What it means to be a linebacker in the NFL has changed a lot throughout the years. Some of them play more of an edge rusher role while others range from sideline to sideline making tackles. It is one of the positions management will have in their sights when the NFL Draft rolls around.
As a break from all of the draft talk, we have been taking a look at some of the most underrated players in Bills history. Today, we look at some of the more unsung linebackers who we have had the privilege of watching.
3 Bills linebackers fans had a blast watching for Buffalo
Bryce Paup (1995-1997)
If Paup had played a year or two more, there would be no question as to his place among the all-time great linebackers in Bills history. That said, his three-year run is one of the best by anyone in Bills history to play the position.
Paup made the Pro Bowl in all three years, but it was his first in Buffalo that really stood out. He recorded an incredible 17.5 sacks and 89 total tackles on his way to First-Team All-Pro honors and winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 1995.
In the blink of an eye, Paup was gone. The Bills released the 30-year-old, allowing him to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Paup had one more Pro Bowl season in his career, but it would have been interesting to see how he would have done with more time in Buffalo.
Eugene Marve (1982-1987)
Where as Paup was more of a pass rusher, Eugene Marve was a sideline-to-sideline threat. He played in a time before tackles were counted as a stat (that didn’t happen until 1994), so it is difficult to quantify just how good he was.
He also played during one of the toughest stretches in Bills history. The team never produced a winning season, going 2-14 in back-to-back seasons in 1984 and 1985. He would eventually overlap with greats like Shane Conlan, Cornellius Bennett, and Darryl Talley in a “passing of the torch” type situation.
Marve is unsung in every sense of the word. A hard-nosed linebacker who came to the field and did his job everyday despite the team around him being as far away from good as can be. That’s Buffalo in every sense of the word.
Mike Stratton (1962-1972)
Mike Stratton comes from an era where you had to have a mean streak a mile wide to be a linebacker. And though we can’t quantify his tackles, history has shown that Stratton was a force of his own for the Bills in the team’s AFL days.
Beginning in 1963, Stratton made the Pro Bowl six years in a row. From 1964-1966, he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro, a true recognition of greatness. Stratton played all but one year in Buffalo, becoming a staple of some hard-nosed defenses at a time when toughness was never in question.
Present company will soon make the list of greats
The Bills have a lot of questions to answer at linebacker. Matt Milano, is one that immediately comes to mind, but he is currently not a Bill at this moment. The Bills have had some great linebackers throughout the years, but it is one of the more unsung positions overall.
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