Buffalo Bills all-time Mount Rushmore

1. Bruce Smith, DE (1985-99)

Most of this article has been dedicated to emphasizing and celebrating the K-Gun offense and the members who made it so dominant. However, the number-one Mount Rushmore spot goes to the best pass rusher the NFL has ever seen: Bruce Smith. Statistically speaking.

Even with other all-time greats not benefiting from sacks being officially recorded when they played, or only for some years of their careers, Smith’s 200 career sacks have stood as the league’s all-time record for years. His 14.5 sacks in the playoffs are the second-highest total in league history.

Reggie White is two behind Smith, and the third-place total is 160, held by Kevin Greene. Yes, Smith was a commanding force.

Smith was taken first-overall in the 1985 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech. In his first year in the NFL, he gathered 6.5 sacks. However, that would be his lowest full-season total until 2001. Yes, he had 1.5 in 1991, but he only played five games.

From 1986-99, Smith racked up 164.5 sacks for the Bills after his rookie season in 1985. He was named to eight All-Pro teams, made the Pro Bowl 11 times and won two AP Defensive Player of the Year Awards, all with the Bills.

If he had not played in just five games in 1991, he could have potentially had 13 consecutive double-digit sack seasons from 1986-98. Instead, he had five straight years from 1986-90 with such a total, followed by seven more seasons from 1992-98.

Smith’s career-high was 19 sacks, and he had seven seasons of 13+ sacks. At age 40, he still had the ability to rack up five sacks in his final season in 2003 with the Washington Redskins.

Elected into the Hall of Fame in 2009, Smith is the number-one player on the Bills’ Mount Rushmore.