Over the past few weeks, readers of Buffalo Rumblings have been diving into their collective histories as Buffalo Bills fans, recalling memories, waxing nostalgic, and putting together a roster of players we're calling Buffalo Rumblings' Best of the Bills Team.
All of the starters are in for this team's offensive unit save one very underrated position: center. (Just ask Ron from NM and his padawans about the importance of a good center.) Who will man the pivot on our team of all-time greats? We've got three candidates for you to vote on, as usual, but entrance polls are indicating that this vote may be a runaway...
Al Bemiller ('61-'69): One of the better lineman of the earliest Bills teams, Bemiller manned the pivot of the line that paved the way to two AFL championships. Bemiller was also a highly versatile player, starting games at left tackle and right guard during his nine-year stint as a member of the team. A seventh-round draft pick from good old Syracuse University, Bemiller was a one-time Pro Bowl selection (1965) and one of the more underrated blockers in team history.
Will Grant ('78-'85, '87): Unlike Bemiller, Grant played on some of the worst Bills teams which took the field in the early '80s. Despite the team's lack of success, however, Grant was a highly consistent performer, starting every game but one for the team from 1980 through 1985. He never made a Pro Bowl appearance - likely because of how poor the teams he played for were - but Grant was a consistent performer in a decade when the Bills couldn't scrap that trait together elsewhere.
Kent Hull ('86-'96): Perhaps the most talented and toughest Bills center of all-time, Hull has the benefit of being an excellent player on several excellent teams. He was an import from the USFL, where in 1984 he blocked for two 1,000 yard rushers (Herschel Walker and Maurice Carthon) for the New Jersey Generals. His Bills accomplishments hardly need to be mentioned - Buffalo had some historically great offenses during his tenure, and his blocking and intelligence were a huge part of it. Hull was voted to the Pro Bowl three times in his career and was named First Team All-Pro twice.
Again, this is the final position to be settled for our offensive unit. We'll get the voting underway now; it's entirely possible that our starting offensive unit will be "officially" announced later this afternoon.