1989 Buffalo Bills season
30th season in franchise history, nicknamed the "Bickering Bills"
The 1989 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 30th overall season as a football team and the 20th in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills finished in first place in the AFC East and finished the NFL's 1989 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses. Although Buffalo won the division and qualified for the postseason, their record was a drop off from their 12–4 mark in 1988, and they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns in the Divisional Round.
Bickering Bills
The team was nicknamed the Bickering Bills because of a rash of internal conflicts within the team. During a Monday Night loss to the Denver Broncos, star quarterback Jim Kelly could be seen arguing with wide receiver Chris Burkett, which led to the latter's last game with the team, as he was released shortly after the game.
Kelly was injured in a Week 5 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts and subsequently blamed his offensive line's blocking, notably offensive tackle Howard Ballard, for contributing to his injury.
In the week leading up to a Week 8 matchup with Miami, assistant coaches Tom Bresnahan and Nick Nicolau got into a fistfight while the two were reviewing game film.
The biggest blowup occurred when starting running back Thurman Thomas, asking to address Jim Kelly's criticism of the offense, and the pass-catching ability of running back Ronnie Harmon in particular, criticized Kelly himself on a Rochester, New York television show. When asked what position the Bills could upgrade at, Thomas replied, "Quarterback." Thomas claimed at first that it was a joke, but later, when appearing on Paul Maguire's Budweiser Sportsline show, he stated that the team didn't appreciate Kelly's public criticism and that Kelly should elevate his level of play.
Offseason
NFL draft
Unable to select a first or second-round pick in the 1989 draft, the Bills were able to pick wide receiver Don Beebe.
The public source identifies “1989 Buffalo Bills season” as 30th season in franchise history, nicknamed the "Bickering Bills". This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Buffalo, Bills and season.
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