Steely Dan Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Link 'This really is our number one pick for '88,'' said Levy. And was the price worth it? ''Oh, sure,'' he said. ''The first draft choice next year - would we get a player of his caliber? And those players are hard to sign. They miss camp. I'd rather start getting good in '87 than start to get good in 1990.'' So far, Levy's logic can't be faulted. After three days of practice, Bennett appeared in his first game two Sundays ago against John Elway and the Broncos. On Bennett's very first play in the pros he harried Elway into an incompletion. After Bennett's debut, in which he had five tackles and a sack in a Buffalo victory, Elway said, ''He's as good as anyone.'' Cornelius Helps Send Buffalo To It's Second SB! While the Bills' offense struggled to explain itself afterward—"A championship game is supposed to be a defensive battle," Kelly said cryptically—the defense basked. Bennett especially. After the game, coach Marv Levy found Bennett in the locker room and put his arm around him. "You remember last week when I told you that was your greatest game?" Levy said. "I was wrong. This one was." That's saying something, because Bennett had stung Kansas City Chiefs running back Barry Word so often in the divisional playoff win a week earlier that Levy awarded his linebacker a cellular phone for his efforts. Levy doles out rewards each week for jobs well done, and he gave Bennett the Wake-up Call award for a vicious tackle of Word on the Chiefs' second play from scrimmage. "That hit on Word was the exclamation point on our season," said Buffalo assistant general manager Bob Ferguson last week. Bennett's stats against Denver—nine tackles (tied for most in the game), half a sack and a deflected pass—don't tell nearly enough about his presence in the game. On a day loaded with impact players, Bennett was the most impactful. He threw aside his blocker to rush the quarterback from his regular outside linebacker position, he covered the tight end on pass routes, and he spied on Elway from an inside linebacker spot. Twice he caught the fleet Green from behind, which shouldn't really surprise: Bennett runs a 4.48 40. Bennett wants a share of the credit that regularly goes to the Kelly-Smith-Thomas-Reed publicity juggernaut, but he rarely seeks attention. And it's no wonder, given past experiences. As soon as Bennett arrived at Alabama, then Tide coach Ray Perkins called him "the next Lawrence Taylor." Before he ever played a down as a pro, he was part of one of the biggest trades in NFL history—the three-team monster deal that sent Eric Dicker-son from the Los Angeles Rams to the Indianapolis Colts, unsigned first-round pick Bennett from the Colts to the Bills and six high draft picks from Buffalo and Indy to L.A. He has been a terrific player for the Bills, but they did not totally realize his true value until this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConradDobler Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Not to be a wet sponge, but offenses learned how to neutralize #97/55. They blocked him away from the play, making him run longer than it took for the QB to release the ball. The knee injury didn't help matters, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Trick or Trade Blockbuster Trade on Halloween 1987 One of the largest trades ever made in National Football League history occurred on Halloween Day in 1987. The marquis name in the three-way deal between the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts was Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson. In all, the deal involved 10 players and draft choices. Only four other deals in NFL annals ever had more players involved. Here's a breakdown of the trade made on October 31, 1987: RAMS TRADED Eric Dickerson, RB RECEIVED Greg Bell, RB Owen Gill, RB Buffalo No. 1 – 1988 (Gaston Green, RB, 14th overall) Indianapolis No. 1 – 1988 (Aaron Cox, WR, 20th overall) Indianapolis No. 2 – 1988 (Fred Strickland, LB, 47th overall) Buffalo No. 1 – 1989 (Cleveland Gary, RB, 26th overall) Indianapolis No. 2 – 1989 (Frank Stams, LB, 45th overall) Buffalo No. 2 – 1989 (Darryl Henley, DB, 53rd overall) COLTS TRADED Owen Gill, RB Rights to Cornelius Bennett, LB No. 1 - 1988 No. 2 - 1988 No. 2 - 1989 RECEIVED Eric Dickerson, RB BILLS TRADED Greg Bell, RB No. 1 – 1988 No. 1 – 1989 No. 2 – 1989 RECEIVED Rights to Cornelius Bennett, LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Not to be a wet sponge, but offenses learned how to neutralize #97/55. They blocked him away from the play, making him run longer than it took for the QB to release the ball. The knee injury didn't help matters, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I was at that game. They put Biscuit in. Elway comes up to the line, see Bennett lined up behind Bruce and immediately calls time. The stadium went nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 man did the Rams ever pee away all those draft picks...bums galore. I remember reading about the trade in the paper...seems like yesterday was the Leonard Smith trade the same year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I can recall watching Biscuit and Derrick Thomas help crush Southern Miss in 87,Thinking man whoever drafts those two will get some incredible players.They were both laughing on the sidelines after chasing down the opposing QB and backs it was so amazing. (I saw the same type of laughter from biscuit a few years later at the Bills AFC championship games.) Anyway,I can also recall being soooooo pissed that the colts had drafted him. Thinking OH MAN the Bills have to play this monster twice a year!!! We lost at home to the Colts 47-6 Oct 4th before the Biscuit! I think Gary Hogeboom the ex-Cowboy started that game and had his career best game against the Bills. Then we played the Colts on their turf with the biscuit and we beat them 27-3. Bruce Smith caught Sean Salisbury in the Colts end zone the announcer said Bruce was making Salisbury steaks! The Bills ended that year at 7-8 and everyone knew the team was going to be so much better the next few years. Cheers to Bill Polian. He brought in so much talent to Buffalo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsaikotic Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 wow...I might get blasted for saying this but...I don't think Bennett was worth two #1's and a #2..maybe 1988's #1 and #4 but not two years worth of 1st rounders...I don't really remember Dickerson much, sooo, was he really worth all those picks?...I mean I have to say the Rams made out like Bandits that year for just 1 RB But I have also say that the Bills made it and lived thru it and went to 4 SB's even without the draft picks they gave away..so alls well...I don't think we'll ever see that magnitude of trade again in this era of the NFL... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 wow...I might get blasted for saying this but...I don't think Bennett was worth two #1's and a #2..maybe 1988's #1 and #4 but not two years worth of 1st rounders...I don't really remember Dickerson much, sooo, was he really worth all those picks?...I mean I have to say the Rams made out like Bandits that year for just 1 RB But I have also say that the Bills made it and lived thru it and went to 4 SB's even without the draft picks they gave away..so alls well...I don't think we'll ever see that magnitude of trade again in this era of the NFL... Biscuit played for the Bills from 1987 to 1995 and was a key player in helping the bills reach four super bowls,the playoffs in 88,89. He made the Pro Bowl 88,90,91,92,93- 5 pro bowls. Cornelius Bennett played LOLB and Bruce Smith played RDE, those two raised hell for opposing teams offenses. I'm pretty certain that the Bills would gladly make that trade again. Don't forget he went to play for Atlanta after he left the Bills and they went to a super bowl with him. some stats In his 14 NFL seasons, he recorded 71 sacks, 7 interceptions, 112 return yards, 27 fumble recoveries, 78 fumble return yards, and 2 touchdowns (1 interception and one fumble return). At the time of his retirement, his 26 defensive fumble recoveries were the third most in NFL history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsaikotic Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Biscuit played for the Bills from 1987 to 1995 and was a key player in helping the bills reach four super bowls,the playoffs in 88,89. He made the Pro Bowl 88,90,91,92,93- 5 pro bowls. Cornelius Bennett played LOLB and Bruce Smith played RDE, those two raised hell for opposing teams offenses. I'm pretty certain that the Bills would gladly make that trade again. Don't forget he went to play for Atlanta after he left the Bills and they went to a super bowl with him. some stats In his 14 NFL seasons, he recorded 71 sacks, 7 interceptions, 112 return yards, 27 fumble recoveries, 78 fumble return yards, and 2 touchdowns (1 interception and one fumble return). At the time of his retirement, his 26 defensive fumble recoveries were the third most in NFL history. I don't deny what he did for Buffalo, but could you as a coach or a owner sit there and look at a rookie that hasn't proven anything yet and say " ok I think he'll do good so I'll bank 2 #1's and a #2 on him now"?..knowing well that if he doesn't pan out you've just hampered your teams growth severely?..because if he doesn't pan out your out 3 day 1 draftpicks and you still need a LOLB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 man did the Rams ever pee away all those draft picks...bums galore. I remember reading about the trade in the paper...seems like yesterday was the Leonard Smith trade the same year? Leonard Smith was traded in 1988. IIRC, Boomer Esiason called it the trade of the year. I don't deny what he did for Buffalo, but could you as a coach or a owner sit there and look at a rookie that hasn't proven anything yet and say " ok I think he'll do good so I'll bank 2 #1's and a #2 on him now"?..knowing well that if he doesn't pan out you've just hampered your teams growth severely?..because if he doesn't pan out your out 3 day 1 draftpicks and you still need a LOLB That trade gave Buffalo the two best LB's in the draft. That's the year they drafted Shane Conlan as well. Conlan went at #8 to Buffalo and Bennett went at #2 to Indy. That trade made their D step up quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloWings Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I remember that deal like it was yesterday. I'm officially old now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I remember when the trade went down. I was in my freshman year @ college. Way back when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I remember when the trade went down. I was in my freshman year @ college. Way back when. I was taking my kids Trick or Treating when a guy at one of the houses started flippin' out as he heard the news and shared it with me. Great memory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scribo Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Cornelius Helps Send Buffalo To It's Second SB! That's saying something, because Bennett had stung Kansas City Chiefs running back Barry Word so often in the divisional playoff win a week earlier that Levy awarded his linebacker a cellular phone for his efforts. Levy doles out rewards each week for jobs well done, and he gave Bennett the Wake-up Call award for a vicious tackle of Word on the Chiefs' second play from scrimmage. "That hit on Word was the exclamation point on our season," said Buffalo assistant general manager Bob Ferguson last week. Wow, a cell phone! OK, now I feel old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I can recall watching Biscuit and Derrick Thomas help crush Southern Miss in 87,Thinking man whoever drafts those two will get some incredible players.They were both laughing on the sidelines after chasing down the opposing QB and backs it was so amazing. (I saw the same type of laughter from biscuit a few years later at the Bills AFC championship games.) Anyway,I can also recall being soooooo pissed that the colts had drafted him. Thinking OH MAN the Bills have to play this monster twice a year!!! We lost at home to the Colts 47-6 Oct 4th before the Biscuit! I think Gary Hogeboom the ex-Cowboy started that game and had his career best game against the Bills. Then we played the Colts on their turf with the biscuit and we beat them 27-3. Bruce Smith caught Sean Salisbury in the Colts end zone the announcer said Bruce was making Salisbury steaks! The Bills ended that year at 7-8 and everyone knew the team was going to be so much better the next few years. Cheers to Bill Polian. He brought in so much talent to Buffalo You left out a very inportant fact: Not only did the Bills not have Bennett for the 47-6 beating by the Colts, they also didn't have Kelly, Smith, Smerlas, Reed, et al because the team that lost 47-6 to the Colts was the friggin' strike team with Dan Manucci & Willie Totten taking most of the snaps at QB. You can't seriously compare the 2 Colts games & attribute the difference to Bennett. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Wow, a cell phone! OK, now I feel old. 1987 cell phone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 man did the Rams ever pee away all those draft picks...bums galore. Yup. It's a good lesson for all the people who overvalue draft picks because they think they're getting a HOFer with every mid 1st round pick. Fact is, stars are few and far between. Bennett was certainly worth the players the Rams drafted with those picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I remember that game and thinking that Bennet was the final piece of the puzzle and we were on our way. I agree that he was a major contributor and for a while deserved to be in the first rank of kelly, reed, smith thomas...but didn't play at that level for Buffalo long enough to be in that category and fell to the very very good player group in the second tier...the Talleys, Conlans, Taskers, Loftons, et al. I choke a little talking about those guys as second tier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gus2378 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I'm may get killed for this, so let me preface it with this: I love Darryl Talley, the Bills would not have accomplished nearly what they did without him, and his value in the locker room on the sidelines probably cannot be measured. BUT ... In my opinion, Talley was called underrated so much that he actually became a little overrated for his actual play on the field, and Biscuit ended up being VERY underrated by the end of his career because people put too much stock in sack totals. And I don't mean that in an Aaron Schobel kind of way. And along the same lines, Bennett was a far more complete linebacker than Derrick Thomas, who God rest his soul will go to the Hall of Fame for being a one-trick pony. Bennett was worth every penny and draft pick they ever paid for him. He spent a lot of time covering tight ends at the expense of his sack totals, and he made the Pro Bowl as an inside linebacker one year because that's where the Bills needed him due to injury. Talley was great and Thomas was an amazing pass rusher, but give me the choice and I will take Biscuit every time. If he had gone to Kansas City and rushed the passer every play he'd be the one going to the Hall of Fame, although he obviously ended up with a lot more team success. Man, were we spoiled back then ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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