DT Ted Washington

DE Phil Hansen

A stalwart on the Bills defensive line for a decade, Phil Hansen appeared in 156 games starting all but 8 of them. Earning a spot in his rookie season filling in for the injured Jeff Wright, he played well enough to earn a spot on the 1991 NFL All-Rookie team. In 1992 Hansen posted some very impressive numbers in his second season finishing 2nd in team sacks with 8, ending the season with a streak of 6 consecutive games with a sack, tying Bruce Smith's team record. In 1995 he finished third on the team in recording a career high 10 sacks behind Bruce Smith and Bryce Paup, forming the NFL's the top sacking trio in '95 with 38 sacks (Paup 17.5, Smith 10.5). Hansen .registered his first 100+ tackle Season. He retired at the conclusion of the 2001 season with 61 sacks, third all-time in team history.
Player Stats

RB Antoine Smith

In 1997 participated in all 16 games as a rookie with Buffalo Bills and led the team in rushing yardage (840) and rushing touchdowns (8) despite not starting any games ... Smith became the first rookie to lead the Bills in rushing since Thurman Thomas (881 in 1988). His best game came against the Colts as the Bills erased a 26 point deficit to win 37-35. Smith rushed for 129 yards and scored 3 TDs in a game. In 1998 Smith enjoyed an outstanding sophomore season in the NFL, starting 14 of 16 games and leading the Bills with 1,124 rushing yards … It was the 12th best season total in team history and he became the first Buffalo running back other than Thurman Thomas to top 1,000 rushing yards in 14 years (Greg Bell, 1984) 1999 saw Antoine Smith slowed due to injury, appearing in 14 games and starting only 11. Carried the load in the Wild Card contest against the Titans with 79 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns, despite playing with a turf toe injury … Picked up his first two touchdowns in postseason play on runs of four and one yards, becoming just the fourth Bill to score multiple touchdowns in a postseason game … His 1-yard touchdown run gave the Bills a 13-12 lead in the fourth quarter, helping erase a 12-0 Titan halftime lead. In his final season in buffalo, Smith again had a disappointing season due to injury. Falling to third on the team's leading rusher list, Smith's final game against Seattle was a masterpiece. Posted career-high numbers in yards rushing (147) and touchdowns (3), when he came off the bench to average 8.6 yards per carry in the Bills 42-23 victory.
Player Stats

LB Bryce Paup

During Bryce Paup’s first four seasons in the NFL (1990-94), all with Green Bay, the Packers were 28-36. Meanwhile, the Bills went 49-15 and won four AFC championships. Buffalo would earn another victory prior to the ‘95 campaign when it signed the Pro Bowl linebacker as an unrestricted free agent. Paup’s first year with the Bills was the stuff made of legends. In the third game, he sacked Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh three times, had 14 tackles and forced two fumbles. That effort earned him the first of two AFC Defensive Player of the Week Awards. He was also later selected as November’s AFC Player of the Month. With a career-high and league-leading 17.5 sacks to go along with 126 tackles, Paup was named as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. Team-wise, after a year away from the post-season, Buffalo returned to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. The ‘96 season didn’t go as well for Paup even though he was named to a third consecutive Pro Bowl. Suffering a groin injury in the third game that bothered him for the rest of the year, it would eventually force him to the sideline for four of the regular season’s final six games.Paup’s third and final season with the Bills was in ‘97. He played in 46 games, including three playoff games, and ended each campaign with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Where are they now - Career Stats

LB Sam Cowart

Few rookies had the type of impact on their teams that Cowart had on the Bills. Earned his way into the starting lineup a month into the 1998 season and started 11 of 16 games at inside linebacker. Finished second on the team in tackles with 119, including 72 solos. Also ranked third on the team with 18 special teams tackles. Was named to All-Rookie teams by Pro Football Weekly and Football Digest. In 1999 Cowart had an all-pro caliber season helping the Bills 1999 defense finish rated number one by recording the fifth-highest tackle total in team history with 186....led team or tied for team lead in tackles on nine occasions and finished with double digit tackle totals in 10 games. Racked up 181 tackles in 2000 for the Buffalo Bills on his way to being voted to the Pro Bowl at ILB. Was the defensive leader for the Bills in 2000 when in the pivotal game of the season in Tampa Bay, he was lost for the year with an injury, dooming the Bills defense for the stretch run. The injury bug followed Cowart into the 2001 campaign, where he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during the opener versus the New Orleans Saints.
Player Stats

TE- Jay Riemersma

After failing to see any action in his first season with the Bills, quickly made an impact in 1997, finishing the season with 26 catches for 208 yards and two TDs. In 1998 he enjoyed a breakout year and tied the Bills single-season record for touchdowns by a tight end with six (Pete Metzelaars, 1992)…also set a career high in receiving yards (288)…played in all 16 games for the second straight year and started four . 1999: Had an outstanding season in his first as the Bills' number-one tight end…matched his totals from the previous two seasons combined with 496 receiving yards; despite missing two games due to injury…still ranked 5th among AFC tight ends in receiving yards, sixth in receptions (37) and tied for third in TDs (4)… 2000: Entered the season as a starter for the second season in a row…finished with 5 TDs on 31 receptions and 372 yards in 12 games (missed four games due to knee injury)… 2001: Appeared in all 16 games and started 15 at tight end - finished with 590 receiving yards and 3 TDs to rank fourth on the team and his 53 receptions were a new career-high. 2002: Caught 32 passes for 350 yards with no TDs finishing his seventh season with the Bills…
Player Stats

WR Peerless Price

2000: Started all 16 games and finished second on the team with 52 receptions for 762 yards and three touchdowns…)…Dominated in season-finale at Seattle (12/23), catching eight passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. 2001: Started all 16 games at wide receiver for the second consecutive season…Led the Bills with seven touchdown catches and finished second on the team with 895 receiving yards on 55 receptions…Joined fellow teammates Larry Centers and Eric Moulds as the only Bills to catch at least one pass in all 16 games…Posted his second consecutive 50-catch season and extended his streak of games with a reception to 39, the fifth-longest such streak in team history. Also served as the team's primary punt returner with 19 returns for 110 yards…Recorded his fifth 100-yard receiving game on a career-best 10 receptions for 138 yards vs. Seattle (11/18). Also had a 16-yard touchdown reception vs. the Seahawks…2002: Turned in his best season as a pro, which culminated with being selected as an alternate to the 2003 Pro Bowl…Finished fifth in the AFC and seventh in the NFL with 94 catches…Was sixth in the AFC and 11th in the NFL with 1,252 receiving yards…Caught 13 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were career highs in overtime victory at Minnesota (9/15). His 48-yard touchdown reception in overtime was the first overtime score of his career. Was tagged as the Bills Franchise player in the 2003 offseason and traded to Atlanta for the Falcon's #1 pick in the 2003 Draft, in which Buffalo selected RB Willis McGahee. …
Player Stats

CB Thomas Smith

Buffalo’s first-round draft choice in 1993, Smith played in the dime package and on special teams during his rookie season as the Bills won their fourth consecutive AFC title and met Dallas in Super Bowl XXVIII. Moving into the starting lineup the following season, Smith co-led the Bills with 14 passes defenses while he was being tested by the league’s quarterbacks. Smith continued to start during the next five seasons, missing only two games in ‘98 because of a knee injury. The North Carolina native impressed his teammates and coaches with his coverage skills, run support and confidence, as well as his reliability. In ‘95 and ‘96, he was Buffalo’s only defensive back not to miss a game. You also don’t hear a corner’s name very often if he doesn’t have many interceptions. Particularly when the conversation is about a corner being named to the Pro Bowl. Often playing in man coverage, Smith totaled six interceptions and 88 passes defenses during his stint in Buffalo. Prior to the 2000 season, as an unrestricted free agent, Smith left the Bills and signed with the Chicago Bears. He finished his career in ‘01 with Indianapolis.
Where are they now - Career Stats

S Kurt Schulz

Kurt Schulz was a surprise. No, it wasn’t surprising that he was drafted in 1992, but considering that he left Eastern Washington University with 17 interceptions, 219 return yards and as the second leading tackler in the school’s history, it was a surprise that the Bills were able to choose him in the seventh round, 195th overall. Schulz showed he was a competitor and earned a spot on the roster playing in the team’s dime package. A knee injury caused him to miss part of his rookie season and he was placed on the inactive list for Super Bowl XXVII against Dallas. After becoming a starter in ‘95, in the second game of the season, a 31-9 victory over Carolina, Schulz collected his first interception and scored what would be the only touchdown of his career on the same play. That was just one of the six interceptions Schulz totaled that year, finishing tied for second in the conference. His efforts were recognized by UPI by being named to its second-team All-AFC team. Schulz remained in the starting lineup for the following four seasons before being released by the Bills after the ‘99 campaign because of the salary cap. He left Buffalo with 21 interceptions and played two final seasons with the Detroit Lions.
Where are they now - Career Stats

DE Jim Jeffcoat

The Bills all but ignored the NFL’s unrestricted free agency program after it began in 1993. During the first two years, they signed only two players. However, in ‘95, Buffalo went fishing and won the derby: Linebacker Bryce Paup from Green Bay, defensive tackle Ted Washington from Denver and 12-year veteran defensive end Jim Jeffcoat from Dallas. Jeffcoat was highly competitive and productive during his 12 seasons with the Cowboys, never missing a game and helping them win two Super Bowl titles. During that time, he earned the respect of his teammates and was looked upon as a team leader. That was also the case after he joined the Bills.Jeffcoat retired following the ‘97 campaign, accounting for a career total of 227 games in 15 seasons, three with the Bills; 102.5 sacks, 745 tackles and 194 quarterback pressures. He returned to Dallas the following year and became an assistant defensive line coach with the Cowboys. He just recently concluded his third season as the club’s defensive end coach.
Where are they now - Career Stats Season by Season History

1996	1997	1998	1999	2000