Bruce Smith was the greatest defensive lineman of all time. Full stop. Period. End of story.
You can tell me great things about Reggie White. Wax poetic about Mean Joe Green. Talk about how Deacon Jones played before they even kept sack records. But Bruce was it for me.
We're taking 6'4", 265 pounds of pure muscle. Seriously, the dude had less than 10 percent body fat. And let us go no further here without saying: 200 sacks, the most in the history of the NFL. He was big, and strong, and MEAN.
That was the man I wanted to be growing up. He's the reason I chase the ball instead of catch it or throw it. I wanted teams to be double teaming me before I made a play. I wanted them to game plan for me every game, like they had to with Bruce. I wanted every one on that field in the wrong colors to have to know where I was every second of every play, because they knew I'd make them pay for it if they didn't. I wanted them to fear me.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to live up to that. I don't know if anyone really can. But every day before I hit that field I think about Bruce and the things he did out there. Bad things, man. Bad things.
You can tell me great things about Reggie White. Wax poetic about Mean Joe Green. Talk about how Deacon Jones played before they even kept sack records. But Bruce was it for me.
We're taking 6'4", 265 pounds of pure muscle. Seriously, the dude had less than 10 percent body fat. And let us go no further here without saying: 200 sacks, the most in the history of the NFL. He was big, and strong, and MEAN.
That was the man I wanted to be growing up. He's the reason I chase the ball instead of catch it or throw it. I wanted teams to be double teaming me before I made a play. I wanted them to game plan for me every game, like they had to with Bruce. I wanted every one on that field in the wrong colors to have to know where I was every second of every play, because they knew I'd make them pay for it if they didn't. I wanted them to fear me.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to live up to that. I don't know if anyone really can. But every day before I hit that field I think about Bruce and the things he did out there. Bad things, man. Bad things.