1987 Buffalo Bills season

1987 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Head coach	Marv Levy
General manager	Bill Polian
Home field	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	7–8
Division place	4th AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
← 1986 Bills seasons 1988 →

The 1987 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League, and the 28th overall.

On October 31, 1987, the Los Angeles Rams traded Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts in a three team trade involving the Bills. The Rams sent Dickerson to the Colts for six draft choices and two players. Buffalo obtained the rights to Cornelius Bennett from Indianapolis. Buffalo sent running back Greg Bell and three draft choices to the Rams, while Indianapolis added Owen Gill and three of their own draft picks to complete the deal with the Rams.^[1] Adding Bennett to the team helped to form the nucleus for a strong young defensive unit that would become the core of Buffalo's later Super Bowl teams.

Offseason[]

NFL draft[]

Buffalo's first two draft picks—linebacker Shane Conlan and defensive back Nate Odomes—would later go on to make to have a great deal of impact on Buffalo's defense. Conlan was named 1987 Defensive Rookie of the Year; he would be selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls, from the 1988–1990 seasons. Odomes would be selected to consecutive Pro Bowls in 1992 and 1993.

Another impactful rookie, Cornelius Bennett, was drafted by Indianapolis in 1987, before being traded to Buffalo.

1987 Buffalo Bills draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	8	Shane Conlan *	Linebacker	Penn State
2	29	Nate Odomes *	Defensive back	Wisconsin
2	33	Roland Mitchell	Defensive back	Texas Tech
3	60	David Brandon	Linebacker	Memphis
3	78	Jamie Mueller	Running back	Benedictine (KS)
4	109	Leon Seals	Defensive end	Jackson State
7	171	Kerry Porter	Running back	Washington State
11	283	Howard Ballard *	Offensive Tackle	Alabama A&M
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[2]

Personnel[]

Staff[]

1987 Buffalo Bills staff

	Front office President – Ralph Wilson Vice President of Administration/General Manager – Bill Polian Vice President of Football Operations – Marv Levy Director of College Scouting – John Butler Director of Pro Personnel – Bob Ferguson National Scout – Norm Pollom College Scout – A. J. Smith Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach – Chuck Dickerson Head coaches Head Coach – Marv Levy Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line – Jim Ringo Quarterbacks/Passing Game Coordinator – Ted Marchibroda Running Backs – Elijah Pitts Receivers – Ted Tollner Tight Ends – Chuck Dickerson			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Walt Corey Defensive Line – Ted Cottrell Defensive Backs – Dick Roach Defensive Assistant – Chuck Lester Special teams coaches Special Teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Rusty Jones

^[3]

NFL replacement players[]

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 Buffalo Bills replacement roster
Quarterbacks 13 Brian McClure 10 Mark Miller 17 Willie Totten Running Backs 46 Joe Chetti 30 Warren Loving 47 Mike Panepinto 24 Johnny Shepherd Wide Receivers 86 Marc Brown 88 Reggie Bynum 83 Sheldon Gaines 85 Kris Haines 89 Thad McFadden Tight Ends 84 Veno Belk		Offensive Linemen 68 T 71 Sean Dowling 75 Erik Rosenmeier C 63 T 64 Joe Silipo 62 Defensive Linemen 41 Ira Albright DT/FB 91 Jack Bravyak 90 Arnold Campbell DE 93 74 94 DE		Linebackers 92 Will Cokeley 50 52 96 Craig Walls 53 Scott Watters 60 Al Wenglikowski Defensive Backs 20 John Armstrong 21 Gerald Bess 25 36 Steve Clark 27 40 23 Kerry Parker  9 David Martin Special Teams  5 Rick Partridge P  3 Todd Schlopy K

Roster[]

1987 Buffalo Bills roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running backs 35 Carl Byrum FB 33 Ronnie Harmon 49 Bruce King 41 Jamie Mueller FB 30 Kerry Porter 40 Robb Riddick 34 Gary Wilkins RB/TE Wide receivers 81 Walter Broughton 85 Chris Burkett 86 Trumaine Johnson 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker Tight ends 88 Pete Metzelaars 84 Keith McKeller 87 Butch Rolle		Offensive linemen 75 Howard Ballard T 61 Leonard Burton C 70 Joe Devlin T 59 Mitch Frerotte G 67 Kent Hull C 63 Adam Lingner C 51 Jim Ritcher G 62 Mark Traynowicz G 65 Tim Vogler G 73 Will Wolford T Defensive linemen 95 Sean McNanie DE 74 NT 94 Mark Pike DE 79 Dean Prater DE 96 Leon Seals DE 76 Fred Smerlas NT 78 Bruce Smith DE		Linebackers 55 Cornelius Bennett OLB 50 Ray Bentley ILB 58 Shane Conlan ILB 52 John Kaiser 54 Eugene Marve ILB 59 Steve Maidlow 97 Scott Radecic ILB/OLB 56 Darryl Talley OLB Defensive backs 29 Derrick Burroughs CB 21 Wayne Davis CB 45 Dwight Drane SS 48 Lawrence Johnson CB 38 Mark Kelso FS 25 Roland Mitchell CB 37 Nate Odomes CB 27 Ron Pitts CB 42 Durwood Roquemore S Special teams  4 John Kidd P 11 Scott Norwood K		Reserve lists  8 Stan Gelbaugh QB (IR) 71 Dale Hellestrae T/G/C (IR) 23 Kevin Williams CB (IR) Practice squad —- Willie Beecher K Rookies in italics

Regular season[]

Cornerback Nate Odomes was the youngest starting defensive player in the NFL. It was also his rookie season.

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 13, 1987	New York Jets	L 31–28	76,718
2	September 20, 1987	Houston Oilers	W 34–30	56,534
–	September 27, 1987	at Dallas Cowboys	canceled
3	October 4, 1987	Indianapolis Colts	L 47–6	9,860
4	October 11, 1987	at New England Patriots	L 14–7	11,878
5	October 18, 1987	New York Giants	W 6–3	15,737
6	October 25, 1987	at Miami Dolphins	W 34–31 OT	61,295
7	November 1, 1987	Washington Redskins	L 27–7	71,640
8	November 8, 1987	Denver Broncos	W 21–14	63,698
9	November 15, 1987	at Cleveland Browns	L 27–21	78,409
10	November 22, 1987	at New York Jets	W 17–14	58,407
11	November 29, 1987	Miami Dolphins	W 27–0	68,055
12	December 6, 1987	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 34–21	43,143
13	December 13, 1987	at Indianapolis Colts	W 27–3	60,253
14	December 20, 1987	New England Patriots	L 13–7	74,945
15	December 27, 1987	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–7	57,547

Game summaries[]

Week 1[]

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Week 2[]

1 2 3 4 Total Oilers 3 14 3 10 30 • Bills 3 10 0 21 34 Date: September 20 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 62 °F (16.7 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn) TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Scoring summary 1 BUF Scott Norwood 45 yard field goal Bills 3–0 1 HOU Tony Zendejas 52 yard field goal Tie 3–3 2 HOU Drew Hill 2 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick) Oilers 10–3 2 BUF Scott Norwood 38 yard field goal Oilers 10–6 2 HOU Mike Rozier 8 yard run (Tony Zendejas kick) Oilers 17–6 2 BUF Robb Riddick 11 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) Oilers 17–13 3 HOU Tony Zendejas 27 yard field goal Oilers 20–13 4 BUF Andre Reed 8 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) Tie 20–20 4 HOU Ernest Givens 12 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick) Oilers 27–20 4 HOU Tony Zendejas 30 yard field goal Oilers 30–20 4 BUF Robb Riddick 2 yard run (Scott Norwood kick) Oilers 30–27 4 BUF Ronnie Harmon 2 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) Bills 34–30

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Week 6[]

Buffalo Bills (2-3) at Miami Dolphins (2-3)

1 2 3 4 OT Total • Bills 0 3 14 14 3 34 Dolphins 14 7 0 10 0 31 Date: October 25, 1987 Location: Joe Robbie Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 61,295 Game weather: 78 °F (25.6 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn) Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Paul Maguire

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Week 7[]

Washington Redskins (5-1) at Buffalo Bills (3-3)

1 2 3 4 Total • Redskins 3 14 10 0 27 Bills 0 0 0 7 7 Date: November 1, 1987 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 71,640 Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn) Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Terry Bradshaw

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Week 8[]

1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 0 7 7 14 • Bills 0 18 3 0 21 Date: November 8, 1987 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 63,698 Game weather: 50 °F; wind 17 Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Reggie Rucker

• Cornelius Bennetts first game as a Buffalo Bill, wearing #55.
• Steve Tasker blocked punt just before halftime resulting in a safety and 18-0 halftime score.

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Week 9[]

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 7 0 0 14 21 • Browns 3 14 7 3 27 Date: November 15 Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium Game start: 1:00 PM EST Game attendance: 78,409 Game weather: 48 °F (8.9 °C); wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn) Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Michael Jackson

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Week 12 vs Dolphins[]

Standings[]

AFC East
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Indianapolis Colts(3)	9	6	0	.600	5–3	8–6	300	238	W2
New England Patriots	8	7	0	.533	6–2	8–4	320	293	W3
Miami Dolphins	8	7	0	.533	2–6	5–7	362	335	L1
Buffalo Bills	7	8	0	.467	4–4	6–6	270	305	L2
New York Jets	6	9	0	.400	3–5	6–5	334	360	L4

Player stats[]

Passing[]

Note: Comp = Completions; ATT = Attempts; TD = Touchdowns; INT = Interceptions

Player	Games	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Rating
Jim Kelly	12	250	419	2798	19	11	83.8
John Kidd	12	0	1	0	0	0	39.6
Dan Manucci	3	7	21	68	0	2	3.8
Brian McClure	1	20	38	181	0	3	32.9
Mark Miller	1	1	3	9	0	1	2.8
Robb Riddick	6	1	1	35	0	0	118.7
Willie Totten	2	13	33	155	2	2	49.4

^[9]

Rushing[]

Player	Games	Attempts	Yards	Avg	TD
Ronnie Harmon	12	116	485		2
Jamie Mueller	12	82	354		2
Carl Byrum	13	66	280		0
Robb Riddick	6	59	221		5
Ricky Porter	9	47	177		0
Jim Kelly	12	29	133		0

^[9]

Receiving[]

Player	Games	Number	Yards	Avg	TD
Chris Burkett	12	56	765	13.7	4
Andre Reed	12	57	752	13.2	5
Ronnie Harmon	12	56	477	8.5	2
Pete Metzelaars	12	28	290	10.4	0
Trumaine Johnson	12	15	186	12.4	2

^[9]

Defense[]

Note: FR = Fumble Recoveries; TCKL = Tackles; INT = Interceptions; TD = Touchdowns

Player	Games	Sacks	Forced Fumbles	FR	Tckl	INT	Yards	TD
Shane Conlan	12	0.5	1	0	114	0	0	0
Bruce Smith	12	12.0	3	0	2	0	0	0

Special teams[]

Note: FGA = Field Goals Attempted; FGM = Field Goals Made; FG% = Field Goal Percentage; XPA = Extra Points Attempted; XPM = Extra Points Made; XP% = Extra Points Percentage

Player	Games	FGA	FGM	FG %	XPA	XPM	XP %
Scott Norwood	12	15	10	66.7	31	31	100
Todd Schlopy	3	5	2	40	2	1	50

^[9]

• Punting

Player	Games	Punts	Yards	Long	Blocked	Avg. yards
John Kidd	12	64	2495	67	0	39.0
Rick Partridge	3	18	678	52	1	37.7

^[9]

Awards and honors[]

Defensive Rookie of the Year^[10]

• Shane Conlan

AFC Pro Bowl selections

• Jim Kelly
• Bruce Smith

Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player

• Bruce Smith

All-Pros[]

First Team

• Bruce Smith, Defensive end
• Steve Tasker, Special teams

Second Team

• Shane Conlan, Linebacker

References[]

External links[]

• 1987 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com