t Cleveland and those fans hate Pittsburgh and vice versa? I’d say that most of them do from all I’ve seen….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Well the best Rivalries (like the one I was identifying in this post) do.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Most do, yes
but I still don’t see it as one of the bigger ones now….no matter how much more historic it might be compared to some of the newer ones….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I’m a Yankee fan as well…Been a Yankee & Bills fan since I was a little kid…I guess I have a yin/yang approach to sports fandom.
Anyway, because I hate the Red Sox, I hate any team from Boston…I will route for any NY team vs. any Boston team in ANY sport…It could be tiddlywinks for all I care, I want Boston to go down and feel great pain when doing so.
It even hurt when we signed Flutie, (BC), but I quickly got over that…Boston is a great city though, and has passionate fans…I just wish they would learn to be more humble.
For the record, Manhattan over New England in clam chowder!!
I love me some DB's...I might just be Dick Jauron's long lost twin!
Agreed on that last part of your comment!
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I don’t think that’s because of city rivalries or differences. I think its because we’re in the same division, nothing more.
I feel for Raiders and Rams fans, and those cities aren’t exactly carbon copies of Buffalo. If either was in the AFC East, I wouldn’t feel so bad.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 2:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I feel for Raiders and Rams fans,
Well that is just weird.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
how is that any different than feeling for Browns fans?
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 3:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I just don’t think the difference in cities and lifestyles makes the rivalry more intense.
Yet you named the Giants and Cowboys as one of you bigger rivalries in football. Can you name me two more different types of people then a Texan and a New Yorker? If you don’t think that has even a little to do with it you are fooling yourself.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
That’s not why I think those teams are rivals though. The on-field stuff is. Plus those are two huge cities that get fawned over nationally. It doesn’t matter to me that those cities have differences since I don’t see that as a significant factor in determining the strength of a rivalry.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 3:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You should have Bill Parcells as an option.
No single individual has tormented Buffalo in so many different ways as a Giant, in New England, the Jets, Dallas, and now Miami.
I hope we should hire him as our next GM.
I put a post like that together a while back in the fanpost section. It was the most hated person in the AFC East. I think he or Belichek won. Bryan Cox got some love in that poll though.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Oct 1, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
another fine rivalry: the detroit lions vs. football in january.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
No way is this the NFL’s biggest rivalry. Not even close. In fact, I bet Dolphins fans sees the Pats or Jets as bigger rivals.
Ravens/Steelers
Browns/bengals
Colts/Pats
Colts/Titans
Eagles/Giants
Cowboys/Giants
Bears/Packers
All are by far bigger rivalries these days, just to name a few…
That said, I hate losing to these guys and their lame home crowd…
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 2:07 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Well, it’s not like Eric didn’t say it doesn’t have the venom it once did.
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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 30, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Well he did call it THE biggest rivalry in league, and I don’t think its even close to that.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 2:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I also said this:
I don’t care what anybody says
That is the very first line. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, this is mine.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Fair enough
I just disagree bigtime!!!
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 3:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It has lost some of it’s spark, but it has more staying power.
Any rivalry with the Titans in it doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned because they haven’t been around long enough. like in your examples:
Colts/Titans They have been it the same division for what? a decade? sorry they may be intense now, but they don’t have the longevity.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Aren’t we talking about now though? Just like Ravens/Steelers, it might not have the historical impact, but its one of the bigger ones right now.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 3:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I have to agree with sireric
without history, a rivalry can change from decade to decade….not the same IMO…. It doesn’t matter who the coach or players are, I will always hate the Fins.
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
The Bills/Fins rivalry may have a long history but its hardly a hot one now, nor is it close to the NFL’s biggest right now. We may hate the Fins but nobody outside the two fanbases talks about this rivalry…
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Sep 30, 2009 11:11 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
some hatred doesn't diminish over time....just ask the Jews about Hitler or black people about slavery
But yeah…..I admit the rest of the NFL wouldn’t put us at the top of the list.
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
Dude. Did you just compare Bills/Dolphins to the Holocaust?
Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.
No......it was an analogy not a comparison....if you don't know the difference, use google and find out.
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
I was also going to say Bears/Packers.
But I can’t believe no one has yet said Cowboys/Redskins.
I remain convinced that somehow Drew Rosenhaus negotiated a playing time deal for Roscoe into the contract for TO.
by thefourwinds on Sep 30, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
that is the one I would pick nationally....but for me personally it is Bills/Fins
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
How about Vikings/Packers
Favre returning to Green Bay as a Viking is going to be classic!
You guys have forgotten everything west of Chicago.
I’m from Canada, just north of Detroit and I know that the Chiefs, Broncos, and Raiders have a real three way hatefest going on. For decades [since the sixties], these teams were all very good and had some epic battles in the regular season and the playoffs. It has only been the last few years that the quality of play has dropped off due to the collapse of the Raiders and Chiefs. They still hate each other.
You also left out the Cowboys versus Redskins. Lets face it, all four of the NFC East teams really dislike the others and have great rivalries going.
Dolphins don’t have a strong enough fan base to be in any discussion regarding the NFL’s biggest rivals. All of the NFC East rivals are more bitter. NYJ/Pats. Bears/Packers. THe fins have one of the weaker fan bases in the NFL.
Top 10 fan bases in no particular order
All 4 NFC East
Packers
Bears
Bills
Steelers
Broncos
Raiders
And Saints/Browns/Vikings/Chiefs could all arguably be in the top 10 as well.
Don't forget....
The restructuring of the divisions.
The only reason we stayed in the AFCE was because Ralph’s obsession with Miami. If he hadn’t been so obsessed with us being rivals with them we’d be in the AFC North with Cincinatti, Cleveland and Pittsburg.
This would obviously prevent us from playing NE and getting bashed for the last decade as well. Plus we probably would have had an easier time sniffing the playoffs playing cleveland and cincy every year….
I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying
Trent Edwards - Backup QB until furthur notice. Care to prove me wrong Trent?
so we wouldve gotten bashed by pittsburg and occasionally embarrassed by cinci and cleveland.
ill take the NE bashings, please.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions
well you can take the NE bashings – but chances are we’d gain more revenue from fans coming up from those cities and more of our fans could travel to those stadiums. Think about it – Buffalo would be 8 hours driving distance away from any divisional opponent.
the rivalries would be great
I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying
Trent Edwards - Backup QB until furthur notice. Care to prove me wrong Trent?
by J2 on Sep 30, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
as it is, we’re 8 and 6 hours away from two of our divisional opponents, and I for one couldn’t stand the influx of patriot fans at last year’s season ender.
If i had a beer for everytime i heard ‘ITS WICKED COLD’ then i wouldn’t be able to remember all the people i heard say that.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Cincy, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo – what a pathetic division that would have been over the past decade.
I remain convinced that somehow Drew Rosenhaus negotiated a playing time deal for Roscoe into the contract for TO.
by thefourwinds on Sep 30, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
agreed – what are the chances we’d make the playoffs quicker in that division?
I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying
Trent Edwards - Backup QB until furthur notice. Care to prove me wrong Trent?
by J2 on Sep 30, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I totally (and respectably) disagree, the Bills/Phins rivalry is a shadow of its former self and is no longer considered relevant.
The teams of Miami and Buffalo over the past decade plus have achieved such little success that neither even posts a blip on NFL radar, and for a true rivalry to exist, others in the league must recognize it as legitimate. As a Bills fan I would say because the continuous dominance of today’s Patriots over the Bills is so embarrassing, that New England is our new rival by default. Add into that how much Pats fans enjoying watching their Pats slaughter our Bills over and over, and it fuels the fire. I know I would love the match-up too if it were the reverse and Buffalo was crushing the bumbling Pats (a la late 80s and early 90s).
The point: Lets go Bills! This team really needs to step up its play on the field. I miss the 90s.
by LosBillesdeBuffalo on Sep 30, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions
So because the Bills and Dolphins both suck, this rivalry is non-existent, but because the Patriots kick the crap out of the Bills all the time that is a bigger rivalry? That makes no sense to me whatsoever.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Do you recall how the rivalry started between the Phins and the Bills?
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
Which is when the Phins beat the Bills senseless during the 70’s – no competition
What is it the Pats are doing to the Bills right now – beating us senseless; if we were to beat the Pats this year I would enjoy it so much more then beating the Phins. And below is why:
I voted for the Pats, but it might be more of me seeing it as a rivalry from the Bills perspective and the Patriots seeing it as a preseason game most times they meet.
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
Did you grew up hating the Pats....do you think that will ever change?
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
It was defintely the 0-fer and the trash-talking. I voted for the Pats, but it might be more of me seeing it as a rivalry from the Bills perspective and the Patriots seeing it as a preseason game most times they meet.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 30, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
It's simple
The point is that for a rivalry to exist obviously people have to care about it. Bills fans don’t care if they beat the Dolphins anymore because they suck, Dolphins fans don’t care about beating the Bills because they suck.
Bills fans care about the Pats games because we finally want to beat them, and Pats fans look forward to Bills games because they get to thrash us.
That’s why it’s a bigger rivalry than Bills/Miami because people (slightly) care about the match up.
by LosBillesdeBuffalo on Oct 1, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Couldn’t disagree more. In this case, for me anyway, getting beat by the Dolphins would be more painful then losing to the Patriots because the Dolphins stink. If the Bills lose to the Patriots you can say, well they are a good team and they just beat us, if you lose to the fish, it hurts more because those are kinds of teams that you should beat. Losing to the Lions sucks worse then losing to Peyton Manning and the Colts .
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
Historically, it's the Dolphins.
If we’re talking about who is today: Patriots. I voted for the Pats. The Bills owned them in the 80’s and 90’s in much the same way the Dolphins did Buffalo in the 70’s.
I don’t know if i’d agree with the statement that Bills/Dolphins are the NFL’s biggest rivalry. I’d leave that one to Packers/Bears.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 30, 2009 3:15 PM EDT reply actions
Silly column...
every team thinks it’s big rivalry is the best/biggest rivalry
the real question is whether there is such thing as the biggest rivalry…it’s all relative year to year, team to team….no way this is the biggest rivalry in the nfl now…maybe 20 years ago you could at least make this claim with a straight face…but today it just makes you seem hopelessly biased towards your own rivalry
Oh...also
dolphins fans consider their jets to be the biggest rival of the dolphins…
it’s not even the number 1 rivalry for the dolphins
by tiimbitz4786 on Sep 30, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Again… opinion piece, on a team blog.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 30, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions
opinion, but just for poopies and giggles, do some google work on nfl rivalries – SI.com and espn both have dolphins-jets in their top ten rivalries.
by quantumuprising on Sep 30, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Right – but i was listing those because those are national perspectives, and aren’t tainted by our little buffalo bubble of self importance.
by quantumuprising on Oct 1, 2009 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions
thats crazy surprising
i lived in south florida for like 10 years, and i never heard of anyone thinking the jets were a bigger rival. actually i found before last year, no one outside of NYC and NJ cared about the jets. jets are the new trendy pick, especially since they are doing well this year and had favre last year. the biggest rival for the bills is and always will be the phins, and most true phins fans reciprocate this. wasnt there a commercial awhile back about it? a reekbok commercial or something?
Buffalo, that's where it's at baby. - Adam 'Pacman' Jones
by silverstreak3k on Sep 30, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Packers/Bears. Come on guys, George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson, Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Bart Starr, then finally the Dolphins show up as a franchise. These teams have been hitting each other for 90 years.
Second would be any matchup in the entire AFC North division. Any matchup in there is just as hated as Bills-Dolphins. Pittsburgh’s the main catalyst of it, but there’s the battle of Ohio, along with the old Brownies vs. new (Ravens).
Mmmph rrgh prrmf! - someone with his mouth gagged
The way I look at the Dolphins-Patriots conundrum is by how I would feel if these teams had each other’s level of success this past decade. If the Dolphins were having the success the Pats are having now, my inner fandom would be hopping mad and crying for blood, while my feelings towards the Pats would be meh, I hate you but it’s just sibling rivalry.
As it stands I am still crying for revenge against the Pats, but my feelings for the Dolphins aren’t “meh, I hate you”. They’re more along the lines of “Stay down there, you rejects!” That tells me that Miami is the ultimate enemy and must be destroyed.
Mmmph rrgh prrmf! - someone with his mouth gagged
agreed
I’m as big a Bills fan as they come but c’mon! Bills=Phins has been a nice rivalry through the years but to call it the best in the NFL is a tad biased. I’m not sure anyone outside of Buffalo even knows its still a rivalry.
by S2 on Sep 30, 2009 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions
You're absolutely right
The Bills are my second favorite team and even I had no idea it was a big rivalry
by Donald Driver on Sep 30, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Bills=Phins has been a nice rivalry through the years but to call it the best in the NFL is a tad biased
Isn’t that the whole point of being a fan of a team rather than just a sport
"I wouldn't ever set out to hurt anyone deliberately unless it was, you know, important - like a league game or something." Dick Butkus
Things I remember
Kelly running for the TD on the final play in Miami in 1989, and Marino walking off the field in disgust.
Thomas running over Bryan Cox for a first down to close out a Bills home win. Cox had Thomas by 40 pounds, and got run over.
Bledsoe tearing them up in the snow game, throwing deep to Moulds and Price.
It’s hard to call the Bills-Fins rivalry the best when The Fins biggest rival is not the Bills but the Jets.
So at least we can all agree...
THE DOLPHINS SUCK AND THE BILLS GOTTA WIN!
by unBILLievable JJP on Sep 30, 2009 7:42 PM EDT reply actions
well
there’s no doubt I hate em, but to think it’s the best rivalry in the NFL is ridiculous… Maybe the biggest rivalry with the Bills, but outside of Buffalo and Miami no one gives a too hoots about us anymore cuz we haven’t exactly been lighting it up in oh…..the last 10 years….
But there is nothing I love doing more than squishing the fish and I hope Edwards has a lot of big plays in him to unleash on the phins this Sunday! Let’s Go Buffalo!
MARVelous - "I went from America's team to North America's Team" Terrell Owens
HISTORIC...... FOREVER...... HATE!
Based on history and my age, here’s why Bills hate:
- Bill Parcells – arrogant #ss who beat us in the Superbowl, and is a overall general jack@ss over the years via the Giants, Patsies, Jets, Cowgirls, and now the hated Dollfish.
- Wanted to give them number 1, but Parcells is worse. Always gotta give it to the Dollfish. I was a kid and watched that consistant beatdown for years in the 70s. Then, when we finally got good with Kelly and the boys, I hated Marwhino and loved seeing him get sacked and us kicking them out of the playoffs year after year. I have friends who still hate the Bills for beating Marwhino in the playoffs. Cox was like throwing gasoline on a fire.
- Patriots. Bellychunk is even a bigger arrogant *ss than Bill Parcells. If that is even possible. They have beat us too long for a long streak. We have come close, but no cigar. I hate the TV announcers glowing every time Brady makes a pass. Makes me want to puke. BLITZ HIM, HIT HIM, AND MAKE HIM SCREW UP LIKE WE ALWAYS (most times) MADE MARWHINO!!!
- RAIDERS!!!!!! What’s not to hate over the years?
- The KC Cheifs….. (Pronounced Sheffs….. like in cooking) they used to always beat our %sses in Arrowhead stadium.
- COWBOYS….COWBOYS… JERRY JONES…. COWBOYS..COWBOYS!!!!
"A failure becomes just one time at bat if you refuse to let it defeat you." Marv Levy.
by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Sep 30, 2009 9:05 PM EDT reply actions
The Chiefs are awesome. They’re my second AFC adopted team after the Bills. I love the way they fill Arrowhead like it’s a sea of red every game. Kansas City is the closest thing to a college atmosphere that the NFL has. Plus, KC’s never really been in the Bills’ way, and when they were, we defeated them (93-94). Plus, they blew off Dallas for a small market. How awesome is that?
Mmmph rrgh prrmf! - someone with his mouth gagged
If the Bills hadn't lost to the Chiefs in the 1966 AFL championship game...
…they would have been the AFL representative in the first Super Bowl. In some ways I’m glad they weren’t; the final score would have been something on the order of Green Bay 84, Bills 0.
I hated the Chiefs then. They kicked the Bills butts twice during the regular season and then in the championship game. I think of Hank Stram as the Don Shula of his day. And to top it off, the Bills pretty much loaned them a kicker for the 1966 year (Mike Mercer).
I’ve had 42+ years to get over it, though. The Chiefs have awsome fans. My brother used to live in KC and was always treated well when he went to Bills-Chiefs games.
by Gino Parilli on Sep 30, 2009 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
0-20 is the ONLY reason...
…there was a rivalry in the first place. Despite Levy/Kelly’s success against the marine mammals a decade later, the rivalry was and is still is mostly one-sided.
There are many Buffalo natives in southern Florida, so you’d always see a few of them in the stands. I’ve been to many Bills games in Miami, and I must say that I was always treated well, even decked out in red white and blue.
Besides, the weather’s too nice to be grumpy; after a loss, you can simply go to the beach and all your bad feelings simply wash away. Yes, there are passionate fans, but I don’t believe they get as depressed as Bills fans.
The year before the Music City Miracle, I was at the playoff game where Doug Flutie and the Bills lost at Miami. First, I was able to purchase tickets from the stadium box office a mere 3 days before the game. I sat in the corner of the end-zone . When Miami scored for the first time, people were giving each other high-fives, when they saw that I wasn’t dressed in turquoise and orange, they apologized for seeming to rub it in. There were no outward hatred directed at me or other Bills fans in attendance.
On the flip side, a Miami fan in Buffalo takes a big risk at the Ralph.
Need more proof? Several yeart ago there was a well played TV commercial (I believe it was Direct TV) that showed a Miami fan, getting into his Dolphin adorned car in Buffalo. While he was driving people were hurling insults and and pelting his car with snowballs. Forgetting the snowballs for a minute, as yourself if you could see anything similar directed towards Bills fans in Miami.
A true rivalry needs two rabid partners. In my opinion, Giants/Cowboys is much more of a true rivalry. Even that doesn’t come close to the Yankees/Red Sox.
I write this having lived through the entire decade of the ’70’s as a Bills fan…and seeing my share of those losses in person at the Rockpile and the then named Rich Stadium. It’s time to move on, especially with the Patriots more than halfway to 20 in a row and Dallas…well being their typical ESPN chasing pompous selves. And if I see Jerry Jone’s shriveled “oh look at me in my billion dollar stadium with all of my wealthy friends” mug on prime time TV one more time I’ll barf up my chicken wings Linda Blair style. I’d rather look at our owners shriveled “I’m all alone and we’re going to lose again” mug. Two Superbowl defeats and one Stanley “no goal” Cup loss should move mega-market Dallas up the Buffalo enemies list. And with the fans they have there, a couple of high-profile ass kickings by the Bills and they’ll come around as well. We could just tell them that part of their ticket revenue goes to small market teams like Buffalo (well at least until the CBA runs out).
"They're Killin' Me Whitey. They're Killin' Me" -- Lou Saban
def the dolphins
my dad basically raised me as a bills fan. he always hated the dolphins the most. he is from buffalo but i’ve lived my whole life in long island, ny so jets fans get quite annoying as well. not to mention i moved to boston now i have to deal with pats fans. i still voted for miami b/c it’s the antithesis of buffalo in so many ways.
Some comments on comments. First, great article sireric. I applaud, and tip my hat….
Can’t say I remember Manny Fernandez, the long time standout defensive tackle for the Dolphins. How much of a standout was he if I don’t remember him? If he said what he said…then I say he’s a jerk.
Also didn’t know this about Bryan Cox, that "fans in Buffalo made him a lesser player and prompted him to drink heavily," and he used it in court. Good Lord.
I’m rec’ing the whole article here, but this comment gets a separate rec from me:
"Rivalries are more then just the teams on the field. They are the fans, the cities, and everything that is encompassed in that."
It's funny, because while you guys hate us, we really, really hate the Jets...
But, really what I wanted to comment was:
Bryan Cox? Wasn’t everything he ever said just about that stupid?
And, ouch…I didn’t realize it was 0-20. I mean, now a days if a team gets swept in one year, it’s news worthy. Wow. I’m not trying to brag or anything (especially since I was born in 80, so I never saw the Phins of the 70s), I’m just really amazed by that stat.
Great post. Should be a great game…and at least this year you don’t have to hear us (okay…me) calling you guys Toronto…Who are you guys playing in Toronto this year?
****Keeper of the Phinsider Goo Cannon****
Phinsider's 2008 Jake Long Rookie Blogger of the Year and Zach Thomas Leadership Award Winner
Initiator of the Lex Hilliard Bandwagon! Driving the DRAFT TEBOW bandwagon.
Phinsider's first ever mobile commenter!
Stu,p the Rizz Record: 12&4 (Wk 1: 12&4); Feud Points: 54
Another AFC East team?
Man, the NFL hates you or something. How do you keep getting Divisional games in the Canada?
****Keeper of the Phinsider Goo Cannon****
Phinsider's 2008 Jake Long Rookie Blogger of the Year and Zach Thomas Leadership Award Winner
Initiator of the Lex Hilliard Bandwagon! Driving the DRAFT TEBOW bandwagon.
Phinsider's first ever mobile commenter!
Stu,p the Rizz Record: 12&4 (Wk 1: 12&4); Feud Points: 54
by Mosul_DolFan on Oct 1, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly my point. I don’t know anyone in Southern Florida that hate the Bills as much as Buffalo fans hate the Dolphins. I remember during Marino’s hey day, we could always count on a perpetually crappy Jets team beating the heavily-favored Dolphins at least once a year—thereby improving the Bills playoff position. I’m sure that didn’t sit well with fans down there.
"They're Killin' Me Whitey. They're Killin' Me" -- Lou Saban
No not at all
We hate the Jets. We really don’t like the Pats. We acknowledge that we have a rivalry with you guys. I don’t know why that is.
And. like I said las year, I still like your icon/avatar/whatever you want to call it.
****Keeper of the Phinsider Goo Cannon****
Phinsider's 2008 Jake Long Rookie Blogger of the Year and Zach Thomas Leadership Award Winner
Initiator of the Lex Hilliard Bandwagon! Driving the DRAFT TEBOW bandwagon.
Phinsider's first ever mobile commenter!
Stu,p the Rizz Record: 12&4 (Wk 1: 12&4); Feud Points: 54
by Mosul_DolFan on Oct 1, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I really like beating the Dolphins and I really like Eric’s opinions and the facts to back them up.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
oh did I mention I really hate the Dolphins? :-)
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Oct 1, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
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