Will Bruce Smith’s sack record ever be broken?

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

*Warning - off-season thread* 
 

Honestly, I wasn’t old enough to see Bruce in his prime, but I like to hear from knowledgeable Bills fans about great players of the past. I was watching a YT video about sports records that can never be broken and I was surprised that Bruce Smith’s sack record wasn’t on the list. Reggie White came only 2 sacks shy, but looking at the all-time sack leaders, all of them were drafted in the 80s or 90s. Our own Von Miller is 19th all time with 123 1/2. Strange how it’s so much more of a passing league now, but it doesn’t seem like anyone has even been coming close to putting up 200+ and I’m just wondering why? 

[EffKCChiefs]

No.

[Gugny]

NFL players have transitioned from coke and amphetamines to the grass. 
 

Unless that trend does a 180 … no effin’ way. 

[uticaclub]

Bruce would have been kicked out of the league the way QBs are protected now.

[Chicken Boo]

The passing league that it is today, someone will come along and break it, but they'll have to play quite a long time to do so and stay relatively healthy.  

[Doc Brown]

AJ Epenesa is pry his biggest threat.

[Dr.Sack]

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

[Milanos Milano]

4 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

AJ Epenesa is pry his biggest threat.

Nah, the ghost of Maybin is. 

[Gugny]

Just now, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Bruce played in 14+ games in 16 of his 19 seasons.

 

That is remarkable. 

[Doc Brown]

3 minutes ago, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Myles Garrett is at 12.41 per year.  He'll need to keep that up until he's 38 though.  It's possible but Antonio Brown was also on pace to break Jerry Rice's records so it's highly unlikely.

[Dan]

17 minutes ago, uticaclub said:

Bruce would have been kicked out of the league the way QBs are protected now.

This.   Easily half of Bruce’s sacks

wouldn’t have counted because it would be a 15yd roughing the passer penalty. 

[billsbackto81]

Highly unlikely, but not impossible.

[Billl]

No way.  Sacks are just too hard to get these days.  The quick passing game barely existed back then.

[Rubes]

11 minutes ago, Billl said:

No way.  Sacks are just too hard to get these days.  The quick passing game barely existed back then.

Agreed. Even though passing has increased over the years, the quick, short passing game is a big part of that, and it decreases the chance of getting a sack. QBs are now routinely rated for their “time to release” with emphasis on those who make quick decisions and get rid of the ball fast.

 

[PrimeTime101]

1. Mobile QB's or escape artists were rare back then.

2. Bruce would of been banned from football with how hard he dropped QB's

3. Fast throwing game

4. The game has evolved

 

no way in hell

[Charles Romes]

Bruce was freakishly talented and freakishly durable. The best ever. It’s scary to think the numbers he would have produced if he played in a 4-3. I’d recommend youtubing just about any game v. Miami except 91 (only year he was injured) and focusing on how much he was inside Marino’s head every snap. 

[AuntieEm]

15 minutes ago, Charles Romes said:

Bruce was freakishly talented and freakishly durable. The best ever. It’s scary to think the numbers he would have produced if he played in a 4-3. I’d recommend youtubing just about any game v. Miami except 91 (only year he was injured) and focusing on how much he was inside Marino’s head every snap. 

Plus you see him routinely beat double and triple teams. Not many top athletes can be as self motivated as Bruce was for as long as he played. 19 years is a long time to be playing pro football especially any players in trenches offense or defense.  They take a lot of pounding.  

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by AuntieEm

[Buffalo716]

Short answer no

 

He was the prototype with longevity... So much power with speed... His first step? Forget about it

 

How violent he was? This show is rated R

 

He was a menace 

[gobills404]

No. The last 5 years or so we’ve seen an explosion of athletic QBs that can avoid sacks sooooo much better than the statue QBs of the past. And that trend is only gonna continue.

1 hour ago, Dr.Sack said:

JJ Watt was on pace to blow by the record then reality set in. Realistically you need a guy to play 15 seasons and average 13.33 sacks per year. Seems doable. That’s playing to age 35-37 depending on starting age. I honestly think it could happen, but injuries have riddled some of the best contenders the past 20 seasons who came along.

Man I wish we could’ve all got to see an injury free career from JJ Watt. IMO he had the best peak (2012-2015) of any defensive player ever not named Lawrence Taylor.

Edited August 23, 2023 by gobills404

[mrags]

Short answer…. No

 

Also, I think White had the record at 198 and Bruce broke that. 
 

Bruce was an absolute monster. He almost never missed time (other than training camp). He had an extremely long career for the position. These defenders these days don’t have the longevity that Bruce had, or the self drive he had either. Bruce outworked everyone. When you listen to guys that played with him they tell stories about how he broke multiple stair masters from burning them out.