1989 Buffalo Bills season

The 1989 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 30th overall season as a football team and the 20th in the National Football League. The Bills finished in first place in the AFC East and finished the National Football League's 1989 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses. Although Buffalo won the division and qualified for the postseason, their record was a drop off from their 12–4 mark in 1988.

1989 Buffalo Bills season
Head coach	Marv Levy
General manager	Bill Polian
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Home field	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Browns) 34–30

Bickering Bills

The team was nicknamed the Bickering Bills because of a rash of internal conflicts within the team. During a Monday Night loss to the Denver Broncos, Jim Kelly could be seen yelling at wide receiver Chris Burkett; it would be Burkett's last game with the team, as he was released shortly after the game.[1]

Kelly was injured in a Week Five blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and subsequently blamed his offensive line's blocking—notably offensive tackle Howard Ballard—for contributing to his injury.[2]

In the week leading up to a Week Eight matchup with Miami, assistant coaches Tom Bresnahan and Nick Nicolau got into a fistfight while the two were reviewing game film.

The biggest blowup occurred when starting running back Thurman Thomas, asking to address Jim Kelly's criticism of the offense—and the pass-catching ability of running back Ronnie Harmon in particular—criticized Kelly himself on a Rochester, New York television show. When asked what position the Bills could upgrade at, Thomas replied, "Quarterback." Thomas claimed at first that it was a joke, but later, when appearing on Paul Maguire's Budweiser Sportsline show, he stated that the team didn't appreciate Kelly's public criticism and that Kelly should elevate his level of play.[3][4]

Offseason

NFL draft

Unable to select a first or second-round pick in the 1989 draft, the Bills were able to pick wide receiver Don Beebe. Beebe was a third-round pick from small Chadron State. He would be a productive wide receiver for the team for six seasons. Beebe would achieve something akin to folk hero status in Buffalo, when, in Super Bowl XXVII, as the Bills were being soundly defeated by Dallas, Beebe chased down Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett, stripped the ball from his hands and saved what would have been a sure touchdown.

The Bills also drafted future two-sport athlete Brian Jordan in the seventh round. Though the Bills cut him before the 1989 season began, Jordan would go on to play three productive seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, and fifteen seasons as a Major League Baseball outfielder.

1989 Buffalo Bills draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
3	82	Don Beebe	Wide receiver	Chadron State
4	109	John Kolesar	Wide receiver	Michigan
5	137	Michael Andrews	Defensive back	Alcorn State
6	164	Sean Doctor	Running back	Marshall
7	173	Brian Jordan	Defensive back	Richmond
7	193	Chris Hale	Defensive back	USC
9	249	Pat Rabold	Defensive tackle	Wyoming
10	276	Carlo Cheattom	Defensive back	Auburn
11	305	Richard Harvey	Linebacker	Tulane
12	332	Derrell Marshall	Offensive tackle	USC
Made roster

[5]

Supplemental draft

1989 Buffalo Bills draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
8	4	Brett Young	Defensive back	Oregon
Made roster

[5]

Personnel

Staff

1989 Buffalo Bills staff

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

[6]

Roster

1989 Buffalo Bills roster

	Quarterbacks  8 Stan Gelbaugh 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running backs 23 Kenneth Davis 33 Ronnie Harmon 28 Larry Kinnebrew FB 39 Jamie Mueller FB 34 Thurman Thomas Wide receivers 82 Don Beebe 85 Chris Burkett 80 Flip Johnson 86 James Lofton 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker Tight ends 84 Keith McKeller 88 Pete Metzelaars 87 Butch Rolle		Offensive linemen 75 Howard Ballard OT 61 Leonard Burton OT 65 John Davis OG 70 Joe Devlin OG 67 Kent Hull C 63 Adam Lingner C 51 Jim Ritcher OG 69 Will Wolford OT Defensive linemen 94 Mark Pike DE 98 Elston Ridgle DE 96 Leon Seals DE 76 Fred Smerlas NT 78 Bruce Smith DE 72 Art Still DE 91 Jeff Wright NT		Linebackers 54 Carlton Bailey OLB 55 Cornelius Bennett OLB 50 Ray Bentley ILB 90 Tim Cofield 58 Shane Conlan ILB 57 Matt Monger OLB 97 Scott Radecic LB 56 Darryl Talley OLB Defensive backs 29 Derrick Burroughs CB 21 Wayne Davis CB 45 Dwight Drane S 22 John Hagy S 26 Chris Hale CB 47 Kirby Jackson CB 38 Mark Kelso S 37 Nate Odomes CB 46 Leonard Smith S 20 Mickey Sutton CB 22 Erroll Tucker CB Special teams  5 Kerry Brady K  4 John Kidd P 11 Scott Norwood K		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

[7]

Regular season

Before the season, future Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith was offered a large contract by Denver (US$7.5 million over five years), one that the Bills chose to match to retain Smith.[8] In 1989, Smith became the Bills' all-time sack leader when he reached his 52nd sack; he would end his 19-year career with 200, the most of any NFL player all-time.

Despite the internal strife the Bills experienced, they had some memorable wins. The Bills started the season with a last-second victory at Miami. The Dolphins led 24–13 in the fourth but Buffalo scored on a Flip Johnson touchdown catch, then with two seconds left on the clock, quarterback Jim Kelly dropped back to pass, but ran the ball in to the end zone as time expired, securing a 27–24 win.[9]

In Week Three, the Bills traveled to the Houston Astrodome and faced the "Run, and Shoot" Oilers. The Bills raced to a 27–10 lead in the third, but the Oilers exploded and the two teams combined for 45 points to force overtime. In overtime, a missed Tony Zendejas kick allowed the Bills to win on Jim Kelly's 28-yard score to Andre Reed. The 47–41 win would become the highest-scoring game between the two franchises. Kelly finished with five touchdown throws.

In Week Six the Bills hosted the undefeated Los Angeles Rams, with backup quarterback Frank Reich subbing for an injured Jim Kelly. The two clubs combined for 26 fourth-quarter points, and with 77 seconds remaining Reich started a drive from the Buffalo 36 yard line and with sixteen seconds left Andre Reed caught the winning eight-yard touchdown.

In Week Thirteen, on Monday Night Football, the Bills lost to the Seattle Seahawks 17–16, which included Seahawk Steve Largent running in a botched extra-point attempt. Dave Krieg's 51-yard touchdown in the fourth was ultimately the 1-point difference.

The Bills then lost their next two games (to the Saints and 49ers) before securing the AFC East title with a shutout road win over the New York Jets.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance
1	September 10, 1989	at Miami Dolphins	W 27–24	1–0	Joe Robbie Stadium	54,541
2	September 18, 1989	Denver Broncos	L 14–28	1–1	Rich Stadium	78,176
3	September 24, 1989	at Houston Oilers	W 47–41	2–1	Houston Astrodome	57,278
4	October 1, 1989	New England Patriots	W 31–10	3–1	Rich Stadium	78,921
5	October 8, 1989	at Indianapolis Colts	L 14–37	3–2	Hoosier Dome	58,890
6	October 16, 1989	Los Angeles Rams	W 23–20	4–2	Rich Stadium	76,231
7	October 22, 1989	New York Jets	W 34–3	5–2	Rich Stadium	76,811
8	October 29, 1989	Miami Dolphins	W 31–17	6–2	Rich Stadium	80,208
9	November 5, 1989	at Atlanta Falcons	L 28–30	6–3	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	45,267
10	November 12, 1989	Indianapolis Colts	W 30–7	7–3	Rich Stadium	79,256
11	November 19, 1989	at New England Patriots	L 24–33	7–4	Sullivan Stadium	49,663
12	November 26, 1989	Cincinnati Bengals	W 24–7	8–4	Rich Stadium	80,074
13	December 4, 1989	at Seattle Seahawks	L 16–17	8–5	Kingdome	57,682
14	December 10, 1989	New Orleans Saints	L 19–22	8–6	Rich Stadium	70,037
15	December 17, 1989	at San Francisco 49ers	L 10–21	8–7	Candlestick Park	60,927
16	December 23, 1989	at New York Jets	W 37–0	9–7	The Meadowlands	21,148

Game summaries

Week 1

See also: 1989 Miami Dolphins season and Bills–Dolphins rivalry

Week One: Buffalo Bills (0–0) at Miami Dolphins (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	3	0	10	14	27
Dolphins	0	10	7	7	24

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Date: September 10, 1989
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 54,541
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Jimmy Cefalo
• Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information

First quarter BUF – Scott Norwood 34 yard field goal, 2:34. Bills 3–0. Drive: Second quarter MIA – Troy Stradford 1-yard run (Pete Stoyanovich kick), 8:48. Dolphins 7–3. Drive: MIA – Pete Stoyanovich 29-yard field goal, 0:03. Dolphins 10–3. Drive: Third quarter BUF – Larry Kinnebrew 2-yard run (Scott Norwood kick), 11:58. Tie 10–10. Drive: MIA – Marc Logan 2-yard blocked punt return (Pete Stoyanovich kick), 7:03. Dolphins 17–10. Drive: BUF – Scott Norwood 37-yard field goal, 2:11. Dolphins 17–13. Drive: Fourth quarter MIA – Andre Brown 8-yard pass from Dan Marino (Pete Stoyanovich kick), 4:17. Dolphins 24–13. Drive: BUF – Flip Johnson 26-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 2:50. Dolphins 24–20. Drive: BUF – Jim Kelly 2-yard run (Scott Norwood kick), 0:00. Bills 27–24. Drive: 51 yards. Top passers BUF – Jim Kelly – 25/40, 265 yards, TD MIA – Dan Marino – 25/38, 255 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers BUF – Thurman Thomas – 13 rushes, 94 yards MIA – Troy Stradford – 12 rushes, 43 yards, TD Top receivers BUF – Thurman Thomas – 8 receptions, 65 yards MIA – Ferrell Edmunds – 5 receptions, 58 yards

Week 2

The Bills lost on Monday Night Football 28–14, giving up a safety when Jamie Mueller was downed in the Bills endzone in the first quarter. It never got better as Jim Kelly was intercepted three times by the Broncos. John Elway and four Broncos backs rushed for 201 yards and won despite ten penalties for 71 yards. Kelly got into a confrontation with receiver Chris Burkett. In the game, Burkett had only one catch for six yards; Burkett was cut and quickly signed by the Jets.

Week 3

The Bills traveled to the Astrodome and the ensuing game against the Oilers became the highest-scoring meeting in the two clubs' history. With Buffalo up 13–10 on the final play of the second quarter a blocked Oilers field goal attempt was run back for a 76-yard Bills touchdown by Mark Kelso. The Bills clawed to a 27–10 lead but the Oilers scored two quick touchdowns in the third, the second a Cris Dishman score on a blocked punt. Warren Moon was drilled as he rifled a touchdown to Ernest Givens and Givens literally jumped over three Bills defenders as he landed in the endzone; a Kelly interception led to a Lorenzo White score, but after a Thurman Thomas touchdown and the overturning of a Bills pick-six, Moon drove down for Tony Zendejas's game-tying 52-yard field goal. Zendejas missed another kick in overtime, and Kelly's 28-yard strike to Andre Reed ended the game, a 47–41 overtime Bills win.

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 7 0 3 10 20 • Bills 0 6 0 17 23 Date: October 16 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 66°F; wind 16 Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf

Scoring summary Q1 LA Buford McGee 3 yard pass from Jim Everett (Mike Lansford kick) LA 7–0 Q2 BUF Scott Norwood 38 yard field goal LA 7–3 Q2 BUF Scott Norwood 47 yard field goal LA 7–6 Q3 LA Mike Lansford 34 yard field goal LA 10–6 Q4 BUF Scott Norwood 40 yard field goal LA 10–9 Q4 LA Mike Lansford 36 yard field goal LA 13–9 Q4 BUF Thurman Thomas 1 yard pass from Frank Reich (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 16–13 Q4 LA Flipper Anderson 78 yard pass from Jim Everett (Mike Lansford kick) LA 20–16 Q4 BUF Andre Reed 8 yard pass from Frank Reich (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 23–20

[10]

Week 9

Buffalo Bills (6-2) at Atlanta Falcons (2-6)

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 7 0 14 7 28 • Falcons 0 3 17 10 30 Date: Sunday Nov 5, 1989 Location: Fulton County Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia Game start: 1:00pm EST Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C) Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Joel Meyers and Paul Maguire

[11]

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 0 0 7 7 • Bills 13 14 0 3 30 Date: November 12 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 38°F; wind 19

Scoring summary Q1 BUF Thurman Thomas 8 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 7–0 Q1 BUF Scott Norwood 42 yard field goal BUF 10–0 Q1 BUF Scott Norwood 40 yard field goal BUF 13–0 Q2 BUF Andre Reed 32 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 20–0 Q2 BUF Andre Reed 3 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 27–0 Q4 BUF Scott Norwood 32 yard field goal BUF 30–0 Q4 IND Randy Dixon recovered fumble in end zone (Dean Biasucci kick) BUF 30–7

[12]

Week 11

Buffalo Bills (7-3) at New England Patriots (3-7)

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 7 3 0 14 24 • Patriots 0 6 7 20 33 Date: Nov 19, 1989 Location: Foxboro Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts Game start: 1:00pm EST Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C) Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Charlie Jones (sportscaster) and Merlin Olsen

[13]

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Buffalo Bills^(3)	9	7	0	.563	6–2	8–4	409	317	W1
Indianapolis Colts	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–5	298	301	L1
Miami Dolphins	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–8	331	379	L2
New England Patriots	5	11	0	.313	4–4	5–7	297	391	L3
New York Jets	4	12	0	.250	2–6	3–9	253	411	L3

[14]

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff

Buffalo Bills (9–7) at Cleveland Browns (9–6–1)

Cleveland Browns 34, Buffalo Bills 30

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	7	7	9	30
Browns	3	14	14	3	34

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time: Saturday, January 6, 1990. 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 77,706
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Merlin Olsen

In a shootout, Browns linebacker Clay Matthews intercepted Bills quarterback Jim Kelly at the Cleveland 1-yard line with 3 seconds remaining to preserve a 34–30 victory. Kelly threw for 405 yards and 4 touchdowns while Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar threw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Browns receiver Webster Slaughter had the best postseason performance of his career with 3 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Buffalo scored first with wide receiver Andre Reed's 72-yard touchdown reception. But Cleveland struck back with a 45-yard field goal by Matt Bahr and a 52-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Slaughter. Kelly's 33-yard touchdown pass to James Lofton put the Bills back in the lead, 14–10, but Browns retook the lead with Ron Middleton's 3-yard catch shortly before the end of the first half.

On the opening drive of the second half, Kosar hooked up with Slaughter for another touchdown pass, this one 44-yards, to increase their lead to 24–14. Buffalo responded with a 6-yard touchdown catch by running back Thurman Thomas, who tied an NFL playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards. But Browns running back Eric Metcalf returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter. After an exchange of field goals, Thomas caught a three-yard touchdown pass. But the extra point failed, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive. With time running out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line, but halfback Ronnie Harmon dropped a potential game-winning catch in the end zone, and Matthews intercepted Kelly on the next play.

Awards and records

• Shane Conlan, Pro Bowl Selection
• Kent Hull, Pro Bowl Selection
• Bruce Smith, Pro Bowl Selection
• Thurman Thomas, Pro Bowl Selection
• Thurman Thomas, NFL Combined Yards from Scrimmage Leader

See also

Other teams in NFL history plagued by internal conflict

• 1993 Houston Oilers season
• 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers season ("Days of our Steelers")

References

1. Buffalo Rumblings: Worst Moments In Bills History, No. 22: Bickering Bills | Retrieved December 30, 2011
2. Buffalo Rumblings: Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 41: OT Howard Ballard | Retrieved December 30, 2011
3. Thomas Is Above Criticism Now : Bills: Running back spoke out against Kelly last season, but he is still an essential part of a now-happy family in Buffalo | Los Angeles Times, January 18, 1991 | Retrieved December 30, 2011
4. Bickering Bills aim criticism at Kelly | Houston Chronicle December 14, 1989 | Retrieved December 30, 2011
5. "1989 Buffalo Bills draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
6. 1989 Buffalo Bills Media Guide. pp. 2–23.
7. "1989 Buffalo Bills starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
8. BillsZone.com: 1989 Buffalo Bills – Bickering Bills | Retrieved December 30, 2011
9. Warren, Matt (June 26, 2011). "Best Moments in Bills History, No. 22: Jim Kelly's Last-Second Plunge Sinks Miami". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
10. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Mar-23.
11. . Retrieved 2020-Jul-09.
12. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Mar-16.
13. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-Jul-08.
14. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 292

External links

• 1989 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com