September 16th, 2016 at 2:46 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^
Lions all-time great RB (Sanders) >>>> Bills all-time great RB (OJ).
Although Thurman Thomas would probably also get votes for Bills all-time RB.
September 16th, 2016 at 2:59 PM ^
If you are talking about as a person I agree, but on the field OJ was arguably better. All time greats and top 5 running backs. OJ might have been the first cross over football superstar. OJ a way bigger star in the 70s and 80s than Sanders. That is what made it such a story when he cut off his exwives and boy friends heads.
Bills went to 3 superbowls in a row, Lions not so much and yes I am a lions fan, unfortunately.
September 16th, 2016 at 3:08 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 3:11 PM ^
No good deed goes unpunished...
September 16th, 2016 at 6:30 PM ^
talk about a serious case of wrong place wrong time.
September 16th, 2016 at 8:15 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 11:24 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 3:11 PM ^
Wait, are you sure? I mean, I was young when it happened and never cared to look into what happened. He cut their heads off? That's as ruthless and sick as it gets. I remember the media saying they were stabbed many times. Big surprise there that the media messed something up. The jackasses were probably questioning him what kind of injuries him and his team of killers/planners had and how long they'd be out for!
September 16th, 2016 at 3:17 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 3:34 PM ^
I highly suggest ESPNs OJ: Made in America. I was 4-5 when all this was happening in real time. The only thing I remember is the adults always talking about some court case.
After watching it...wow. OJ killed those two people in cold blood.
September 16th, 2016 at 4:29 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 4:57 PM ^
Did you watch the documentary!? OJ admitted it to multiple people.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:43 PM ^
September 17th, 2016 at 2:21 AM ^
Everyone in our climate knows that. We all used to wear leather winter gloves until they started making gloves with synthetics.
OJs size 11 Bruno Magli shoe prints on the grounds made it soooooooo obvious ...............to any rational being.
He used a swiss army knife. I doubt if decapitation was an issue.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:18 PM ^
Agreed, AMAZING series. I suggest everyone watch no matter your take on any of the topics touched on throughout the 5 episodes.
September 16th, 2016 at 3:15 PM ^
Surely not acting, as Jim Brown was earlier and better at both.
September 17th, 2016 at 9:09 AM ^
OJ was the Peyton Manning of his day, all over the place on ads and TV.
September 16th, 2016 at 4:01 PM ^
In hindsight (with pure 20/20 vision), I'm thrilled to have cheered for Barry Sanders as a Lions fan. A Bills fan, however, is probably content distancing themselves with the disaster that is OJ Simpson. Both were stud backs on the field, but off the field...well.
September 16th, 2016 at 4:19 PM ^
However had he done it, there is a book about that.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:05 PM ^
Epic also-rans.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:05 PM ^
Could've won the first one, and was completely outclassed in the last three. Still, Lions fans can't talk. Our best season in the SB era ended in a 31 point blowout loss in the NFC title game.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:14 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 6:29 PM ^
A friend from Buffalo told me that "BILLS stands for, Boy I Love Losing Superbowls."
September 16th, 2016 at 6:06 PM ^
Just out of curiosity, where would you all rank Walter Payton in reference to these two?
September 16th, 2016 at 9:22 PM ^
As someone who occasionally goes to a Lions or Bills game there is a difference. The Bills apart from their run in the 90’s have been a disaster. Say what you will about the Lions coaching, it has never been so bad as to allow Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb to run the clown show.
The fan bases are also very very different. I took my father to a Chargers game in Buffalo about 9 years ago because I was gifted tickets by a friend who worked for the Chargers. I remember having a conversation with the guy next to me about both teams and when he saw I was wearing a Padres hat stopped talking to me. Pretty benign right up until the 60 year old woman behind me noticed the same and kicked me in the head. Tail gates in Orchard Park are the fucking thunder dome. The stadium has urinal troughs for Gods sake. These people are savages.
Also I'm a Falcons fan and I can Lord it over both teams which is just pathetic.
September 16th, 2016 at 9:30 PM ^
Every NFL stadium is filled with obnoxious drunk morons but Buffalo really takes the cake.
September 16th, 2016 at 10:26 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 3:03 PM ^
I'm pretty sure Bruce Smith is their all-time great.
Edit: Nevermind, I see you said RB
September 16th, 2016 at 2:57 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 2:59 PM ^
One difference is that lions are lighter.
September 16th, 2016 at 3:09 PM ^
No buffalo pictures this week, even if they are water buffalos.
September 16th, 2016 at 3:17 PM ^
Those are real buffalo, the Colorado version are not buffalo at all they are bison.
September 16th, 2016 at 3:12 PM ^
The Bills went to four straight SBs. Lions can't win a playoff game.
September 16th, 2016 at 4:21 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 4:48 PM ^
Also very solid from 1995-2000. Recently, yeah, they both suck.
But you can't do the "20 years ago bit." That's not all that long ago when describing a team's history. And going to four straight SBs will never be touched by anything the Lions do.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:11 PM ^
I disagree, 20 years ago was a totally different time. But that's why I said "at this point", meaning now, currently. I lived a mile down the road from "The Ralph" (or New Era Stadium as its called now) and thanks to some connections got to spend a fair amount of time around the Bills' organization in 2007. Just had a very similar feel to the Lions, like they're trying and spending lots of money but don't know how to be a winner anymore, as evidenced by them having the longest active playoff drought among major sports teams (16 seasons and counting). Just an aura of ineptitude around everything.
September 16th, 2016 at 7:28 PM ^
Unfortunately, "at this point" is an unworkable formulation because a significant share of the fanbase, especially in Great Lakes rust belt cities like these, is middle aged and has events of 20 years ago priced into the stock.
I'm 36. I've been a Lions fan all of my life. The Bills have been bad for a long time, and unlike Detroit it is conceivable that they could leave the city. However, they had a glorious age of success that, while not including a SB title, is still etched into the memories and the mentalities of every fan. In the same way that Michigan's high levels of success under Bo, Mo, and Carr shape the feelings we have for what our football team SHOULD be, success in the Jim Kelly era shapes the mentalities of fans.
And lack of success, too. The Lions have been the "same old Lions" for my entire life. 1991 was, by far, the best season they have had--Barry was rampant, the team was 12-4, and they managed to get blown out in the NFC Championship game.
The Bills have played in three Super Bowls since the Lions only playoff win.
It matters.
September 16th, 2016 at 7:57 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^
I doubt the Lions will ever win a SB with "WCF" permanently sewn into their jersey, but Tampa's one SB win beats the four losses in a row for Buffalo or Minnesota's four losses in eight years.
September 16th, 2016 at 6:11 PM ^
September 16th, 2016 at 3:16 PM ^
....beaten to the punch
September 16th, 2016 at 3:29 PM ^
4 Super bowl's versus 0...I'd say no difference at all...
Both play is very cold weather regions (Detroit is smarter and has a dome)
Both play in a division they are historically the bottom of
Both have horrible draft histories and draft choices retention
Both wear shades of Blue/white
Both have loyal fans despite low percentages of playoff games played (last 20 years)
Both had superstar RB's from Ok St
Both have utterly failed at WR talent (Detroit has 1, 2 if you go back to Herman Moore -BUF you need to go back to early 80's for WR superstar Wr talent)
Both rarely place top 10 for jersey/merchandise sales
Both have extremely old owners and/or ownership within family of older owners
Both are pleasant surprises to win, but more commonly expected to lose
September 16th, 2016 at 3:48 PM ^
September 17th, 2016 at 12:30 PM ^
Lofton was much older at that point, and reed was grossly overrated, he would just be a decent slot now days, he benefited from the spread pass against yet to change 3-4/4-3 schemes that still put LB's on 3-4th wr...
September 16th, 2016 at 3:56 PM ^
Terry Pegula owns the Bills, he just bought the team.
September 16th, 2016 at 4:37 PM ^
Is it really smart for the Lions to play indoors? Cold weather teams with outdoor venues have an advantage late season and in the playoffs when playing indoor/warm weather teams. The Lions are choosing to give up that potential advantage at home and join the ranks of the occassionally disadvantaged on the road.
September 16th, 2016 at 5:00 PM ^
Grew up in Michigan, followed the Lions of the Greg Landry, Altee Taylor, Charlie Sanders, Steve Owens and Dick Jauron era as a kid - later Billy Sims. Lived in Willliamsville NY (suburb of Buffalo) and worked in Buffalo for 10 years during the 4 years of the Super Bowl run and the Doug Flutie (Flutie Flakes madenss period).
That was a great team - they made 4 straight Super Bowls. The unfortunate reality is that they were just the 2nd best team in the league each time.
Superbowl 25 - lost to the NY Giants of Bill Parcell (DC Bill Belichik, Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, Pepper Johnson - super LB) 19-20, this in retrospect was the most painful loss because they were out-coached in this game. It was the Bills Offense that needed to win the game but Giants limited them to just 19 points and the Giants used a great ball control game plan to hold the ball for 40 minutes proving sometimes a great defense is made even better by a ball control offense. This would prove to be the only truly winnable game - and one that hurts the most because many wonder with some other small changes here/there this game could have gone the other way.
Superbowl 26 - lost to Washington 24-37. Despite having 27th ranked total defense (out of 28 teams) the offense carried the team to a AFC best 13-3 record and into their repeat Superbowl. This was the infamous can't find my helmet game where Thurman Thomas put his helmet down and somehow it got moved so he missed the first few plays. That an omen for an off day, Jim Kelly would be picked off 4 times and the Bills will have 6 fumbles (losing one) and end up down 31-10 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Washington was just better balanced and played better when it counted.
Superbowl 27 - lost to Dallas Cowboys 17-52. This was the early Cowboys of Jimmy Johnson when he had a top defense and now had the core of their offense, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek, and the great Emmitt Smith behind a massive OL. Competitive in the first quarter, the Cowboys behind the power running of Smith and quick timing throws of Aikman to Irvin ground down the Bills to take a 28-10 lead at halftime. After a brief comeback in the 3rd quarter, the "dam broke" and the Cowboys ran away in the 4th quarter.
Superbowl 28 - lost to Dallas Cowboys 13-30. The first repeat Superbowl between the same teams back to back. The Bills held a halftime lead of 13-6 and many thought maybe this would finally be the year, but the the OL and Emmitt Smith of the Cowboys just took over. Early in the 3rd quarter they ran Smith 7 times in a 8 play 64 yard drive to tie up the game. I was watching with a crowd of friends and we all were silent as Smith gouged out chunks of yardage. When he finally plowed into the endzone we all let out a collective groan as if we were all punched in the stomach - though the game was just tied, we knew the game was lost. They would then add another 17 points and like the previous game, the Bills collapsed into a series of fumbles and interceptions.
Making it to the Superbowl is really hard. Making it back to back very hard. Four times in a row - very rare - that means few injuries, and there has to be the talent, coaching and skill there. Unfortunately each time they were just 2nd best.
Ralph Wilson the owner at that time was very much hands on and involved and truly wanted to win. He was accessible and while not buddies with the media he was not an absentee owner or distant. Were they better than the Lions? YES, YES, YES. Though they did not win the Superbowl during that run, only one team did and they made it to the last two teams 4 years in a row. The notion that only the championship team is good and all others are equally bad is ridiculous.
The Lion teams WASTED the career of some great players. Barry Sanders arguably one of the few RBs that can be mentioned in the same discussion as the GOAT RBs was put on a 'run and shoot' team and never had the type of line, QB and defense - had he played with a Chicago Team like Walter Payton or a Cowboy team like Emmitt Smith he'd have won several titles. They wasted Calvin Johnson's time and probably will waste Matthew Stafford's time. The Bills at least did not do that to Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith or Thurman Thomas.
Arrgggh still so painful to go over!
September 16th, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^
I appreciate the reply, I guess I wasn't clear in the OP. I said "at this point" and meant now, the way the organizations have recently been performing/functioning.
There's no doubting the Bills are better historically, but in the last 10 years? There doesn't seem to be too much difference overall, like neither can seem to get over the hump despite using large amounts of resources, keep making questionable hires for coaching staffs, etc.
September 16th, 2016 at 9:31 PM ^
Lately the Bills are indeed bad - Ralph WIlson the former owner really cared a lot about winning, the head coach Marv Levy was a really first class person, and that core team sould have won one of those Superbowls but that's life. None of Wilson's kids wanted or could take on the team, and so he cashed out.
I can't think of a coach more of an antithesis to Marv than Rex Ryan - he was capable, humble and considerate. Remember that Bill Polian was the GM and helped to build those teams and later built the early Indy Colts - just a few of the many more ways the Bills of the past truly were superior to the Lions.
I know I should know better and not care so much. I should know that deep down the Lions are just another money making business. The only reason the leadership now seems to be doing a bit more than the past when it was clearly just a rich person's hobby, is because of the declining fortunes of the owners. Once a NFL team was just a fun hobby to have a side line (like what some minor leagues teams are still - nothing serious but just some fun for people who can blow hundreds of thousands of dollars each year) but now the team represents a major money making asset worth at least $1.8-2 BILLION dollars. The days of letting uncle so-and-so run the team with drinking-buddy as his GM are over.
Calvin Johnson did the smart thing, just like Barry Sanders - run away before they blew their knees and had too many concussions. To paraphrase a former AD, it is too late to dredge up the painful past and I just have to let it go.