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Bruce Smith & Ben Williams


Old Coot

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14 hours ago, Azucho98 said:

DE that played for the Bills from 76-85.

 

See the source image

 

 

i was watching then but didn't know many players. Its crazy the coverage we get nowadays, back then it was just the news paper, which i didnt get then. I remember Ferguson, Cribbs, Smerlas and Haslett and thats about it.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Stranded in Boston said:

Oh no!! Ben Williams was a key DE in Chuck Knox's innovative 3-4 defensive scheme in the early 80s. Most folks remember the "Bermuda Triangle" from that time, with Fred Smerlas at nose tackle and Jim Haslett & (highly underrated) Shane Nelson at ILB, but Williams and Sherm White were the standout DE bookends to the triangle. Both DEs were tough against the run, great pass rushers and super steady/durable. Adding clever vet Butch Robertson and vicious hitter Lucius Sanford at OLB, and that front seven was  just lethal ... I still think Bills would have won the 1980 Super Bowl if Fergy hadn't sprained his ankle. 

 

1980 was my first of watching and my parents didn't so it was hard to keep up with the game. Definitely was bummed when Knox left though.

5 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

That defense was amazing.  Fergy spraining his ankle cost us against the Chargers.

 

dont remember that either :(

 

 

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23 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

 

i was watching then but didn't know many players. Its crazy the coverage we get nowadays, back then it was just the news paper, which i didnt get then. I remember Ferguson, Cribbs, Smerlas and Haslett and thats about it.

 

 

Oh yeah. We had the newspapers,  AM sports radio, and a young ESPN may have had some football coverage. There was much more anticipation back then.

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8 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

I didn't have any of that. Heck my parents still Dont have cable and still use a rotary phone.

 

 

My grand parents were like that. They ate meat and potatoes every day, drank and lived to be 100!

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6 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Well done. Most of the kids on this board have no recollection of how good that team was. I have no doubt Bills win SB with a healthy Ferguson in part to the fact the Raiders and Eagles were two of the weaker SB participants of all time. Bills D would have handled Raiders offense in AFC championship with ease as well as the Eagles offense in the SB.

Hell yeah, Ethan ...The Bills had already dominated Oakland in the '80 regular season, holding them to zero points on offense, IIRC. In that game, Oakland also had no answer for Joe Cribbs, one of the best rookie backs I've ever seen before or since. Throw in WRs Frank Lewis and Jerry Butler and that tough offensive line, and we had a great O to match that stifling D. Good lord ... almost 40 years ago now -- where'd the time go? Now we look forward.

For you youngins', I found a Youtube link to that 1980 Bills-Oakland game. Enjoy! 

 

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22 minutes ago, Stranded in Boston said:

Hell yeah, Ethan ...The Bills had already dominated Oakland in the '80 regular season, holding them to zero points on offense, IIRC. In that game, Oakland also had no answer for Joe Cribbs, one of the best rookie backs I've ever seen before or since. Throw in WRs Frank Lewis and Jerry Butler and that tough offensive line, and we had a great O to match that stifling D. Good lord ... almost 40 years ago now -- where'd the time go? Now we look forward.

For you youngins', I found a Youtube link to that 1980 Bills-Oakland game. Enjoy! 

 

That was a good team with a possibility that we will never know. Cribbs was electric. He wasn't the fastest guy, but once he bounced out of the backfield, he had good game speed upfield. I remember one scout describing him as "shifty and nifty" 

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