Bruce Smith ... Greatest Bill of All Time

I’ll never forget is when the Bills played a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals’ no-huddle offense (in the late 80s), Bruce Smith came in on the pass rush and, while falling down, grabbed at the front of Boomer Esiason’s collar. With one hand, Smith dragged down Esiason and should have had a sack. But the officials saw how dramatically Esiason’s head jerked down and threw a flag for a 15-yard face mask penalty. Terrible call, and I think it affected the outcome because the Bengals scored on that drive, but it was such a superhuman feat, the official assumed he had to have grabbed the face mask.

The only knock I ever had against Smith was that he would insist on playing every down, even when he was hurt and fatigued, when a rest for a play or two would have allowed both a fresh body to be in there and would have allowed Smith to recover.

is the only defensive end that I would place above Smith. White was equally dominate in the run and pass game. incredible strength and quickness for a man that was 300lbs. he would go through a lineman one play and the next play he would use his quickness and go around him.

Both at the top, slightly different skills, Bruce more speed, White more power; but Bruce was a player teams had to gameplan for, and he could disrupt an opposing O nearly single handedly. He was great, and it was great to have such an awesome player. i thnk White was a better team leader, and there was something missing on those great Bills teams, which is why we lost the super bowls. You could argue, as some do, that if we squeaked out the first one, things would have been different, but needless to say, I think in the end, White is the better of the two, but it is very close. And if I looked at it deeper, I could probably say Bruce was better

is already a stud but doesn’t have the horses to ride alongside him yet. That was a great decision by the Texans.
over the years it’s been proven that you build your team from the inside out. something I hope the Bills keep in mind for next year’s draft/free agency.

many friends who know a lot about sports are always shocked when I tell them Bruce Smith owns the record for most sacks. He gets very little love from non-Bills fans. Its very upsetting

is the greatest all time Buffalo Bill. Agree with Killascript that his lack of leadership was a legitimate knock against him. And his ego. But that kind of ego produced many great plays. Swagger and confidence. His athleticism and that super quick spin move were unmatched. He so loved to play the game. I will never forget his infectious smile. I hope we get to see some of the ceremony on TV. Congratulations Bruce. Welcome to the wall.

Lost in the midst of the the K-Gun offense and the wonderful no-huddle was how great that Bills defense was. Darryl Talley, Cornelius Bennett, Nate Odomes, Phil Hansen, Jeff Wright, Henry Jones, Mark Kelso and of course Smith. Once that nucleus began to dissolve was when the Bills D started blowing leads and Buffalo started slipping back to the pack.

Now our defense is playing good again. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

When it comes to who was the most productive, most talented Bill of all-time, it has to be Bruce. You’re exactly right, he is considered one of the top two at his position ever. As good as Jim, Thurman, and Andre were, the same can’t be said of them. Though, Tasker is probably the best gunner ever, but it isn’t exactly a glamor position.

And the more I think about it, you’re totally right.

I think Kelly is probably one of the most historically underrated QB’s, just because he never did get that ring, but he’s still not a top 5 of all time guy. Bruce…man, he’s Bruce. What can you say?

cheer him loud on Sunday. He is the man. I love that guy. What a legend

Do you rember the time he chased down Doug Flutie? Flutie was running to the sideline on his right and Bruce was in pursuit. It was like watching an eagle soar to his prey, diving with arms spread and getting him. I definately remember the Boomer Esiason sack in the playoff game that “thefourwinds” wrote about. Costly mistake by the ref. I also remember a running play where Bruce was double teamed and the back was tryin to get through the hole. Bruce reached out his left arm and stopped him literally with one arm. Occasionally he did rush himself out of running plays, but that was well worth the risk. He was awesome against the run.

Bruce was hands down my favorite Bill as a kid. Growing up during the Super Bowl years, I really was spoiled with just how great those teams were each year. Bruce’s abilties, especially, were totally amazing; and it wasn’t until much later that I realized that players like that come around once in a blue moon. He was (and is) truly one of a kind.

Attitude and off-field snafus aside, his contribution to the Bills franchise was invaluable. Congrats to Bruce for making the Wall, and here’s hoping for further accolades next year!