patmoran2006
06-02-2010, 07:53 AM
(We’re counting down our list of the best 20 Buffalo Bills draft picks of all-time. Take note- this is not a rundown of the best 20 players. Where the player was drafted is often a major factor in determining his value and ranking. Today is No. 16 our list, Fred Smerlas)
Fred Smerlas, DT (Drafted in second round, #32 overall in 1979 NFL draft)
Going into 1979 the Buffalo Bills were a lot of things. AFC cellar dwellers were among them. Over the previous three seasons the franchise combined to go just 10-34. Becoming a playoff team seemed an impossibility headed into the next decade.
That fortune began to change when the Bills drafted a fun loving; Greek nose tackle from Boston College named Fred Smerlas in the second round (32<SUP>nd</SUP> overall) of the ’79 draft.
Smerlas was a college standout during his three years as a starter at Boston College and to this day is widely regarded as the best defensive linemen to ever put on an Eagles uniform. He was a senior co-captain and earned All-East and honorable mention All-American honors during his senior campaign. The individual accomplishments stood out further when you consider his senior team went 0-11 on the field. He’d later (1994) be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
The Bills had hired head coach Chuck Knox the year before Smerlas was drafted and one of the biggest changes he wanted was to implement a “3-4” defense. That made the run-stuffing Smerlas a natural fit for the organization.
Combined with Jim Haslett, also drafted in the second round of the ’79 draft and Shane Nelson, an undrafted free agent who was on the team two years earlier, the trio formed what famously became known around the league as the “Bermuda Triangle.”
Clearly, the suddenly stout defense was led by Smerlas. As a rookie he had 57 tackles and a team-high three fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown. While the Bills still finished with a losing (7-9) record his rookie season, the defense was already showing signs of improvement. They allowed 279 points; the first time in five years they surrendered fewer than 312.
By the time 1980 rolled around the Bills returned to their winning ways. That year, they finished 11-5 and won their first division title since the 1966 days of the AFL. Smerlas was again a key, compiling 6.5 sacks and earning his first Pro Bowl berth. As a result, Buffalo finished with the top ranked defense in the NFL.
The defense would go on to finish seventh in the NFL in 1981 and second the year after. By no coincidence Smerlas made the Pro Bowl in both seasons, and for a fourth consecutive time in 1983 when he registered a career-high 87 tackles.
The Bills also made the playoffs in 1981 before falling back off the postseason map.
Smerlas was a Buffalo mainstay through the best… and worst of times throughout the 1980’s. By 1984 the Bills were back to their losing ways, going 8-40 from 1984-’86, including consecutive 2-14 seasons.
Still, Smerlas continued his steady, reliable play and when 1988 came the Bills had it turned around again, going 12-4 with Smerlas earning the last of his five Pro Bowls in the process after accumulating four sacks and 54 tackles.
His last season with Buffalo would come in 1989. After that, he became a Plan B free agent and signed a contract with San Francisco. He’d play just one season with the 49ers, suffering from a leg injury before finishing the final two years of his career as a reserve for New England.
Smerlas concluded his time with the Bills as one of the most successful, and reliable defenders in franchise history. He played in Buffalo for 11 years and started 152 consecutive games in Buffalo, by far the most in franchise history among defensive linemen.
He was also one of the funniest players the organization’s ever had. In his book “By a Nose”, written shortly after he left Buffalo, Smerlas described his early time in the Queen City.
“Like any newcomer to Buffalo, I was introduced to the local delicacy – chicken wings,” Smerlas penned. “It was love at first bite. I’d order them nightly at camp, as many as two hundred at a time, and toss the bones in a corner on my side of the room. It didn’t take long for the pile to become a small mountain to attract bugs. Not that there was anything left for them to nibble.”
Funny food tales and personality aside, he makes this list for the production he had on the field. A member of the Bills 50<SUP>th</SUP> All-Anniversary Team, Smerlas goes down as one of the biggest non-first round steals in franchise history.
He was inducted to the team’s Wall of Fame in 2001.
Previously: #20 Joe Cribbs (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/2010/05/top-20-all-time-bills-draft-picks-joe-cribbs-20/), #19 Jeff Nixon, (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/2010/05/top-20-bills-all-time-draft-picks-jeff-nixon-19/) #18 Bob Chandler (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/2010/05/top-20-bills-all-time-draft-picks-bob-chandler-18/), #17 Nate Odomes (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/top-20-bills-all-time-draft-picks-nate-odomes-17/)
Fred Smerlas, DT (Drafted in second round, #32 overall in 1979 NFL draft)
Going into 1979 the Buffalo Bills were a lot of things. AFC cellar dwellers were among them. Over the previous three seasons the franchise combined to go just 10-34. Becoming a playoff team seemed an impossibility headed into the next decade.
That fortune began to change when the Bills drafted a fun loving; Greek nose tackle from Boston College named Fred Smerlas in the second round (32<SUP>nd</SUP> overall) of the ’79 draft.
Smerlas was a college standout during his three years as a starter at Boston College and to this day is widely regarded as the best defensive linemen to ever put on an Eagles uniform. He was a senior co-captain and earned All-East and honorable mention All-American honors during his senior campaign. The individual accomplishments stood out further when you consider his senior team went 0-11 on the field. He’d later (1994) be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
The Bills had hired head coach Chuck Knox the year before Smerlas was drafted and one of the biggest changes he wanted was to implement a “3-4” defense. That made the run-stuffing Smerlas a natural fit for the organization.
Combined with Jim Haslett, also drafted in the second round of the ’79 draft and Shane Nelson, an undrafted free agent who was on the team two years earlier, the trio formed what famously became known around the league as the “Bermuda Triangle.”
Clearly, the suddenly stout defense was led by Smerlas. As a rookie he had 57 tackles and a team-high three fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown. While the Bills still finished with a losing (7-9) record his rookie season, the defense was already showing signs of improvement. They allowed 279 points; the first time in five years they surrendered fewer than 312.
By the time 1980 rolled around the Bills returned to their winning ways. That year, they finished 11-5 and won their first division title since the 1966 days of the AFL. Smerlas was again a key, compiling 6.5 sacks and earning his first Pro Bowl berth. As a result, Buffalo finished with the top ranked defense in the NFL.
The defense would go on to finish seventh in the NFL in 1981 and second the year after. By no coincidence Smerlas made the Pro Bowl in both seasons, and for a fourth consecutive time in 1983 when he registered a career-high 87 tackles.
The Bills also made the playoffs in 1981 before falling back off the postseason map.
Smerlas was a Buffalo mainstay through the best… and worst of times throughout the 1980’s. By 1984 the Bills were back to their losing ways, going 8-40 from 1984-’86, including consecutive 2-14 seasons.
Still, Smerlas continued his steady, reliable play and when 1988 came the Bills had it turned around again, going 12-4 with Smerlas earning the last of his five Pro Bowls in the process after accumulating four sacks and 54 tackles.
His last season with Buffalo would come in 1989. After that, he became a Plan B free agent and signed a contract with San Francisco. He’d play just one season with the 49ers, suffering from a leg injury before finishing the final two years of his career as a reserve for New England.
Smerlas concluded his time with the Bills as one of the most successful, and reliable defenders in franchise history. He played in Buffalo for 11 years and started 152 consecutive games in Buffalo, by far the most in franchise history among defensive linemen.
He was also one of the funniest players the organization’s ever had. In his book “By a Nose”, written shortly after he left Buffalo, Smerlas described his early time in the Queen City.
“Like any newcomer to Buffalo, I was introduced to the local delicacy – chicken wings,” Smerlas penned. “It was love at first bite. I’d order them nightly at camp, as many as two hundred at a time, and toss the bones in a corner on my side of the room. It didn’t take long for the pile to become a small mountain to attract bugs. Not that there was anything left for them to nibble.”
Funny food tales and personality aside, he makes this list for the production he had on the field. A member of the Bills 50<SUP>th</SUP> All-Anniversary Team, Smerlas goes down as one of the biggest non-first round steals in franchise history.
He was inducted to the team’s Wall of Fame in 2001.
Previously: #20 Joe Cribbs (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/2010/05/top-20-all-time-bills-draft-picks-joe-cribbs-20/), #19 Jeff Nixon, (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/2010/05/top-20-bills-all-time-draft-picks-jeff-nixon-19/) #18 Bob Chandler (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/2010/05/top-20-bills-all-time-draft-picks-bob-chandler-18/), #17 Nate Odomes (http://www.buffalosportsdaily.com/2010/06/top-20-bills-all-time-draft-picks-nate-odomes-17/)