The Top 5 Buffalo Bills Players in Franchise History
By Pete Macias
The first of four straight Super Bowl appearances by the Bills
The Buffalo Bills started out in 1960 for the American Football League. Since that time Buffalo has seen many highs and probably more lows.
Despite all the high-powered teams before and after them, they remain the only franchise to appear in four straight Super Bowls.
Buffalo is known for having some great players over the course of their history. That includes nine Hall of Famers. It’s hard to choose just the top five Buffalo Bills but here goes.
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Thomas shared the backfield with fellow Hall of Famer Barry Sanders in college. The Bills were able to grab Thomas in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft. Over his 12 years with the Bills, Thomas was one of the most electrifying running backs in the league.
Thomas is one of the best all-purpose backs in the history of the league. His skill was on display on the biggest stages, particularly against the NY Giants in Super Bowl XXV. He is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in total yards from scrimmage in four straight seasons.
In the 90’s Andre Reed was probably the number two receiver in the league behind only Jerry Rice. He spent 15 years with the Bills and was their number one receiver.
Over his long career, he racked up over 13,000 yards receiving and 86 touchdowns and made seven pro bowls. Sometimes underrated, Reed is one of the best receivers of all time.
Many people know of O.J. of today. Many more forget or don’t know just how great of an athlete he was. He got his start at USC before eventually being picked number one overall in the 1969 NFL Draft.
During the 1970’s Simpson cemented his status as one of the best backs to ever lace them up. He was not just a great rusher. He went on to earn many accolades including, MVP and All-Pro. O.J. was the first player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season in 1973. He accomplished that in 14 games.
The 1983 NFL Draft featured arguably the best quarterback class in NFL history. The Buffalo Bills were one of the lucky teams to get one of these great players and they picked quarterback Jim Kelly out of Miami.
Unfortunately for the Bills, Kelly didn’t want to take his talents to the frozen city in upstate New York. Instead, he went on to play in the USFL for two seasons. Eventually, Kelly joined the Bills in 1986 in what became a Hall of Fame career.
Kelly battled the best of his day. Everyone from Marino, Esiason, Elway and others. With Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy and the infamous K-Gun offense, he led Buffalo to four straight Super Bowls.
When the Bills drafted Smith out of Virginia Tech in 1985, they didn’t envision drafting the best defensive player in the history of the game, but that is what they got. His place in history is a toss-up among Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor as the best defensive player in league history.
In 15 years with the Bills, Smith recorded more sacks than any defender in league history. He finished his career with over 200 sacks and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
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Will any of the current Bills make this list? What do you think Bills fans?