1987 Buffalo Bills season

The 1987 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League, and 28th overall.

1987 Buffalo Bills season
OwnerRalph Wilson
General managerBill Polian
Head coachMarv Levy
Home fieldRich Stadium
Results
Record7–8
Division place4th AFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersQB Jim Kelly
DE Bruce Smith
AP All-ProsDE Bruce Smith (1st team)
ST Steve Tasker (1st team)
LB Shane Conlan (2nd team)

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.

1987 Buffalo Bills draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
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

  • 13 Brian McClure
  • 10 Mark Miller
  • 17 Willie Totten

Running backs

  • 46 Joe Chetti
  • 23 Barry Chubb
  • 30 Warren Loving
  • 47 Mike Panepinto
  • 24 Johnny Shepherd
  • 26 Leonard Williams

Wide receivers

  • 86 Marc Brown
  • 88 Reggie Bynum
  • 83 Sheldon Gaines
  • 85 Kris Haines
  • 89 Thad McFadden

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

  • 41 Ira Albright DT/FB
  • 91 Jack Bravyak
  • 90 Arnold Campbell DE
  • 93 Scott Hernandez
  • 74 Joe McGrail
  • 74 Richard Tharpe
  • 94 Billy Witt DE

Linebackers

  • 92 Will Cokeley
  • 50 Bob LeBlanc
  • 52 Scott Schankweiler
  • 96 Craig Walls
  • 53 Scott Watters
  • 60 Al Wenglikowski

Defensive backs

  • 20 John Armstrong
  • 21 Gerald Bess
  • 25 Bill Callahan
  • 36 Steve Clark
  • 39 Larry Friday
  • 27 John Lewis
  • 40 Chip Nuzzo
  • 23 Kerry Parker
  •  9 David Martin

Special teams

  •  5 Rick Partridge P
  •  3 Todd Schlopy K

Roster
1987 Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

  • 35 Carl Byrum FB
  • 33 Ronnie Harmon
  • 41 Jamie Mueller FB
  • 30 Kerry Porter
  • 26 Ricky Porter

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen
  • 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

  • 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

Defensive backs

  • 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

 Reserve lists
  • 80 Jerry Butler WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • -- Chas Fox WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  •  8 Stan Gelbaugh QB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 75 Mike Hamby DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 92 Steve Hammond LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 71 Dale Hellestrae T/G/C (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 40 Robb Riddick RB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • -- Clint Sampson WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 23 Kevin Williams CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad

  • —- Willie Beecher K


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.

Week 2
1 234Total
Oilers 3 14310 30
• Bills 3 10021 34
Scoring summary
1BUFScott Norwood 45 yard field goalBills 3–0
1HOUTony Zendejas 52 yard field goalTie 3–3
2HOUDrew Hill 2 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick)Oilers 10–3
2BUFScott Norwood 38 yard field goalOilers 10–6
2HOUMike Rozier 8 yard run (Tony Zendejas kick)Oilers 17–6
2BUFRobb Riddick 11 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)Oilers 17–13
3HOUTony Zendejas 27 yard field goalOilers 20–13
4BUFAndre Reed 8 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)Tie 20–20
4HOUErnest Givens 12 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick)Oilers 27–20
4HOUTony Zendejas 30 yard field goalOilers 30–20
4BUFRobb Riddick 2 yard run (Scott Norwood kick)Oilers 30–27
4BUFRonnie Harmon 2 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)Bills 34–30

[4]

Week 6
Buffalo Bills (2–3) at Miami Dolphins (2–3)
1 234OTTotal
• Bills 0 314143 34
Dolphins 14 70100 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 234Total
• Redskins 3 14100 27
Bills 0 007 7

[6]

Week 8
Week Eight: Denver Broncos (4–2–1) at Buffalo Bills (3–4)
Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 0 7714
Bills 0 18 3021

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
  • 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 234Total
Bills 7 0014 21
• Browns 3 1473 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)
Period 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 0 000
Bills 0 21 3327

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Week 12
1 234Total
Bills 0 1470 21
• Raiders 10 3147 34

[9]

Week 15
Buffalo Bills (7–7) at Philadelphia Eagles (6–8)
1 234Total
Bills 0 007 7
• Eagles 0 1070 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

[10]

Standings
AFC East
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 Kelly122504192798191183.8
John Kidd120100039.6
Dan Manucci372168023.8
Brian McClure120381810332.9
Mark Miller1139012.8
Robb Riddick6113500118.7
Willie Totten213331552249.4

[11]

Rushing
Player Games Attempts Yards Avg TD
Ronnie Harmon121164852
Jamie Mueller12823542
Carl Byrum13662800
Robb Riddick6592215
Ricky Porter9471770
Jim Kelly12291330

[11]

Receiving
Player Games Number Yards Avg TD
Chris Burkett125676513.74
Andre Reed125775213.25
Ronnie Harmon12564778.52
Pete Metzelaars122829010.40
Trumaine Johnson121518612.42

[11]

Defense

Note: FR = Fumble Recoveries; TCKL = Tackles; INT = Interceptions; TD = Touchdowns

Player Games Sacks Forced Fumbles FR Tckl INT Yards TD
Shane Conlan120.510114000
Bruce Smith1212.0302000

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 Norwood12151066.73131100
Todd Schlopy352402150

[11]

Punting
Player Games Punts Yards Long Blocked Avg. yards
John Kidd1264249567039.0
Rick Partridge31867852137.7

[11]

Awards and honors

Defensive Rookie of the Year[12]

Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player

  • Bruce Smith

References
  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. . Retrieved 2021-Jul-19.
  6. . Retrieved 2021-Jun-05.
  7. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-Feb-19.
  8. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  9. Pro-Football-Reference.com
  10. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved 2022-Mar-23.
  11. 1987 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com
  12. "NFL Rookie of the Year". Archived from the original on September 20, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
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