Mormon

. Many fans hope that replacement J.P Losman can lead the Bills to the playoffs in the 2005-2006 season. Mormon theolgy is often a subject of popular culture, usually in a satirical context, as in the case of South Park and its representation of the religion and its adherants. In the offseason, the Bills released quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who was then signed by the Dallas Cowboys. Often their door-to-door missionary work is compared with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Though they would lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game of the season, costing them a playoff berth, the late season surge gave the team a positive direction to approach 2005. They are viewed as superstitious and knowledgable about geneology. This, along with the emergence of Willis McGahee taking over the starting running back role from the injured Travis Henry, and emergence of Lee Evans to give the Bills a second deep threat, sparked the Bills to go 7-2 in their next nine games. This string of victories allowed the Bills to be in the hunt for a final AFC wildcard playoff spot.

Mormons, when they appear in movies and television shows are often presented as blond, having large families, and very religious. The team finally managed to turn things around with a victory at home against the also winless Miami Dolphins. "Amish" was translated incorrectly to "Mormon". Additionally, each loss was heartbreakingly close. One source of confusion comes from the mistranslation of the movie Witness (starring Harrison Ford) into Spanish, French, and Italian. The Bills started the 2004 season 0-4, with Bledsoe and his offense struggling in their run-first offense, averaging only 13 points per game. For example, both Quakers and Mennonites (which include the Amish) are traditionally strict pacifists (and are both peace churches) whereas Mormons are not. And indeed, Bledsoe did continue to struggle in 2004.

The groups also have numerous doctrinal differences. Losman, to be used if Bledsoe continued to struggle in 2004. Mormons originated separately from these groups: Mormons originated in the United States; Quakers and Mennonites originally came from Western Europe. The Bills also drafted another quarterback, J.P. Despite some misconceptions over similar nicknames and stereotypes, Mormons are not the same religious group as Quakers (or members of the Religious Society of Friends), Mennonites, or Amish. Gregg Williams was fired as head coach after the 2003 season and replaced with Mike Mularkey. The term "Utah Mormon" is also popularly used today by American members of the LDS Church, to describe perceived cultural differences and/or geographical positioning between members who live in or originated in Utah, as opposed to members elsewhere. In one game, however, the Bills' fans gained a small measure of satisfaction when the defense sacked Rob Johnson multilpe times in his relief effort for Washington.

These new terms have begun to gain a following among historians today. After beating eventual champions New England 31-0 in the first game, and crushing the Jaguars in their second game, the Bills stumbled through the rest of the season, finishing 6-10. Addressing some of the limitations of the Utah/Missouri designations, historian Jan Shipps has now coined the terms Rocky Mountain Saints and Prairie Saints to rename the "Utah" and "Missouri" branches of the movement. Another Patriot castoff, safety Lawyer Milloy, joined the Bills days before the 2003 season began and gave the team an immediate boost on defense. Both the terms "Utah Mormons" and "Missouri Mormons" are also problematic because the majority of members of each of these branches no longer live in either of these states. The majority of the membership of the LDS church today resides outside of the United States. However, in a tough division with all other teams finishing 9-7, they were still in last place. The Utah Mormon group includes all the organizations descending from those Mormons who followed Brigham Young to what is now Utah, both The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other smaller breakoff organizations, including groups that still practice plural marriage — the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Kingston clan, the True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days and others scattered in usually isolated communities mostly in Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, British Columbia, Alberta, and Mexico. Bledsoe revived the Bills for the 2002 season, leading them to an 8-8 record, setting 10 team passing records in the process.

Strang Smith's legitimate successor. After the season they traded for quarterback Drew Bledsoe, deemed expendable by the Patriots after Tom Brady led them to a Super Bowl victory. Notable exceptions include the Pennsylvania-based Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) which considers Sidney Rigdon Joseph Smith's rightful successor and the Wisconsin-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) which considers James J. The Bills even lost a much-hyped mid-season matchup with "Bills West" (the Flutie-led Chargers). (Not all "Missouri Mormon" groups are based in Missouri, however. Buffalo finished 3-13. In this scheme, Missouri Mormons are those Mormons who did not travel to Utah, and the organizations formed from them — the Community of Christ, Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, etc. Rob Johnson went down in mid-season with an injury and Alex Van Pelt took over.

Some scholars, such as Melton, in his Encyclopedia of American Religion, subdivide the Mormons into "Utah Mormons" and "Missouri Mormons". Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams took over as head coach for the 2001 season, which proved to be the worst in recent memory for the Bills. Mormonism had a number of similarities to Campbellite teachings, and many of Mormonism's first adherents (including Sidney Rigdon) were previously Campbellites. Smith would be quickly replaced by rookie Travis Henry. Sometimes "Restorationist" or "Restoration Movement" are used as umbrella terms, for those derived from the Campbellites or Stone-Campbell churches, for example, the Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ. Both Flutie and Smith were dominant in their final game as Bills, in a rout of the Seahawks. Despite this perspective, the term "Mormon Fundamentalist" is widely used by Latter Day Saints (including members of the LDS church and the fundamentalists themselves) and by people outside the movement. Antowain Smith also left as a free agent for the New England Patriots, where he was the starting running back on their two Super Bowl championship teams.

Claims for exclusivity of usage are primarily to avoid confusion between the LDS Church and "Mormon Fundamentalist" groups. The LDS Church argues "Mormon", "Mormon fundamentalist" and "Mormon dissident" in reference to organizations or groups outside of the LDS Church (especially those that practice plural marriage) is a misunderstanding of Mormon theology, in particular the principle of continuous revelation and Priesthood authority. Doug Flutie left the Bills with a .677 winning percentage in 31 starts. In a press release (http://www.lds.org/newsroom/page/0,15606,3899-1---15-168,00.html) from 2001, the LDS Church stated that the word "Mormon" as an adjective in such expressions as "Mormon pioneers", "Mormons" as a noun in reference to church members, and "Mormonism" as a doctrine, culture, and lifestyle were all acceptable. Flutie controversy, general manager John Butler departed for the San Diego Chargers - and took Flutie and Wiley with him. Although the LDS Church objects to the use of the referrent "Mormon Church", it stops short of rejecting the terms "Mormonism" and "Mormon" and occasionally claims these terms as exclusive references only to itself and its members. Antowain Smith, Eric Moulds and Marcellus Wiley respectively had long since eclipsed them on the depth chart. After a dismal 8-8 season, and the team still caught up in the Johnson vs. This style suggestion is rarely followed because of the ambiguity of the abbreviation and most still use the previous abbreviation, "LDS Church". The final ties to the Bills' Super Bowl years were cut in 2000 when Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith were all cut.

By the 1970s, because the term had become so common, the LDS church began to use the term "Mormon" in advertising, including well-known television commercials which ended: "A message from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: The Mormons." More recently the organization has asked the media to use the church's complete name and follow any second reference with the name "The Church of Jesus Christ", to recognize Jesus Christ's importance to the faith. Others believe it wouldn't be an issue, had Johnson not taken sack in the endzone early on, allowing Tennessee to get 2 points, and good field position, which they used to score a touchdown. For many years it was common for members to use quotes around the word "Mormon" — to indicate that this is something non-Mormons called Latter-day Saints. The Titans ended up advancing to the Super Bowl. The LDS church has changed its position on the term "Mormon" over time. Many Bills fans still think that the lateral was actually a forward pass, and the touchdown should not have counted. These groups often refer to themselves as "Mormon fundamentalists" and call members of the LDS church "mainstream Mormons". The Bills scored a field goal with 16 seconds left to give them a 16-15 lead, but the Music City Miracle, a lateral from Frank Wycheck to Kevin Dyson that led to a Tennessee touchdown on the ensuing kickoff lost the game for Buffalo.

This usage is also problematic regarding churches that split from the LDS Church in the 20th Century — some of which continue to refer to themselves as "Mormons". Flutie's popularity continued into the 1999 season, with the Bills finishing 11-5, two games behind the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC East standings. However, Johnson was given the starting job in the first playoff game against the Tennessee Titans (the former Houston Oilers) in Nashville. However, this usage is problematic because if it is employed, members of the early Latter Day Saint movement prior to schisms of the Latter Day Saint succession crisis should likewise not be referred to as "Mormons". They faltered in their first playoff game against the Dolphins, though the game's poor officiating was one of many poorly called games which caused instant replay to be brought back in 1999. churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death.". After Johnson and the Bills stumbled to begin the season, Flutie came in and led the Bills to a playoff spot and 10-6 record. The Associated Press Stylebook likewise notes: "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other .. Despite many Bills fans wanting Flutie to get the starting job, Phillips named Johnson to the position.

Members of the Community of Christ, for example, rarely use the term "Mormon" to describe themselves, and instead apply it to members of the LDS Church. This started one of the biggest controversies in the NFL at the time. However, some feel the terms "Mormon" and "Mormonism" should be used exclusively to refer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church). The Bills, under new coach Wade Phillips signed two quarterbacks for the 1998 season, Rob Johnson and former Canadian Football League star Doug Flutie. Some scholars feel the terms "Mormon" and "Mormonism" are useful to collectively describe all denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, who claim to originate from the religion founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. Coach Marv Levy retired after the season. In fact, because many individuals are most familiar with the title "Mormon", the LDS Church maintains an official website presenting its basic beliefs and tenets at www.mormon.org. Kelly's loss was felt in 1997, with the Bills stumbling to 6-10.

The official name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thurman Thomas gave way to new running back Antowain Smith. When speaking of the church itself rather than the members, the term "Mormon Church" is colloquial. Jim Kelly retired after the season, signalling an end to the most successful era in Bills history. Some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prefer to be called "Latter-day Saints" or "LDS" rather than "Mormons", while others generally use the term "LDS" when speaking to fellow church members and "Mormon" when speaking to others. They still made the playoffs, but as a wild card - and the first victim of the cinderella Jacksonville Jaguars. It originated as a derogatory term, but the name soon lost most of its negative connotation, and is generally not considered offensive today. In 1996 the Bills saw their commanding lead in the AFC East race disappear to a surging New England Patriots team.

had been called as a prophet of God, and who accepted "The Book of Mormon" as scripture translated by Smith. They would not get a chance to get back to the Super Bowl - the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Buffalo in the divisional playoff and ended up being the AFC's representative there. The name "Mormon" (also "Mormonite") was first used in the 1830s for those who believed that Joseph Smith, Jr. In 1995 Buffalo, with free agent linebacker Bryce Paup anchoring the defense, again made the playoffs with a 10-6 record, and defeated Miami in the wild card round. The term Mormon is a colloquial name most often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The 1993 Bills also proved to be the first of twelve different teams to lose the Super Bowl, with no NFL team doing so twice since then. The outcome of Buffalo's 1994 season has proven to mark the start of what has become known as the "Super Bowl Runner-up Jinx:" Beginning with the 1993 Bills, no Super Bowl loser has since reached the conference championship game the following year in either the AFC or the NFC, and only one has advanced that far in the postseason in either of the next two seasons after losing a Super Bowl (the Steelers, who lost to Denver in the 1997 AFC Championship Game two years after having lost Super Bowl XXX to Dallas); furthermore, only one Super Bowl loser since the 1989 Denver Broncos (who lost the game the year before the first of Buffalo's four defeats) has won a Super Bowl in any season since losing one (the New England Patriots, who lost the game in 1996 but won it in 2001, 2003 and 2004) and starting with the 1998 Atlanta Falcons, five out of six Super Bowl losers have finished with losing records the season after.

The team stumbled down the stretch and finished 7-9, fourth in the division and out of the playoffs. The Bills would not get a chance to make it five straight in 1994. A Thurman Thomas fumble returned for a touchdown by James Washington put Dallas in the lead, however, and the Bills were stunned again, 30-13. The Bills became the only team ever to play in four straight Super Bowls, and looked ready to finally win one when they led at halftime.

They won the AFC East championship with a 12-4 record, and again won playoff games against the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, setting up a rematch with the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVIII on January 30, 1994 . They looked to rectify the situation in the 1993 season, but the same result happened. By now the Bills had become laughingstocks, poster children for failure in the eyes of many. Lett held the ball out long enough for Tasker, who had made up a considerable distance to get to Lett, to knock it out of his hand.

One of the sole bright spots for the Bills was Steve Tasker's rundown and strip of Leon Lett after Lett had returned a fumble inside the Bills five and was on his way to scoring. Buffalo committed 9 turnovers en route to a 52-17 thrashing. Super Bowl XXVII, played against the Dallas Cowboys, turned out to be a mismatch. They then handily defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional playoff and upset the archrival Dolphins in the AFC Championship to advance to their third straight Super Bowl.

Undaunted, the Bills scored touchdowns on several consecutive possessions to tie the game and force overtime. Steve Christie kicked the game-winning field goal in the extra session to cap the biggest comeback in NFL history, 41-38. Backup quarterback Frank Reich started their wild card playoff game against the Houston Oilers, and they were down 35-3 by the third quarter. The Bills lost the 1992 AFC East title to the Miami Dolphins and Jim Kelly was injured in the final game of the regular season. The Redskins opened up a 24-0 halftime lead and never looked back, handing the Bills a 37-24 loss (an embarrassing moment occurred as the teams were leaving the field at the end of the first half when Bills center Adam Lingner angrily ordered a cameraman to "Get that f***in' camera out of my face;" the comment was picked up by a nearby microphone and everyone watching or listening to the game on television or radio would have had an opportunity to hear it).

The Bills looked to avenge their heartbreaking Super Bowl loss a year earlier by playing the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI, but it was not to be. The Bills steamrolled through the 1991 regular season as well, finishing 13-3 again and with Thurman Thomas winning the Offensive Player of the Year award. They also had an easy time with the Kansas City Chiefs in their first playoff game and beat the Denver Broncos in a defensive struggle in the AFC Championship. Norwood's miss set the stage for future failures by the Bills in the early 1990s. It went wide to the right, and the Giants emerged victorious; however, some criticized Levy for not calling one more offensive play in an effort to make the field goal try shorter.

The game featured many lead changes, and with the score 20-19 in favor of New York with eight seconds left, Bills kicker Scott Norwood attempted a 47-yard field goal. The Bills were overwhelming favorites to beat the New York Giants, but the defensive plan laid out by coach Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick kept Buffalo in check (and without the ball) throughout the game. The team finished 13-3 and blew out the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Raiders in the playoffs on their way to Super Bowl XXV. In 1990 the Bills switched to a no-huddle offense and it started one of the most successful runs in NFL history.

1989 was a relative disappointment, with a 9-7 record and a first-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns. After having an easy time with the Houston Oilers in the divisional playoff, they lost the AFC championship to the Cincinnati Bengals. In 1988, the rookie season of running back Thurman Thomas, the Bills went 12-4 and finished atop the AFC East for the first of four consecutive seasons. In addition to new coach Marv Levy, a receiving game featuring Andre Reed and a defense led by first-overall draft pick Bruce Smith, the Bills started marching back to the top.

After the USFL's demise, Jim Kelly joined the Bills for the 1986 season, and immediately proved to be worth the wait. In 1984 and 1985 the Bills went 2-14. Knox left his coaching position to take a job with the Seattle Seahawks, and new coach Kay Stephenson proved to be less than stellar. In the famous 1983 draft the Bills selected quarterback Jim Kelly as their replacement to an aging Joe Ferguson, but Kelly decided to play in the upstart United States Football League instead.

The following year — the strike-shortened season of 1982 — the Bills slipped to a 4-5 final record. The team's players and fans alike adopted the informal slogan "We're Talkin' Proud" during this period. They lost in the second round to the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. The following season they lost their title to the Dolphins, but won their first NFL playoff game (over the New York Jets).

They beat the archrival Miami Dolphins for the first time in 11 years in their season opener, en route to winning their first AFC East title. 1980 marked another breakthrough for the Bills. Chuck Knox was hired as head coach and he would end up leading the Bills back to the top. After the 1977 season Simpson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers (his legal troubles were still years down the road).

After a mediocre 1975 season the Bills had internal troubles in 1976 as the team dropped to the bottom of the AFC East, where they stayed for the rest of the 1970s. They made the NFL playoffs for the first time in 1974, but lost in the first round to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers. 1973 was a season of change: Joe Ferguson became their new quarterback, they moved into a new stadium, Simpson recorded a 2000-yard season and was voted NFL MVP, and the team had its first winning record since 1966. Lou Saban, who had coached the Bills' AFL championship teams, was rehired in 1972.

In 1971, not only did the Bills finish in sole possession of the NFL's worst overall record at 1-13, but they also scored the fewest points (184) in the league that year while allowing the most (394); no NFL team has since done all three of those things in the same season in a non-strike year. The Bills became part of the NFL when the latter absorbed the AFL in a merger in 1970. Simpson, who would become the face of the franchise through the 1970s. Before the 1969 season, the Bills drafted running back O.J.

Tragedy struck the Bills in when Bob Kalsu, an offensive lineman, quit the team after his 1968 rookie season to serve in the Vietnam War, where he was killed in action in 1970. In addition to their defensive prowess, the Bills had offensive muscle as well, in stars such as fullback Cookie Gilchrist, quarterbacks Jack Kemp and Daryle Lamonica, and receivers Elbert Dubenion and Ernie Warlick. The Bills won AFL championships in both 1964 and 1965, were one of only three teams to appear in an AFL championship game for three consecutive years, and the only AFL team to play in the post-season for four straight years, 1963 through 1966. The only player ever inducted to the "pro football" hall of fame, without ever playing in the NFL, was a member of the 1964 Bills; guard Billy Shaw.

Three were eventually named to the American Football League's All-Time Team, six to the second team, and sixteen are in the American Football League Hall of Fame. Eight members of the 1964 squad were on that year's AFL Eastern Division All-Star Team. In 1964, the Bills defense allowed only four touchdowns rushing all season, and started a string that would extend into the 1965 season: seventeen straight games without allowing an opponent to score a rushing touchdown. They were the first American Football League team to win 13 games in a season.

The same defense registered fifty quarterback sacks, a team record that stands today, even though it was established in a 14-game season. The 1964 Bills allowed their opponents only 300 rushing attempts and held them to 913 yards rushing during the regular season; a pro football record, just over 65 yards per game. The 1964 Buffalo Bills squad was one of the great teams in professional football history. With a linebacking corps of Harry Jacobs, Mike Stratton and John Tracey; and defensive line stalwarts like Tom Day, Tom Sestak, Jim Dunaway and Ron McDole.

In the AFL, a predominantly offensive league, the Buffalo Bills were a great defensive team. After a public contest, the team adopted the same name as the former All-America Football Conference team in Buffalo. The Bufalo Bills were a founding member of the American Football League in 1960. The Buffalo Bills are a Buffalo, New York-based National Football League team which plays its home games in the suburb of Orchard Park.

Drew Bledsoe. Scott Norwood K. Ruben Brown LG. Ernie Warlick.

Ted Washington DT. John Tracey. Thurman Thomas RB. Steve Tasker WR-Special Teams.

Bruce Smith DE. Andre Reed WR. Frank Reich QB. Reggie McKenzie OL.

Ron McDole. Paul Maguire P. Daryle Lamonica QB. Doug Flutie QB.

Phil Hansen DE. Cookie Gilchrist. Booker Edgerson. Jim Dunaway.

Tom Day. Shane Conlan. Wray Carlton. Larry Centers FB.

Butch Byrd. Cornelius Bennett LB. Don Beebe WR. The 12th Man (Fans).

(Founder). Wilson Jr. Ralph C. Marv Levy (Head Coach).

Patrick J. McGroder (Vice President). Eddie Abramowski (Trainer). Darryl Talley. Mike Stratton.

Fred Smerlas. Simpson. J. O.

Billy Shaw. Tom Sestak. George Saimes. Jack Kemp.

Jim Kelly. Bob Kalsu (1945 - 1970, one of only two pro football players to die in the Vietnam War). Robert James. Kent Hull.

Joe Ferguson. Elbert Dubenion. Joe Delamielleure. 12 - Jim Kelly.

Losman QB. J.P. Mike Williams OT. Troy Vincent CB/FS.

Takeo Spikes LB. Aaron Schobel DE. Eric Moulds WR. Lawyer Milloy S.

Willis McGahee RB. Terrence McGee CB. Travis Henry RB. London Fletcher LB.

Lee Evans WR. Nate Clements CB. Sam Adams DT. Rozelle Award winner Van Miller.

McCann Award winner Larry Felser. James Lofton. Simpson. J.

O. Billy Shaw. Marv Levy. Jim Kelly.

Joe Delamielleure.