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All Time Underappreciated Bills


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Let's not forget that the trade that REALLY got the greatest era off the ground was the one that sent OJ to San Francisco in 1978. That's the one that netted us the pick we used on Cousineau in 1979, whose rights we traded to Cleveland in 1983 for the pick we used on Jim Kelly.

 

 

Agreed ... that may be the single best trade in Bill's history. Look at the results:

 

Mar. 24, 1978 – Simpson was traded from the Buffalo Bills to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for 2nd round draft pick in 1978 (DE Scott Hutchinson), 3rd round draft pick in 1978 (WR Danny Fulton), 1st round draft pick in 1979 (LB Tom Cousineau), 4th round draft pick in 1979 (DE Ken Johnson), and 2nd round draft pick in 1980 (RB Joe Cribbs).

 

No way does a trade like this ever happen again 5 draft picks for one player who had clearly left his best years behind him.

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The St. Petersburg Times ran an article today called "Top Ten Most Underappreciated Buccaneers". Pretty interesting stuff. Since it's a bye week, thought I'd run through my list of all-time underappreciated Bills (in no particular order). And no, you can't include Phil Hansen. If you're name is on the friggin' wall, you can't be friggin' underappreciated.

 

1. Jim Braxton. Did the dirty work for O.J. Powerful runner in his own right.

2. Bobby Chandler. One of the best possession receivers in Bills' history. Great blocker for O.J., especially for someone his size. Had a bunch of productive seasons after being traded to Oakland.

3. Mark Pike. Bad luck being a great special teams player on a team with the best special teams player of all time.

4. Frank Lewis. Jerry Butler had more flash but Lewis put together several strong seasons with the Bills.

5. Jim Ritcher. What was it? Something like sixteen years of solid left guard play?

6. Charles Rhomes. I remember him being a pretty good cornerback for us for a long time.

7. Pete Metzelaars. Strange career. Started for us for a bunch of years. Got benched for a few years in favor of Keith McKellar and then started again for a bunch of years after McKellar was gone. Strong blocker and dependable receiver.

8. Derrick Burroughs. He was really, really good. Better CB than Nate Odomes. Always thought we would have won Super Bowl XXV if he hadn't suffered career ended injury in 1989.

9. Daryl Talley. Underappreciated for first half of career. Pretty well appreciated after 1990.

10. Fred Jackson. He'll be off this list soon enough. Pay the man!

Good list, if you are talking underappreciated nationally and not in the Buffalo region. I would also add:

1. Frank Riech-he was more than a normal backup, who spends his whole season on the bench. We wouldn't have gotten to a few Super Bowls without him, especially with Kelly on average missing a game or two a season.

2. Lou Piccone-One of my favorite Bills that doesn't get mentioned much. The ultimate undersized, over achiever before Tasker.

3. Steve Freeman-23 career interceptions, steady cover man.

4. Mario Clark-career interceptions (all but 1 with the Bills)

5. Lucius Sanford-Started for the majority of 10 season with Buffalo.

6. Darryl Talley-I have always said that he is the most underrated players in Bills history. The heart and soul of the defense during his career. Played in every game in 12 of his 13 seasons in Buffalo (only 3 games he didn't were the 3 "scab" games in 1987. Got some attention, but not to the level he deserved.

 

I could go on, but this is a sample. Others might be Smerlas, Kelso, Moody.

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6. Darryl Talley-I have always said that he is the most underrated players in Bills history. The heart and soul of the defense during his career. Played in every game in 12 of his 13 seasons in Buffalo (only 3 games he didn't were the 3 "scab" games in 1987. Got some attention, but not to the level he deserved.

 

 

Are you really underappreciated if you are on the Wall of Fame? I agree with you that he did not get National recognition, but that goes for many of our players.

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6- Joe Cribbs- okay, most knowledgeable Bills fans realize this guy was a phenomenal player, but, over recent years, every time this topic comes up, posters who likely never saw him play, say he wasn't any good, and recall more about him going to the USFL, than they do all the great times he spent on the Knox-era Bills teams. Had he been with a more stable franchise, I believe, Cribbs would be considered one of the greatest players of the 80's.

 

 

 

Great thread, hats off to the OP, and great comment above, Buftex.

 

Just to help out the younglings a bit, after Thurman Thomas and OJ Simpson the third all time leading rusher for the Bills even given his limited time here is Joe Cribbs (I believe about 4,500 yards).

 

I still to this day don't think he was used as much in the pass as he could have been because he had great hands.

 

If he doesn't have a contract dispute and doesn't run off to the USFL he could have ended with about 8,000 - 9,000 yards rushing for this team and more than 400 grabs.

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Are you really underappreciated if you are on the Wall of Fame? I agree with you that he did not get National recognition, but that goes for many of our players.

That is exactly why I started the very post you are referring to with:

 

Good list, if you are talking underappreciated nationally and not in the Buffalo region. I would also add:

 

The majority of the players talked about here weren't underappreciated by die hard Bills fans who knew how good they were. Please read the entire post next time.

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The most underappreciated were those that the BILLS traded away, who became Stars with other teams. Talk about being Underappreciated! :doh:

 

Daryle LaMonica, Haven Moses, Ron McDole etc.

 

Then we have; Tom Sestak, Paul Maguire, Mike Stratton, Cookie Gilchrist, Wray Carlton, Ernie Warlick, Elbert Dubenion etc., etc.

 

I know these are guys from the 60's Championship years but time has a way of diminishing past appreciation and a Bye week is a great time to remember them too.

 

That was a great Era for the BILLS as well as the City of Buffalo.

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Mario Clark! Biggest hitter we've ever had in the secondary. Lifting mercury Morris over his head and body slamming him = priceless

25 picks by age of 27.

Got a ring after being traded to 9'ers

 

I am quite sure the body slammer was Dave Washington, linebacker. My memory is going but it happened in front of me and I think he was the guy.

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Find his name on the Wall of Fame, the same one that has OJ on it, and then tell me whether or not he's underappreciated.

 

If you're talking about post-career appreciation, I can agree with you. If you are talking about appreciation at the time, no way - Reggie got tons of publicity. Way more than Joe D.

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That is exactly why I started the very post you are referring to with:

 

Good list, if you are talking underappreciated nationally and not in the Buffalo region. I would also add:

 

The majority of the players talked about here weren't underappreciated by die hard Bills fans who knew how good they were. Please read the entire post next time.

I did read the whole post, that's why I said I agree with you that he did not received National recognition. Next time read my whole post.

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I can't believe no one mentioned Roland Hooks. He was the 'Fred Jackson' of the seventies. Totally under-appreciated and under-utilized. He was played sparingly, but when he played, he averaged over 4 yards per carry. He single-handedly won several games during those pathetic years.

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Tony Greene - played for some miserable teams but always seemed to keep us close when Greise, Unitas, Namath would be running roughshod over our secondaries.

 

Larry Watkins, 1973, Braxton was injured early in the season, and Watkins was the "other" back in the backfeild when OJ got 2003 yards.

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