NFL: Creating the all-time roster with football’s legends: DE, Bruce Smith
Career stats:
- 1,224 combined tackles
- 200 sacks
Accolades:
- 11 time Pro Bowler
- 8 time All-Pro
- 2 time Defensive Player of the Year
It would be nearly impossible to make an all-time roster without having one of the most dominant defensive ends ever in Bruce Smith.
The position is a historically great one. While we already have players such as Michael Strahan and Reggie White onboard, both players take a backseat to Smith. The NFL has been around for over a century, yet, only one name towers above the rest in terms of sacks. That would be Bruce Smith and his record-setting 200.
For the Hall of Fame defensive end, he provided a level of longevity that simply isn’t common in the NFL or any sport for that matter. Even at the age of 39 and clearly, on his last legs, Smith put up great numbers for the Washington Football Team (previously known as the Washington Redskins). On the year, Smith had nine sacks, 49 combined tackles with 11 for loss.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year was also an eight-time First-Team All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowl selection. It’ll be a coin flip in terms of who will walk away with the most sacks at the end of a given game with our group up front, but the smart money would be on Smith.