We have it Pretty Good

[HarleyDog]

(01-15-2024, 04:49 PM)Nepa Wrote: I cannot root for the Bills to be in the Super Bowl. Win today, yes, because its against the Steelers. But as a long-time fan, i remember too vividly what the Bills did to the Bengals in 1989 with their  whining to the league to change the rules at the last minute before the AFC championship game. I think that change is what cost the Bengals a Super Bowl. For the Bills to get a Super Bowl before the Bengals is just intolerable to me for that reason.

To refresh, Sam Wyche made a brilliant change to the Bengals offense to make sure the defense didn't get to substitute their defensive packages: the no-huddle. No longer could a team substitute speedy nickelbacks for slow linebackers as the down and yardage called for. When they got Boomer Esiason they ran it to perfection. If the defense tried to substitute, Boomer would catch them with too many players on the field. If the defense got tired, tough luck. The Bengals lead the league in scoring, finished with the 1st place AFC record, and were virtually unstoppable. 

I remember like it was yesterday when the Bills, right before the AFC championship, complained the Bengals had an unfair advantage running their no-huddle. They said they would have a Buffalo player go down as if injured "after every play" so they could substitute. The Seahawks had done it earlier, and it was embarrassing for the Seahawks and the game, to see a player fake an injury, and then be back in a play later. Again and again and again. Now the Bills said they were going to do it in the championship game.

TWO HOURS before the AFC championship, the league office told the Bengals they couldn't run the no-huddle and if they did the no-huddle they would be penalized 15-yards every time they did. Not penalize the Bills for faking injuries, but penalize the Bengals.

The Bengals won that game against the Bills , but the lack of having that offense for the Super Bowl might well have cost them a Super Bowl.

It was insane. It's like complaining about Philadelphia tush push and telling them it would no longer be allowed in the championship game and Super Bowl.

So, let the Bills win today, because it's Pittsburgh, and I'll also never get over having Palmer's leg shredded in what looked like another Super Bowl year. But after today, a pox on the Bills.

Thank you for this. I didn't know this happened and I agree. And why would the NFL ban the no-huddle on the Bengals when it was allowed prior? It was within the rules so there shouldn't have been a problem. This bugs the shit out of me. Not for the Bills, but for the NFL. All the Bills were doing is trying to find a way within the rules to stop the no-huddle, so I would be pissed at them. Be mad at the NFL because that's blatant cheating on the NFL's part.