OldTimeAFLGuy Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) ...kind of a mute point....despite efforts to determine it by film study reconstruction, Deacon had sacks before they were recordable.....bottom line is Bruce, Reggie & Deacon were THE best and arguing order will be a never ending discussion...at least some of us were blessed to have seen all three............. Edited June 6, 2019 by OldTimeAFLGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil The Thrill Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 3 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said: ...kind of a mute point....despite efforts to determine it by film study reconstruction, Deacon had sacks before they were recordable.....bottom line is Bruce, Reggie & Deacon were THE best and arguing order will be a never ending discussion...at least some of us were blessed to have seen all three............. The reason that I’m comparing Bruce and Reggie is because they played in the same era. At one time in the 1990’s, Bruce vs Reggie was a popular debate in the NFL. While Jones might be one of the greatest to the play the position, he doesn’t have the same connection to the two players 33 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said: Get over your bad self. It’s nice when people set a good example by respecting those who are no longer with us 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 5 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said: Well that’s what was reported. My thinking is that Bruce Smith at 40% health is probably better than whoever was his replacement. He had a reported fever of 104 degrees that day. For a big person, that is extremely high. Have you ever had the flu, as in the *real* flu (not just a bad cold)? It is completely incapacitating and can be an extremely serious illness. If you really have influenza, you are in no condition to play in an NFL playoff game. It's not even debatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil The Thrill Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 13 minutes ago, dave mcbride said: He had a reported fever of 104 degrees that day. For a big person, that is extremely high. Have you ever had the flu, as in the *real* flu (not just a bad cold)? It is completely incapacitating and can be an extremely serious illness. If you really have influenza, you are in no condition to play in an NFL playoff game. It's not even debatable. It should be noted, I was a teenager when this took place. I admitted that it was not right to judge the situation. But putting that aside, I still feel that Reggie was slightly better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyC81 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 5 hours ago, klos63 said: He wasn't even able to get out of his bed, it sucks, but it happens. How would he have helped? IIRC, he refused getting a flu shot and this was the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) Bruce but it's splitting hairs. Reggie was always surrounded by way more talent and coaching in my opinion. This Eagles defensive rosters were up there with the most loaded ever. Edited June 6, 2019 by Needle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Bruce had a tougher time playing a 3-4 and facing double teams all the time. Reggie had a better DL cast in both Philly and GB. Deacon was great, no one has bothered to look at film and count his sacks but I doubt he has the same number. Deacon got away with the “head slap” for many years which was an advantage for him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil The Thrill Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 31 minutes ago, Bob in STL said: Bruce had a tougher time playing a 3-4 and facing double teams all the time. Reggie had a better DL cast in both Philly and GB. Deacon was great, no one has bothered to look at film and count his sacks but I doubt he has the same number. Deacon got away with the “head slap” for many years which was an advantage for him. I agree....but We aren’t talking about Deacon Jones. It’s Bruce vs. Reggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 I give it to Reggie. More sacks per season. Bruce had the better longevity on the field. Had they had equal playing career lengths, Reggie would have finished as the clear #1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boca BIlls Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Bruce hands down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Phil The Thrill said: It should be noted, I was a teenager when this took place. I admitted that it was not right to judge the situation. But putting that aside, I still feel that Reggie was slightly better If Reggie was so much better than Bruce then why is he dead, smart guy?!?!? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerbelly Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 7 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said: For the longest time there has been a debate with my friends about who the greatest Defensive End was during the time we started watching football in the late 80’s and into the 90’s. Back then we thought we had the best DE in the NFL in Bruce Smith. Others considered Reggie White, from Philly, at the time to be the best. Now that we have the benefit of hindsight, the question is...who was really better? Statistically there really isn’t much difference. Reggie played 15 seasons with 198 sacks. Bruce played 17 with 200 sacks. Of course, Bruce is the all-time leader. Both men should be considered toward as the best DE’s ever. I hate to say it, but I’m going to give the edge to Reggie. I think he was a much better leader and impacted the game more than Bruce did. For many years, I would argue in favor Bruce but one game made me change my mind. What sealed the deal for me was in a 1996 playoff game. Bruce had the flu and was questionable to play. This happens quite a bit in the NFL and players usually play through sickness. So I was really shocked when he missed the game. Pittsburgh scored 40 points so the team definitely could’ve used Bruce. I immediately thought of the Thanksgiving game against Dallas where Reggie played with a severely injured arm. He should have missed several weeks but he played through it. Thinking of that made me say “It’s official, Reggie is better.” As an adult, I can see the flawed logic there, but forgetting that incident, it doesn’t change my answer. Bruce was fantastic, but I think Reggie was the greatest of all-time. If Bruce played in a 4-3 defense for his entire career, he would've had 300 sacks. There is no comparison, in my opinion. Reggie is a fitting # 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 4 minutes ago, Jauronimo said: If Reggie was so much better than Bruce then why is he dead, smart guy?!?!? OMGWTFBBQSAUCE!!! awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Gun Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 You cant even compare teammates, Whites were far superior to Bruces. Bruce was better because it was pretty much him and only him for alot of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsfaninChicago Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 The evidence I have is my Madden 99 Game I played in high school when I was able to pick up any players I wanted for my 19-0 Bills season. Bruce had like over 100+ sacks that and Reggie was sadly relegated to special teams play. Case closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
without a drought Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 This one's easy, it's the guy who played for the Bills for 15 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil The Thrill Posted June 7, 2019 Author Share Posted June 7, 2019 50 minutes ago, Jauronimo said: If Reggie was so much better than Bruce then why is he dead, smart guy?!?!? Very classy response... 3 minutes ago, Leonhart2017 said: The evidence I have is my Madden 99 Game I played in high school when I was able to pick up any players I wanted for my 19-0 Bills season. Bruce had like over 100+ sacks that and Reggie was sadly relegated to special teams play. Case closed. Is this supposed to be humorous? 7 minutes ago, pop gun said: You cant even compare teammates, Whites were far superior to Bruces. Bruce was better because it was pretty much him and only him for alot of years. Fair enough....you can argue that the other 3/4’s of Green Bay’s DL were much better than lining up to Jeff Wright or Phil Hansen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsfaninChicago Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 37 minutes ago, Phil The Thrill said: Is this supposed to be humorous? Yes. Was that supposed to be sarcasm? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Things Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Bruce Smith all day, every day. Bad Things, man. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 5 hours ago, shane nelson said: Both were great, two of the best ever. One has a ring one does not. Ring = tiebreaker One played for the Bills and one played for the Packers, and ***** the Packers. Bruce. I did appreciate that Reggie kicked Brain Dead Drew’s ass in that SB though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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