Gather around kids. It’s story time. The Bills and the Dolphins play tackle football this Sunday afternoon at the stadium formerly known as Rich. This used to mean something to people around these parts, specifically if you had a 716/585 area code. I’m 37. Growing up I was taught that Dan Marino, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, and Nat Moore were evil. Don Shula was the anti-christ to my Grandmother. I vividly remember watching her put the Sicilian Curse on Shula every time he was on TV, which was odd to me since we weren’t Sicilian. This hated and fun rivalry stemmed from the 1970’s when Buffalo went 0 for vs Miami.
Miami’s 20 game win streak vs Buffalo was snapped in the 1980 opener at Rich Stadium. After the win, fans stormed the field and took down the goal posts. Bills/Dolphins began playing in 1966 and the Bills FINALLY won their first game ever at The Orange Bowl in a classic in October of 1983. So when did this rivalry take off? On October 25th, 1987. The Bills went into Joe Robbie Stadium and snapped a 6 game losing streak to Miami. I vividly remember that game.
The 1987 season was the spring board season that catapulted Buffalo to becoming dominate in the 1990’s. That 1987 game in Miami was an offensive explosion. Kelly and Marino combined for 662 yards 6 TD’s and 0 ints. (Kelly 359 2TD, Marino 303 4TD). The Bills won that game in OT on a FG by Scott Norwood and would go on to win 6 in a row vs Miami. The rivalry had everything after that. Two great QB’s, two old veteran coaches, each team had great skill players on defense, and each year Miami and Buffalo battled for the AFC East. It was South Beach vs The Buffalo Cold, back then it was perfect.
As a teenager growing up in Rochester, NY not everyone was a Bills fan. I had friends, who are still friends to this day, who were Miami Dolphin fans. When Buffalo beat Miami, which was often then, I gave it them, and when things seldom went the other, I got it back. Back then, Miami week meant something. When Miami came to town it was a different feel, and I felt that even being 75 miles away. The best part about that rivalry was that Buffalo pretty much won all the meaningful games, either in the regular season or the playoffs.
Buffalo and Miami played each other 4 times in the playoffs in the 1990’s and Buffalo won 3 them. The lone loss? 1998 when Buffalo turned the ball over 5 times and THEY STILL HAD A CHANCE to win on the last play. Man, the Bills vs Dolphins was something then. Bryan Cox throwing double middle fingers, Carwell Gardner throwing double fists at Cox, Kelly, Marino, Thurman running over through and around that Dolphins defense, Richmond Webb vs Bruce Smith, it was the best. The rivarly wasn’t some sort of contrived BS that something like ESPN would manufacture. From the fans to the players, everyone hated each other and no one was going to take a selfie with each other after the game.
Now this match up is as meaningless as any other Bills game. What happened? Everyone who made that rivalry worth anything is no longer apart of it. Ralph Wilson tried to keep it alive when he blocked the NFL from moving Buffalo to the AFC North, but it didn’t matter. The rivalry was dead.
The last great Bills/Dolphins game happened in December of 2002 in Orchard Park. The Snow Game. Ricky Williams ran for 250 plus yards, Jim Kelly was literally drunk on the sideline (Bills officials had to pull him back on the sidelines a couple of times) and gave Peerless Price a giant bearhug when he scored a long TD. Drew Bledsoe’s passes zipped through the snow and the Bills won. I was at that game and it felt like it was important. Now? It’s just another game between two mediocre below average football teams. Miami has at least made the playoffs during this stretch of irrelevancy for the Bills. The Bills currently don’t have a rivalry like it did with Miami during the 90s. The Bills aren’t anyone’s rival now because a rivalry needs to be competitive and needs star power on both sides.
Life was good in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The Bills were good and so was Miami. Now? We have two teams trying to find themselves who have started. To just critizlae how badly the Bills/Miami have fallen…Since the last Kelly/Marino game in 1996, 33 QBs have started between Miami/Buffalo
Bills starters: Todd Collins, Van Pelt, Rob Johnson, Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsoe, JP Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitz, Brian Brohm, Thad Lewis, EJ Manuel, Kyle Orton, Jeff Tuel, Tyrod Taylor.
Miami starters: Jay Fiedler, Damon Huard, Ray Lucas, Bryan Griese, Jay Feeley, Sage Rosenfels, Gus Ferotte, Joey Harrington, Dante Culpepper, Matt Moore, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Trent Green, Chad Pennington, Tyler Thigpen, Chad Henne and Ryan Tannehill.
At least both teams are still “Alive” in the playoff picture, but the rivalry? Dead on arrival.
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