Despite the fact that the Bills were having a very bad season, and the Chargers' fortunes (at the time) had turned significantly, the game was very competitive, coming down to the final minutes play. (See also the 1995 Carolina Panthers season, in which Bill Polian brought several Bills contributors from the team's Super Bowl era to Carolina in its inaugural year of play.)Īs such, the October 28 matchup between the Bills and Chargers in San Diego was heavily promoted as a dual grudge match, not just between Johnson and Flutie, but also between Wilson and Butler, with Wilson having been quoted as wanting to win the Chargers game more than the Super Bowl. With so many former Bills connections, the team was often referred to as the "Bills West". The Chargers immediately signed Butler, and within weeks, Butler had cut several players from the roster including quarterback Ryan Leaf, and lured several recognizable names from the 2000 Bills team: defensive end Marcellus Wiley, linebackers Sam Rogers and John Holecek, kicker Steve Christie and most notably, quarterback Doug Flutie, who had been cut by the Bills in a bitter quarterback controversy involving Rob Johnson. In December 2000, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson fired his general manager, John Butler, and his entire staff. Despite finishing 5–11 after losing their final nine games of the season, eight of the Chargers' losses were by less than a touchdown, five of them were by three points, and three of them were by ten points. At the end of the season running back LaDainian Tomlinson won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. It was Mike Riley's final season as the team's head coach. The team improved on their 1–15 record in 2000 to finish 5–11 but missed the playoffs for the 6th straight year. The 2001 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 42nd overall and the third and final season under head coach Mike Riley.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |