A surgical instrument, comprising: a surgical staple cartridge comprising a plurality of staple pockets configured to store at least one surgical staple therein; an anvil comprising a proximal anvil mounting portion configured to support said anvil relative to said surgical staple cartridge such that said surgical staple cartridge and said anvil are movable between an open position, a closed position and an over-closed position; means for stopping tissue received between said anvil and said surgical staple cartridge from extending proximally beyond a proximal-most one of said plurality of staple pockets; a closure member configured to axially move between a starting position corresponding to said open position of said anvil and said staple cartridge, an intermediate position corresponding to said closed position of said anvil and said staple cartridge and an ending position corresponding to said over-closed position of said anvil and said staple cartridge; and means (2045, 2046, 2047, 5062) for preventing other tissue from becoming pinched between a distal end of said closure member and said means for stopping when said closure member is in either of said intermediate position and ending position, wherein said anvil comprises an elongate anvil body comprising a staple-forming undersurface and wherein said means for stopping comprises: a first tissue stop extending downward below said staple-forming undersurface of said elongate anvil body on a portion of one side of said elongate anvil body; and a second tissue stop extending downward below said staple-forming undersurface of said elongate anvil body on another portion of another side of said elongate anvil body, characterized in that each of said first and second tissue stops comprises an upper proximal end portion and a bottom proximal end portion and wherein when said closure member is in said intermediate position, said upper proximal end portion of each said first and second tissues stop is located a first distance (TD 1) from a distal end of said closure member and said bottom proximal end portion of each said first and second tissue stops is located a second distance (TD 2) from said distal end of said closure member and wherein said second distance differs from said first distance. a surgical staple cartridge comprising a plurality of staple pockets configured to store at least one surgical staple therein; an anvil comprising a proximal anvil mounting portion configured to support said anvil relative to said surgical staple cartridge such that said surgical staple cartridge and said anvil are movable between an open position, a closed position and an over-closed position; means for stopping tissue received between said anvil and said surgical staple cartridge from extending proximally beyond a proximal-most one of said plurality of staple pockets; a closure member configured to axially move between a starting position corresponding to said open position of said anvil and said staple cartridge, an intermediate position corresponding to said closed position of said anvil and said staple cartridge and an ending position corresponding to said over-closed position of said anvil and said staple cartridge; and means (2045, 2046, 2047, 5062) for preventing other tissue from becoming pinched between a distal end of said closure member and said means for stopping when said closure member is in either of said intermediate position and ending position, wherein said anvil comprises an elongate anvil body comprising a staple-forming undersurface and wherein said means for stopping comprises: a first tissue stop extending downward below said staple-forming undersurface of said elongate anvil body on a portion of one side of said elongate anvil body; and a second tissue stop extending downward below said staple-forming undersurface of said elongate anvil body on another portion of another side of said elongate anvil body, a first tissue stop extending downward below said staple-forming undersurface of said elongate anvil body on a portion of one side of said elongate anvil body; and a second tissue stop extending downward below said staple-forming undersurface of said elongate anvil body on another portion of another side of said elongate anvil body, characterized in that each of said first and second tissue stops comprises an upper proximal end portion and a bottom proximal end portion and wherein when said closure member is in said intermediate position, said upper proximal end portion of each said first and second tissues stop is located a first distance (TD 1) from a distal end of said closure member and said bottom proximal end portion of each said first and second tissue stops is located a second distance (TD 2) from said distal end of said closure member and wherein said second distance differs from said first distance.