Will Bruce Smith’s sack record ever be broken?

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

*Warning - off-season thread* 
 

Honestly, I wasn’t old enough to see Bruce in his prime, but I like to hear from knowledgeable Bills fans about great players of the past. I was watching a YT video about sports records that can never be broken and I was surprised that Bruce Smith’s sack record wasn’t on the list. Reggie White came only 2 sacks shy, but looking at the all-time sack leaders, all of them were drafted in the 80s or 90s. Our own Von Miller is 19th all time with 123 1/2. Strange how it’s so much more of a passing league now, but it doesn’t seem like anyone has even been coming close to putting up 200+ and I’m just wondering why? 

[EffKCChiefs]

No.

[Gugny]

NFL players have transitioned from coke and amphetamines to the grass. 
 

Unless that trend does a 180 … no effin’ way. 

[uticaclub]

Bruce would have been kicked out of the league the way QBs are protected now.

[Chicken Boo]

The passing league that it is today, someone will come along and break it, but they'll have to play quite a long time to do so and stay relatively healthy.  

[Doc Brown]

AJ Epenesa is pry his biggest threat.

[Dr.Sack]

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

[Milanos Milano]

4 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

AJ Epenesa is pry his biggest threat.

Nah, the ghost of Maybin is. 

[Gugny]

Just now, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Bruce played in 14+ games in 16 of his 19 seasons.

 

That is remarkable. 

[Doc Brown]

3 minutes ago, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Myles Garrett is at 12.41 per year.  He'll need to keep that up until he's 38 though.  It's possible but Antonio Brown was also on pace to break Jerry Rice's records so it's highly unlikely.

[Dan]

17 minutes ago, uticaclub said:

Bruce would have been kicked out of the league the way QBs are protected now.

This.   Easily half of Bruce’s sacks

wouldn’t have counted because it would be a 15yd roughing the passer penalty. 

[billsbackto81]

Highly unlikely, but not impossible.

[Billl]

No way.  Sacks are just too hard to get these days.  The quick passing game barely existed back then.

[Rubes]

11 minutes ago, Billl said:

No way.  Sacks are just too hard to get these days.  The quick passing game barely existed back then.

Agreed. Even though passing has increased over the years, the quick, short passing game is a big part of that, and it decreases the chance of getting a sack. QBs are now routinely rated for their “time to release” with emphasis on those who make quick decisions and get rid of the ball fast.

 

[PrimeTime101]

1. Mobile QB's or escape artists were rare back then.

2. Bruce would of been banned from football with how hard he dropped QB's

3. Fast throwing game

4. The game has evolved

 

no way in hell

[Charles Romes]

Bruce was freakishly talented and freakishly durable. The best ever. It’s scary to think the numbers he would have produced if he played in a 4-3. I’d recommend youtubing just about any game v. Miami except 91 (only year he was injured) and focusing on how much he was inside Marino’s head every snap. 

[AuntieEm]

15 minutes ago, Charles Romes said:

Bruce was freakishly talented and freakishly durable. The best ever. It’s scary to think the numbers he would have produced if he played in a 4-3. I’d recommend youtubing just about any game v. Miami except 91 (only year he was injured) and focusing on how much he was inside Marino’s head every snap. 

Plus you see him routinely beat double and triple teams. Not many top athletes can be as self motivated as Bruce was for as long as he played. 19 years is a long time to be playing pro football especially any players in trenches offense or defense.  They take a lot of pounding.  

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by AuntieEm

[Buffalo716]

Short answer no

 

He was the prototype with longevity... So much power with speed... His first step? Forget about it

 

How violent he was? This show is rated R

 

He was a menace 

[gobills404]

No. The last 5 years or so we’ve seen an explosion of athletic QBs that can avoid sacks sooooo much better than the statue QBs of the past. And that trend is only gonna continue.

1 hour ago, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Man I wish we could’ve all got to see an injury free career from JJ Watt. IMO he had the best peak (2012-2015) of any defensive player ever not named Lawrence Taylor.

Edited August 23, 2023 by gobills404

[mrags]

Short answer…. No

 

Also, I think White had the record at 198 and Bruce broke that. 
 

Bruce was an absolute monster. He almost never missed time (other than training camp). He had an extremely long career for the position. These defenders these days don’t have the longevity that Bruce had, or the self drive he had either. Bruce outworked everyone. When you listen to guys that played with him they tell stories about how he broke multiple stair masters from burning them out. 

[Boatdrinks]

Nope. Players don’t play for the length of time it would take ( except QBs as they are protected ) to come close while also maintaining top performance. Financially they don’t need to at todays NFL salaries. Players have a lot more self preservation in mind and get out early to limit physical issues down the road. Anything is possible, but I don’t think it will happen for these reasons and probably some others that have been mentioned as well. 

[QCity]

Nope. Players are bigger, stronger, and faster than they've ever been and their bodies can't take that kind of punishment to sustain the longevity it would take (15+ seasons).

[Ethan in Cleveland]

My knee jerk answer was going to be no for the reasons outlined by others. 

But I think TJ Watt has a chance. Watt has 77.5 sacks in 6 years and up until last season he only missed 3 games in 5 years. He would need several great seasons in the next 5 years and then hang around into late 30s to have a shot.

Also they added a 17th game which helps pad the stats.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Ethan in Cleveland

[MJS]

Never, unless the NFL transitions away from the quick passing game and back to 7 to 10 step drops.

[Freddie's Dead]

Imma say no.

[Matt_In_NH]

I will say yes.....sports science and rules to reduce injuries of passing.....the NFL sack leader is often around 20 sacks for the year which is higher than it was 30 years ago.  Quarterbacks are better about getting rid of the ball than in Bruce's time. I love Bruce, he was my favorite but he is not the leader in sacks/year, he is the career leader.  Similar to Brady being the passing leader, he just played more years than some other guys.

[aristocrat]

Tj watt has an outside chance. If he puts up 20 this year he could get there

[HOUSE]

In 3 more years, Quarterback sacks will be illegal so the answer in no.

But, some new guy might pull more flags

[Buffalo_Stampede]

It’s a longevity stat. I don’t know if anyone can play that long and still put up numbers late in their career.

 

I thought about Von Miller. He has a chance. He says he’s going to play that long. If he finishes out this contract like he says and has 170 sacks at age 38 it’s possible he tries to break it.

[aristocrat]

9 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

Well, former Bills 1st round draft selection Ereck Flowers seemed to be on his way.

 

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FlowEr00.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FlowEr20.htm

 

wrong Erik 

[ROCBillsBeliever]

7 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Short answer no

 

He was the prototype with longevity... So much power with speed... His first step? Forget about it

 

How violent he was? This show is rated R

 

He was a menace 

 

Agreed. Bruuuuce was Baaaaaad Things, Man:

 

 

[GunnerBill]

Think extremely unlikely for all the reasons listed. Namely:

 

1. The health and longevity is hard to achieve; 

2. The level of physicality you can hit QBs with is significantly reduced;

3. The QBs are more mobile;

4. The short passing game rather than the deep drop passing game is the order of the day in the modern game.

[mabden]

7 hours ago, AuntieEm said:

Plus you see him routinely beat double and triple teams. Not many top athletes can be as self motivated as Bruce was for as long as he played. 19 years is a long time to be playing pro football especially any players in trenches offense or defense.  They take a lot of pounding.  

 

 

 

 

Bruce was the one doing the pounding.  He was the rare bird that could take over a game.  Prime example being the Kelly Era Bills first home playoff game against Warren Moon's Houston Oilers.

[DaggersEOD]

9 hours ago, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Well you are a sack Dr. so it must be true

[ddaryl]

All records eventually get broken

[Old Coot]

13 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

All records eventually get broken

I agree. Bruce was great -- better than great -- but someone will come along and break his record. Some records that seemed unbreakable at the time:

Unitas' record of passing for a TD in 47 straight games set in 1956-60 broken by Brees 50 years later and then by Brady. 

OJ's season russing yardage of 2003 yards set in 1973 and broken by Dickerson in 1984 (OJ is now 8th on the list but that's because there are 2-3 more games in a season).

Brady's career passing mark of 89,214 yards broken by Josh Allen in 2043.

 

The quick passing game existed when Bruce played -- the West Coast offense; the Run and Shoot.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

17 game season and teams are passing more than ever before? Yes, eventually every record will fall. 

[Gregg]

3 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

17 game season and teams are passing more than ever before? Yes, eventually every record will fall. 

 

I don't think OJ's record of 2,003 yards in 14 games will be broken. I know Eric Dickerson has the record with 2,105 yards but he needed 16 games to do it. With the way the league is now as a passing dominated league I just don't think you will see an RB run for over 2,000 yards and do it by game 14.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Gregg

[wppete]

No way anyone breaks it. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

Eventually most records fall. It's just the way it is. Some guy will come along at some point and be just as unstoppable.

 

I do feel comfortable saying that this record is not likely to be beaten in my lifetime. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by BuffaloBillyG