The Buffalo Bills have a storied history with a litany of good to great players, coaches and personnel. Each year the Bills honor one of those former standouts with an induction into the Wall of Fame.
Much like the debate for the NFL Hall of Fame, there are a number of candidates who deserve to be brought up for the honor. Unlike the league’s enshrinement, however, only one makes the cut each season.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at who deserves the honor of having their name added to the legends at New Era Field.
Cornelius Bennett
When I was researching the members of the Bills Wall of Fame, I couldn’t believe that “Biscuit” wasn’t already on the wall.
I’m not old enough to have watched the late ‘80s and early ‘90s Bills teams, but as a kid I devoured the season highlight tapes each year on VHS. Bennett was constantly on those tapes wreaking havoc on opposing defenses.
During his nine-year tenure in Orchard Park, No. 97 (who initially wore No. 55) tallied 52.5 sacks, 22 forced fumbles, 19 fumble recoveries and six interceptions.
Arguably his best season came in 1991 when the Bills needed him the most. During the 1991 season, Bruce Smith only played in five regular season games because of a knee injury. With the fearsome Smith sidelined, Bennett racked up nine sacks, 107 tackles, and four forced fumbles.
Without a doubt, Bennett deserves a spot on the Bills Wall of Fame
Eric Moulds
Depending on the year, Eric Moulds was either a monster or a very solid receiver. Even in his down years, Moulds was a weapon for whom opposing defenses had to plan.
Starting with his third season, Moulds became a perennial Pro Bowl performer who finished his ten-year run in Buffalo with 675 receptions for 9,096 yards and 48 touchdowns. In that breakout third campaign, Moulds and Doug Flutie brought hope to the franchise that had been absent since the retirement of Jim Kelly in 1996.
The greatest display of Moulds’s star power came in a Wild Card match up with the Miami Dolphins following the 1998 season. In that showdown, Moulds amassed 240 yards on nine receptions in a loss.
If not this season, Eric Moulds will see his name on the Wall of Fame in the coming years.
Kyle Williams
I know, he just retired. But over the mostly forgettable ‘00s and ‘10s, Kyle Williams was the most productive and revered player on the Bills’ roster.
While many fans will keep the 2018 regular season finale as the definitive memory of Kyle Williams with his touchdown score and celebration/reaction in the locker room following the Bills’ berth in the playoffs, the on-field play of the LSU product was a bit past his stellar prime.
As with the previous two names mentioned as being worthy of induction into the WOF, Williams had a defining moment that put his name on the NFL map. That moment was the 2010 match-up with the Pittsburgh Steelers that will forever be remembered in Western New York as the game where Stevie Johnson dropped a game-winning touchdown.
In the heart-wrenching loss, Williams was utterly dominant, picking up ten tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. His stat line could have been even better considering he drew four holding penalties in that game.
While the teams Williams played on weren’t successful on the field, No. 95 was often the only bright spot and is more than deserving of his eventual claim to a spot on the Wall of Fame.
Reuben Brown
Unlike other positions, offensive line is perhaps the most difficult to rank because they simply don’t have much statistically to stack up. Generally, fans look at Pro Bowls and All-Pro selections and determine a lineman’s worth based on that information.
So looking at that, Brown played for Buffalo for nine seasons and made eight Pro Bowls. For most of that stretch of time, Brown earned those accolades with strong play on the field. It can be argued that the last few of those Pro Bowls were on reputation only, but he still made it, nonetheless.
Fred Jackson
Aside from Kyle Williams, Fred Jackson is undoubtedly the face of the past decade. His passionate play style, rags to riches story and love of the area made it easy to root for Fred.
During his eight seasons with the Bills, Jackson ran for 5,646 yards and added another 2,640 yards receiving. He also found the end zone 37 times during his tenure.
This is one case, however, where statistics don’t tell the entire story. Fred Jackson played with a passion that inspired not only teammates, but the thousands of fans watching live. Perhaps his best moment as a Bill came when he set up a game-winning field goal against New England, that snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Patriots.
Who else deserves recognition as a Wall of Fame inductee? Does Brian Moorman belong? Let us know in the comments.