All Time Bills 53 man Roster

[BearNorth]

As an Original Bills Fan, love this post.  I was 10 when the team started. 

 

Was there for Cookie Gilchrist'ss pro football rushing record in a mosh pit.

Today they would have cancelled the game, the field was that bad.

 

Was also in Nashville for home run throwback ?

 

Agree the game as changed, but also remember in the 63-64-65-66 era there were fewer teams in pro football, so much harder to make a roster.

 

Bemiller bounced between guard & center in '64 and '65.  Dave Behrman was the center in '65 as I recall.

I don't recall that they carried a separate long snapper back in those days.

 

McGuire was a top punter, he was clutch in both AFL Championship wins, but Moorman has the stats and longevity.

 

Edgerson, Hansen, and Tasker are on the wall, have to be on the team somewhere.

 

Lofton is a PF HOF'r and made the K-gun work with his deep speed, also on the 50th all time team.

 

Henry Jones was also on the 50th all time team. So was Ruben Brown.  They have to be on here.  Perhaps make Ritcher the second center instead of Bemiller?

 

Gogolak changed the game, both with his kicking, and his move to the Giants was one of the first moves that led to the merger. That said, Christie had a long career with many accomplishments.  Interestingly Scott Norwood is the only Bills kicker ever selected as first team all pro.

 

Cookie was more of a gigantic RB than a FB, he wasn't noted for his blocking, He was a great receiver out of the backfield.

 

Might move him to RB instead of Cribbs, and make room for Gash or Boobie Braxton.

 

Fun to look back, suspect the 60th anniversary team will be voted on soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RPbillsfan]

1 minute ago, BearNorth said:

As an Original Bills Fan, love this post.  I was 10 when the team started. 

 

Was there for Cookie Gilchrist'ss pro football rushing record in a mosh pit.

Today they would have cancelled the game, the field was that bad.

 

Was also in Nashville for home run throwback ?

 

Agree the game as changed, but also remember in the 63-64-65-66 era there were fewer teams in pro football, so much harder to make a roster.

 

Bemiller bounced between guard & center in '64 and '65.  Dave Behrman was the center in '65 as I recall.

I don't recall that they carried a separate long snapper back in those days.

 

McGuire was a top punter, he was clutch in both AFL Championship wins, but Moorman has the stats and longevity.

 

Edgerson, Hansen, and Tasker are on the wall, have to be on the team somewhere.

 

Lofton is a PF HOF'r and made the K-gun work with his deep speed, also on the 50th all time team.

 

Henry Jones was also on the 50th all time team. So was Ruben Brown.  They have to be on here.  Perhaps make Ritcher the second center instead of Bemiller?

 

Gogolak changed the game, both with his kicking, and his move to the Giants was one of the first moves that led to the merger. That said, Christie had a long career with many accomplishments.  Interestingly Scott Norwood is the only Bills kicker ever selected as first team all pro.

 

Cookie was more of a gigantic RB than a FB, he wasn't noted for his blocking, He was a great receiver out of the backfield.

 

Might move him to RB instead of Cribbs, and make room for Gash or Boobie Braxton.

 

Fun to look back, suspect the 60th anniversary team will be voted on soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic feedback and thank you.  What about Wray Carleton?

[BearNorth]

Wray Carlton was a solid team player, He got tough yards, blocked in pass pro, but not a star.

 

Typical lunch pail Buffalo guy on a great team.

 

Also wanted to mention how tough Jack Kemp was.  He scored 40 rushing touchdowns, mainly on sneaks, where the QB takes a beating.

 

Go to play for the bills in '64-65 was Jack Kemp behind Billy Shaw for the score.

 

Cam has 44 rushing TD's but Kemp's were almost all in the trenches.

 

Picking him off waivers still the greatest front office move in Bills history.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

7 minutes ago, BearNorth said:

Cookie was more of a gigantic RB than a FB, he wasn't noted for his blocking...

 

I disagree over the RB / FB designation.  Cookie was a Caterpillar D9, the one from the movie 'Killdozer'.

[PBLESS]

I think you did a great job. I was never a Stew Barber fan so I would go with Joe Devlin. I wish there was a special teams category for Steve Tasker and I would have put either Kyle or Pat Williams in front of Dunaway

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Knowing AFL era names but not statistics, did a lot of the old timers cited play both offence and defence?

[PBLESS]

8 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Knowing AFL era names but not statistics, did a lot of the old timers cited play both offence and defence?

Tom Day did play both sides of the ball [not in the same season], Cookie was an all Canadian MLB before coming to B'lo and while with the Bills did some kick-offs and FG kicking.

[Rico]

2 hours ago, Coach55 said:

A will get a lot of flack for this one, but I would take Flutie over Ferguson, hands down. 

Absolutely, especially if he's coming off the bench for Jimbo. I'll take the intangibles over the Sad Sack.

[PBLESS]

17 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I disagree over the RB / FB designation.  Cookie was a Caterpillar D9, the one from the movie 'Killdozer'.

 Indeed he was a "D9" but Cookie was very fast for a 250 lb guy and I remember John Wooten who was A guard with the old Cleveland Browns, telling me that even when Gilchrist  tried out for Cleveland when he was 17 yrs old, that he was a better blocker than Jim Brown [but of course JB was DEFINETLY not known for his blocking]

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 minute ago, PBLESS said:

 Indeed he was a "D9" but Cookie was very fast for a 250 lb guy and I remember John Wooten who was A guard with the old Cleveland Browns, telling me that even when Gilchrist  tried out for Cleveland when he was 17 yrs old, that he was a better blocker than Jim Brown [but of course JB was DEFINETLY not known for his blocking]

What I do remember of games and limited reading on the subject, Gilchrist would steer towards an opposing player, Jim Brown would take a hit if he had to, O.J. Simpson had great success avoiding contact, thanks to his blockers and Simpson's abilities.

[Rico]

Some random comments on who wouldn't make my team:

 

- Fergy was THE Sad Sack, I don't want him bringing down the rest of the team.

 

- Kemp may have been good/better in the mid-60's, but he was God-awful at the end.

 

- Ruben Brown quit on the Bills in 2003, and he made critical mistakes at the worst possible times.

 

- Ernie Warlick may have been a good TE, but he was the absolute worst sports guy ever on Channel 2 weekends, just brutal, sorry Ernie, but bad enough to not make my team.

 

- Kyle Williams may be a great leader of suck teams, but he would be just a guy on the all-time 53. Pass.

 

- Lil Antoine (on the Bills) was a great tackler with marginal coverage skills and non-existent playmaking skills. Looking at the all-time roster, he's my 10th-best CB.

 

- No dedicated long snapper for me, one of my stars will have to do.

 

Should've found a spot for Ron McDole, oh well.

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by Rico

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

53 minutes ago, Rico said:

- Ernie Warlick may have been a good TE, but he was the absolute worst sports guy ever on Channel 2 weekends, just brutal, sorry Ernie, but bad enough to not make my team.

Ernie at least had a 'good' post season / post career gig.  One winter we were in a supermarket, and here was Tom Day offering a signed photo if you bought a 12 pack of beer.  It wasn't my father's brand, but he drank it anyways. ?

Edited May 27, 2018 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[xRUSHx]

14 hours ago, Bill Murray said:

Some other suggestions...

 

OL Rueben Brown

DT Kyle Williams

A WR spot has to be used for Steve Tasker

LB Bryce Paup 

S Henry Jones

 

First person I thought of was Paup how is he not on the list and Tasker, come on man he did it all.,SMH

Good post man but I wonder more about Pat Williams at DT over Kyle. Or Gash even what about Sam Gash.

OMG Fred Smerlas over Ted Washington, come on man, I think I would even put Big Pat over Smerlas.

I would also have Hanson and Showbill over Jerry Hughes, Earl Edwards. 

IMO Christy is the best kicker for Bills.

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by xRUSHx

[row_33]

Thanks OP, good background work and discussion

 

 

[Paul Costa]

15 hours ago, RPbillsfan said:

Great feedback, I was thinking of Christie but Gogolak was so clutch in 64 and 65 and historical as the first soccer style kicker

 

Edgerson in 1964-1966 was quite good, but got torched later in his career, Odoms was a more solid player in my opinion

 

I was considering Shane Nelson instead of Spikes, Bryce Paup wasn't here long enough, or he would have made my list

 

For TE I was think Paul Costa from the 60's

??????????

Edited May 27, 2018 by Paul Costa

[Rico]

I kinda want to have a spot for Jim Ritcher, but there are too many OG's ahead of him. He was drafted as a C, and I remember being disappointed that he wasn;t a full-time starter until his 4th year, but he ended up playing 16 (!)  years in the league.

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by Rico

[xRUSHx]

4 minutes ago, Paul Costa said:

??????????

The title says all time 53 roster, has nothing to do with how long they gave to the Bills but the all time players at said positions so IMO this thread should be nothing but the best players for each position that put on the uniform. To not have Paup is a travesty to this thread IMO.

[BearNorth]

My apologies for my earlier comment on Cookie's blocking, will defer to Madden, " Madden said, "Cookie Gilchrist may have been the best blocking running back that ever played the game." "

 

2 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Knowing AFL era names but not statistics, did a lot of the old timers cited play both offence and defence?

Not really, Maguire played LB as a fourth/sub package linebacker on the '64-65 teams, then became purely a punter, although I remember him also playing on the kickoff team [He and Gogolak would sometimes play games side by side to fake out the other team].  Cookie always wanted to play both ways as he did in Canada, but Saban thought he was too valuable to the offense.  Cookie could have been Ray Nitschke on D.

 

[BearNorth]

Paul Brown, with Cookie and Jim Brown as his FB/RB, that would have been a road grinder...

 

[hondo in seattle]

17 hours ago, RPbillsfan said:

I thought it would be fun to put together a 53 man roster based on the Bills history from 1960 to 2017

 

Here is my All Bills team

 

QB - Jim Kelly, Joe Ferguson, Jack Kemp

RB - OJ Simpson, Thurman Thomas, Joe Cribbs, Leshon McCoy

FB - Cookie Gilcrist

OT - Harold Ballard, Wil Wolford, Stew Barber, Dave Foley

OG - Joe Delamilure, Reggie McKenzie, Jim Ritcher, Billy Shaw

C - Kent Hull, Al Bemiller

WR - Andre Reed, Eric Moulds, Jerry Butler, Elbert Dubenion, Bob Chandler

TE - Pete Metzellars, Charles Clay

KR/PR - Terrance McGee, Wallace Francis

P - Paul McGuire

K - Pete Gogolak

DE - Bruce Smith,  Ron McDole, Jerry Hughes, Earl Edwards

DT - Fred Smerlas, Ted Washington, Tom Sestak, Jim Dunaway

LB - Cornelius Bennett, Mike Stratton, Jim Haslett, London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Shane Conlan

CB - Nate Odems, Antoine Winfield, Robert James, Butch Byrd

S - Mark Kelso, Jeff Nixon, George Saimes, Tony Greene, Steve Freeman

 

Please review and let me know your thoughts

 

While there's been some great feedback in this thread, I'm impressed by how much this list would resemble my own.

 

We've had a lot of great backs over the years and I'd love to carry more than 4!  

 

And as others have mentioned, I'd add a ST spot for Tasker.  

 

Fun exercise for the offseason.

Edited May 27, 2018 by hondo in seattle