1987 Buffalo Bills season

1987 Buffalo Bills season
1987 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
General manager	Bill Polian
Head coach	Marv Levy
Home field	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	7–8
Division place	4th AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	QB Jim Kelly; DE Bruce Smith
All-Pros	DE Bruce Smith (1st team); ST Steve Tasker (1st team); LB Shane Conlan (2nd team)
	← 1986; Bills seasons; 1988 →;

The 1987 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League, and 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 and would be selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls in the 1988, 1989 and 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.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1987 Buffalo Bills draft
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 State
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

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

84 Veno Belk
87 Mark Walczak

Offensive linemen

68 Tony Brown T
79 Glen Campbell
71 Sean Dowling
75 Erik Rosenmeier C
63 Rick Schulte T
64 Joe Silipo
62 Don Sommer

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

5 Rick Partridge P
3 Todd Schlopy K

Roster

**1987 Buffalo Bills roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running backs (RB) 35 Carl Byrum FB 33 Ronnie Harmon 41 Jamie Mueller FB 30 Kerry Porter 26 Ricky Porter Wide receivers (WR) 81 Walter Broughton 85 Chris Burkett 86 Trumaine Johnson 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker Tight ends (TE) 88 Pete Metzelaars 84 Keith McKeller 87 Butch Rolle		Offensive linemen (OL) 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 (DL) 95 Sean McNanie DE 74 Bruce Mesner NT 94 Mark Pike DE 79 Dean Prater DE 96 Leon Seals DE 76 Fred Smerlas NT 78 Bruce Smith DE		Linebackers (LB) 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 LB 56 Darryl Talley OLB Defensive backs (DB) 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		Practice squad —- Willie Beecher K Reserve 80 Jerry Butler WR (IR) -- Roger Caron T (DNR) -- Chas Fox WR (IR) 8 Stan Gelbaugh QB (IR) 75 Mike Hamby DE (IR) 92 Steve Hammond LB (IR) 71 Dale Hellestrae (IR) 40 Robb Riddick RB (IR) -- Clint Sampson WR (IR) 23 Kevin Williams CB (IR) 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	Record	Attendance
1	September 13	New York Jets	L 31–28	0–1	76,718
2	September 20	Houston Oilers	W 34–30	1–1	56,534
–	September 27	at Dallas Cowboys	canceled
3	October 4	Indianapolis Colts	L 47–6	1–2	9,860
4	October 11	at New England Patriots	L 14–7	1–3	11,878
5	October 18	New York Giants	W 6–3	2–3	15,737
6	October 25	at Miami Dolphins	W 34–31 OT	3–3	61,295
7	November 1	Washington Redskins	L 27–7	3–4	71,640
8	November 8	Denver Broncos	W 21–14	4–4	63,698
9	November 15	at Cleveland Browns	L 27–21	4–5	78,409
10	November 22	at New York Jets	W 17–14	5–5	58,407
11	November 29	Miami Dolphins	W 27–0	6–5	68,055
12	December 6	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 34–21	6–6	43,143
13	December 13	at Indianapolis Colts	W 27–3	7–6	60,253
14	December 20	New England Patriots	L 13–7	7–7	74,945
15	December 27	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–7	7–8	57,547
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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

^[4]

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

^[5]

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

^[6]

Week 8

Week Eight: Denver Broncos (4–2–1) at Buffalo Bills (3–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	7	7	14
Bills	0	18	3	0	21

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Date: November 8, 1987
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 50 °F or 10 °C; wind 17 miles per hour (27 km/h; 15 kn)
Game attendance: 63,698
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Reggie Rucker
^[7]

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

BUF – Andre Reed 9 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick). Bills 7–0
BUF – Safety, Robb Riddick blocked punt through end zone. Bills 9–0
BUF – Robb Riddick 1 yard rush (Scott Norwood kick). Bills 16–0
BUF – Safety, Steve Tasker blocked punt through end zone. Bills 18–0

Third quarter

BUF – Scott Norwood 30-yard field goal. Bills 21–0.
DEN – Sammy Winder 6 yard rush (Rich Karlis kick). Bills 21–7.

Fourth quarter

DEN – Vance Johnson 15 yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick). Bills 21–14.

Top passers

DEN – John Elway – 13/30, 163 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD
BUF – Jim Kelly – 14/23, 135 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD

Top rushers

DEN – Sammy Winder – 12 rushes, 40 yards, 1 TD
BUF – Robb Riddick – 19 rushes, 78 yards, 1 TD

Top receivers

DEN – Vance Johnson – 5 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD
BUF – Andre Reed – 5 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

Cornelius Bennett’s first game as a Buffalo Bill, wearing #55.
Steve Tasker blocked punt just before halftime resulting in a safety and 18–0 halftime score.

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 or 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

^[8]

Week 11 vs Dolphins

Week Twelve: Miami Dolphins (5–5) at Buffalo Bills (5–5)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	0	0	0
Bills	0	21	3	3	27

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Date: November 29
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 48 °F or 8.9 °C
Game attendance: 68,055
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

BUF – Jamie Mueller 5-yard run (Scott Norwood kick), 14:51. Bills 7–0.
BUF – Butch Rolle 3-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 5:58. Bills 14–0.
BUF – Chris Burkett 22-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 1:02. Bills 21–0.

Third quarter

BUF – Scott Norwood 39-yard field goal, 10:01. Bills 24–0.

Fourth quarter

BUF – Scott Norwood 28-yard field goal, 7:52. Bils 27–0.

Top passers

MIA – Dan Marino – 13/28, 165 yards, 3 INT
BUF – Jim Kelly – 15/21, 217 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

MIA – Troy Stradford – 15 rushes, 23 yards
BUF – Ronnie Harmon – 23 rushes, 119 yards

Top receivers

MIA – Ron Davenport – 3 receptions, 41 yards
BUF – Andre Reed – 4 receptions, 96 yards

Week 12

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	14	7	0	21
• Raiders	10	3	14	7	34

Date: December 6, 1987
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Elapsed time: EST
Game weather: 48 °F or 8.9 °C; wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Dave Casper

^[8]

Week 15

Buffalo Bills (7–7) at Philadelphia Eagles (6–8)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	0	0	7	7
• Eagles	0	10	7	0	17

Date: December 27, 1987
Location: Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA
Game start: 1:00 EST
Game weather: 35 °F (1.7 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond

^[9]

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	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

^[10]

Rushing

Player	Games	Attempts	Yards	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

^[10]

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

^[10]

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

^[10]

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

^[10]

Awards and honors

Defensive Rookie of the Year^[11]

Shane Conlan

Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player

Bruce Smith

References

^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.286
^ "1987 Buffalo Bills draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
^ 1987 Buffalo Bills Media Guide. pp. 3–24.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
^ [1]. Retrieved 2021-Jul-19.
^ [2]. Retrieved 2021-Jun-05.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-Feb-19.
^ ^a ^b Pro-Football-Reference.com
^ Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved 2022-Mar-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 1987 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com
^ "NFL Rookie of the Year". Archived from the original on September 20, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2009.

External links

1987 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.286

[2] "1987 Buffalo Bills draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.

[3] 1987 Buffalo Bills Media Guide. pp. 3–24.

[4] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[5] [1]. Retrieved 2021-Jul-19.

[6] [2]. Retrieved 2021-Jun-05.

[7] Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-Feb-19.

[ReferenceA-8] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[9] Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved 2022-Mar-23.

[pro-football-reference.com-10] 1987 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com

[11] "NFL Rookie of the Year". Archived from the original on September 20, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2009.

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1987 Buffalo Bills season

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

NFL replacement players

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 2

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 11 vs Dolphins

Week 12

Week 15

Standings

Player stats

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

Special teams

Punting

Awards and honors

References

External links

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