Published: September 22, 2008 11:50 pm      

SCHMITT: Bills again have Bruce-like swagger

ORCHARD PARK — Say this about Bruce Smith, time hasn’t sacked his ego.

After sharing smiles and hugs during Sunday’s halftime induction speech to the Bills Wall of Fame, the greatest pass rusher in the history of the franchise finished by saying, “the greatest pass rusher in the history of the NFL played for the Buffalo Bills.”

Talented? Certainly.

Humble? Um, hardly.

Whether Smith is right or not is inconsequential. The first pick in the 1985 draft had swagger. He believed he was something special, worked diligently, had loads of talent, and expected to win. That mentality helped carry the Bills through Sunday afternoons when they didn’t have their best stuff.

It’s easy to get sentimental about the Super Bowl years, but truth be told, those Bills had plenty of off-days. There’s a reason Jim Kelly needed to dive into the end zone in the final seconds of the 1989 opener at Miami; that three TDs in 77 seconds against Denver in ’90 secured just a one-point win; and that Frank Reich needed to rally the Bills to 1991’s incredible wild card triumph over the Oilers.

Sometimes, good teams play poorly.

The really good ones still find a way to score more points than the other guys.

Sunday was a hidden minefield waiting to be trampled through — the Raiders’ front office might be in chaos, but nobody on the Ralph Wilson Stadium turf was wearing a jumpsuit. Lane Kiffin sure looked the part of veteran coach and the Raiders’ lines, both on offense and defense, hardly looked like those of cellar dwellers. Oakland has talent, as the JaMarcus Russell-to-Johnnie Lee Higgins punch to the gut proved.

And the Bills — looking unfamiliar with the role of big-time favorites — were lethargic throughout. Lee Evans fumbled. Darian Barnes did, too, but out of bounds. Special teams weren’t that special.

All this should have meant a loss. And Donte Whitner is the first to admit it would have in seasons past.

But like with Smith and Co. before them, there’s no lack of confidence in the Bills locker room these days.

When the Bills defense got beat for a big play, Whitner took exception to Higgins’ downshifting on the 15-yard line.

He popped him deep in the end zone, drawing a flag in the process.

When asked about it after, Whitner shook his head and said he’d do it again.

“It’s all about respect. We expect them to respect us,” Whitner said. “I wish I would have had an opportunity to hit him cleanly.”

Smith played the game the same way. He tightroped the line between confidence and cockiness, usually stumbling toward the former.

Not always, mind you, but usually.

The 11-time All-Pro and surefire first ballot Hall of Famer explained to the media in a pregame chat why his accomplishments were even more astounding because of the scheme he was bound by, and the team’s lack of other stars on the defensive line.

“I’m not bragging,” Smith said. “These are facts.”

While the facts might be a blurring a good story, there’s no arguing the point that Smith’s dedication to excellence (wink, wink, Al) helped shape the Bills’ psyche during the team’s golden era.

Where the Bills threw away games they deserved to win last season — see Denver, Dallas — they stole one they shouldn’t have won on Sunday.

They’re not all the way there yet, but Sunday’s game showed these Bills are forming an inner confidence of their own.

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.