I feel very lucky to have seen this guy play in his best years

[bills44]

Just a phenomenal player. Saw him do things that I've never seen other DEs do. I can remember one play specifically - against the Jets,I think - the opposing QB threw a pass, which was tipped. The pass looked to be headed for the turf, but Bruce came out of nowhere, went totally horizontal, and caught the ball one-handed. EDIT: the latter part of that play was at the 1:20 mark of the clip posted by the OP

 

Tough SOB too. Rarely wore sleeves, no matter how cold it got.

Edited November 24, 2010 by bills44

[DC Tom]

Of course, nowadays he'd be considered a dirty player (along with White, Taylor, etc), what with all the fines and suspensions he'd get for those hits. In that clip alone, I've seen at least one "hitting below the knees", a couple that might be called "leading with the helmet", and lost count of how many "throwing the QB to the ground" sacks that would be penalties and fines today. That hit on Esiason is probably a suspension today, for having the gall to not violate the laws of gravity and land on him.

 

Of course, that hit on Boomer was also a thing of beauty. And my favorite Bruce memory is against the Colts, terrorizing Jeff George for an entire Sunday afternoon...at one point in the second half, already having taken a serious beating from Bruce, George takes a snap, drops back, looks to his left, and sees Bruce about two paces away from levelling him. You could see Geroge's eyes get as wide as dinner plates and clearly read his lips as he shouted "Oh, ****!"

[1B4IDie]

I was in High School during the Super Bowl years and never fully understood how special that team was until later.

In Buffalo the Super Bowl was a hobby, see you in Joe Robbie, was the attitude.

If we ever get back to glory again I will soak up every minute.

Edited November 24, 2010 by Why So Serious?

[Smiley Dear]

If Bruce didn't get the flu, we very well might have gone to 5 straight Superbowls.

[bbb]

If Bruce didn't get the flu, we very well might have gone to 5 straight Superbowls.

 

That would have been 5 out of 6. They didn't make the playoffs in '94. They also could have made one or two more before the first one.......Bruce got hurt in the '88 champ game and Harmon dropppd the ball in '89.

 

You guys are talking about his run defense. I found it amazing that he got better at it as time went by. I always knew when somebody got pancaked that it was Shane Conlon who made the hit. But, then Bruce started doing it, too. He really hit hard in the running game throughout the 90s.

 

Bad things, man. Bad things...

[bmur66]

Bruce had 8 ft. long arms.

[Spiderweb]

'Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what ya got 'til it's gone..'

 

80K screamin' "BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!" He was a marvel, on a marvelous team, coached by a Marv who's also enshrined in Canton.

The oddity, IMO, is that I think Phil Hanson was the 2nd best DE in team history and played w/ Smith for most of his career.

 

I would tend to agree, but a few decades ago there was a DE named Ben Williams who was a pretty fair DE in his day, and that was when the Bills were pretty thin elsewhere on the line, and when teams game planned the Bills, he was well accounted for. He didn't have a Bruce Smith opposite him. Still, Phil Hansen is one of my all-time favorite players.

[bmur66]

If only they had a run stopper in the middle they would have ........................

[Mr_Blizzard]

Jim Kelly usually gets the focus for the Bills "Glory Years" but pound for pound Bruce Smith may have been the best Bill of that era. In his prime there was nobody better at his craft. While he gets attention for the sacks the guy was also solid against the run. I do not believe there is a player in the NFL today who is his equal.

 

Enjoy Highlights

 

The first Bills game I ever went to was against the Oilers in '87. Bruce and an Oiler got ejected from the game. (We won anyway)

 

Saw Bruce in a lot of games. It hurt to see him leave after the '99 season. He is a legend. Hard to believe it's been almost 11 years since he left the Bills...

[May Day 10]

they really ranked him as the #4 pass rusher?

[BuffaloBill]

they really ranked him as the #4 pass rusher?

 

 

Yes .... I know we are biased but #4 is insulting. He could wreck an offense by himself. My guess is that the stain of having lost four in a row fed into this.

Edited November 24, 2010 by BuffaloBill

[1B4IDie]

Yes .... I know we are biased but #4 is insulting. He could wreck an offense by himself. My guess is that the stain of having lost four in a row fed into this.

I get Reggie White and the Original LT but who else got ranked higher?

They both won SBs and in turn will win popularity contests, but I can't think if who else would be in there. Mean Joe Green, Deacon Jones?

Come to think of it I bet its Deacon Jones, they always interview him and he played before sacks were counted as a stat, and claims to have 100s of sacks.

 

White, LT and Bruuuce are all so great its hard to rank those 3, its like 1a, 1b, 1c

[DC Tom]

I get Reggie White and the Original LT but who else got ranked higher?

They both won SBs and in turn will win popularity contests, but I can't think if who else would be in there. Mean Joe Green, Deacon Jones?

Come to think of it I bet its Deacon Jones, they always interview him and he played before sacks were counted as a stat, and claims to have 100s of sacks.

 

White, LT and Bruuuce are all so great its hard to rank those 3, its like 1a, 1b, 1c

 

Deacon Jones, probably. Literally, the league started tracking "sacks" as a stat because of him.

 

Picking between Bruce, Reggie, and LT is tough (I'll take Bruce, since Reggie and LT played in different systems where they'd theoretically be more productive, and lots of times a better supporting cast. It's scary to think what Bruce could have done on that Eagles 4-3 that sent their ENTIRE front seven to the Pro Bowl one year). Picking Deacon Jones over any of them is a no-brainer, since he pretty much invented the sack and the modern DE position.

[Buftex]

I would tend to agree, but a few decades ago there was a DE named Ben Williams who was a pretty fair DE in his day, and that was when the Bills were pretty thin elsewhere on the line, and when teams game planned the Bills, he was well accounted for. He didn't have a Bruce Smith opposite him. Still, Phil Hansen is one of my all-time favorite players.

 

I was going to make the case for Ben Williams too...but I realize, I have a very biased opinion of those late 70's early 80's teams...the 1980-1981 defense was awesome!

[bbb]

I was going to make the case for Ben Williams too...but I realize, I have a very biased opinion of those late 70's early 80's teams...the 1980-1981 defense was awesome!

 

The 1980 team is my all time favorite team. I can still name all 24 starters.

[1B4IDie]

The 1980 team is my all time favorite team. I can still name all 24 starters.

Well if you get to start 2 more guys than your opponent every game you should be pretty good.

[Buftex]

The 1980 team is my all time favorite team. I can still name all 24 starters.

 

 

Me too! The first time in my life, I really thought we were SB bound!

[BuffaloBill]

youtube.com/watch?v=egw80-VZr20

 

 

Wow .... ouch

[KRC]

Come to think of it I bet its Deacon Jones, they always interview him and he played before sacks were counted as a stat, and claims to have 100s of sacks.

 

 

According to PFRA member John Turney, who went back to examine the official play-by-play accounts and game films, Jones had 173.5. Here is the top 15 according to John's research (from 2009):

 

1. Bruce Smith 200

2. Reggie White 198

3. Deacon Jones 173½

4. Kevin Greene 160

5. Jack Youngblood 151½

6. Chris Doleman 150½

7. Alan Page 148½

8. Lawrence Taylor 142

9. Michael Strahan 141½

10. Richard Dent 137½

10. John Randle 137½

12. Rickey Jackson 136

13. Carl Eller 133

14. Leslie O'Neal 132½

15. Coy Bacon 130

[Chandler#81]

According to PFRA member John Turney, who went back to examine the official play-by-play accounts and game films, Jones had 173.5. Here is the top 15 according to John's research (from 2009):

 

1. Bruce Smith 200

2. Reggie White 198

3. Deacon Jones 173½

4. Kevin Greene 160

5. Jack Youngblood 151½

6. Chris Doleman 150½

7. Alan Page 148½

8. Lawrence Taylor 142

9. Michael Strahan 141½

10. Richard Dent 137½

10. John Randle 137½

12. Rickey Jackson 136

13. Carl Eller 133

14. Leslie O'Neal 132½

15. Coy Bacon 130

 

Helluva list!

 

What stands out to me is Page & Eller were teammates for most of their careeers. Purple PEOPLE-EATERS indeed!