Comparing The 1990 Buffalo Bills to Last Year's Pittsburgh Steelers

Just looking at the picture of No. 12 in vintage Buffalo Bill gear brings back many good memories for Bills fans across the country.

That very same picture also causes upset stomach's and heartache for those same fans.

In the early 1990's, the Bills were a staple in football's coveted game, the Super Bowl. In the first of 4 straight Super Bowl losses, the Bills established themselves as a NFL powerhouse in a small market.

The same franchise that produced legends like the world's most hated pariah O.J Simpson and the beloved QB Jack Kemp, who recently passed away had ascended once again to the polaris of football glory.

The Buffalo Bills of the early 90's were also arguably the best Bills team ever assembled, and every skill position was covered well.

Five Hall Of Famer's including Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, five divisional titles in six years, numerous accolades and a legion of loyal fans.

It's easy to forget the accomplishments and victories of the 1990 Bills squad because of the current streak of futility plaguing the franchise.

Currently the Bills are trying to endure a 9-year playoff absence after a heartbreak loss to the Titans in 1999 in what's now called the Music City Miracle, and have had 4 losing seasons in a row.

After a promising start of 5-1 last season, QB Trent Edwards went down and the Bills sunk with him. When he returned from a concussion, he never looked the same and Buffalo finished 2-8.

In a shrinking economy, talk began to surface that the Bills may end up moving, namely to Toronto, and now one home game a season is played in Canada.

The Bills fans remain loyal to the team despite their recent frugal efforts, and the Bills sold out every home game in 2008.

Maybe it's partially the memory of the 1990's Bills that keep the fans hoping and waiting for the day when their Bills will be at the forefront of the NFL landscape again.

In many ways, the 1990 Bills made Buffalo a household team and one that was considered a contender and garnered respect from the entire world of football observers.

Position by position, the 1990 Bills were far above their opposition and if it weren't for the infamous placekicker Scott Norwood, the score would've been 22-20 and not 20-19.

To understand how dominant the 1990 Bills were, here's a comparison to the current Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers by skill position.

The results may just shock you a little.

Quarterbacks- Jim Kelly vs. Ben Roethlisberger

James Edward Kelly, better known as Jim Kelly was drafted in 1983 by the Buffalo Bills, but played in the USFL instead because of poor attendance. He joined the Bills in 1986, and the legend began.

Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in the much hyped 2004 NFL Draft 11th by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roethlisberger wasted no time stamping his winning attitude and persistence on the franchise, going 13-0 as a rookie.

Roethlisberger lead Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XL and a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in one of the most controversially refereed Super Bowl's of all time. Ben didn't play particularly well, but his team had his back, namely MVP Hines Ward.

Ben also lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl win last season, and his throw to the corner of the end zone to Santonio Holmes will be a play that will go down in championship history.

Kelly lead the Bills to 4 straight Super Bowl appearances, all losses including a 20-19 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV.

Jim Kelly's 1990 stats- 14 games, 219/346 (63%), 2829 yds., 24 TD, 9 INT, 101.2 rat.

Ben Roethlisberger's 2008 stats- 16 games, 281/469 (60%), 3301 yds., 17 TD, 15 INT, 80.1 rat.

Kelly played two less games than Big Ben, but had better stats across the board besides yards, which he would've been much closer to if he'd played those two other games.

-Advantage Buffalo

Running Backs- Thurman Thomas vs. Willie Parker

Thurman Thomas was a 2nd round draft pick to the Buffalo Bills, in which he slipped because of a knee injury. Willie Parker arrived to Pittsburgh as a free agent out of the University of North Carolina.

Last season Parker's season was shortened by injury, as he ran for 791 yards on 210 carries in 11 games. His performance in the Super Bowl wasn't substantial as the running game wasn't focused on by the Steelers against Arizona's defense.

Thomas turned out to be a complete stud for the Bills, rushing for 1297 yards and 11 TD's in 1990 and catching for 532 yards and 2 TD's.

Thomas ran for 135 yards on 15 carries and had 5 receptions for 55 yards in his Super Bowl loss to the Giants. Although Parker still has years in front of him in his career, he's no Thurman Thomas.

-Advantage Buffalo

Wide Receivers- James Lofton and Andre Reed vs. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes

James Lofton and Andre Reed became Hall of Fame receivers for the Bills with great hands and route running in the No huddle offense.

Hines Ward emerged as Roethlisberger's favorite target, while Holmes has matured and seems to be the heir to the aging Ward.

Lofton was aging when he arrived in Buffalo after 9 seasons in Green Bay. In 1990 he caught 35 balls for 712 yards and 4 TD's. Reed was a consistent air threat for Buffalo and had 71 catches for 945 yards and 8 TD's.

Ward was an established veteran receiver in 2008, and was known for his toughness. He caught 81 balls for 1043 yards and 7 TD's. Holmes was a young upstart with mounds of potential out of Ohio State in '08.

In his 3rd season, Holmes caught 55 balls for 821 yards and 5 TD's, including a spectacular game-winning TD catch in Super Bowl 43.

Combined, Reed and Lofton had 106 receptions for 1657 yards, while Holmes and Ward had 136 receptions for 1864 yards. Production edge slightly goes to the Steelers.

-Advantage Pittsburgh

Defenses

Despite Ben Roethlisberger not having a huge statistical year, the Steelers still managed to pull off a Super Bowl victory last season. Why?

Great defense.

The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers thrived on defensive intensity. They were ranked No. 1 in points and yards given, and boasted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year LB James Harrison, who made the game changing play of Super Bowl 43.

Harrison had 101 tackles, 16 sacks and 7 forced fumbles. LB James Farrior had 133 tackles, 4 sacks and 1 forced fumble. SS Troy Polamalu had 73 tackles and 7 interceptions, and the accomplishments of the Steelers D were immense.

The 1990 Bills weren't shabby on defense, either. Hall of Fame DE Bruce Smith had 101 tackles and 19 sacks in 1990. LB Cornelius Bennett had 96 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

The 1990 Bills didn't pick off many balls, but caused turnovers by forcing fumbles. On the other hand, Pittsburgh caused havoc by rushing the QB and picking up huge chunks of loss yardage.

1990 Buffalo ended the regular season ranked No. 6 in defense respectively, while the 2008 Steelers were ranked No. 1. Both units were good, but the Steelers hold an edge.

-Advantage Pittsburgh

Intangibles

The 1990 Bills were NFL Icons and ahead of their time. Nobody knew that they would emerge from small Buffalo to be a 4-time AFC Conference Champion and go to four consecutive Super Bowls.

Good as that sounds, they loss them all.

Despite that fact, the 1990 Bills will always be remembered for their finesse on offense, no-huddle approach and team full of talented players.

The 2008 Steelers bullied their way past opposing teams, beating them up defensively and scoring just enough points to win.

They will be remembered for their defensive toughness and iconic QB, Big Ben Roethlisberger. Also, that catch by Santonio Holmes in the 4th quarter.

Nevertheless, that is reminiscent of the 2007 New York Giants that captivated all audiences with their astronomical upset of the undefeated New England Patriots one-year earlier.

Thus, the 1990 Bills will always be a staple in fans minds for what they accomplished in their glory days of the NFL.

-Advantage Buffalo

Hopefully the Bills return to prominence in 2009 because great as the 1990 Buffalo Bills were, fans need new memories to hang their football fan-hood onto.

But for now we remember the titans, or in this case the Jim Kelly led legendary Buffalo Bills, my favorite Buffalo Bills team of all-time.