Best NFL Players of All Time: Bobby Bell

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Best NFL Players of All Time: Bobby Bell

Bobby Bell was one of the few outside linebackers who could take over a game and dominate on defense.

It’s difficult to find someone who could surpass Bell in a league known for its gifted athletes who can dazzle scouts with their quickness, coordination, and leaping ability. Bell was not just an athletic talent; he was also a dedicated athlete who used his gifts from God to dominate high school, college, and professional fields.

Naturally, Bell was a cornerstone of Hank Stram’s Kansas City Chiefs. While the American Football League was known for its high-scoring, light-up-the-scoreboard methods, there were some outstanding defensive players, and Bell was arguably the best. He was one of the dominant figures on the football field every time he set foot on it.

Bell was so gifted that he could succeed at any position and play it.

Bell played linebacker and defensive line during his professional career, and Stram was certain that he would always be dominant on the field.

Stram counted on Bell to produce a huge play in every big-play scenario his team encountered. In a 1969 playoff game versus the New York Jets, Bell was at his best.

The Jets found themselves in a first-and-goal situation on the one-yard line with the Chiefs leading 6-3 in the fourth quarter.

The Jets were clearly going to rush the ball into the end zone to grab the lead. But Bell stood up, and the Chiefs defense shut down the Jets. Matt Snell, a powerful running back, received two passes from Joe Namath, but Snell was unable to overcome Bell and the Kansas City defense.

To get Bell out of position on the third-down play, Namath faked a handoff to Snell. Bell refused to give up and stuck by Namath, stopping the future Hall of Fame quarterback from completing a touchdown pass. It was a tying field goal for the Jets to settle for.

Len Dawson and the Chiefs offense gained momentum from that goal-line stand. After Dawson struck wide receiver Gloster Richardson with the game-winning touchdown throw, Kansas City drove the length of the field and scored the winning point.

After defeating the Oakland Raiders in the final AFL championship game, the Chiefs proceeded to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV.

The highly anticipated Vikings were predicted to trample the Chiefs and win the NFL championship in that game. The Vikings lacked the quickness or agility to compete with active defensive players like Bell, so the Chiefs defense turned back and humiliated Minnesota.

Bell was unstoppable whether he was playing in the NFL or the American Football League. In addition to being an NFL Pro Bowl player three times following the two leagues’ merger before the 1970 season, he was a six-time AFL all-star.

Bell made the first team of the All-Time AFL as well. A career total of 40 sacks and 26 interceptions earned him a 1983 Hall of Fame induction.

When Bell was admitted into Canton, Stram referred to him as the “greatest outside linebacker to ever play the game.” Bell was the first outside linebacker to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

Despite Stram’s propensity for exaggeration, there are several reasons to think that his diagnosis may have been spot on. He could rush the passer and wreak havoc every time he went after the quarterback. He was also excellent against the run and in pass coverage.

He was also a very effective player on special teams. Even in situations where the Chiefs had a significant lead, Bell could run down the quickest return specialists, making it nearly impossible to return punts and kickoffs against them. No linebacker has ever returned more interceptions for touchdowns than Bell, who has returned six for six. Bell possessed the extraordinary ability to read the quarterback’s eyes, predict the quarterback’s throwing location, and

then, as the ball was approaching, arrive at that location at top speed.

Dawson remarked, “I just marveled at his athletic ability.” “I was relieved that I didn’t have to play against him because I got to watch him in practice every day and knew what he could do on the field. There was no way for anyone to defeat him. He was the most dominant player I had ever seen at his position.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Bobby Bell Stats

Regular Season

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng Fmb FR TD Sk AV
1963 23 KAN LDE 78 14 11 1 20 0 20 0 0 0 4.5 7
1964 24 KAN LDE 78 14 14 1 4 0 4 0 0 1 7.5 10
1965 25 KAN LLB 78 14 14 4 73 1 38 1 0 0 7 12
1966 26 KAN LLB 78 14 14 2 14 0 13 0 0 1 2.5 12
1967 27 KAN LLB 78 14 12 4 82 1 32 0 2 0 3.5 15
1968 28 KAN LLB 78 14 14 5 95 0 50 0 2 0 2.5 16
1969 29 KAN LLB 78 14 14 0 0 3 0 5 17
1970 30 KAN LLB 78 14 14 3 57 1 45 0 1 0 2 12
1971 31 KAN LLB 78 14 14 1 26 1 26 0 0 0 1.5 9
1972 32 KAN LLB 78 14 14 3 56 1 61 0 1 0 3.5 11
1973 33 KAN LLB 78 14 14 1 24 0 24 0 0 0 0.5 9
1974 34 KAN LLB 78 14 10 1 28 1 28 0 0 0 0 4
Career 168 159 26 479 6 61 1 9 2 40 134

Playoffs

Year Age Tm Pos G GS TD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk
1966*+ 26 KAN LLB 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5
1968*+ 28 KAN LLB 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1969*+ 29 KAN LLB 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1971* 31 KAN LLB 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 7 7 0   0 2.5

 

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