Buffalo History: 5 Most Underrated Bills of All-Time
The Buffalo Bills are a team rich in history. Since their inception in 1960, Buffalo has had 12 players and coaches enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
However, this list isn’t to highlight the legends. Rather, this will focus and reflect on those who didn’t garner the admiration and attention they deserved. These are the five most underrated Buffalo Bills in franchise history.
5. Joe Ferguson
The Bills went through a lot of ups-and-downs in the 1970s. While they weren’t necessarily a powerhouse, they did have a star in running back O.J. Simpson, and a quarterback who complemented the run-first offense very well.
Ferguson helped lead the Bills to a 9-5 record in 1974, which resulted in Buffalo getting to the divisional round of the playoffs. The following year, he led the NFL in touchdown passes with 25. Although Buffalo fell short of the playoffs, it was obvious they had a quarterback in which they could build around. The Bills wouldn’t have a winning season for the remainder of the decade, but Ferguson led the NFL in attempts and passing yards in 1977.
The Arkansas product would be the Bills’ signal caller through the 1984 season. After a 1-10 campaign, Buffalo drafted Jim Kelly and Ferguson went to Detroit, where he became the Lions backup. He would retire after the 1990 season after additional stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts.
4. Willis McGahee
The Bills didn’t know what they had in the former University of Miami star. Even after a knee injury that almost cost him his football career while in still in college, the Bills made McGahee a first-round pick, and he didn’t disappoint.
McGahee rushed for over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie. He followed up his rookie campaign with 1,247 yards in 2005. He missed two games in 2006, but still put up just under 1,000 yards on the ground.
Buffalo traded McGahee to the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2007 season. That year, he rushed for over 1,200 yards and was named a Pro Bowler for the first time. McGahee would have a successful four-year stay in Baltimore before going to Denver. He made his second Pro Bowl in 2011 in his first year with the Broncos.
3. Paul Posluszny
Posluszny may be remembered more so for his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he spent the first four seasons of his career in Buffalo.
The Penn State product only started three games in 2007, but was a full-time starter in his second season. He netted over 100 tackles in each of his remaining three seasons with the Bills, including 151 total tackles in 2010.
Posluszny would spend the rest of his career in Jacksonville, leading the league in tackles in 2013 and earning a Pro Bowl appearance. In an era that featured the likes of Patrick Willis and Luke Kuechly, it was easy to overlook Posluszny. That said, he was as consistent as they came at the position, and carved out a fine career that spanned over a decade.
2. Jarius Byrd
Byrd’s prime was brief, but there was a period where he was one of the best safeties in football.
The former Oregon star led the NFL in interceptions as a rookie with nine in 2009 and was named a Pro Bowler for his efforts. While his interception numbers dropped in 2010 and 2011, he was still one of the best ball-defending safeties in the game. He made it back to the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2013.
Byrd went to New Orleans in 2014, where he spent the next three seasons. He spent 2017 with the Panthers, which would turn out to be his final year in the NFL. He intercepted 22 passes in his five seasons with the Bills, and is ne of the best safeties in team history.
1. Eric Moulds
Eric Moulds didn’t get the attention of the Steve Smiths or Chad Johnsons of his day for multiple reasons- he wasn’t loud and the Bills didn’t win. However, he produced just as much as the top receivers of the 2000s.
Moulds holds three of the top 10 spots for receptions in a single season by a Bills receiver. Four times in his career, he caught at least 80 passes, and twice he snagged 90 or more balls. Keep in mind, he did this with less-than-stellar quarterback play. His best season came in 2002 where he caught 100 passes for nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.
From 1996-2004, Moulds had the 10th most receiving yards in the NFL. He is one of the more underrated, and under-appreciated, receivers of his day and the most underrated player in Buffalo Bills history.
