On a breezy August day two weeks before the '86 regular-season opener, the United States Football League went belly-up, Jim Kelly became available, and everything changed. The swaggering quarterback whom Sports Illustrated called "Namath with knees" was coming to the city he had been dissing ever since Buffalo selected him in the first round of the 1983 draft. Faster than you could say "Machine Gun Kelly," the Bills became the hottest ticket in western New York, not to mention a plum assignment for a sportswriter. The 20 years that followed would be quite a roller-coaster ride, a time for Bills fans to shout and pout... Along the way, we would learn about the incredible passion western New Yorkers have for their football team--a passion underscored by the fact that the Bills led the league in attendance for six consecutive seasons despite playing in the NFL's third-smallest market. We touch on all of this and more in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Buffalo Bills. While we don't profess to be the definitive history of the franchise, we do attempt to highlight the people and moments that have made the Bills a family tradition passed down from one generation to the next. As Van Miller, the legendary voice of the Bills, used to say before opening kickoffs: "Fasten your seat belts, folks." We hope you enjoy the ride back in time. --Scott Pitoniak, from the introduction
