Bills to retire the number of their greatest player, Bruce Smith

On a great Buffalo Bills team with a lot of fantastic players in the early 1990s, Bruce Smith stood above everyone else.

The defensive end is many things in NFL history. He’s the greatest Virginia Tech player to play in the NFL (sorry Mike Vick). He’s one of the greatest No. 1 overall picks of all time. He’s maybe the greatest pass rusher ever, as the only member of the NFL’s 200-sack club.

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And he’s the greatest Buffalo Bills player of all time. It should come as no surprise that the team announced it will retire Smith’s No. 78 at a ceremony during a Week 2 game this season against the New York Jets.

A few other Bills players have an argument as the best in team history. Jim Kelly was a magnificent Hall of Fame quarterback. Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed were great playmakers. O.J. Simpson has a great claim for his on-field prowess, but his most memorable highlights are recreated by Cuba Gooding Jr., making his legacy a little tricky.

Smith’s Bills career might never be matched. Over a 13-season stretch from 1986-98, he recorded 10 or more sacks 12 times. The only year he didn’t reach double digits in sacks over that span, he played just five games due to a knee injury. Only 16 players in the NFL had at least 10 sacks last season, and Smith did it 12 healthy seasons in a row, and added a 13th time with the Washington Redskins in 2000. He had an incredibly quick first step, was a great technical rusher and had unbelievable closing speed.

Smith was an 11-time Pro Bowler, an eight-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time AP defensive player of the year and an obvious Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. He’s also a great choice to be the second Buffalo Bills player to have his number retired, joining Kelly.

Ty Dunne of the Buffalo News said the Bills plan to retire Thomas’ No. 34 next season, and nobody could argue with that either. Kelly, Thomas and Smith were the nucleus of one of the great all-time NFL teams, a four-time AFC championship Bills squad in the early 1990s. But even on a great team like that, with a few other Hall of Famers around him, Smith was the best.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab