| 1979 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Chuck Knox |
| Home Field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7-9 |
| Place | 4th in AFC East |
| Playoff Finish | Did not qualify for playoffs |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1978 | 1980 |
The 1979 Buffalo Bills went 7-9 and finished 4th in the AFC East. This was the team's 10th season in the NFL, and 20th season overall.
Season summary[]
Head coach Chuck Knox spent his second season with the Bills in 1979, improving on 1978's record by two games. The Bills were 7–6 with three games left to play, but they lost their final three games to finish with a losing record. (Even if Buffalo had won their final three games, they still would have lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Miami Dolphins (who finished 10–6) for the division title.)
Buffalo's loss to Miami in Week Seven was their 20th straight loss to the Dolphins, an NFL record.
The 1979 Bills were dead-last in rushing yards in the NFL, with only total 1,621 yards on the ground.[1] Buffalo's 268 points scored was 23rd of the league's 28 teams.[2]
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
- Main article: 1979 NFL Draft
Three of Buffalo's first four picks made at least one Pro Bowl: wide receiver Jerry Butler, nose tackle Fred Smerlas, and linebacker Jim Haslett. Haslett was named 1979 AP Rookie of the Year. Smerlas made five Pro Bowls: in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 & 1988.
Defensive end Ken Johnson, center Jon Borchardt, and defensive backs Jeff Nixon and Rod Kush all played for the Bills for six years each, from 1979–1984.
| = Pro Bowler [3] |
| Round | Pick # | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tom Cousineau | Linebacker | Ohio State |
| 1 | 5 | Jerry Butler | Wide receiver | Clemson |
| 2 | 32 | Fred Smerlas | Nose tackle | Boston College |
| 2 | 51 | Jim Haslett | Linebacker | Indiana (PA) |
| 3 | 62 | Jon Borchardt | Guard | Montana St. |
| 4 | 83 | Ken E. Johnson | Defensive end | Knoxville |
| 4 | 87 | Jeff Nixon | Defensive back | Richmond |
| 5 | 114 | Rod Kush | Defensive back | Nebraska-Omaha |
| 5 | 116 | Dan Manucci | Quarterback | Kansas St. |
| 6 | 141 | Mike Burrow | Guard | Auburn |
| 7 | 170 | Tom Mullady | Tight end | Rhodes College |
| 9 | 226 | Kevin Baker | Defensive end | William Penn |
| 10 | 253 | Dave Marler | Quarterback | Mississippi St. |
| 11 | 279 | Paul Lawler | Defensive back | Colgate |
| 12 | 308 | Mike Harris | Running back | Arizona St. |
Personnel[]
Staff/Coaches[]
| 1979 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
| ||||||
Roster[]
| 1979 Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
|
Offensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
| ||||
| Note: Rookies in italics | ||||||
Schedules[]
Preseason[]
Regular season[]
References[]
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1979 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics The Bills rushed for 101.3 yards per game; the league average for rushing yards was 135.6 yards per game.
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1979 Buffalo Bills
- ↑ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
external links[]
- 1979 Buffalo Bills article at Wikipedia
