Andre Reed

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In his first training camp with the Bills, all eyes were on Bruce Smith, but Andre Reed made people take notice very quickly. He caught everything thrown to him and was fearless.

"Where in the hell is Kutztown State?" Asked Bills second year wide receiver Eric Richardson, who was trying to needle the rookie who was out performing the former second round pick of a year ago.

"It's on the way to Canton," Andre replied. In obvious regard to the site of the Football Hall of Fame.

Andre Reed was inserted into the starting line up in his very first regular season game with the Buffalo Bills and had an impressive debut. He would finish the year with 48 receptions, tying teammate Jerry Butler's record for the most ever by a Bills rookie. He was one of two bright spots that season, Bruce Smith being the other, as the Bills finished 2-14.

In 1986 the Bills future and the career of Andre Reed was enhanced tremendously by the signing of quarterback Jim Kelly. In their first game together, Kelly and Reed hooked up for a 55 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, the first of their NFL record 67. He led the team in receptions that year with 53 and scored 7 touchdowns, the most by a Bills receiver since Jerry Butler had 8 in 1981.

Reed began working on his game diligently in the off season, running down the steep hills of Allentown, Pennsylvania with ankle weights, strengthening his legs. In 1987 Reed led the Bills in receptions for the first time and in 1988 he shattered Dubenion's record for receptions in a season by snaring 71, making his first Pro Bowl in the process. He would play in seven consecutive Pro Bowls. '88 was also a tough season for Reed as well, as he and Darryl Talley were arrested outside a Buffalo bar after a fight. Charges were later dropped but it was the beginning of Reed's reputation as a hot head.

1989 was another record breaking year for Reed as he caught 88 balls for 1,312 yards, both Bills records. Against Denver he tied Greg Bell's club record for receptions in a game with 13. He became the 4th Bills receiver to go over 1,000 yards, led the AFC in receptions and yardage. He made the second longest TD catch in Bills playoff history when he caught a Jim Kelly pass for a 72 yard score against Cleveland. 

In that first Super Bowl season of 1990, Andre Reed continued to excel on the field as he caught another 71 passes for 945 yards and eight touchdowns. He broke another Bills record by eclipsing Dubenion's 35 TD catches by grabbing his 36th in a game vs. the Colts on December 9, 1990. Had a big game in Super Bowl XXV catching eight passes for 62 yards.

Reed continued his excellence in '91 with an 81 catch season totaling 1,113 yards and a personal high 10 touchdowns. In the season opener against the Dolphins, he caught 11 passes and never looked back. In Rich Stadium in their first playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Reed caught 4 passes for 100 yards. After that game, Reed was neutralized, Denver held him to only 2 catches for 19 yards, as the Bills won a defensive struggle to earn their second straight AFC Championship. In Super Bowl XXVI the Washington Redskins harassed Reed to the point of total frustration. Even though he caught 5 balls he only had 34 yards. Reed's frustration culminated just before half-time with his infamous tirade on national TV, when Reed slammed his helmet to the turf and was penalized 15 yards, killing a Bills drive. His glorious season had been tainted by his performance in Super Bowl XXVI, as critics were now starting to label him as being soft and a whiner.

In '92 things got a little tougher for Andre Reed and the Bills. In the second game of the season Reed caught 10 passes for 144 yards, in a thrilling shoot-out in San Francisco. Reed once again led the team in receptions with 65, down from his eye popping totals over the past four seasons. Also, he only caught 3 touchdown passes and there was grumbling that Jim Kelly and Reed were not on good terms anymore. Both Reed and Kelly scoffed at the rumors and looking back at the stats from 1992, it was more of the rest of the NFL catching up with the Bills high-octane, no-huddle offense, than any personal disagreements between Reed and Kelly. The Bills only threw for 23 TD's all season, that year, with James Lofton and Pete Metzelaars sharing the team lead with six apiece. Still Andre didn't fully dispell those rumors by sometimes complaining to the media that he wasn't being fully utilized as an offensive weapon by offensive coordinator Tom Bresnahan, who took over for the departed and much heralded Ted Marchabroda. There was some truth in Reed's comments, as he only scored 1 touchdown in his final 11 games that season.


Everything changed for the better for Reed and the Bills in a wild, wild-card playoff game at Rich Stadium against the Houston Oilers. The Bills fell behind 35-3 in the third quarter and mounted the greatest comeback in football history by winning 41-38 in overtime. Andre Reed scored three touchdowns that day, in the comeback. In Super Bowl XXVII he caught eight passes but the Bills were killed by the Dallas Cowboys 52-17, in a turnover plagued disaster.

In 1993 Andre Reed adressed his toughness on the field by playing through an injury plagued season in which he bruised his shoulder, broke his wrist and didn't miss a game until December 5th, when he suffered a sublexed elbow against the Raiders, forcing him to sit out of the Philadelphia game the following Sunday. It was the first game he missed since 1989, playing in 76 consecutive football games. So much for him being labled soft. He led the team in receiving yardage with 854 and in Super Bowl XXVIII he caught six passes to become the all-time receptions leader in Super Bowl history.

Reed had his best season ever in 1994, catching 90 passes for 1,303 yards and and 8 touchdowns. On November 20th in Green Bay, Andre Reed had his best day ever catching 15 passes for 191 yards and on December 4th against the Miami Dolphins Andre Reed took a Jim Kelly pass on an 83 yard journey into the end zone, his longest touchdown reception ever. 

In 1995 Andre Reed tore up his hamstring in the fifth game against the Jets. He had 21 receptions at the time of the injury and looked to be on his way to another great season. He missed the next ten games and the Bills season went nowhere. Reed became a scapegoat by a negative media fueled, fan base, looking for answers for a 7-9 season, their first losing season in eight years. Reed addressed the critisism by lashing out through the media, once again making himself look like a whiner. He was let go at the end of the season, an unrestricted free agent able to shop his services to any team he wished.

Throughout the off season, Reed had tryouts with other teams but his hamstring not being fully healed, hampered his chances of signing anywhere. The Bills resigned him before the start of the 1996 season, much to the pleasure of teamates and fans alike. Reed responded by catching 66 balls for 1,036 yards, a 15.7 yards per catch average, his second best average ever. Reed was back, the critics were silenced again.

In 1997 Andre Reed led the Bills in receptions for the ninth time in his career. The Bills had a 6-10 record as Jim Kelly retired after the '96 campaign and quarterback Todd Collins struggled, as did the Bills. Reed missed the last game with another hamstring injury.

In 1998 the Bills ended the Todd Collins experiment and went out and signed Doug Flutie and traded for Rob Johnson. Reed and the Bills enjoyed success once again, going 10-6 and returned to the playoffs. Reed was suplanted by Eric Moulds as the go-to guy, as Moulds enjoyed an All-Pro season catching 67 passes for 1,368 yards, breaking Andre's record for most yards in a season. Nobody was happier for Moulds than Andre Reed. Through it all Reed still caught 63 passes for 795 yards, himself. In a playoff loss to the Miami Dolphins, Reed lost his temper and bumped an official, costing the Bills a first and goal. He was largly blamed for the loss.

In 1999 it was apparent that Andre Reed's great athletic talents were losing a battle to father time, 15 seasons had taken its toll. He was phased out of the starting line-up by rookie Peerless Price. Still he caught 52 passes, sharing an NFL record with Jerry Rice for most 50 plus receptions in a season with 13, but his yardege total was only 536 yards, with one TD, the lowest of his career. He complained openly and didn't take his diminished roll well. Before the Bills met the Tennessee Titans in a playoff game, Andre Reed wrote in his web site that he was finished with the Bills. He blasted his coach, his quarterback and the Bills organization as a whole. After the season was done, Andre Reed's words rang true, as he was released by the Bills.

Only time will tell if Andre Reed's rift with the Bills will heal. He finished his career in Buffalo as the NFL's second leading reception leader with 941 catches. He is fourth on the yardage list with 13,095 and 6th in touchdowns with 86. Hall of Fame numbers, in a Hall of Fame career.