It’s been a long road for the Buffalo Bills organization during the last 25 years. In 1991, when the Bills went to the Super Bowl for the first time, George H.W. Bush was President of the United States, the Gulf War began and social media wasn’t even a thought. Back then, things were different and the Buffalo Bills team of that year and the three that followed were definitely proof of that.
For four consecutive years, the Buffalo Bills made it to the Super Bowl and in the early 1990s they were seen as the biggest joke in professional sports. With time, as with most things, the view of this feat changed. The ESPN Films special ’30 for 30’ took at in-depth look at the Buffalo Bills teams through the 1990 – 1993 seasons. It shed some light on a lot of things and revealed stark differences between the Bills of then and the Bills of now.
Here is a breakdown of the most glaring contrasts, with the “then Bills” being the 1990s Super Bowl era Bills and the “now Bills” being the 2015 (current) team.
Discipline
Then Bills: Granted, there was the first Super Bowl the Bills were in that by many accounts they partied too much ahead of the big game. Despite that, the Bills were disciplined, especially on the field. The Bills were not perfect but they didn’t commit a large amount of stupid penalties especially ones for unsportsmanlike conduct. Marv Levy would have never let that happen. Stupid penalties cost wins and these Bills didn’t make many.
Now Bills: According to www.nflpenaltytracker.com , the Bills have the second most penalties of any team except Tampa Bay. According to those stats, the Bills have committed 132 penalties on 1,988 plays for a total of 1,142 penalty yards. Penalties are all about control and discipline. Yes, you can blame the officiating but for the most part it is the players themselves who shoulder this blame.
Team Outlook
Then Bills: The Bills teams of the early 1990s knew what it meant to be a team. There was a time, as the special points out, the Bills were known as the ‘Bickering Bills.’ That was the season before they went to their first Super Bowl. After that they became known, as they still are, as one of the most cohesive units in sports. The guys on the Bills team of that era knew what it meant to be a team. They worked together and stayed together through four years of heartbreaking losses. They were knocked down but managed to get up again three more times. Good teams can make it to the Super Bowl. Great teams, like the Bills of the 1990s, make it to the Super Bowl four times and have success because they understand it takes more than one person to be good.
Now Bills: Many of the Bills on today’s team do get what a team means. There are some however who seem to forget. If you focus on yourself, your team will lose. If the Bills of today had more of that focus, perhaps there would be more discipline, less penalties and more wins as a result.
Privilege
Then Bills: The ’30 for 30’ special showed how much those players appreciated playing in the National Football League and how proud they were to be Buffalo Bills. It is no secret that even Jim Kelly, who is probably one of Buffalo’s biggest supporters now, didn’t want to come to Buffalo when he first started with the team. That quickly changed after playing at then Rich Stadium. He, along with other greats like Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Steve Tasker, Don Beebe and Darryl Talley, to name a few, all have said how grateful they were for their time as Buffalo Bills. They saw it as the privilege it was and didn’t take their chance for granted.
Now Bills: Yes, some of them do seem to appreciate what it means to play in the National Football League but others seems to either forget that or never understood it in the first place. Instead of playing each game from start to finish with as much energy and passion as they can, so many times this season, we have seen the Bills run out of gas and just show a general sense of apathy.
Loyalty to Buffalo
Then Bills: If ever there was a living breathing definition of loyalty, it is the 1990s era Bills. They were and many still are, very loyal to the Buffalo Bills organization as well as the City of Buffalo and the entire Western New York community. Some still live in Buffalo and are frequent visitors on the Bills sidelines during home games. They give back to the community and constantly tout what a great area WNY is.
Now Bills: Perhaps it is because some of them are still new to the team, but this team doesn’t seem to have the same loyalty as the Bills of the 1990s. Yes, some of the players have gotten involved in the community but it does have the aura it used to. The pride of being in Western New York just doesn’t seem to be there. If it was, it might show more on the field because it would provide more motivation to win.
Coaching
Then Bills: Marv Levy was the ultimate coach, teacher and father figure for the Bills when he was their coach. His wisdom on and off the field was reflected in the respect he got from his players. He was passionate and it resonated with players. He was the glue of those Super Bowl era teams and no other has been even close to him since.
Now Bills: Rex Ryan is in his first year as the Bills head coach. Most first year coaches rarely make a huge impact in the first year. The most disappointing thing isn’t all of the losses, it is the same old Rex. He wanted bullies, he got them in the form of an undisciplined team that doesn’t seem to be held accountable for any of their mistakes. A rubber band isn’t going to fix this problem. It starts with the coach. Good coaches produce winning teams. Marv Levy is living proof of that.
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To be fair, the Bills of the 1990s era can never be replaced either by another Bills team or any NFL team. Times do change and we all understand that. What is frustrating for one of the most loyal fan bases in the league, is the same mistakes keep being made from the front office to the locker room. The Bills are not alone. A lot of teams have similar issues and most of the players today don’t seem to have what the players of 25 years ago had: heart. The pulse is clearly faint in Buffalo now and something has to change or the beat won’t go on.