Bills Franchise Five The biggest Bills l

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The Buffalo Bills have two distinct periods of unbridled glory in their franchise history -- the mid-1960s when they won back-to-back AFL championships and the early 1990s when four consecutive AFC titles ended with four consecutive Super Bowl defeats. CBSSports.com's Franchise Five series dives into five most impactful people in each NFL team's history. Our rules here allow us to pick one head coach, one quarterback and Francois Beauchemin Jersey three non-quarterback players. Let's take a look back at some of the men who are legendary Bills.Coach Marv LevyBills tenure:12 seasonsBills resume:Four-time AFC championSix-time AFC East winner Wall of Fame memberMost wins in Bills history (112)Pro Football Hall of Fame inducteeFranchise record for career wins (250)It's long been said Levy, the frosty-haired inspirational speaker, was the perfect coach to manage the immense talent and bravado in the Bills locker room during the late 1980s and mid-1990s.Levy may not have been one of the league's premier play-diagramming strategists, but he knew how to deal with the stars through ups and downs and ultimately get Buffalo's superstars to gel into a cohesive unit. Each player truly understood the importance of carrying out his responsibilities to help other members of the team. He famously fibbed about his age during his interview with the Bills, which came at the age of 61 after two-year hiatus from NFL sidelines, but Levy got the job anyway and the rest is history. He's the author of "where else would you rather be?" a line often overheard to this day at the tailgate outside New Era Field and in the stadium Mikko Rantanen Jersey . QB Jim KellyBills tenure: 11 seasonsBills resume:Four-time AFC championOne-time First-Team All-ProTwo-time Second-Team All-ProNFL leader in pa sing touchdowns (1991)NFL leader in pa ser rating (1990)Number retired with Bills (No. 12)Bills Wall of FamerAnother obvious selection from Bills' golden era in the early 1990s, Kelly's on-field style personified what it meant to be a Buffalonian during that period. He was gritty, ultra-tough, a little cocky, really playing the quarterback position like a linebacker when he needed to make a play with his feet or hang in to rip a throw downfield before getting hit.He's been woven into the fabric of Buffalo sports lore and how that happened is fascinating. After being picked the Bills in the first round of the famed 1983 Draft, Kelly, wanting nothing to do with the bottom-feeding Bills in cold Western New York, so he opted to play profe sional in the startup USFL with the Houston Gamblers. When that league folded, Kelly signed a contract with the Bills that, at the time, was the most lucrative contract in NFL history. He fell in the love with the city he initially rejected, and the city embraced him. Despite his undeniable pa sing talent, it wasn't always pretty with Kelly, yet he almost always got the job done. From 1990 to 1993, Kelly's Bills went a combined 48-13 during the regular season. Even with four consecutive cracks at it, Kelly never could win a Super Bowl, but he was easily one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the AFC during his Hall of Fame career.DE Bruce SmithBills tenure: 15 seasonsBills resume:NFL's all-time sack leader (200)Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1996)Eight-time first-team All-ProNFL 100th Anniversary TeamNFL 1990's All-Decade TeamBills Wall of FamerNumber retired with Bills (No. 78)Smith is in the best defender in NFL history conversation, not just because he's the league's all-time leader in sacks, but because after his early years as a pro, he emerged as a perennially well-rounded defensive end who packed Rene Robert Jersey the stat sheet every season.Menacing size, threatening speed, overwhelming power, and a sensei's arsenal of pa s-rushing moves, Smith was e sentially unblockable in pure one-on-one situations, and once he sculpted his body, his edge-setting skills made him an excellent run defender in Buffalo. His 1990 season was a masterpiece -- 19 sacks, 101 tackles, and four forced fumbles -- and ended with a Defensive Player of the Year nod. Then, six years later, at the age of 33, Smith registered 13.5 sacks, 90 tackles and a league-high five forced fumbled en route to his second DPOY award. Legitimately one of the most frightening defenders in league history, Smith is the best player to ever don a Buffalo Bills uniform.RB Thurman ThomasBills tenure: 12 seasonsBills resume:NFL MVP (1991)NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1991)Two-time first-team All-ProThree-time second-team All-ProNFL 1990's All-Decade TeamBills Wall of FamerNumber retired with Bills (No. 34)Thomas is still slept on. Seriously. And it's mostly because his Bills lost four straight Super Bowls, and he played in an era that featured Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. To this day, Thomas is still the only player in NFL history to lead the league in yards from scrimmage in four consecutive seasons.Thomas helped revolutionize the running back position with Matt Duchene Jersey dynamic pa s-catching abilities, as he was the multi-dimensional playmaker in Buffalo's up-tempo "K-Gun" offense. Thomas took home the NFL MVP in 1991. Since then, only seven backs have won the award (Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, Ladainian Tomlinson and ). Thomas was a monster in the playoffs too -- he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored 21 total touchdowns in 21 career postseason games.WR Andre ReedBills tenure: 15 seasonsBills resume:Three-time second-team All-ProSeven-time Pro BowlerSeven-time first-team All-ProCurrently Top 20 in NFL history in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdownsThe third leg of Buffalo's triplets in the 1990s, Reed exemplified the underdog mentality instilled in most Buffalonians with his underdog story and toughne s during his time with the Bills.Reed hailed from tiny Kutztown State in Pennsylvania and was the 13th receiver selected in the 1986 Draft. He gradually morphed into a superstar in Buffalo, providing sizable contributions in his first few seasons before eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in his Age 25 season. From 1989 to 1996, Reed's season averages were 76 receptions, 1, Patrick Roy Jersey 065 yards, and seven scores.His heroics were never more greatly felt than in the Greatest Comeback game against the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1992 playoffs. Reed went off for eight catches, 136 yards, and three touchdowns as the Bills charged back from a 35-3 third-quarter deficit to win 41-38 in overtime.When he retired, Reed was second all-time in receptions, and he still ranks in the top 20 in NFL history in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.