dhgold Posted December 16 Posted December 16 This came up in passing in another thread. My first and thought is that the best season by a Bill was OJ's 1973 2000 yards season when he gained 75% more yards than the league's second leading rusher. To put that level of domination in perspective, Henry, this season's 2nd leading rusher, is currently on track to gain around 1700 yards; were Barkley, the leading rusher, to dominate in the way the OJ did, he would end the season with just short of 3000 yards, or more than 90% of the single season team record! However, were Josh Allen to extend his remarkable season to the point of willing the Bills to the Super Bowl or even winning it, a case might be made that his season surpassed OJ's. What do other Bills' fans think about this? Any other contenders for best individual season in Bills' history come to mind? 1 Quote
BearNorth Posted December 16 Posted December 16 Thurman Thomas 5 minutes ago, dhgold said: What do other Bills' fans think about this? Any other contenders for best individual season in Bills' history come to mind? Season(s) - Thurman - 1989 - 1993. 5 yrs, 1,801 touches, 55 TD's 9,595 yards from scrimmage. Quote
Charles Romes Posted December 16 Posted December 16 3 minutes ago, oldmanfan said: OJ. No question. ‘73 or ‘75? Quote
PonyBoy Posted December 16 Posted December 16 It's only OJ, end of discussion. Josh is a unicorn for sure, 2nd best absolutely. Love him or hate him, OJ Simpson! No slam on Josh, but Simpsons record in 14 games on a crap team, never again. Regular season only of course. Bills win a SB...Josh is the all time legend in WNY & around the Bills mafia world that ended our misery. 4 Quote
oldmanfan Posted December 16 Posted December 16 10 minutes ago, Charles Romes said: ‘73 or ‘75? ‘73 Quote
mannc Posted December 16 Posted December 16 11 minutes ago, Charles Romes said: ‘73 or ‘75? Either one. Both were incredible and could never be duplicated in the modern era. 2 Quote
MJS Posted December 16 Posted December 16 (edited) PFR approximate value is a good one to look at when comparing players of different eras and positions. Here are some of the highest single season AV scores for Bills players: 25- OJ Simpson: 1975 (2243 scrimmage yards, 23 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 21- Bruce Smith: 1996 (13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 90 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, Defensive Player of the Year) 20- Thurman Thomas: 1991 (2038 scrimmage yards, 12 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, Offensive Player of the Year, MVP) 20- Josh Allen: 2022 19- OJ Simpson: 1973 (2073 scrimmage yards, 12 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, Offensive Player of the Year, MVP) 19- Thurman Thomas: 1990 (1829 scrimmage yards, 13 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 19- Thurman Thomas: 1992 (2113 scrimmage yards, 12 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 2nd team All Pro) 19- Mario Williams: 2014 (14.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 42 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 19- Tre White: 2019 (6 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack, 58 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 19- Josh Allen: 2021 19- Matt Milano: 2022 (3 INTs, 1 sack, 99 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 18- Fred Smerlas: 1982 (Full stats not listed, but he was 1st team All Pro) 18- Bruce Smith: 1993 (14 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 108 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 18- Ted Washington: 2001 (1.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 40 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 18- Josh Allen: 2020 18- Josh Allen: 2023 I didn't list Allen's stats for all his high AV years, but they are awesome. From what I can tell, OJ Simpson has the highest single season AV in Bills history by a wide margin, and it wasn't even his 2000 rushing yard season. It might be the highest in NFL history, too, but that is tough to look up. Lamar Jackson also scored a 25 AV for his 2019 MVP season. Edited December 17 by MJS 1 2 Quote
MJS Posted Tuesday at 05:46 AM Posted Tuesday at 05:46 AM 6 hours ago, PonyBoy said: It's only OJ, end of discussion. Josh is a unicorn for sure, 2nd best absolutely. Love him or hate him, OJ Simpson! No slam on Josh, but Simpsons record in 14 games on a crap team, never again. Regular season only of course. Bills win a SB...Josh is the all time legend in WNY & around the Bills mafia world that ended our misery. 6 hours ago, mannc said: Either one. Both were incredible and could never be duplicated in the modern era. Agreed. I think OJ's '75 season could be the best season in NFL history regardless of team. 1 Quote
chris heff Posted Tuesday at 03:02 PM Posted Tuesday at 03:02 PM Pete Gogolak 1965, changed the kicking game forever, and NY Giants poaching him led to the merger. 1 Quote
Kelly to Allen Posted Tuesday at 03:09 PM Posted Tuesday at 03:09 PM (edited) Obviously Allen is going to be at the top of a lot of lists, but being a QB and it's positional impact being so great, I kind of only compare QBs to other QBs. Allen is having a favre type MVP season like in 96. As far as non QB best years as a buffalo bill! Oj 2000 yds in 14 games with no real passing game is insane But ... From an eye test standpoint Bruce Smith in 1990 had 19 sacks in the first 13 games. Please remember teams ran way more back then.... I don't think I can remember one player on the dline completely wrecking a game, literally taking the game over and single handedly tilting the field like Bruce in 1990. It's honestly unbelievable. I would encourage you guys to watch the bills vs eagles game in 1990. It's one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen from a dlineman ever. It's truly incredible. To the point it almost doesn't look real To this day I consider Bruce the greatest buffalo bill ever and probably the greatest defensive player in NFL history. Bruce in 1996 was another all time year. He was still a borderline dominant pass rusher in 2000 with Washington even at age 37. One of the most versatile dlineman to ever exist and probably someone we'll never see again. Edited Tuesday at 03:12 PM by Kelly to Allen 3 Quote
Sweats Posted Tuesday at 03:19 PM Posted Tuesday at 03:19 PM 3 minutes ago, Kelly to Allen said: Obviously Allen is going to be at the top of a lot of lists, but being a QB and it's positional impact being so great, I kind of only compare QBs to other QBs. Allen is having a favre type MVP season like in 96. As far as non QB best years as a buffalo bill! Oj 2000 yds in 14 games with no real passing game is insane But ... From an eye test standpoint Bruce Smith in 1990 had 19 sacks in the first 13 games I don't think I can remember one player on the dline completely wrecking a game, literally taking the game over and single handedly tilting the field like Bruce in 1990. It's honestly unbelievable. I would encourage you guys to watch the bills vs eagles game in 1990. It's one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen from a dlineman ever. It's truly incredible. To the point it almost doesn't look real To this day I consider Bruce the greatest buffalo bill ever and probably the greatest defensive player in NFL history. I agree with this. I love JA and truly believe we are witnessing something special with him and he will finish atop the Bills forever Legends as an all-time great, but Bruce is my all-time favorite Bill as it stands now. JA is fun to watch absolutely, but i'm not sure if people remember the dominant force that Smith was in his prime and he was also fun to watch, as no one would ever know what he would do next. Teams had to constantly game plan specifically just for him and his presence on the field was unsurmountable to the point where teams would double team and triple team him and he still got sacks. The guy was a menace to QB's and i encourage anyone who hasn't ever watched him play or has forgotten his impact on the game, to go back and watch highlights. 1 1 Quote
YattaOkasan Posted Tuesday at 03:22 PM Posted Tuesday at 03:22 PM 16 hours ago, MJS said: PFR approximate value is a good one to look at when comparing players of different eras and positions. Here are some of the highest single season AV scores for Bills players: 25- OJ Simpson: 1975 (2243 scrimmage yards, 23 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 21- Bruce Smith: 1996 (13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 90 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, Defensive Player of the Year) 20- Thurman Thomas: 1991 (2038 scrimmage yards, 12 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, Offensive Player of the Year, MVP) 20- Josh Allen: 2022 19- OJ Simpson: 1973 (2073 scrimmage yards, 12 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro, Offensive Player of the Year, MVP) 19- Thurman Thomas: 1990 (1829 scrimmage yards, 13 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 19- Thurman Thomas: 1992 (2113 scrimmage yards, 12 total TDs, Pro Bowl, 2nd team All Pro) 19- Mario Williams: 2014 (14.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 42 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 19- Tre White: 2019 (6 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack, 58 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 19- Josh Allen: 2021 19- Matt Milano: 2022 (3 INTs, 1 sack, 99 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 18- Fred Smerlas: 1982 (Full stats not listed, but he was 1st team All Pro) 18- Bruce Smith: 1993 (14 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 108 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 18- Ted Washington: 2001 (1.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 40 tackles, Pro Bowl, 1st team All Pro) 18- Josh Allen: 2020 18- Josh Allen: 2023 I didn't list Allen's stats for all his high AV years, but they are awesome. From what I can tell, OJ Simpson has the highest single season AV in Bills history by a wide margin, and it wasn't even his 2000 rushing yard season. It might be the highest in NFL history, too, but that is tough to look up. Lamar Jackson also scored a 25 AV for his 2019 MVP season. Thanks for this and is good context. Any idea why Bruce's 93 season is behind Mario's 14 season? is the 0.5 sacks more impactful? I assume theres some advanced stats that show why it was better but 2 more forced fumbles and 60 more tackles is a lot of ground to make up. 1 Quote
Kelly to Allen Posted Tuesday at 03:29 PM Posted Tuesday at 03:29 PM 4 minutes ago, Sweats said: I agree with this. I love JA and truly believe we are witnessing something special with him and he will finish atop the Bills forever Legends as an all-time great, but Bruce is my all-time favorite Bill as it stands now. JA is fun to watch absolutely, but i'm not sure if people remember the dominant force that Smith was in his prime and he was also fun to watch, as no one would ever know what he would do next. Teams had to constantly game plan specifically just for him and his presence on the field was unsurmountable to the point where teams would double team and triple team him and he still got sacks. The guy was a menace to QB's and i encourage anyone who hasn't ever watched him play or has forgotten his impact on the game, to go back and watch highlights. Yup I agree. Bruce Smith had a first ballot Hof career just in his 30s. You could line him up over center and he would obliterate the entire oline by himself. It was silly 2 Quote
PonyBoy Posted Tuesday at 04:20 PM Posted Tuesday at 04:20 PM 1 hour ago, Kelly to Allen said: Obviously Allen is going to be at the top of a lot of lists, but being a QB and it's positional impact being so great, I kind of only compare QBs to other QBs. Allen is having a favre type MVP season like in 96. As far as non QB best years as a buffalo bill! Oj 2000 yds in 14 games with no real passing game is insane But ... From an eye test standpoint Bruce Smith in 1990 had 19 sacks in the first 13 games. Please remember teams ran way more back then.... I don't think I can remember one player on the dline completely wrecking a game, literally taking the game over and single handedly tilting the field like Bruce in 1990. It's honestly unbelievable. I would encourage you guys to watch the bills vs eagles game in 1990. It's one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen from a dlineman ever. It's truly incredible. To the point it almost doesn't look real To this day I consider Bruce the greatest buffalo bill ever and probably the greatest defensive player in NFL history. Bruce in 1996 was another all time year. He was still a borderline dominant pass rusher in 2000 with Washington even at age 37. One of the most versatile dlineman to ever exist and probably someone we'll never see again. For those of you interested: The Bills vs Eagles game 1990, which I was in the end zone for the Cunningham pass. Bruce was so close to the sack and safety only to be outdone by the miss on Hostetler in SB 25. Here are some cliff notes... 16:20 mark was in the hey day of BS in the grasp rules! 24:20 Jim McMahon rocking the shades, forgot he played for the Eagles 25:50 Bruce was blocked 3 on 1, literally!!!! 28:28 The tackle on Lofton is text book horse collar! Surprised it wasn't called, even back then, ooof!! 37:29 Eagles punter muffed punt, tackle out of bounds definitley frowned upon in today's game. 1:41:22 Kelly gets crushed, body on body, head on head, no call! Mahomes would wet the bed after watching this. 2:04:58 Tasker disembowels the punter on a blocked kick, yet the gentleman that he is, is the first one to go check on him, class act! Some of today's athletes would be running away from their own teamates to do their celebration dance, let alone check on the health of the opposing team's player. What an era! These You Tube videos remind us how many great moments we saw in Bills history. 1 2 Quote
Kelly to Allen Posted Tuesday at 04:22 PM Posted Tuesday at 04:22 PM (edited) Howard Ballard was so good. I miss that dude " The house" Edited Tuesday at 04:23 PM by Kelly to Allen Quote
MJS Posted Tuesday at 05:44 PM Posted Tuesday at 05:44 PM 2 hours ago, YattaOkasan said: Thanks for this and is good context. Any idea why Bruce's 93 season is behind Mario's 14 season? is the 0.5 sacks more impactful? I assume theres some advanced stats that show why it was better but 2 more forced fumbles and 60 more tackles is a lot of ground to make up. No, I don't know. There is a lot that goes into AV. 2 hours ago, Sweats said: I agree with this. I love JA and truly believe we are witnessing something special with him and he will finish atop the Bills forever Legends as an all-time great, but Bruce is my all-time favorite Bill as it stands now. JA is fun to watch absolutely, but i'm not sure if people remember the dominant force that Smith was in his prime and he was also fun to watch, as no one would ever know what he would do next. Teams had to constantly game plan specifically just for him and his presence on the field was unsurmountable to the point where teams would double team and triple team him and he still got sacks. The guy was a menace to QB's and i encourage anyone who hasn't ever watched him play or has forgotten his impact on the game, to go back and watch highlights. It's so true. In every sense that Josh Allen is a freak of nature, Bruce Smith is double that. He was a true freak of nature. And I'd encourage anyone to go watch OJ highlights. I've never seen such a fast, powerful running back. It's a real shame his legacy went up in flames because of his horrible actions. These players are all before my time, but I really enjoy learning about the history and legends of the Bills and the NFL. 1 Quote
ddaryl Posted Tuesday at 06:04 PM Posted Tuesday at 06:04 PM 19 hours ago, dhgold said: This came up in passing in another thread. My first and thought is that the best season by a Bill was OJ's 1973 2000 yards season when he gained 75% more yards than the league's second leading rusher. To put that level of domination in perspective, Henry, this season's 2nd leading rusher, is currently on track to gain around 1700 yards; were Barkley, the leading rusher, to dominate in the way the OJ did, he would end the season with just short of 3000 yards, or more than 90% of the single season team record! However, were Josh Allen to extend his remarkable season to the point of willing the Bills to the Super Bowl or even winning it, a case might be made that his season surpassed OJ's. What do other Bills' fans think about this? Any other contenders for best individual season in Bills' history come to mind? OJ also did it in 14 games, and I remember being at the stadium in 1974 and hearing the announcement that congratulated OJ on his 2000 yard season in 73'. I was 6 years old at the time, one of my oldest memories I believe that Allens season is better because he does more than just run tha ball. He is breaking all kinds of team records and NFL records Quote
Gregg Posted Tuesday at 06:08 PM Posted Tuesday at 06:08 PM 2,003 yards in 14 games. Only RB in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 and do it in 14 games. Quote
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