Twenty years later, today’s Bills try to repeat history

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, August 09, 2007  |  Comments( 21 )

Buffalo Bills
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
As they were 20 years ago after the 1986 season, today's Buffalo Bills are attempting to keep improving as they try to overcome a few years of stinking. That's the nicest way to refer to each preceding era without cussing, as the back-to-back 2-14 seasons of the mid-1980s were miserable in a distinct but identifiable way to fans who have endured the rotten streak of recent playoff misses.

A quick glance at the won-lost records of both the 1986 and 2006 Bills would reveal two sub-.500 teams a fair distance from the playoffs. But examining them now, there are similarities in that both seem to be at last facing in the right direction.

For example, both teams are coming off campaigns where they won two more games than the year previous. That's not a remarkable feat compared to the scant number of victories each respective season before, but starting to push that boulder up the hill beats letting it either just sit there or roll back down. And, as when the 1986 team finished 4-12, last year's final result for the Bills was less about that one season's accomplishments and more an indication that the squad was finally making progress.

As during the campaign 20 years prior, the current Bills are led by a promising quarterback who's just cocky enough. J.P. Losman hasn't matched Jim Kelly's accomplishments, obviously, but he does bring both potential and swagger to the position, something not found behind center since Kelly's retirement.

Further, both QBs finished their first complete starting season with nice stats. Kelly threw for 3,593 yards and completed 59.4 percent of his passes, achieving an 83.3 efficiency rating along the way; Losman finished last season with a 62.5 percent completion rate, 3,051 yards gained and a rating of 84.9. More importantly than the numbers, both players ensured there was leadership, confidence and stability in the huddle.

Kelly came in more seasoned, having spent a few years toying with defenses as a giant among Oompa Loompas in the USFL; that step between college and the true pro league helped him refine his game before he landed in Buffalo. Losman had a rockier transition, starting in the NFL at the beginning of his second season before getting jerked around by his former coach, Mike Mularkey, but he seems to now be on course to be the decisive chief of the offense.

Today's team is also blessed, as it was two decades ago, with an emerging superstar of a wide receiver. Not to compare Lee Evans to Andre Reed just yet, but it's fair to say that both No. 83s were on the cusp of stardom in the parallel years. Reed had 739 yards in what was his second season, while Evans got a spectacular 1,292 in his third. The important comparison is that both offenses were able to progress because each had a wideout on the verge of belonging to the top echelon of players at the position.

And once again, the Bills are experiencing a coaching turnaround. They're now led by a brainy coach who doesn't draw attention to himself, one who tries to match schemes to players rather than the other square peg-like way around. Hmmm, that sounds familiar. Of course, Marv Levy the general manager was likely to hire someone who was similar to Marv Levy the coach. Dick Jauron, even at age 56, can be called Marv Jr.

Competent stewardship is a welcome break today just as it was when Levy began midway through 1986: Gregg Williams and Mularkey weren't quite as horrid as the diabolical duo of Kay Stephenson and Hank Bullough, but the teams of each era did have to overcome the scourge of having back-to-back clowns in charge.

Dealing with the damage caused by the oafish incompetence of previous regimes is a tough but real challenge that the teams of both eras had to face. It's another odd coincidence, and also evidence that rising above a recent difficult past is possible in a short frame. The 2006 Bills had to start learning how to finish opponents, a psychological barrier also faced by a struggling team that provided glimpses of promise two decades past.

Like that team 20 years ago, today's Bills have shown evidence that they're leaving the muck and frustration behind. Don't buy travel packages to the Super Bowl just yet, but at least there's precedent for Buffalo to overcome a ghastly patch on its way to respectability.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (21)

About Anthony Bialy

I'm just here to submit columns.
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 21  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Nate		10:01 AM
08/09/2007
Marv Levy was quoted as saying something to the effect of, "I used to tell myself after a loss, if we had only made one or two...
No.2
RD		10:25 AM
08/09/2007
Interesting write up. I think you should have touched on how both teams had several games in which the lost by a TD or less in...
No.3
hondo		11:37 AM
08/09/2007
Anthony, interesting comparison. I'll add one more similarity: an emphasis on special teams... Let's hope Losman, Evans, and...
Team News  |  View All Bills Content
Manning to the Bills?
Why not? Now that the Colts have rid themselves of the Polian family,...
3 weeks, 1 day ago   |   Manning to the Bills? ( 256 )
Nix needs to fix the Bills p...
In 2010, Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey were banking on Aaron Schobel to tr...
3 weeks, 3 days ago   |   Nix needs to fix the Bills pass rushing problems ( 28 )
Stop the Revolving Door!
Wade Phillips, current Texans D- Coordinator - Playoffs. Mike Mularkey...
1 month, 1 week ago   |   Stop the Revolving Door! ( 191 )
Is a Bills Succession Plan g...
In the wake of talks from NFL experts stating that there are going to...
1 month, 1 week ago   |   Is a Bills Succession Plan going to take effect in 2012? ( 89 )
Bills 1st half results
Last year after 8 games, the Bills were a miserable 0-8. This year aft...
3 months ago   |   Bills 1st half results ( 625 )