SO LONG AGO

It sure was wonderful this Hall of Fame weekend, wasn’t it Bills fans?

Watching Andre Reed get his long deserved gold jacket.  Reminiscing about past glories.  Reliving some of the great times in Bills history.  Seeing the faces of some of the best players in Bills history again.  Reed, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Marv Levy, and of course, Jim Kelly–who is still battling cancer, yet found enough strength to come to Canton to support his good friend and favorite target.

As I listened to the words, relived the memories, and watched the endless highlights, a thought occured to me:  those glory days of the Buffalo Bills seem like just yesterday, but were really sooooo long ago!

The Bills went to their last playoff game in January of 2000, following the 1999 season.  They played in their last Super Bowl in February of 1994, following their 1993 season.

Father time tricks us.  It flies by like a runaway freight train.  For me, and countless other Bills fans who were old enough to remember those four straight Super Bowls, the memories are still so thick, it seems like a few short years ago.  It’s almost difficult to fathom that it has been twenty plus long years since that last Super Bowl appearance.

Since the Bills were last in a Super Bowl, we have had four US Presidents.  When the Bills last appeared in a Super Bowl, hardly anyone had a home computer or a cell phone.  It’s amazing to think about that a baby, born the day after the last Bills Super Bowl appearance, either just graduated college or will soon.  If you are reading this, and under the age of about 27 or 28, you probably have no recollections of the Bills playing in a Super Bowl.  If you are reading this and you are under the age of 20 or 21, you probably don’t even recall the Buffalo Bills playing in a playoff game!

All of you young bucks don’t know how great it was.   The Bills glory years from 1988-1994 were so good that it’s hard to believe now.  You don’t know what it was like to see the Bills favored to win almost every week.  You have no idea how exciting it was to be in Ralph Wilson stadium (then Rich Stadium) for a big game.  You don’t know what it was like to see a Bills offense that could actually move the ball at will, gain first downs all the way down the field and score plenty of touchdowns each week.  You don’t know what it was like to see a Bills team that had the talent and leadership and coaching that could allow them to convert a 3rd down and long situation numerous times a game.  You probably don’t know what it is like to see a defense that is among the league’s best.

It is an era that will never be forgotten.  It is also an era that the Bills are so long overdue to get back to.  When will younger Bills fans be able to see the same kind of success that us 40 and 50-somethings talk about?

I think the current Bills are making strides, and are finally going in the right direction, but there still are a long list of questions:

–Is EJ Manuel really the answer at quarterback?  Is he the signal caller that can take the Bills back to the playoffs and consistent success again?

–Is CJ Spiller a durable and big enough back to have 20 plus touches a game that a lead back needs to be successful?

–Will the Williams boys, Mario and Kyle, still be young and productive enough once the Bills finally get good enough to contend every year?

–Is Sammy Watkins destined to become the next dominant wide receiver in the NFL and will he have the quarterback and offensive line necessary to get him the ball consistently?

–Can newcomer Brandon Spikes be the run stuffer the Bills need, especially with Kiko Alonso out for the year, or will the Bills continue to get manhandled on the ground week in and week out?

–Is Doug Marrone and his staff the right coaching staff to get the Bills to the next level of play in the NFL?

–Can anyone step up, like Jim Kelly back in the day, to become the leader of this group and give everyone the winning attitude that has been missing for so long?

If all of these questions can be answered positively, it could be a very fun year at One Bills Drive, and will finally give the young fans something to really cheer about.  If they can’t, at least all of us middle aged and older fans will still have our memories.