Buffalo86 Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 "One of the largest trades ever made in National Football League history occurred on Halloween Day in 1987. The marquis name in the three-way deal between the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts was Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson." And, as we all know, netted us Cornelius Bennett. A slam dunk deal, right? Let's take a look at the deal & consider what might have been. OK, so let's start with Bennett. He was a beast in Buffalo, pretty much from the day he arrived. Moving on to what we gave up: RB Greg Bell exploded for 1336 yards & 18 TDs in '88, following with 1222 and 15 in '89. He was pretty much done after that. And if we still had him, we probably wouldn't have drafted Thurman in '88. Then again, maybe we would, and we wouldn't have the ball bouncing off of Ronnie Harmon's hands vs the Browns in '89. As for the picks they traded, here are some multi-year Pro Bowlers they could've had: 1988 (14): WR Anthony Miller (15), G Randall McDaniel (19), LB Chris Spielman (29), CB Eric Allen (30) Miller was a field-stretching WR who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '92, '93, & '95. He would've been an upgrade over Lofton at that point in their respective careers, and could've continued to pair with Andre Reed as an unstoppable duo for years to come. The Bills drafted WR Bernard Ford (don't even remember the guy) with their 2nd pick of the '88 draft, so WR was definitely in their plans. McDaniel was a HOF G who made the Pro Bowl every year from '89-00 & would've improved any O-line. But, being that the Bills didn't take a single G with any of their 14 picks in '88, he probably wasn't on their radar. Spielman was one of the best ILBs of his day, among the league leaders in tackles every year and going to the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '91, and '94. Pairing him with Conlan on the inside would've given opposing OCs fits. Add in Darryl Talley, and you'd think the Bills could find someone good enough to man the other side without an overall dropoff. And we know the Bills were in the market for a LB, even though Bennett & Spielman didn't play the same position... Allen was a ball-hawking CB who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '91, '92, '93, '& 94. And we all know the Bills' propensity to spend first round picks on CBs. On to '89, here are some Pro Bowlers who would've been available: 1989 round 1 (26): OG Steve Wisniewski, CB Carnell Lake (34) 1989 round 2 (53): TE Wesley Walls (56), C Mark Stepnoski (57), TE Marv Cook (63) Admittedly, this is revisionist history at its finest. Still I think there's an argument to be made that we could've been better off without Bennett. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbillsfan2206 Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 2 minutes ago, Buffalo86 said: "One of the largest trades ever made in National Football League history occurred on Halloween Day in 1987. The marquis name in the three-way deal between the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts was Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson." And, as we all know, netted us Cornelius Bennett. A slam dunk deal, right? Let's take a look at the deal & consider what might have been. OK, so let's start with Bennett. He was a beast in Buffalo, pretty much from the day he arrived. Moving on to what we gave up: RB Greg Bell exploded for 1336 yards & 18 TDs in '88, following with 1222 and 15 in '89. He was pretty much done after that. And if we still had him, we probably wouldn't have drafted Thurman in '88. Then again, maybe we would, and we wouldn't have the ball bouncing off of Ronnie Harmon's hands vs the Browns in '89. As for the picks they traded, here are some multi-year Pro Bowlers they could've had: 1988 (14): WR Anthony Miller (15), G Randall McDaniel (19), LB Chris Spielman (29), CB Eric Allen (30) Miller was a field-stretching WR who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '92, '93, & '95. He would've been an upgrade over Lofton at that point in their respective careers, and could've continued to pair with Andre Reed as an unstoppable duo for years to come. The Bills drafted WR Bernard Ford (don't even remember the guy) with their 2nd pick of the '88 draft, so WR was definitely in their plans. McDaniel was a HOF G who made the Pro Bowl every year from '89-00 & would've improved any O-line. But, being that the Bills didn't take a single G with any of their 14 picks in '88, he probably wasn't on their radar. Spielman was one of the best ILBs of his day, among the league leaders in tackles every year and going to the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '91, and '94. Pairing him with Conlan on the inside would've given opposing OCs fits. Add in Darryl Talley, and you'd think the Bills could find someone good enough to man the other side without an overall dropoff. And we know the Bills were in the market for a LB, even though Bennett & Spielman didn't play the same position... Allen was a ball-hawking CB who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '91, '92, '93, '& 94. And we all know the Bills' propensity to spend first round picks on CBs. On to '89, here are some Pro Bowlers who would've been available: 1989 round 1 (26): OG Steve Wisniewski, CB Carnell Lake (34) 1989 round 2 (53): TE Wesley Walls (56), C Mark Stepnoski (57), TE Marv Cook (63) Admittedly, this is revisionist history at its finest. Still I think there's an argument to be made that we could've been better off without Bennett. Yes, it was 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrivefourfive Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 We don't know if the Bills would have drafted any of those players. We DO know what Bennett did for the Bills. Even though Buffalo didn't win a Super Bowl back then, I have a tough time second guessing how that team was built. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Heck yeah it was. The mistake was drafting Shane Conlan instead of Rod Woodson. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickrage Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 No speakah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloRush Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 This is an interesting thread and I love questioning some of these historical decisions. I do wonder if some of the veterans will give you crap about not posting a thread about college QB’s or posting a “we have too many holes to fill” in the headline 16 minutes ago, Buffalo86 said: "One of the largest trades ever made in National Football League history occurred on Halloween Day in 1987. The marquis name in the three-way deal between the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts was Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson." And, as we all know, netted us Cornelius Bennett. A slam dunk deal, right? Let's take a look at the deal & consider what might have been. OK, so let's start with Bennett. He was a beast in Buffalo, pretty much from the day he arrived. Moving on to what we gave up: RB Greg Bell exploded for 1336 yards & 18 TDs in '88, following with 1222 and 15 in '89. He was pretty much done after that. And if we still had him, we probably wouldn't have drafted Thurman in '88. Then again, maybe we would, and we wouldn't have the ball bouncing off of Ronnie Harmon's hands vs the Browns in '89. As for the picks they traded, here are some multi-year Pro Bowlers they could've had: 1988 (14): WR Anthony Miller (15), G Randall McDaniel (19), LB Chris Spielman (29), CB Eric Allen (30) Miller was a field-stretching WR who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '92, '93, & '95. He would've been an upgrade over Lofton at that point in their respective careers, and could've continued to pair with Andre Reed as an unstoppable duo for years to come. The Bills drafted WR Bernard Ford (don't even remember the guy) with their 2nd pick of the '88 draft, so WR was definitely in their plans. McDaniel was a HOF G who made the Pro Bowl every year from '89-00 & would've improved any O-line. But, being that the Bills didn't take a single G with any of their 14 picks in '88, he probably wasn't on their radar. Spielman was one of the best ILBs of his day, among the league leaders in tackles every year and going to the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '91, and '94. Pairing him with Conlan on the inside would've given opposing OCs fits. Add in Darryl Talley, and you'd think the Bills could find someone good enough to man the other side without an overall dropoff. And we know the Bills were in the market for a LB, even though Bennett & Spielman didn't play the same position... Allen was a ball-hawking CB who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '91, '92, '93, '& 94. And we all know the Bills' propensity to spend first round picks on CBs. On to '89, here are some Pro Bowlers who would've been available: 1989 round 1 (26): OG Steve Wisniewski, CB Carnell Lake (34) 1989 round 2 (53): TE Wesley Walls (56), C Mark Stepnoski (57), TE Marv Cook (63) Admittedly, this is revisionist history at its finest. Still I think there's an argument to be made that we could've been better off without Bennett. Overall I would say that the trade was worth it, considering that he was a cornerstone of a team that went to 4 straight Super Bowls. Clearly they did bypass some exceptional talent, and perhaps their combined accomplishments are greater than Bennet individually but but I think this was the right trade for the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baskingridgebillsfan Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 umm quoting the great Steve Langford who gives a shite who give a f#$# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMF2006 Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Well we/they got to 4 Superbowls so this one goes as a hell yeah YES 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloRush Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said: Heck yeah it was. The mistake was drafting Shane Conlan instead of Rod Woodson. Yeah but Bills fans don’t want to that logic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 The phrase in the OP that best summarizes the entire post is, "Admittedly, this is revisionist history at its finest. ..." The Bennett trade singularly shifted the balance of power in the AFC East. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 This is now the most ridiculous post ever! 2 hours ago, Thrivefourfive said: We don't know if the Bills would have drafted any of those players. We DO know what Bennett did for the Bills. Even though Buffalo didn't win a Super Bowl back then, I have a tough time second guessing how that team was built. We have some who rate Polian very low as far as GM skills! 50 minutes ago, K-9 said: The phrase in the OP that best summarizes the entire post is, "Admittedly, this is revisionist history at its finest. ..." The Bennett trade singularly shifted the balance of power in the AFC East. Thank you for restoring my faith in this board! This has been the boards most depressing off season ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochesterRob Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Buffalo86 said: "One of the largest trades ever made in National Football League history occurred on Halloween Day in 1987. The marquis name in the three-way deal between the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts was Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson." And, as we all know, netted us Cornelius Bennett. A slam dunk deal, right? Let's take a look at the deal & consider what might have been. OK, so let's start with Bennett. He was a beast in Buffalo, pretty much from the day he arrived. Moving on to what we gave up: RB Greg Bell exploded for 1336 yards & 18 TDs in '88, following with 1222 and 15 in '89. He was pretty much done after that. And if we still had him, we probably wouldn't have drafted Thurman in '88. Then again, maybe we would, and we wouldn't have the ball bouncing off of Ronnie Harmon's hands vs the Browns in '89. As for the picks they traded, here are some multi-year Pro Bowlers they could've had: 1988 (14): WR Anthony Miller (15), G Randall McDaniel (19), LB Chris Spielman (29), CB Eric Allen (30) Miller was a field-stretching WR who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '92, '93, & '95. He would've been an upgrade over Lofton at that point in their respective careers, and could've continued to pair with Andre Reed as an unstoppable duo for years to come. The Bills drafted WR Bernard Ford (don't even remember the guy) with their 2nd pick of the '88 draft, so WR was definitely in their plans. McDaniel was a HOF G who made the Pro Bowl every year from '89-00 & would've improved any O-line. But, being that the Bills didn't take a single G with any of their 14 picks in '88, he probably wasn't on their radar. Spielman was one of the best ILBs of his day, among the league leaders in tackles every year and going to the Pro Bowl in '89, '90, '91, and '94. Pairing him with Conlan on the inside would've given opposing OCs fits. Add in Darryl Talley, and you'd think the Bills could find someone good enough to man the other side without an overall dropoff. And we know the Bills were in the market for a LB, even though Bennett & Spielman didn't play the same position... Allen was a ball-hawking CB who made the Pro Bowl in '89, '91, '92, '93, '& 94. And we all know the Bills' propensity to spend first round picks on CBs. On to '89, here are some Pro Bowlers who would've been available: 1989 round 1 (26): OG Steve Wisniewski, CB Carnell Lake (34) 1989 round 2 (53): TE Wesley Walls (56), C Mark Stepnoski (57), TE Marv Cook (63) Admittedly, this is revisionist history at its finest. Still I think there's an argument to be made that we could've been better off without Bennett. That 1987 team had fewer holes than what we are talking about at present. We had Reed and Chris Burkett at WR, Shane Conlan ILB, Bell, Harmon, and Robb Riddick at RB (the weakest part of the trade), Jim Ritcher OG, and Nate Odomes plus Derrick Burroughs at CB. We were also better at working the waiver wire and picking up castoffs. John Davis was the other OG we picked up after the Oilers let him go. Ray Bentley LB. Edited March 25, 2018 by RochesterRob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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