Twelve blunders in Buffalo Bills history

As we approach 2013, and with the current frustration of being a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, I have listed 12 ridiculous decisions made by the Bills’ front office over the last 52 years. Perhaps the Bills’ brass can learn from these poor judgments (yeah, right) and return our team to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

1. 1960; In the first year of the American Football League and with their first draft pick, the Buffalo Bills selected “Riverboat Richie” Lucas to be their first starting quarterback.
Despite a stellar career at Penn State University and the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, Lucas played in only 22 games, completed a woeful 43 percent of his passes and threw only four touchdown passes. He was out of football by 1962.

2. 1967; The Bills, for no apparent reason, traded budding star quarterback Daryle Lamonica and receiver Glenn Bass for aging quarterback Tom Flores and a washed-up receiver named Art Powell. Tom Flores arrived with double vision and was able to play only as a reserve and Powell was out of the league within two years. Meanwhile, Daryle Lamonica went on to star for the Oakland Raiders winning two AFL MVP’S (1967&1969), four straight AFL Western Division Championships, three All Star appearances and became known as “The Mad Bomber” for his powerful deep throwing arm.
Lamonica finished his pro career with the highest winning percentage (90%) in football history and led the Raiders to Super Bowl II in 1968. Incidentally, the Buffalo Bills finished with the worst record in the AFL in 1968.

3. 1970; In a move that defies reasonable football intelligence, the Buffalo Bills traded the defensive captain of their only Championship teams (1964&1965), Roland “The Dancing Bear” McDole to the Washington Redskins for a third and fourth round pick. All McDole did was to play eight more productive years, leading the Redskin defense to the 1972 Super Bowl; broke the record for interceptions by a defensive lineman (11 and the record still stands!), and is third in all-time safeties. The Washington Redskins listed “the Dancing Bear” as one of the 70 greatest players in their storied eighty-year history.

4. 1972; The Buffalo Bills, with the first pick in the draft, selected defensive lineman Walt Patulski from Notre Dame. Walt immediately was a major disappointment and in his four years career managed only 22 sacks as a Bill and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a second round pick. Patulski is listed on ESPN’s all-time 25 draft busts.

5. 1993; Bill Polian was the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills from 1986 to 1993. Polian was hired after the Bills suffered back-to-back two win - fourteen loss seasons and immediately turned the franchise around. Polian won two Executive of the Year awards, 1988 and 1991. On February 4, 1993 and after the Bills appeared and lost their third straight Super Bowl, Polian was fired as General Manager. He was hired by the Carolina Panthers as GM in 1994 and in their second year of existence led the team to the NFC Championship game. This feat led him to a promotion as not only GM but President of the Indianapolis Colts in 1997. His first move was to select Peyton Manning as his first drat pick in 1998 and the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007.
Ironically, Polian became the 28th inductee into the Buffalo Bills Wall Of Fame.

6. 1999; Doug Flutie was the comeback player of the year in the NFL in 1998 and was the darling of local sportswriters. At five foot nine inches tall and a former Heisman Trophy winner, Flutie’s razzle-dazzle style of quarterbacking led the 1999 Buffalo Bills to their last playoff appearance (11-5) and a division championship.
Unbelieveably, even though Flutie started every game to lead the Bills to the playoffs, owner Ralph Wilson ordered Head Coach Wade Phillips to bench him for the playoffs in favor of Rob Johnson. Not surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills lost the AFC Championship to the Tennesee Titans in the game that featured the now famous Music City Miracle (supposed legal lateral on the kickoff that scored the winning touchdown that sealed the Bills fate).

7. 2004; For the first time since the Bills selected Jim Kelly, they selected a quarterback for their first round draft pick. He was J.P. Losman from Tulane University, chosen as the 22nd pick in the NFL draft.
In his first training camp, Losman had a shaky start by breaking his leg sidelining him for most of his rookie season. In 2005, he became the starter and was benched after five games because of his woeful inaccuracy as a passer. His 2006 season was his best throwing 19 touchdown passes, but in 2007 and 2008 in the last 18 games he started, Losman won only one game, lost 17 and threw only 6 touchdown passes, had 11 interceptions and 8 fumbles lost and was sacked 49 times.
He was not re-signed and was out of football within 18 months.

8. 2005; From 1997 to 2004, a six-foot-three inch 318 pound defensive tackle named Pat Williams became the best run stopping lineman on the Buffalo Bills, and in that stretch had the most tackles for losses on the team.
In typical Bills fashion, the team chose not sign him to a new contract and Williams signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2005. For the next three years, Williams made the Pro Bowl as a starting defensive tackle and was second team all-NFL in 2007. Williams retired in 2010.
Ironically the Bills have not been able to effectively stop opponents running games since.

9. 2006; From 2002 to 2006, a 5 foot ten inch, 238-pound middle linebacker named London Fletcher led the Bills in tackles. The Bills rewarded his effort by denying him a contract and letting him go the Washington Redskins for nothing. From 2007 to the present, Fletcher has led the Redskins in tackles every year and over a 12 year stretch compiled more tackles than anyone in the NFL.
He is currently listed as one of the top 100 players in the NFL.

10. 2009; The Buffalo Bills, in desperate need for a pass rusher and with the 11th pick in the first round, selected Aaron Maybin from Penn State University. Maybin played in 32 games compiling a pathetic 23 tackles and no sacks of the quarterback. The Bills, in a classic example of poor scouting, chose not to pick Clay Mathews III who was available, and played the same position, choosing Maybin instead.
The Bills cut Maybin in 2011 and Mathews went on to win rookie of the year in 2009, defensive player of the year in 2010, four consecutive pro bowls and led the Green Bay Packers defense to a Super Bowl victory. Mathews was not an obscure player unknown to scouts considering his father and uncle were standout NFL players with over 15 all-pro awards between them.

11. 2011; Marshawn Lynch was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a fourth round pick in 2011 (Offensive tackle Chris Hairston) and a fifth round pick (Zebrie Sanders, another tackle on injured reserve). In the 40 games since the trade, Lynch has rushed for 3269 yards and 29 touchdowns. Both are the highest of any running back in the league over the same stretch and he has made the pro bowl both years.
The Seattle Seahawks have made the playoffs both years. Many consider his 67 yard touchdown against then defending champion New Orleans Saints, where he broke nine tackles on the run (there are only 11 players on the other side) to be the greatest run in NFL playoff history.
The ex-Bill is now nicknamed “the beast.”

12. 2011; With the eighth pick in the 2006 NFL draft, selected a safety from Ohio State University named Donte Whitner. Whitner made the all-rookie team in 2006, made 18 tackles in a game against then defending Super Bowl champ Pittsburgh Steelers, and led the Bills in total tackles three of his last four years with the club.
Still, the Bills were not interested in re-signing him. The Bills’ loss turned out to be the San Francisco Forty Niners’ gain as Whitner’s stellar play helped lead the team to the best ranked defense in 2011 and 2012. The Niners have made the playoffs both years since he joined the team and Donte Whitner is the starting strong safety in the Pro Bowl in 2012.
By the way, the Buffalo Bills have nobody in the Pro Bowl this year, only ex-Bills.

When it comes to paying for talent, Ralph Wilson does not compare favorably to Ebenezer Scrooge. As a New Year's resolution, perhaps Mr. Wilson just might consider opening his deep pocketbook and give his loyal and suffering Bills fans another reason besides tailgating to go to the stadium.