JUST NOW:The top bills QB Josh Allen wished to leave due to…
The belief that Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott ought to be fired was a prevalent theme among Bills Mafia both during and after the 2023 NFL season. Whose? With the belief that Josh Allen is a generational talent who makes a head coach’s job “easy,” many don’t appear to care.
Hold on a second. You mentioned that the purpose of this mental exercise was to imagine Josh Allen on underperforming teams and explore the possibilities of what might have happened in a different reality. The ’98 Bills made the playoffs, didn’t they? Indeed, they did. The squad did make the playoffs the first season Wade Phillips led them after The Legend Marv Levy left.
Even before we include in a time-traveling Josh Allen, the Bills were probably capable of much more that season, since they were eliminated in the first round after losing to the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round. An uneven club that had a strong star group on its roster was unable to reach its potential when it mattered most. Do you recognize this? Then, there’s nothing better.
As mentioned above, Wade Phillips, a highly esteemed defensive thinker, was making his debut in Orchard Park, New York, this year. Keep in mind that Philips is still active in football, having led the San Antonio Brahmas to victory. While leading three teams, including the Bills, to the postseason in the NFL, Phillips only managed one win in five games. Joe Pendry oversaw offense, Ted Cottrell oversaw defense, and Turk Schonert oversaw quarterbacks while serving as Phillips’ coordinator for Buffalo.
With the sixth-highest points per drive (2.02), seventh-best turnover percentage (10.8%), and fourth-best scoring percentage per drive (39.2%) throughout that season, the Bills had an effective offensive. Buffalo’s overall effectiveness concealed a patchy series of plays. Buffalo scored 17 points or less in seven games and 30 points or more in eight other games.
With the 16th “best” scoring percentage per drive, the 18th-best points per drive, and the 13th-best turnover percentage, the defense was a little below par. Though we more seasoned fans recall that Wade was Marv Levy’s defensive coordinator and was successful in maintaining his 3-4 approach, you might be thinking that Phillips made changes to the defensive scheme that season.
With a 10-6 record, the ’98 Bills were third in the AFC East and the fifth seed (out of six) going into the playoffs.
To commemorate the defensive tradition of Phillips, we will begin with the defense. Following impressive seasons, nose tackle Ted Washington and defensive end Bruce Smith were selected for the Pro Bowl that year. In 15 games, Smith recorded 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Washington also had two forced fumbles and 4.5 sacks.
defensive end With seven sacks and three fumble recoveries, including one touchdown, Phil Hansen had an excellent season. Marcellus Wiley, a defensive end, and Pat Williams, a defensive tackle, were better investments as reserves than they actually were. I could go on, but the defensive team from 1998 had the talent to perform better on paper.
Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie alternated at quarterback on offense, with Flutie being selected to the Pro Bowl. In most efficiency indicators, Johnson beat Flutie; this could be because of a lower sample size. Together, the two scored two touchdowns on the ground and 28 throwing.
Thurman, running back Even yet, Thomas’s yardage per carry of 4.1 was just a little bit higher than the league average. Antowain Smith outperformed him in volume but not in efficiency (3.7 yards per carry). Smith scored ten touchdowns on the ground, while Thomas scored two.
I’ll end the skill-position breakdown here with one sentence rather than going over the remaining roster and statistics. Eric Moulds was teamed with Andre Reed, who was still quite productive, as wide receiver.
Regarding the offensive line, offensive lineman Ruben Brown made it to the Pro Bowl with assistance from fellow offensive linemen Jerry Ostroski and John Fina, two former Bills whose names should be quite known to frequent readers, watchers, and listeners of Buffalo Rumblings.
Adding a peak The addition of Josh Allen to this team thankfully puts a stop to the ongoing conflict between Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson. Since regulations have changed and time has gone, I won’t go into great detail about statistical comparisons. When I believe that Allen represents a larger ceiling—especially when taking into account his dual-threat ability—I mean no disrespect to either player.
