Building a 20-0 all-time Bills team

This is not fun to admit, but it is the truth. Regardless of what happened after he left Buffalo, O.J. Simpson is the best player in franchise history. He was the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and he made five All-Pro Teams with the Bills. Because of that, we’ll pre-1992 Simpson.

Running back Thurman Thomas 

The Bills’ career leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, Thurman Thomas, was one of the Big 3 on the Buffalo offense that made four Super Bowls. Thomas wasn’t as flash as Barry Sanders or as machine-like as Emmitt Smith, but he was perfect for the Bills and one of the best pass-catching backs of the 1990s.

Wide receiver Andre Reed

Andre Reed joins Kelly and Thomas as the Bills’ Hall of Fame offensive weapons from the 90s. He is the franchise’s leading receiver (by a lot) and a Hall of Famer. That makes him the WR1 on this 20-0 all-time Bills team without question.

Wide receiver Eric Moulds

Eric Molds has the second-most receiving yards in Bills history, despite playing on some awful teams and with an array of mediocre (at best) quarterbacks. From 1996-2005, Moulds caught passes from Kelly, Todd Collins, Alex Van Pelt, Billy Joe Hobart, Doug Flutie, Rob Johnson, Travis Brown, Drew Bledsoe, J.P. Losman, and Kelly Holcomb.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs

It was a tough choice between Sten Diggs and Lee Evans, but Diggs is right behind Evans statistically in half the time, and you can’t discount what Diggs did for Allen in his first two seasons, giving him a legit WR1 option and contributing to Allen’s enormous improvement.

Left tackle Dion Dawkins

The Shnowman has five Pro Bowls under his belt and has protected Allen’s blindside for his entire career. Dion Dawkins is not only the best Bills left tackle of all time, but one of the truly underrated great LTs in NFL history.

Left guard Jim Richter

With two Pro Bowls and 14 seasons on the Bills’ offensive line, Jim Richter was the model of consistency and a big reason that the Buffalo running game was always a problem for defenses in the 1990s.

Center Kent Hull 

A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Kent Hull was arguably the next center of the 1990s. Calling out the protections for Kelly and the K-Gun offense was no easy feat, but Hull handled it remarkably. He should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame, but centers don’t get a lot of love in that area.

Right guard Joe DeLamielleure

Joe DeLamielleure h made five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro squads during his eight years in Buffalo. This Pro Football Hall of Fame guard is a big reason Simpson had so much success in the 1970s.

Right tackle Will Wolford

This is cheating a little, as the Bills don’t have any great right tackles in their history, although current RT Spencer Brown is making a case. Left tackle Will Wolford made two Pro Bowls in the 90s and was a stalwart on the line, so we’ll play him on the right side for this 20-0 all-time Bills team.

Nose tackle Fred Smerlas

Fred Smerlas was small for a nose tackle (6-foot-3, 277 pounds) by today’s standards, but in the 80s and 90s, he was a force in the middle of the defensive line. He made five Pro Bowls and one first-team All-Pro squad in Buffalo, and in 1980, he was so dominant he finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Interior defensive line Bruce Smith

Bruce Smith isn’t just the Bills’ all-time sacks leader. He has 200.0 sacks, more than anyone in NFL history. And while Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, and Thurman Thomas get a lot of the credit for all those Super Bowl runs, having one of the best all-around defensive linemen in league history certainly played a huge role as well.

Interior defensive line Kyle Williams

This six-time Pro Bowler played his entire career in Buffalo, and while most of those years were tough, he finally made it to the playoffs in 2017, which was a huge moment for this fan favorite.

Outside linebacker Cornelius Bennett 

The worst Hall of Fame omission in Bills history is Cornelius Bennett.  He was a true disruptor on defense, with 793 tackles and 52.5 sacks. He made five Pro Bowls, an All-Pro team, and was named UPI Defensive Player of the Year twice. Bennett should absolutely be in the Hall.

Outside linebacker Aaron Schobel

Aaron Schobel is the sneaky-underrated player on this team. He played all nine of his NFL seasons in Buffalo and racked up 78.0 sacks for the franchise, which is second in team history to Smith.

Inside Linebacker Darryl Talley

While Darryl Talley was primarily an outside linebacker in Buffalo, this isn’t really cheating, as he lined up all over the formation for those 90s Bills. He is the franchise’s all-time leading tackler, so for this Bills all-time great players squad, we’ll line him up off the ball.

Inside linebacker Matt Milano

The end of Matt Milano’s career wasn’t great, but there was a two or three-year stretch where he was the best cover and spy linebacker in the NFL. Whether it was blanketing Travis Kelce or tracking down Lamar Jackson when he broke the pocket, Milano was the absolute best at his craft at one point.

Cornerback Tre’Davious White

Tre’Davious White was a first-round pick, a two-time Pro Bowler, and an All-Pro the first time around in Buffalo. While that’s great, it may not have put him on this list. His solid veteran performance the second time around, which included a playoff game-sealing interception, is what clinched this for him.

Cornerback Nate Odomes

Nate Odomes is fifth all-time in Bills history with 26 interceptions and made two Pro Bowls in Buffalo. He led the league with nine picks in 1993 and was a key piece of all four Super Bowl runs.

Free safety Mark Kelso

Mark Kelso was a playmaker with 30 interceptions in his Bills career and eight fumble recoveries. He was the force at the back that took advantage of all those difference-makers he has ahead of him.

Strong safety Jordan Poyer

After years in the desert, the Bills finally made the playoffs again in 2017, and a lot of that had to do with the team bringing in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. These two safeties led from the back and helped stabilize and then supercharge Sean McDermott’s defense. Poyer gets the slight nod here as a slightly bigger playmaker.

Kicker Steve Christie

With the most field goals and extra points made in Bills history, Steve Christie gets the nod at kicker here. Plus, he has the iconic moment, kicking the game-winning field goal in overtime of the biggest comeback in NFL history when Buffalo beat the Houston Oilers in the 1992 playoffs.

Punter Brian Moorman

Sadly, for too long a stretch in the mid-2000s, punter Brian Moorman was the best player on the Bills. He got way too much gametime because the offenses were so bad, but when he did get on the field, he made the most of it. In 2005 and 2006, the years Moorman made first-team All-Pro, a coffin corner kick was about as good as it got in Orchard Park.

Special teams Steve Tasker

Steve Tasker should also be in the Hall of Fame as the best special-teams player of his era. He made so many big plays for the Bills in the 90s, and you don’t get to four Super Bowls without excelling in all three phases of football.

Coach Marv Leavy

“When it’s too cold for them, it’s just right for us,” and “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?” Enough said.