Buffalo Bills Cheating History

23
BUF
TL;DR:

• the BILLS are BELOW AVERAGE NFL cheaters!

• they have a CheatScore of 23?

• they've executed 6 real cheats! ?

• share page: http://YourTeamCheats.com/BUF?

 

All Buffalo Bills Cheats:

PEDSgate (7x since 1979) flagto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: The Buffalo Bills

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are used by players to illegally improve athletic performance above what legal training and preparation can do.

Players who illegally improve their performance unfairly penalize players who follow the rules. They not only put those players at risk for physical injury, but they also affect their economic livelihood by impacting their perceived value and their ability to secure appropriately-valued playing contracts.

SEVERITY = 0.5 video cameras per punished incident. Includes all documented infractions from 1960 to present with this Wikipedia page as the primary source.

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? Yes

PUNISHMENT: In the late 1980s when the NFL started testing for steroids, the Bills had more players suspended than any other team.

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AWARDS EARNED: Repeat The Cheat!A Decade of Deceit!Avoid Media Scrutiny!

CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 7.0

Gustygate (1978-82) flagto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: The Buffalo Bills

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: In his book "Ineffective Habits of Financial Advisors", former Buffalo Bills special teams coach John Steven Moore had this to say:

"The wind can blow hard off of Lake Erie. It blows easterly, swooping over the left rim of Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, down to the field and then back up over the luxury suites on the right. It can swirl and have a modest impact on the outcome of a football game. You can't control the wind, but you can use it to your advantage -- make it an opportunity."

"I was the special teams coach for the Buffalo Bills in the early 1980s. In our pregame warm-up, as we prepared to play the New England Patriots, the wind was blowing hard. I figured we could create a wind tunnel if we opened the east-side tunnel door of the stadium when New England was kicking against the wind. I worked with our equipment managers and told them, on my signal, to open the doors. Thinking back about it, I do feel a little bad for the New England punter. On his first punt against the wind, the ball came off his foot nicely, but then the wind puntied it right back at him. In a game with dozens of consequential plays, sometimes it's just one that can make a big difference. I used the wind to our advantage. We won the game and that's why I only feel a little bad."

Damn, I feel like a detective who got a detailed, step-by-step confession out of a suspect. The highlighted text of this passage is here and a screenshot of the "About the Authors" page is here.

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? No but ... it's more probable than not that this was cheating

PUNISHMENT: This is a beautifully confessed, pride-filled, first-hand cheating scandal complete with primary actor play-by-play. Moore was with the Bills from 1978 to 1982. From his description, it doesn't seem like he thought of this cheating as anything more than a bit of clever gamesmanship so we have to assume that it is more probable than not that he did it for the entire time he was there.

This is at least Inflate/Deflategate-level cheating, although from his description, it sounds like it had a much greater impact on the game than the ball manipulations perpetrated by the Colts, Packers, Jets, Ravens, Bears, Bengals, Eagles, Cardinals, Saints, Texans and Panthers. Did I miss anybody?

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AWARDS EARNED: Dastardly Devious!All Blowed Up!Champs of the Cheat!

CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 3.0

Noisegate (2015) flagto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: The Buffalo Bills

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: In their September 20, 2015 home game against the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills illegally used artificial stadium noise to attempt (unsuccessfully) to slow down the Patriots offense.

According to the NFL rules on crowd noise: "Noise of any kind (music, horns, gongs, drums, etc.) that is under club control must cease when the play clock (40 or 25 second) is running and the visiting team is in possession of the ball." The league sent a memo in August of 2015 clarifying and reminding teams of the rule. The memo said:

"The home team is permitted to play audio while the visiting team is on offense and the play clock is running. The audio must cease by the time the play clock reaches 20 seconds, or when the visiting team’s offense reaches the line of scrimmage, whichever occurs first. Pursuant to this policy, the visiting team’s offense is considered being at the line of scrimmage when the center touches the ball."

Reported Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, during the game "on multiple occasions the very loud third-down train horn blared when it arguably shouldn’t have." Continued Florio, "The Patriots used the no-huddle offense on multiple occasions, and on multiple occasions when the Patriots used the no-huddle offense the Bills were blaring the train horn."

VICTIM: New England Patriots

PUNISHED? No but ... it's more probable than not that this was cheating

PUNISHMENT: NFL commissioner and former Jets public relations intern Roger Goodell apparently did not feel the need to make an example of the hapless Bills for this disgusting attack on the integrity of the game. He undoubtedly calculated that the Bills crushing defeat -- after a week of childishly running their mouths -- was enough punishment.

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AWARDS EARNED: Hip-Hip-Hypocritical!

CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 3.0

Injurygate (2012) flagto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: The Buffalo Bills

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: The NFL fined the Buffalo Bills $20,000 for violating the NFL's procedures for reporting injury information.

The Bills failed to list defensive end Mario Williams on the injury report while being treated for a sprained wrist. Williams commented publicly on October 3 prior to Week 5 games about how the wrist had been bothering him and limiting his effectiveness. Although Williams fully participated in practices and games after sustaining the injury, he should have been listed on the report with a wrist injury and fully participating in practice. Williams has been listed on the Bills' injury report with a wrist injury the past two weeks.

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? Yes

PUNISHMENT: Fined $20,000

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CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 2.0

 

Leaguewide Cheats:

Tampergate (ongoing) flagsto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: All 32 NFL Teams

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: Tampering with free agents is rampant, it's laughable and it is against the rules (PDF). It's so bad across every team in the league that the NFL had to create a three-day legal tampering period. However, tampering still regularly occurs long before that annual three-day window opens. On March 9, 2015 the league once again felt compelled to warn all 32 teams about not tampering.

Why is tampering considered a problem? Because tampering with players still under contract makes it difficult for clubs to re-sign their own talent. It also puts those few teams that actually follow NFL guidelines at a distinct disadvantage. In many cases, contract agreements are in place days before any negotiations are allowed to begin.

This isn't fair, it isn't legal, and it is blatant cheating by the teams who engage in the practice.

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? No but...

PUNISHMENT: NFL commissioner and former Jets public relations intern Roger Goodell is doing all he can to curtail and punish the "commonplace" practice, although it admits that there is so much tampering that it is hard to police it all.

The CheatPoints earned for this leaguewide cheat is for all of this team's tampering incidents that have gone undiscovered or unproven. If specific instances are discovered, they are punished on top of this leaguewide penalty.

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AWARDS EARNED:Everyone Was Doing It!

CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 4.0

Headsetgate (ongoing) flagsto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: All 32 NFL Teams

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: it's a common complaint around the NFL. In late, close games, the helmet communicators of visiting teams suddenly "malfunction" and stop working. It has been accepted as standard practice in the league. Are you on the road and the game is close? Then you are going to have problems with your headset.

In recent years, the Patriots have accused the Colts of doing it and the Jaguars have made the same charge of the Patriots. The Redskins accused the Buccaneers of disabling their headsets, and Tampa Bay accused Dallas. The Giants openly bragged about doing it way back in 1956. The charges go on and on and on.

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? No

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CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 4.0

Spygate (until 2006) flagsto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: All 32 NFL Teams

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: Stealing your opponent's signals has always been common and never been illegal.

Said former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, "We had people that always tried to steal signals. Stealing someone's signals was a part of the game, and everyone attempted to do that." Admitted former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson: "When I came into the NFL, back in 1989, I talked to a Kansas City scout and he said, 'Here's what we do, we videotape the opposing team's signals and then we sync it up with the game film.' So I did it." Bragged, former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan: "Our guy keeps a pair of binoculars on their signal-callers every game, with any luck, we have their defensive signals figured out by halftime. Sometimes, by the end of the first quarter."

NFL commissioner and former Jets public relations intern Rodger Goodell confirmed this himself in 2008, saying that the issue was not stealing signals, that is allowed "and it is done quite widely." The issue is where and how you record them. If you chose to videotape them, then (after 2006) you have to do that from a league approved location. If you hire lip readers, they can do it from your coaches lap, if you want.

After 2006, examples of allowed videotaping locations are: the luxury boxes, media booths and other enclosed spaces. Expressly prohibited locations are the sidelines, the field, locker rooms, the coaches booth or any other place accessible to team coaches and staff. The point of the rule is to not allow the footage to be useful in the current game.

Prior to the September 6, 2006 memo and, 2007 follow up, from NFL head of football operations Ray Anderson, there was no league restriction on filming location, which is the reason the memo was sent.

Many NFL head coaches have downplayed the significance of the practice, saying that attempting to decipher opponent's signals was a long standing practice and entirely common throughout the league.

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? No

PUNISHMENT: NFL commissioner and former Jets public relations intern Rodger Goodell suggested that the responsibility was on teams to conceal their messages, not on the ones trying to steal them. During his news conference before the 2007 Super Bowl he said that any coach who did not expect signals to be stolen was "stupid."

Prior to 2006, every NFL team is assumed to have done it, but none of them broke a rule. You can't punish something that is not prohibited. Filming from the sidelines was not prohibited until 2006 and filming your opponent's signals from approved locations has never been prohibited, even today.

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AWARDS EARNED:Everyone Was Doing It!

CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 0.0

Scrapsgate (ongoing) flagsto top ⤴home ⇐awards ⤵

TEAM: All 32 NFL Teams

SEVERITY:scale

SUMMARY: Sign an opponent's recently-cut player to your practice squad to get intel on their plays, signals and tactics. This is not illegal and is a leaguewide practice.

Said one player, who chose to remain anonymous as he was still in the league as of 2015, "If teams have an opening at a certain position, they might not be looking for perhaps the best player to fill it on their practice squad. Instead, they might go for someone who has access to the opposing team’s playbook."

“Let’s say we’re playing the Jaguars in seven days and you want to know more about their playbook. From time to time teams will sign people off of practice squads. You don’t have to put them on active roster so if there’s a need for more depth at linebacker and you’re playing Jacksonville, there would be more of a chance to sign a linebacker off the team you’re about to play’s practice squad and hoping that the person you’re about to sign will divulge information about the playbook.”

VICTIM: The entire league

PUNISHED? No

PUNISHMENT: Not illegal.

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AWARDS EARNED:Everyone Was Doing It!

CHEATPOINTS EARNED:+ 0.0

awardEARNED: "A Decade of Deceit!"

CRITERIA: Repeat the same cheat at least ten years later!
EARNED FOR:PEDSgate (7x since 1979) 

awardEARNED: "All Blowed Up!"

CRITERIA: Be involved in a scandal that is blown way out of proportion by the media and fans of other teams!
EARNED FOR:Gustygate (1978-82) 

awardEARNED: "Avoid Media Scrutiny!"

CRITERIA: Successfully attract less than 5% of the typical Patriots "cheating" scandal coverage!
EARNED FOR:PEDSgate (7x since 1979) 

awardEARNED: "Champs of the Cheat!"

CRITERIA: Show, through consistency or creative flourish, that your team is the best at a particular type of cheat!
EARNED FOR:Gustygate (1978-82) 

awardEARNED: "Dastardly Devious!"

CRITERIA: Create a cheat that only an evil genius could concoct!
EARNED FOR:Gustygate (1978-82) 

awardEARNED: "Everyone Was Doing It!"

CRITERIA: Successfully "cheat" in a way that many other teams have (bonus points for not getting caught)!
EARNED FOR:Spygate (until 2006)  Tampergate (ongoing)  Scrapsgate (ongoing) 

awardEARNED: "Hip-Hip-Hypocritical!"

CRITERIA: Call out another team for cheating while actively cheating yourself (bonus points for calling out another team's cheating while executing the same cheat yourself)!
EARNED FOR:Noisegate (2015) 

awardEARNED: "Repeat The Cheat!"

CRITERIA: Successfully repeat the same cheat multiple times!
EARNED FOR:PEDSgate (7x since 1979) 

Is there a Buffalo Bills cheating scandal that I'm missing? Do I have a fact wrong? A broken link? Email me with your comment and supporting link and I'll fix or add it.

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