I am writing this blog at 4:00PM eastern time. I think that is enough time. All day I have heard about what Randy Moss said about Jerry Rice. About how the head coach of a 1-15 team in Miami was fired. Does Eli have what it takes to lead the Giants to a playoff win. That Marvin Harrison practiced today with the Colts. And that 25 years ago today Tony Dorsett set an NFL record with a 99 yard TD run against the Vikings. A game that Dallas lost by the way. Nowhere, but nowhere, have I heard about what happened 15 years ago today. At this very moment too. I had just gotten done watching one of the greatest NFL playoff games I had ever seen. 15 years ago today. At right about this time too. I had just finished watching the Greatest Comeback in Pro Football history. My beloved Buffalo Bills had just come back from being down by 32 points to beat the Houston Oilers 41 to 38.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, has been said on Fox Sports, ESPN, ESPN Classic, NFL.com, and The NFL Network. I have been listening to sports radio all day. Nothing has been said about it. Not even on local radio. All they can talk about is Marv Levy resigning as GM. Same thing with the local papers. Even on the Bills website. This is unless you click on the history link. Then you get two lines, maybe. Hey folks, unless you forgot Marv was the coach of the team 15 years ago.
What makes me laugh about this whole thing is that 15 years ago today that game was blacked out here in Upstate New York. The game did not sellout in time. Still, when you talk to people everyone was there! The Bills Stadium at that time held 80,000 fans, but you would think 500,000 people were there. Also, everyone you talk to knew that the Bills were going to comeback. They never gave up on the team. They never left. For a game that so many brag about being at it just surprises me how quickly they forget about it 15 years later.
So let me set the record straight. That game didn’t sell out all those years ago because it was played during a holiday week. (Between Christmas and New Years.) So a lot of people were gone. The weather here sucked leading up to that game. So unless you lived in the area you didn’t want to take a chance driving to the game in the snow and icy roads. Also, many fans gave up on the Bills even before the game kicked off. The Bills had lost to the Oilers, these same Houston Oilers, the Sunday before. In the last game of the regular season. This meant that they had to go the wildcard route to the SuperBowl. Also the Bills had tons of injuries going into that game. Including starting quarterback Jim Kelly. So many backups had to step up and play, and step up and play they did!
I was not at that game 15 years ago, but was one of the lucky ones to see it on TV. That week I was someplace where the game was not blacked out. I can admit that I was worried going into that game. At half-time trailing by 25 points I was more worried, but I still thought that they had a shot to comeback. Many people didn’t because the stands were pretty empty. After Frank Reich threw an interception, which was returned for a touchdown, to start the second half I did give up. So did many other because I saw more of them leaving.
The only ones who didn’t give up was the Buffalo Bills players. After the following kickoff they drove downfield for a TD. “Okay“, I said to myself, “at least they will make it respectable.” Then the Bills recovered an onside kick. They quickly scored to make it 38-17. Before the third quarter was over the Bills scored two more touchdowns and were down by four. One of these touchdowns came on a fourth and five play. At this time many fans who left the game came back into the stadium. Which included having to jump the chain link fences outside.
Going into the fourth quarter the Bills went ahead by three with about three minutes to play. To the Oilers credit they did tie the game with 12 seconds left. In overtime, Houston won the coin toss. Buffalo intercepted the ball on the third play from scrimmage. After a couple of handoffs the Bills kicked the winning field goal.
The Bills comeback was the most exciting football game I had every seen. I get chills just thinking about it. I got chills just typing the last few paragraph. More importantly the 1992-1993 Buffalo Bills taught us all something. To never give up. To never quit. No matter how bad things look. (And if you read my last blog you will see why this is so important to me.) That is why I am so disappointed so many have forgotten about what took place 15 years ago today. The men who played that day deserve better.
You would think that The NFL Network could replay that game today. Instead of one of the meaningless games that took place this past weekend. Including that great New England at New York Giants game. Hey, we all saw it. It was on three networks. Also, one of the 28 and a half ESPN channels could carry the NFL Films version of the game. Nothing was said on SportsCenter, ESPN news, or ESPN radio. With wildcard weekend coming it would have made a great promotion.
As awkward as this was at first to read, only because your a bills fan (joking). Your right in the fact that there so into what happened about the giants and the patriots and firings and steriods that they forget the history leading up to this weekend. Many great games have been made history around this time and it seems that its only important if its about the patriots. Which I hate being a Jets fan. But good on you remembering the good football days.
I am not surprised. It is easy to get caught up in the present and forget the past.
Last week during the last game of the season, I watched the Cowboys mail in their game against the Redskins. Of course they had the division championship and the HFA already sewed up so there was nothing at stake and it was natural to rest some of their players. Not surprising they lost.
But I had to remember the last game of the 1993 season when the Cowboys did have something to play for. And Emmitt Smith played the game of his life.
Despite seperating his shoulder in a late second quarter injury, Smith ran for 168 yards and caught 10 passes for another 61 yards.
He gained 78 yards on 17 carries/catches AFTER the injury including 41 yards on 9 runs/receptions in Dallas' 12 play. 52 yard drive to the game winning field goal in overtime.
I remember sitting and watching him and wincing everytime he was hit. His teammates had to help him up after every carry and I believed every play would be the last one. Somehow he dug down and finished the game.
Even though the Giants knew he was injured and knew he was going to get the ball, somehow they just could not stop him. It was possibly one of the most awe inspiring performances I have ever watched.
Why was he so determined to play? Because that day the Cowboys had something to play for. But unlike the Redskins last Sunday, so did the Cowboys' opponents.
The Cowboys and the Giants were tied for the division lead. Winner would take the division crown and a bye the next week. Loser would drop to the wild card spot and play the next week.
When asked why he played injured, Emmitt just smiled and said he knew if they lost he would not be able to play the next week, but if they won he would have 2 weeks to heal. So he played.
Emmit went on to gain another 148 yards in the two games against Green Bay and San Fransisco and was named the MVP of the Superbowl on Jan. 30.
On March 1 of that year, he had surgery on his shoulder.
Wait a minute, the Bills won that game?!?! That's what I get for turning it off, I guess.
Thanks for the reminder. And you're right, it would have been perfect timing for a flashback. I remember going to the inlaws for dinner that night, and my father in law at the time asking me if I saw that beating the Oilers put on the Bills. Needless to say, he didn't watch past halftime. And of course didn't believe me when I told him Buffalo won. Can't blame him for that though, as I've always been a pretty good BS'er.
An interesting side note, the Bills QB that day was Frank Reich, who was subbing for an injured Jim Kelly. That was the biggest comeback in NFL history at the time, and Reich also was QB for the biggest comeback in college history while at Maryland.
Not everyones forgotten and I didnt need this to remind me. Well done by the way. I have that game recorded. My father lives in Ohio and he recorded the game off of his satellite feed. No commercials! No BS. I watch it maybe twice a year.
I Love Sports, all Sports! I also love Words. My dream is to become a writer, but I lack confidence in my writing. So I'm hoping that blogging will help me out, and maybe even get me noticed. My teams are the Bills, Sabres, Lakers, and all NL Baseball teams. I don't hate the DH rule, but I don't love it either. I live in Upstate NY with my wife, 2 dogs, and cats. I am very lucky because besides major league pro-sports I am surrounded by lots of minor league sports. Everything from hockey, soccer, indoor and outdoor lacrosse, arena football, and baseball. (Single A ball to triple AAA) Plus tons of great high school and college sports. Most nights you can find me at either a stadium or an arena. I love the passion and sportmanship I witness, and hope to share those stories with you. Enjoy!
