2000 Buffalo Bills season The 2000 Buffalo Bills season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League . The Bills total offense ranked 9th in the league , and their total defense ranked 3rd in the league . It was the first time since the 1987 season that long time Bills members Bruce Smith , Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas were not on the team together . Smith and Reed had signed with the Washington Redskins , while Thurman Thomas signed with the Miami Dolphins . The Buffalo Bills finished in fourth place in the AFC East and finished the National Football League ' s 2000 season with a record of 8 wins and 8 losses . The Bills season was defined by the quarterback controversy between Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson . The 2000 season marked a turning point in Buffalo ' s history . After the season ended , general manager John Butler left the team to take the same position with the San Diego Chargers . Special teams futility . Head coach Wade Phillips was fired shortly after the season by owner Ralph Wilson . Wilson cited Phillips ' s refusal to fire special teams coach Ronnie Jones . ( Football statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the 2000 Bills had the worst special teams unit of any single - season team from 1993 – 2010 . ) Said Wilson at the time , " “ Buffalo special teams ’ record was among the worst in the National Football League last season . . . . I felt we needed a change and that my request was reasonable … I did not want to release Wade but his refusal left me with no option . ” Said Football Outsiders of Buffalo ' s special teams in 2000 , " Could special teams possibly be that negative ? Oh , yes . They could . The 2000 Buffalo Bills had the worst special teams of any team in any season for which [ " Football Outsiders " has ] data . I would not be shocked if they had the worst special teams of all time , except maybe for some expansion teams in the sixties and seventies . Everything about special teams was horrible for the Bills that year , but Steve Christie was the biggest black hole among a galaxy of sucking black holes . . . . Christie ' s average kickoff went only 55 . 6 yards , 7 . 5 yards less than the league average . And the bad kickoffs didn ' t just come late in the season in Buffalo ' s usual snow and wind . . . . On the season , 18 of his kickoffs went for 50 yards or less . No other kicker had more than 10 kicks that short . . . . Buffalo allowed opponents kick returns worth 22 points more than the league average . . . So the average opposing drive after a Buffalo kickoff started at the 37 - yard line . Wow . " Buffalo hired Tom Donahoe to become the new general manager the following season . Donahoe hired Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to be the head coach in 2001 , a season in which the rebuilding team struggled to a 3 – 13 record . Regular season . Quarterback controversy . Flutie led the Bills to a 10 – 5 record in 1999 but , in a controversial decision , was replaced by Rob Johnson for the playoffs by coach Wade Phillips , who later said he had permission from Bills owner Ralph Wilson to do so . The Bills lost 22 – 16 to the eventual AFC Champion Tennessee Titans in a game that has become known for the Music City Miracle , where the Titans scored on the penultimate play of the game – a kickoff return following the Bills ' apparent game - clinching field goal . After the season had ended , Flutie was named the Bills ' backup and only played late in games or when Johnson was injured . Despite getting his chances in December to help the team , Flutie was unable to get the team key wins in December , sealing his fate as a casualty to a roster cut .