Thirty-two years have passed since Bill Brooks’ dazzling two-touchdown performance in the coldest game in the history of Highmark Stadium, so the former Buffalo Bills receiver cautioned his memories of his exploits that frigid afternoon against the Los Angeles Raiders might be a little fuzzy.
“I barely remember them,” Brooks told GNN Sports earlier this week.
Then he described each of his scores in the Bills’ thrilling 29-23 come-from-behind victory over the Raiders on Jan. 15, 1994 in such detail it almost sounded like he had caught those balls hours earlier.
Brooks’ first touchdown in the AFC Divisional Playoff, a 25-yard hitch-and-go, put the Bills up 19-17 in the third quarter.
“Jim (Kelly) just threw a perfect ball,” he said. “My thing was at that time, when it was cold, to make sure I just caught the ball.”
With Kelly quarterbacking, Brooks explained, if a receiver ran the correct route and found the right spot, “he was going to put the ball there.”
“On that hitch-and-go, that’s what it was,” he said.
With 12 minutes left in the game, Kelly found Brooks in the middle of the end zone –
“He made a nice throw right in front of the defender,” he said – to restore the Bills’ lead and secure the first win on their march to a fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
“(He had) trust in me that I was going to get there and keep my feet,” Brooks said.
It was zero degrees and felt like minus-32 with the windchill that afternoon, so in that bone-chilling cold on the frozen turf, simply staying on your feet could be difficult.
Brooks was a newcomer on that 1993 team, having arrived as the Bills’ first significant free-agent signing after they moved on from future Hall of Famer James Lofton. He joined a group featuring some of the most experienced and decorated players in NFL postseason history.
The previous five years, the Bills played 13 playoff games.
Almost three decades following their last playoff appearances, Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed still rank among the all-time leaders at their respective positions. Smith became postseason sacks leader that afternoon against the Raiders.
As the Bills enjoyed consistent success, Brooks played for some decent or downright awful Indianapolis Colts teams. In seven seasons before joining the Bills, he had played just one postseason game, way back when the Colts won the AFC East in 1987.
“Billy was one of the all-time great dudes,” former Bills receiver and special teams star Steve Tasker said. “He really added a level of maturity and good humor. He was a little bit like James Lofton. … His personality was just perfect for our locker room and our wide receiver room.”
Brooks said before that Raiders game, many of the Bills knew of his limited playoff experience and offered some advice.
“Just telling me to stay calm, whatever, and those guys took it just like that, it was just another game, go out there and stay calm and do what you’re asked to do,” Brooks said. “Don’t let the game get too big for you.”
Brooks saw his battled-test teammates showcase that cool demeanor throughout an afternoon in which they trailed the Raiders, who had eked out a one-point win five weeks earlier in Orchard Park, three times.
“We knew we weren’t playing as well as we could play, and that was the frustrating part,” he said. “But there was no panic. That’s what I really remember about the game. There was never a panic about us pulling the game out.
“Guys were calm on the sideline, and the thing that I do remember is it was a team that knew someone was going to make a play to change the momentum of the game or the flow of the game. Didn’t know if it was going to come on offense or defense or special teams.”
Brooks, of course, made two of those plays. Another one materialized on special teams.
With the Bills trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, Tasker’s surprising 67-yard kickoff return set up the game’s first touchdown.
Tasker, who was stationed up front, said he knew kicker Jeff Jaeger planted his foot hard, and with the turf so slippery, he anticipated something could go wrong.
Sure enough, the ball knuckled and hit Tasker’s shoulder, and he grabbed it and took off down the field.
“I gave kind of a little jump cut, and those guys probably thought I was actually coming to block them,” Tasker said. “They were almost trying to avoid me. They didn’t realize I had it until after I had cut.”
The long return helped ignite the Bills.
“To me, (that) was one of those things that said, ‘OK, this is our moment to hopefully take advantage of it and seize the momentum right there,’” Brooks said.
When Brooks joined the Bills, he said he quickly learned that calmness and confidence helped make them a special group. They expected to win.
“They never panicked,” he said. “They always felt confident that if there’s time on the clock, they have a chance to win. That’s something I picked up on fairly early when I got up there. They stayed calm, and I think a lot of that had to do with Marv Levy.”
Brooks said Levy, the Bills’ coach, trusted his players. He never got upset at them. Instead, he would explain things in a way they could understand.
“Great communicator, great coach, willing to listen to everything,” Brooks said. “He was tremendous.”
Brooks became a tremendous acquisition for the Bills. He had 60 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 17 receptions that postseason.
When Reed was injured in 1995, Brooks caught 11 touchdowns, a franchise record he shares with Stefon Diggs. He also led the team in catches and yards that season, helping the Bills win their sixth AFC East title in an eight-year span.
His memorable performance against the Raiders, however, remained his signature moment in Buffalo.
“To get the win over the Raiders, that part was the fulfilling part,” Brooks said. “That was it.”