Buffalo Bills: 5 Reasons They Will Finally Return to the Playoffs
By Paul Taylor
With training camp now in full flow, we explain why this is the season the Buffalo Bills end the NFL’s longest current postseason drought.
As the Buffalo Bills will attest, 16 years is a long time, especially when it represents how long it’s been since you last qualified for the post season. To put in into context, consider that back in 1999, Bill Clinton was president, Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France and the Matrix was wowing cinema audiences.
Technically, the Bills actually made their last playoff appearance in 2000. Regardless, Ralph Wilson’s Wade Phillips’ decision to start Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie, combined with “The Music City Miracle”, signaled the start of one of the depressing periods in franchise history.
Just to really ram this point home, the 1999 campaign also marked the final time Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed would suit up in a Bills uniform. All three were released at the conclusion of the season, due to salary cap reasons.
In any event, we’re actually here to cheer up the Bills’ long-suffering, loyal supporters. In the bold prediction to end all bold predictions, we count down the five reasons they will finally end the so-called “Flutie curse” and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
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