The NFL offseason is made for fun lists, rankings, and things of that nature. In that realm, we found a jersey number ranking and list.
CBS Sports went from zero to 99. Who is the best player to ever to wear a particular number? In this overall list, the Buffalo Bills were basically snubbed. Cornerback Troy Vincent played for the Bills, but in his later years and had his best with Eagles, so most think of them when he comes to mind.
But let’s back up… there’s really no one on the Bills roster to ever wear a jersey number that was the best ever? Well, one number in particular stuck out: No. 78.
No disrespect to Bengals offensive lineman Anthony Munoz. A great career, and all-time player that was named an All-Pro nine times. He was the one given the honor.
But… c’mon.
Smith, an eight-time All-Pro himself and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, is the best pass rusher to ever do it. Ever. That’s a fact, too. With 200 career sacks, no one has accomplished that feat ever.
How that was overlooked is pretty incredible, but CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards did at least acknowledge that it was a tough decision:
I had already slighted Munoz in our Ultimate NFL Draft. I thought about losing sleep over that decision, but was determined not to let it happen again. In this position, I was faced with another difficult choice: Bruce Smith — an 11-time Pro Bowl pass rusher — or Munoz. Both are deserving but I was not going to overlook Munoz a second time. In 13 NFL seasons, he was selected to 11 Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro 11 times. There is an argument that he is the best offensive tackle of all-time.
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