1980 Buffalo Bills season

1980 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Head coach	Chuck Knox
Home field	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Chargers) 14–20
← 1979 Bills seasons 1981 →

The 1980 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League, and the 21st overall. Their 11–5 record was tied for best in the AFC.

The Bills' defense allowed only 260 points in 1980, 3rd best in the league. Their 4,101 total yards surrendered were best in the NFL in 1980. Buffalo's defense was well represented on the UPI All-AFC team: nose tackle Fred Smerlas and linebacker Jim Haslett – two-thirds of Buffalo's "Bermuda Triangle" with linebacker Shane Nelson – were named to the 1st team All-AFC. Defensive end Ben Williams was named to the second team.

Although Buffalo's offensive statistics were not as impressive as its defense, four offensive players were named All-AFC: left guard Reggie McKenzie, left tackle Ken Jones, wide receiver Jerry Butler and rookie running back Joe Cribbs.^[1]

Cribbs rushed for 1,185 yards and made his first Pro Bowl. Jerry Butler and Fred Smerlas also were selected to play in the annual all-star game.^[2]

Breaking "The Streak"[]

The Bills had not beaten the Miami Dolphins in the entire decade of the 1970s, a streak of twenty straight losses, the longest in NFL history. The last time the Bills had defeated Miami was 1969.

The Bills had been outscored 565 (28.5 points per games) to 299 (14.5) during the 1970s by the Dolphins, failing to score more than ten points in over a third of the contests (7). They were shut out three times. Conversely, the Dolphins were held under twenty points just four times, and scored 45 points on the Bills twice. The domination was so thorough that the Bills only lost by one score or less five times, and Don Shula had never lost to Buffalo since taking over as Dolphins coach in 1970. The Bills only held a lead at any point in eight of the games, and only twice in the fourth quarter.^[3] Joe Ferguson had lost to the Dolphins 14 straight times.

On opening day of the 1980 season, Miami visited Rich Stadium, attempting to extend the streak to 21 games. At the end of three quarters, Miami led 7–3. In the fourth quarter, running back Roosevelt Leaks scored the go-ahead touchdown to make the score 10–7. Joe Cribbs added a second touchdown to extend the lead to 17–7, and Jeff Nixon intercepted his third pass of the game with only 36 seconds left, breaking the streak at 20 games.^[4][5]

A rowdy crowd of 79,000 fans celebrated, and many stormed the field to tear down the goal posts, carrying them around the field.^[6] Joe Cribbs contributed 131 combined yards of offense for the triumphant Bills.^[7]

The rivalry continued well into the 1990s, but with different results: from 1986 to 1996—the years in which Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino played at the same time—the Bills won 14 of 22 match-ups between the teams.^[8]

The Bills suffered similar ineptitude against the New England Patriots in the 2000s, losing 20-of-21 games dating from Week 16 of the 2000 season to Week 16 of the 2010 season. (Only the 2003 home opener stopped the streak from breaking Miami's 20-game record.)

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

North Carolina State's Jim Ritcher became an anchor of the Buffalo offensive line for the next 14 years; he was the starter for all four Buffalo Super Bowl teams, and was second-team All-Pro in 1991.

Running back Joe Cribbs was Buffalo's starting running back from 1980–1983, and again in 1985 (after returning from one year in the USFL).

Tight end Mark Brammer played for the Bills for five seasons. Greg Cater was Buffalo's starting punter from 1980–1983.^[9]

= Pro Bowler [10]

1980 Buffalo Bills Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	16	Jim Ritcher	G	North Carolina State
2	29	Joe Cribbs	RB	Auburn
	37	Gene Bradley	QB	Arkansas State
3	67	Mark Brammer	TE	Michigan State
	71	John Schmeding	G	Boston College
4	93	Ervin Parker	LB	South Carolina St.
5	119	Jeff Pyburn	DB	Georgia
	129	Keith Lee	DB	Colorado St.
8	202	Todd Krueger	QB	Northern Michigan
9	231	Kent Davis	DB	Southeast Missouri St.
10	259	Greg Cater	P	Tennessee-Chattanooga
11	286	Joe Gordon	DT	Grambling St.
12	316	Roger Lapham	TE	Maine

Personnel[]

Staff/Coaches[]

1980 Buffalo Bills staff

Front Office Majority Owner/Team President – Ralph Wilson General Manager – Stew Barber Vice President/Minority Owner – Pat McGroder Coaching Staff Head Coach – Chuck Knox Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line - Running Backs Coach - Elijah Pitts Quarterbacks Coach - Kay Stephenson Wide Receivers Coach - Defensive/Special Teams Coaches Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers Coach - Defensive Line – Willie Zapalac Defensive Backs – Jim Wagstaff Special Teams - Steve Moore & Elijah Pitts Special Assignments' Special Assignments Coach -

Roster[]

1980 Buffalo Bills roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Joe Ferguson 10 David Humm 11 Dan Manucci Running backs 47 Curtis Brown FB 20 Joe Cribbs 25 Roland Hooks 48 Roosevelt Leaks FB 40 Terry Miller Wide receivers 80 Jerry Butler 19 Duke Fergerson 81 Ron Jessie 82 Frank Lewis 89 Lou Piccone Tight ends 86 Mark Brammer 88 Reuben Gant		Offensive linemen 73 Jon Borchardt T 70 Joe Devlin T 69 Conrad Dobler G 53 Will Grant C 72 Ken Jones T 67 Reggie McKenzie G 51 Jim Ritcher G 65 Tim Vogler G/C Defensive linemen 74 Dee Hardison DT 90 Scott Hutchinson DE 97 Darrell Irvin DE 71 Mike Kadish DT 91 Ken Johnson DE 76 Fred Smerlas DT 83 Sherman White DE 77 Ben Williams DE		Linebackers 55 Jim Haslett 52 Chris Keating 59 Shane Nelson 62 Ervin Parker 58 Isiah Robertson 57 Lucius Sanford 41 Phil Villapiano Defensive backs 28 Rufus Bess CB 29 Mario Clark CB 22 Steve Freeman SS 21 Doug Greene CB 42 Rod Kush SS 26 Charles Romes CB 45 Bill Simpson FS Special teams  7 Greg Cater P  5 Nick Mike-Mayer K		Reserve lists —- QB (IR) 38 Jeff Nixon FS (IR) -- Herman Parker G (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season[]

Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman wrote about the Bills' 1980 season, "It was a euphoric kind of year for Buffalo. Chuck Knox and his defensive coordinator, Tom Catlin, built the defense into No. 1 in the NFL with virtually the same people who had been lousy in '79. The Bills even beat Miami for the first time in a generation. And then Quarterback Joe Ferguson picked exactly the wrong time of year to sprain his ankle -- the playoffs. And San Diego ended the dream."^[11]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 7	Miami Dolphins	W 17–7	1–0	Rich Stadium	Recap
2	September 14	New York Jets	W 20–10	2–0	Rich Stadium	Recap
3	September 21	at New Orleans Saints	W 35–26	3–0	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
4	September 28	Oakland Raiders	W 24–7	4–0	Rich Stadium	Recap
5	October 5	at San Diego Chargers	W 26–24	5–0	San Diego Stadium	Recap
6	October 12	Baltimore Colts	L 12–17	5–1	Rich Stadium	Recap
7	October 19	at Miami Dolphins	L 14–17	5–2	Orange Bowl	Recap
8	October 26	New England Patriots	W 31–13	6–2	Rich Stadium	Recap
9	November 2	Atlanta Falcons	L 14–30	6–3	Rich Stadium	Recap
10	November 9	at New York Jets	W 31–24	7–3	Shea Stadium	Recap
11	November 16	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 14–0	8–3	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
12	November 23	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 28–13	9–3	Rich Stadium	Recap
13	November 30	at Baltimore Colts	L 24–28	9–4	Memorial Stadium	Recap
14	December 7	Los Angeles Rams	W 10–7	10–4	Rich Stadium	Recap
15	December 14	at New England Patriots	L 2–24	10–5	Foxboro Stadium	Recap
16	December 21	at San Francisco 49ers	W 18–13	11–5	Candlestick Park	Recap

^[12]

Standings[]

AFC East
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Buffalo Bills(3)	11	5	0	.688	4–4	8–4	320	260	W1
New England Patriots	10	6	0	.625	6–2	9–3	441	325	W2
Miami Dolphins	8	8	0	.500	3–5	4–8	266	305	L1
Baltimore Colts	7	9	0	.438	5–3	6–8	355	387	L3
New York Jets	4	12	0	.250	2–6	3–9	302	395	W1

Game summaries[]

Week 1[]

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills

1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 0 0 7 0 7 • Bills 0 3 0 14 17 Date: September 7 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 64°F, wind 8 mph

Scoring summary 2 BUF Nick Mike-Mayer 40 yard field goal BUF 3–0 3 MIA Tony Nathan 4 yard pass from Bob Griese (Uwe von Schamann kick) MIA 7–3 4 Bills Roosevelt Leaks 4 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 10–7 4 Bills Joe Cribbs 2 yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 17–7

^[13]

Week 2[]

1 2 3 4 Total Jets 3 0 0 7 10 • Bills 0 10 10 0 20 Date: September 14 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 68°F, wind 13 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie

^[14]

Week 3[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 7 7 7 14 35 Saints 0 19 0 7 26 Date: September 21 Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Fred Wyant TV announcers (NBC): Jay Rudolph and Gene Washington

^[15]

Week 4[]

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 0 7 0 7 • Bills 7 10 0 7 24 Date: September 28 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 54°F, wind 9 Referee: Dick Jorgensen Television network: NBC

^[16]

Week 5[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 3 9 0 14 26 Chargers 7 10 7 0 24 Date: October 5 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 68°F, wind 10 Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson

^[17]

Week 6[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Colts 10 7 0 0 17 Bills 0 9 0 3 12 Date: October 12 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 49°F, wind 12

^[18]

Week 7[]

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 0 7 7 14 • Dolphins 7 7 3 0 17 Date: October 19 Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 80°F, wind 8 Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

^[19]

Week 8[]

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 3 0 10 0 13 • Bills 0 14 0 17 31 Date: October 26 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 41°F, wind 26

^[20]

Week 9[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Falcons 0 10 10 10 30 Bills 7 7 0 0 14 Date: November 2 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 40°F, wind 9 Referee: Chuck Heberling Television network: CBS

^[21]

Week 10[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 10 7 7 7 31 Jets 0 10 0 14 24 Date: November 9 Location: Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 44°F, wind 12

^[22]

Week 11[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 0 7 0 7 14 Bengals 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 16 Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 34°F, wind 11

^[23]

Week 12[]

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 7 3 0 3 13 • Bills 7 7 7 7 28 Date: November 23 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 41°F, wind 10

^[24]

Week 13[]

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 7 7 3 7 24 • Colts 0 14 7 7 28 Date: November 30 Location: Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 43°F, wind 14

^[25]

Week 14[]

1 2 3 4 OT Total Rams 0 0 7 0 0 7 • Bills 0 0 7 0 3 10 Date: December 7 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 43°F, wind 9 TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully

^[26]

Week 15[]

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 0 2 0 2 • Patriots 7 7 7 3 24 Date: December 14 Location: Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 28°F, wind 15

^[27]

Week 16[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 6 7 5 0 18 49ers 6 0 7 0 13 Date: December 21 Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 53°F, wind 6 TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui

^[28]

Postseason[]

Divisional[]

Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 14 0 0 14 • Chargers 3 0 7 10 20 Date: January 3 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 52,028 Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C), wind 9 Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

With 2:08 left in the game, Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw the 50-yard winning touchdown pass to receiver Ron Smith to defeat the Bills, 20–14.

Wrote Paul Zimmerman in Sports Illustrated's 1981 NFL preview, "If Charley Romes intercepts the pass that bounces off his chest in the last few minutes of the playoff game against San Diego, then the Chargers don't score on the next play, and win the game. And Buffalo gets to play Oakland at home -- where the Bills crushed the Raiders earlier in the season. And Buffalo's in the Super Bowl."^[29]

Notable events[]

In Week 15, the Bills became the thirty-fourth team to score only a safety in a full game. It was the first occurrence of this since the San Diego Chargers against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last game of the 1972 season, and there have been only three since, by the 1983 Minnesota Vikings, the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals, and the 2011 Atlanta Falcons in a playoff game.

Awards and honors[]

All-Pros[]

• Fred Smerlas, Nose tackle

References[]

• Bills on Pro Football Reference
• Bills on jt-sw.com
• Bills Stats on jt-sw.com