Buffalo Bills: Bruce Smith’s Jersey Retirement Long Overdue
By Paul Taylor
It’s now official that nobody will ever wear No. 78 again for the Buffalo Bills, with the best player in team history finally receiving one of the top individual honors in professional football.
While it was always known that the Buffalo Bills would retire Bruce Smith‘s No. 78 jersey, they made it official on Wednesday. In truth, after hearing it will take place during the Bills’ 2016 home opener, one of the first thought’s which came to mind was that it was about bloody time!
Jim Kelly had his number retired five years after he left the game, whereas Smith had to wait 13 years for the honor. While you can say it’s better late than never, it’s still crazy to think it took so long for the 1985 first overall draft pick to receive the honor, no matter how bad his relationship was with the organization.
There is no denying how much Kelly achieved in Buffalo, but it pails in comparison to what Smith did. He is, quite simply, the best player to ever wear a Bills jersey.
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In fact, some would go as far as to call the 52-year old one of the top 10 defenders in NFL history. At the very least, he ranks significantly higher among all-time pass rushers, compared to Kelly’s standing among the game’s great quarterbacks.
For the record, this is not an attempt to belittle the Bills field general from their glory days in the 1990s’. It is about highlighting Smith’s impact in Western New York, and why he means so much to the area.
Certainly, the Norfolk, Virginia native’s resume makes for fantastic reading:. He’s an 11-time Pro Bowler, nine-time first teamer, two-time NFL defensive player of the year, NFL career record holder for sacks and, of course, a Hall of Famer.
And let’s not forget being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and holding the NFL record for most seasons with double-digit sacks. Heck, about the only thing Smith didn’t accomplish on the football field, was winning a Super Bowl ring!
It is often said that many a truth is told in jest, with an amusing story reported by Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News best illustrating this point. Dunne explained how several Bills greats and their partners met last year, to drink wine and talk about the good old days.
At one point, Smith turned around to Kelly and asked him how he was the only one to have his number retired, when he wasn’t even the best player on the team. Everyone laughed.
Now though, however much it may or may not have bothered Smith, it doesn’t matter any more. He has finally had his jersey number retired, and it’s about bloody time!
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What are your fondest memories of Bruce Smith’s time with the Bills? Further, where do you rank him in the pantheon of the NFL’s all-time best defenders? Let us know in the comments section below.