The first two entries of this series have been very Jim Kelly centric. I thought it was important to start there as his arrival was probably the most pivotal moment in the Bills’ turnaround. And I’m an unabashed Kelly fan, no doubt. But there were some ultra-important personnel moves prior to 1986 in the building of this team, namely in the draft.
A few quick points on the men in charge making the decisions for these drafts. The deservedly revered Bill Polian wasn’t promoted to GM until December 30, 1985, so some of these picks were made by the previous football guy, Terry Bledsoe. Polian originally held the position of director of pro personnel but after Bledsoe suffered a heart attack on February 7, 1985, Polian was one of the people who stepped up to handle contract negotiations. This included signing a certain Bruce Smith to his first NFL contact. And I’m guessing even though he was involved in the pro scouting side of things that Polian may have had some kind of involvement in drafts prior to his bump up. But it’s important to give kudos to Bledsoe as the Bills landed many key players from 1983-1985.
1983 Draft
Daryl Talley OLB – 2nd Round (39th overall). Probably the most underrated member of the Bills’ defense during this run, Darryl was the heart and soul of the unit in his 12 years with the team. Known for his Spider-Man undergarment during the cold games at Rich Stadium and nicknamed Rodney since he didn’t get the respect he deserved (after Dangerfield), Darryl has the most tackles in team history with 1,137. He was just one of those guys that didn’t have the talent of a Bruce Smith or Cornelius Bennett but always left everything he had on the field and bled for the team. He just looked like the classic hard nosed “in the trenches warrior” – my brother lovingly called him the ugliest man in football. What an easy guy to cheer for.
– By the way, Jim was the 14th pick in the 1st round.
1984 Draft
John Kidd P – 5th Round (128th overall). The Bills took a punter in the 5th round? I had to read that over a few times, and still didn’t completely believe it. Kidd played six seasons for the Bills before signing with San Diego as a free agent. He had an impressive rookie season, averaging 42.0 yards per punt but fell down to around the 39 range his last few seasons in Buffalo. But he enjoyed a long and fruitful career, becoming the current career average leader for Miami & the Jets. We’ll try not to hold that against him. Solid punter who was eventually replaced by another solid punter, Chris Mohr, during the last 3 Super Bowl seasons.
1985 Draft
Now this was a draft.
Bruce Smith DE – 1st Round (1st overall)
I can’t do Bruce justice in a short blurb of this fashion and like some of the other players in this entry much more will be said about him as this series goes along. For now, I’ll just say that big #78 was as important an addition to the defense as Jim was to the offense. He was a dominant game changer that the offense feared and had to game plan around. I still marvel at his speed around the edge and the way he spun his 265 pound body around, leaving offensive linemen in his wake. 200 career sacks, the most ever in the NFL. And there’s always that debate on whether he would have achieved even more playing in a 4-3 vs a 3-4. Quite simply he’s one of the best, if not the best, defensive linemen ever to play the game. As Dennis Hopper once said, “Bad things, man.”
Frank Reich QB – Third Round (57th overall).
Rest assured, the greatest comeback in NFL history will have its own post dedicated to it as we go along here. You have to wonder whether the Bills’ decision markers viewed Frank as their long term starter when making the pick, since they didn’t know if Kelly would ever join the team. The guy already had the biggest comeback in college history to his resume and clearly had the tools the Bills were looking for in a potential QB. Who knows how he would have done if he was given a 16 game trial in his second year as a pro if Kelly didn’t sign. Frank didn’t have much success later in his career as the #1 guy in Carolina, but that might just have been a case of him being at the end of the road and the Panthers wanting to give the keys to Kerry Collins. This all being said, Frank was the perfect backup. A student of the game, a best friend to JK, and someone who could come in the game and win you games time after time. Big games.
Andre Reed WR – Fourth Round (86th overall)
One of the best value picks in Bills history? Well, yes. Here’s another guy that deserves more than 50 or so words to appreciate his greatness. Sixth in NFL history with 951 receptions. Ninth in receiving yards with 13,198. 11th in TD’s with 87. “Kelly to Reed” will go down in history as one of Buffalo fans’ favorite uttered phrases. Andre was known for having no fear in going over the middle and taking a beating to make a catch, but sometimes we forget how deceptively quick he was. Watching the highlights of the 1986 season opener, I was reminded of this impressive burst he had off the snap. He wasn’t a burner in the classic sense, but combine this ability to separate with his great hands and toughness and you had a special receiver. The man absolutely should be in the Hall of Fame.
Some other contributors of the era from this draft class: Derrick Burroughs CB 1st Round (14th overall, 85-89), Chris Burkett WR 2nd Round (42nd overall, 85-89), & Hal Garner OLB 3rd Round (63rd overall, 85-88, 90-91). While none of these three had the careers of legends, they played a part in those early years and rounded out one excellent draft by Bledsoe, Polian and the rest of the brain trust.
1986 Draft
Ronnie Harmon RB – 1st Round (16th overall)
In Bills lore, Ronnie Harmon is known as the guy who dropped the potential winning touchdown pass against Cleveland in the 1989 AFC Divisional playoff game. But he did have a successful 12 year career, and ironically was quite the proficient receiver out of the backfield. In 1992 and 1993 he caught 79 and 72 passes respectively for SD. The most yardage running he ever had was 544 (also with the Chargers), but he was always a good third down back, second option type player. Despite this, I’m sure the Bills envisioned much more from him when the selected him in the 1st round. Considering this was Bill Polian’s first 1st round pick, it’s a bit of a disappointment. But his place in Buffalo history grants him this write up, even though it’s a unfortunate one.
Will Wolford OT – 1st Round (20th overall)
A mainstay on the Bills offensive line for seven years, Wolford most likely made the Bills feel better about the Harmon pick. Protecting Kelly’s blindside starting at the beginning of his 2nd season until he left to sign with the Colts in 1993, Wolford made the Pro Bowl after the 1990 and 1992 campaigns. The days of the Bills having solid offensive lines seems like such a thing of the past right now, but Wolford showed great potential from the start and along with his young QB, RB (Thurman of course), WR and other linemen, grew together and eventually flourished together. I’m no expert on offensive line techniques and strategies, but Wolford was a stable force with both the running and passing game. Tidbit – The Bills traded their 2nd and 4th round picks in 86 to select him. Great call by Polian.
Mark Pike LB/DE – 7th Round (178th overall)
I have to list Pike’s positions on D, but that should really say Special Teams in all caps. The Bills all-time leading special team tackler, Mark combined with Steve Tasker to lead Bruce Dehaven’s difference-making ST units. One cool fact is he was with the Bills until 1998, so he saw it all, the rise to greatness, the slight fall in 97 and then the quick resurgance again under Wade Phillips. It’s guys like Pike, the underappreciated working men, who don’t get recognized on the street, but help do the little things that help develop playoff caliber teams.
Butch Rolle TE – 7th Round (180th overall)
Butch probably wouldn’t make a list of the Bills’ all-time tight ends – although with our success rate with this position, he might). What he was known for was being Jim’s go to guy near the goal line. Check out this ridiculous stat. Rolle had 38 career receptions and 11 touchdowns, including 10 straight catches for TD’s! Now that’s a money player when you need a score. It was the classic “throw the ball to the big guy and let him go get it” scenario. Once again, the Bills of recent years could have used someone like that.
So while the Bills were given new life by their savior QB, it’s important to note that the pieces to the puzzle were already in place at some positions. When we dive into 1987 and 1988 we’ll see even more significant stars added…Bennett, Thurman, Conlan, and more. A couple key pieces were added even later on in 1986 that will be the topic of a future post, and one isn’t a player (hint – Head Coach). One final and wacky fact. Kent Hull was signed as a free agent out of the USFL on the same day as Jim Kelly, from the same team out of the USFL (NJ Generals had Jim’s rights at the end of that league) and both retired on the same day in 1996. An eerie road for two players, a QB and his Center, who had as close a working relationship on the field as you can.
*Postcript/News Flash* – In a big announcement, Buffalo Wins has been asked by the Bills to cover their new jersey unveiling tomorrow night at the stadium along with some other esteemed Bills blogs and given press conference access in the locker room afterwards. Yours truly will be our representative. This is beyond exciting for me, as I hope you can tell of my great passion for the Bills in these recent posts. And it’s a great thing for our site and bloggers in general. I plan on doing a live blog entry during the event (technology permitting) and feel free to follow me on Twitter for my additional thoughts on the night. It’ll be a fun, lighthearted, exuberant night of posting. So join us for the festivities!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
