Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Bryan wrote:

Hail Casares wrote:Those mid 90's AFC SB teams were pretty uninspiring. Chargers, Steelers, and Patriots. Bleh. Especially when compared to the teams the NFC was putting in during that same time(49ers, Cowboys, Packers). The AFC felt like power vacuum teams from the Bills fall-off but before the Bronco's rose later in the decade.

Has there ever been a worse 3-year run of conference Super Bowl QBs than Humphries, O'Donnell, Bledsoe? Maybe the early 2000's NFC run of Brad Johnson, Jake Delhomme & Donovan McNabb?

Earl Morrall, Joe Kapp, Craig Morton?

Good call Jay Z, though Morrall and Kapp had career years ...

Bryan wrote:

Hail Casares wrote:Those mid 90's AFC SB teams were pretty uninspiring. Chargers, Steelers, and Patriots. Bleh. Especially when compared to the teams the NFC was putting in during that same time(49ers, Cowboys, Packers). The AFC felt like power vacuum teams from the Bills fall-off but before the Bronco's rose later in the decade.

Has there ever been a worse 3-year run of conference Super Bowl QBs than Humphries, O'Donnell, Bledsoe? Maybe the early 2000's NFC run of Brad Johnson, Jake Delhomme & Donovan McNabb?

At least you could argue in the 2000s case that Delhomme was in the middle of his career "bump" and made a PB. Brad Johnson was one of the most efficient passers in the league (121 Rate+), and McNabb had a career season with TO(131 Rate+)

Humphries 1994 and O'Donnel's 1995 were completely unremarkable(both had only 17TD's passes). Bledsoe at least could be argued was a difference maker for the Pats. He led the NFL in att-and comp, threw for over 4,000 yards and nearly 30 TDs and was in the midst of making 3 PB's in 4 seasons.

Thoughts on the McMahon, Simms, Williams back to back to back from 85-87 for the NFC?

I'd still put that 94-96 AFC run as worse, bc of Humphries and O'Donnell.

Bryan wrote:

sheajets wrote:A surprising and fun Chargers team taking the NFL by storm...though I really would've preferred a Steelers/9ers Super Bowl

Not sure if I agree with the description of that 94 Chargers team. They only went 11-5 (5-5 down the stretch), and were lucky to have that many wins. They were an above-average team, much like the 92 and 93 Chargers that went 11-5 & 8-8 with pretty much the same players. I don't recall them taking the NFL by storm. They snuck by both the Dolphins and Steelers in the playoffs and got stomped in the Super Bowl by the Niners (Opening kickoff, Niners TD, SD 3 and out, Niners TD...5 minutes of action, 14-0 deficit!). They definitely weren't a fun team to watch...a blah team that had Natrone Means touching the ball 382 times on offense at a clip of 4.1 yards. Yawn.

From 1992-94, the AFC sending the luckiest team to the Super Bowl, not the best. The 92 and 93 Bills teams got very lucky to get anywhere near the Super Bowl (especially the 93 team that should have been 7-9), and the 94 Chargers were the same.

By 1995, it looked like the Chiefs would continue that trend. A team that had no business being 13-3, but got break after break. However, Lin Elliott happened, saving us from seeing them in SB XXX.

7DnBrnc53 wrote:
From 1992-94, the AFC sending the luckiest team to the Super Bowl, not the best. The 92 and 93 Bills teams got very lucky to get anywhere near the Super Bowl (especially the 93 team that should have been 7-9), and the 94 Chargers were the same.

By 1995, it looked like the Chiefs would continue that trend. A team that had no business being 13-3, but got break after break. However, Lin Elliott happened, saving us from seeing them in SB XXX.

I've never been wild about the "X team should have been x-x" arguments. Every year there are teams with a lot of one score wins that could go either way. The 1992 Dolphins played something like 7 or 8 one score games. The Bills acquitted themselves quite well in the playoffs in 1993 and were winning the SB at halftime and were down by 7 at the start of the 4th.

The Bills during this time were obviously a very good team and the class of the AFC. It's much different than evaluating a "lucky season" by the the likes of the 2001 Bears who stunk the year prior, stunk the year after, and weren't winning in sustainable ways that entire season. The Bills in 1993 were a very good team with vets that learned and knew how to win close games. That stuff matters.

Whether luck was involved or not, the Bills of 1992 and 93 were unbeatable in Orchard Park during the postseason, with the Oilers and Dolphins(at home) choking away their chances at victory and the Bills having great postseason games against the Steelers(Reich), Raiders and Chiefs.

It had to have been frustrating for Thurman Thomas to have a career rushing day against the Chiefs in the 93/94 AFC Championship game to mentally falling apart in the second half of the SB with Dallas tying the ballgame.

Jim Kelly, who had one of his best ever postseason games leading a comeback over the Raiders in frigid conditions during the divisionals, plays well for the first half of that SB but throws a huge interception in the second half, that firmly puts the Cowboys in the driver seat. Hypothetically, Bills fans I know have wondered how effective Tasker could have been as a receiver during their SB run, instead of being mostly on special teams. Could Levy had under-utilized him or were Reed, Lofton, Beebe, Thomas and Brooks enough for Kelly, who could be up or down ?

Brian wolf wrote:Whether luck was involved or not, the Bills of 1992 and 93 were unbeatable in Orchard Park during the postseason, with the Oilers and Dolphins(at home) choking away their chances at victory and the Bills having great postseason games against the Steelers(Reich), Raiders and Chiefs.

It had to have been frustrating for Thurman Thomas to have a career rushing day against the Chiefs in the 93/94 AFC Championship game to mentally falling apart in the second half of the SB with Dallas tying the ballgame.

Jim Kelly, who had one of his best ever postseason games leading a comeback over the Raiders in frigid conditions during the divisionals, plays well for the first half of that SB but throws a huge interception in the second half, that firmly puts the Cowboys in the driver seat. Hypothetically, Bills fans I know have wondered how effective Tasker could have been as a receiver during their SB run, instead of being mostly on special teams. Could Levy had under-utilized him or were Reed, Lofton, Beebe, Thomas and Brooks enough for Kelly, who could be up or down ?

I don't think Tasker would have made much/any difference. The 1992 and 1993 Bills were undone by turnovers in the SB. They were a turnover prone team. There was a video from that time following the Cowboys around in preparation for the first matchup between the teams and Johnson basically said he wasn't concerned with the outcome as the Bills turned the ball over way too much. It was that team's fatal flaw. I just don't see how Tasker prevents Thomas or Kelly from fumbling, or Kelly or Reich from throwing INTs

From a post I had a while back
"The 1992 Cowboys-Bills SB was weirdly closer than many thought. I rewatched it a week or so ago and forgot that the Bills were only down 14-10 late into the second quarter before they imploded with turnovers on their last two drives and the Cowboys quick struck them twice in two minutes to take a 28-10 lead."

Bryan wrote:

sheajets wrote:A surprising and fun Chargers team taking the NFL by storm...though I really would've preferred a Steelers/9ers Super Bowl

Not sure if I agree with the description of that 94 Chargers team. They only went 11-5 (5-5 down the stretch), and were lucky to have that many wins. They were an above-average team, much like the 92 and 93 Chargers that went 11-5 & 8-8 with pretty much the same players. I don't recall them taking the NFL by storm. They snuck by both the Dolphins and Steelers in the playoffs and got stomped in the Super Bowl by the Niners (Opening kickoff, Niners TD, SD 3 and out, Niners TD...5 minutes of action, 14-0 deficit!). They definitely weren't a fun team to watch...a blah team that had Natrone Means touching the ball 382 times on offense at a clip of 4.1 yards. Yawn.

I think I'm specifically remembering around this period



The Chargers were an NFL darling for part of that season, they started 6-0 and Means being this big bruising back made him a popular new rising star in the league. I recall people were saying San Diego was an AFC team that played like an NFC team (I guess back then it was still AFC Finesse...NFC Power)