Richard Seymour and Bryant Young—Do Complete Linemen Who Stopped the Run Have Shot at HOF?

By John Turney

It was a pleasant surprise to see Richard Seymour and Bryant Young on the Hall of Fame Final 15 list that was recently released. We think both are worthy and hope they would go in right away since we think they are two of the top give football players on the finalists list. Of course, the voters likely don't agree. But, it is a step forward to be on the Final 15, so we think both, eventually will get in.
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Young was not a flashy defensive tackle, he was a grinder, a solid guy who made big plays without a lot of noise or hoopla. He finished his career with 89.5 sacks, only seven behind renowned pass rusher Warren Sapp and he finished with 82 run stuffs—more than Sapp.

He was All-Pro twice and Second-team All-Pro twice and got post-season honors in five seasons which is low for a Hall of Famer but he likely should have been at least a Second-team All-Pro in 2000.

Young was a left defensive tackle and as such had to play both 1-technique (on the shoulder of a center) and 3-technique (on the shoulder of a guard) depending on the strength of the offense and the defensive line call (over, under, etc) so he had more responsibilities than someone like Sapp or John Randle who only played the three-technique. (Of course, there are exceptions to these but for all intents and purposes Young played both techniques and Randle and Sapp just the three-technique).

In that way, Young was a Merlin Olsen/Joe Greene type of tackle. He wasn't going to get 16 sacks in a season but he was not going to get caught going too deep on a pass rush and leaving a crease for a draw or trap play. He was always going to be responsible for his gap assignment, and also was able to beat double teams when he had to play 1-technique and getting a good rush (four times 9.5 or more sacks in his career). He was going to do it all.

In 1993 the 49ers defense allowed 4.5 yards per rush and with Young in 1994 they cut it to 3.6. In 1995 it was lowered again to 3.1 yards per rush. Clearly, Young had a dramatic effect on the 49ers run defense.

Young was one of the all-time warriors, coming back from a devastating broken leg in 1999 to go to the Pro Bowl and winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. In our view, Young checks all the "boxes" we will see if the Hall of Fame committee agrees.

The same basic things apply to Richard Seymour as they do to Young. Seymour was a major cog of the Patriot defenses of the early 2000s as a defensive end in base defense and as a three-technique in passing situations, though you'd see Seymour over the center some and even outside on some passing downs.
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Seymour was a player who had "length"—a modern term for a tall player with long arms. Seymour had great strength and with his body time played with good 'base' or leverage. Seymour was a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team was a Pro Bowler seven times and a three-time All-Pro and did so in different schemes and at different positions. And oh, by the way, has three 'rings'.

The stumbling block for some voters might be his stats, the "numbers". His 57.5 sack total isn't a big number, even for his position. But like Young, it was the quality of his play that was impressive the things he opened up for other players.

Belichick recently wrote a letter to the Hall of Fame voters stating, "Richard had a rare combination of size, speed, strength, and athleticism. Although primarily a defensive end in our 3-4 defense, Richard also played nose tackle. In the four-man line, Richard could play defensive end or defensive tackle depending on the situation and desired matchups." Belichick ended the letter by saying that Seymour was one of the top defensive linemen he ever coached. 

So, in less than a week we'll see if one or both or neither of these studs make the Hall of Fame. We're hoping both, plus Polamalu and Boselli and Hutchinson. That's our wants. Our predictions will be different.

The 1969 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists List

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

The Pro Football Hall of Fame lists the finalists for the Hall of Fame each year and has done so since 1970. However, prior to that, they did have Finalist lists, it's just that they were not released.

The finalists (often called the Final 15) are then debated the day for the Super Bowl each season and the Hall of Famers are announced after the votes taken in that meeting.

Here is 1969 Finalist list (bold denotes elected to the Hall that year)

Also on the finalist list were coaches Earle (Greasy) Neale and Clark Shaughnessy making a total of 18 players and coaches. Neale was elected along with Nomellini, Stautner, Perry, and Edwards.

At first blush, it would seem to casual fans that Nomellini, Perry, and Stautner were all considered First-ballot Hall of Famers but they were not. 

They were eligible in 1967 when there was a three-year waiting period. But that rule was changed for the Class of 1969 they were, the five-year waiting period had elapsed and in January they were elected. But like Emlen Tunnell, Bobby Layne, and Chuch Bednarik they were not technically first-ballot selections. 

Fixing the AP's '65 Toss Power Trap' Diagram

LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

The day after the Super Bowl IV papers who subscribe to the Associated Press' football coverage printed this diagram, label as being made by the AP itself.  It was a good effort but was errant.

Not they have the left guard trapping the right defensive tackle (we think that is what they are trying to convey). But it was the right guard who did the trapping of Alan Page. 

Also, the Chiefs were in split backs or "red" left. The play looks more like this—

The Chiefs playbook we have does not have 65 Toss Power Trap in it, but it does have 56 Power Trap out of Red Left with the tight end motioning to the spot outside the tackle from a flexed position. But it's the same play only reversed—

Why is it called "toss" when there is no toss? It is a play with blocking that simulates a toss play but is actually a trap play.  But the playbook calls plays that begin with fifty or sixty with those names. Teens are 'dive' playes, twenties are "inside runs" and so on.

All we know is "65 Toss Power Trap" is the most recognizable name for a football play ever and you are going to hear it a lot over the next few weeks as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.

Remembering Steve Sabol

LOOKING BACK
By Chris Willis, NFL Films 

Last week the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its Centennial Class for 2020 and with the selection of Steve Sabol as one of the three contributors, it got me thinking of my former boss, mentor and friend.

     As I think about the man, Steve Sabol, I think about one of the most unique qualities that he possessed. It didn’t matter if you were a rookie producer, a 10-year vet or a 30-year employee that he knew for three decades. He had a REALTIONSHIP with you. It didn’t matter that he was the President of NFL Films. He got to know you regardless of who you were or what you did. That is what made him special. It is a trait he learned from his father, Ed Sabol.

     I will always remember him taking the time to talk to anybody. He was one of the rare executives that was in the office everyday- he rarely took a vacation- and he always had his door open to listen to anything you wanted to say. Of course, Steve’s two favorite topics were football and making movies.

   Mainly because of the support of a few producers and Steve Sabol, I was hired full-time in 1996 to run the Research Library. He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Somebody that could work hard and do a job that I was passionate about. He gave me my big break at the age of 25.

   Before he passed away in 2012, I was fortunate to work for him at NFL Films for 17 years. I had many conversations with him that I treasure. He always took the time to see how I was doing and if I needed anything to make my job better. I really enjoyed the times when he would just leave me a yellow Post-It note to help me include something for the Library. In my entire time at Films he never failed in giving me what I needed to be successful at my job. When I wanted to write a book on early pro football he gave me his support and let me know, whatever I needed (material, time off to write, etc.), I could have it. This is what made him special. 

Post It Note from Steve Sabol 

      I found out early on that he was not your typical boss. There are two short stories I want to share that illustrates how he cared about you and how he had a RELATIONSHIP with you.

1^st) After a year working for NFL Films as a full-time employee Steve got a call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They wanted to offer me a job working in their Research Library, so they contacted Steve to see about talking to me about the job.

It was pretty similar to my job at Films, doing research in their Library. Once Steve got off the phone with the Hall he came down to my small office in the back of the building at 330 Fellowship Road in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. What CEO would come to the office of a first-year librarian? He told me about the offer. He knew that I was from Ohio (close to my family) and that I loved the history of the game. But he saw something in me that nobody else did. Someone worth keeping. He offered me a small bump in pay and a new title. But that didn’t matter to me. What mattered is that he took the time to talk to me. From that moment I never wanted to let him down. I wanted to work as hard as could because he wanted me to a part of his company. So, I stayed. 

Steve Sabol visiting football historian T.J. Troup and Chris Willis at the NFL Films research library in 2005

2^nd) A year or so later in one of our casual conversations we started talking about football memorabilia. A passion we both shared. At this time there was a big sports memorabilia show in Fort Washington, PA- the Philly Card Show- that was held several times a year. Once out of the blue he asked me if I wanted to go with him to one of the shows. I told him that would be great but I don’t drive. At this time I didn’t have a driver’s license. He said that’s okay I’ll pick you up. I was living in Moorestown, which was just a short drive from where he lived, so it wasn’t too out of the way. But it shocked me that the President of NFL Films would volunteer to pick me up and drive me to a sports memorabilia show. It was another example of his unselfish generosity.

     He was a special person. I’m so proud to have meet him, worked for his company, to have had a RELATIONSHIP with him. Besides my parents, he has done more for my career and life than anyone I’ve ever meet.

    Can’t be more happy to see him get elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A honor so deserving.

The All-Time "Short-Career" Team

By John Turney

Credit: George Bartell

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Edit: 1/23/20
Some on Twitter have asked about Andrew Luck. Clearly, we could be wrong, but we are not 100% sure he's permanently retired. If he is still retired in another year, then yes, of course, he will be the First-team quarterback. And maybe it is wishful thinking on our parts. If his issue were concussions then that would be on thing, but he may heal up and get the desire to play again. Again, this is nothing but our speculation. 
____

Longevity, according to football literature of the time, was a part of what was desired in a Hall of Fame resume. Over the years we marvel at football players who played 16-, 17- or more seasons and did so at a high level.

In the 1990s there was a mighty debate over Dwight Stephenson's qualifications. He was All-pro plenty, even a five-time winner of the NFLPA AFC Lineman of the Year award but he played just nine seasons. We clearly remember the debate when both Stephenson and Mike Webster were on the final 15. In 1996, when neither was inducted after a lot of debate "in the room" we spoke to Will McDonough. When we asked about Webster he shook his head and lowly muttered "Seventeen years".

Those who supported Stephenson finally made the case that if a player's career was cut short it should not count against him, since it was a matter of chance as to had a career-ending injury and who did not. It could happen to any player in any game or practice.

That exception has been loosely known among many researchers and Hall of Fame fans as the "Gale Sayers exception"—the exception to the rule of reasonable longevity. Sayers was known for his great career that was cut short by knee injuries.

The 'Sayers exception' came up with the case of Terrell Davis who played at an MVP level for more than a year and had won Super Bowls, but was felled by a severe knee injury. "The kn-ee. Al-ways, th-e kn-ee" as Howard Cosell used to say.

Last week Jimbo Covert, an All-Decade performer with a ring was inducted to the Hall in the Centennial class of 2020 and that should really help Tony Boselli.

In light of that we've picked a full team of players who played nine or fewer years, but played them at a high level. Some are Hall of Famers, some may be. Some will never be but we tried to pick the players with the highest peak. We also will list quite a few honorable mentions.

We began in 1960 because prior to that there were guys who retired from football to tend to their auto parts business or some such thing. Also, it's when the AFL began so we started there.

Honorable mentions—

we picked a lot, but only at positions where there was not a definitive First- or Second-teamer. So if we missed a wide receiver or a tackle it means there isn't much debate as to the top performers.

In one there is some question and it was a close call we list some alternatives to our picks.

Howard Mudd —A very good guard, smart. Went into coaching after NFL career.

Doug France—The NFL's top left tackle in 1977-78 and ranked high in 1979 and 1980 as well. Slowed by injuries but had a decent comeback in 1983 before hanging them up.

Bubba Smith—Top-notch from 1968-71. After his knee injury a shell of his former self.

Joe Johnson —Vastly underrated end good versus run and pass

Jerome Brown—Could be one of the top four tackles, a close call.

Bob Baumhower—A top NT, tall, but still had base. Could rush well from inside.

Bobby Boyd—One of top zone cornerbacks ever.

Shawne Merriman —Could get after the passer. 

NaVorro Bowman—Solid in all areas as a 3-4 inside linebacker.

Otis Wilson—A rush backer in the Bear defense, but also did more than that unlike some of the rush backers of the day. 

John Mobley —Would be a star today, could run and cover and hit. Very athletic.

Bob Swenson —A tough Sam 'backer. Bedeviled tight ends.

Mike Douglass—A Paul Zimmerman favorite. A smaller version of Otis Wilson in many ways

Mark Fields—Like Mobely, could really cover a lot of ground

Gary Green—Tough, feisty, talkative. Could also rush the edge on special teams.

Rolland Lawrence—A small, quick type. Not a big hitter like Pat Thomas or Gary Green. But solid in most areas. 

Monte Jackson—Was the best CB for a few years, weight-lifted his way or of LA and to Oakland where he was never what he was as a Ram.

Miller Farr—A gambler, chance taker.

Kam Chancellor—Maybe the last of a kind, a "thumping safety". Rules have legislated his kind out of the NFL for good.

Jerry Gray—An excellent zone corner but also played slot and safety in different packages employed by Fritz Shurmur. 

Bill Bradley—An excellent ball-hawking safety. The Eagles were not a good team and his post-season honors just didn't sustain in the mid-1970s.

Goose Gonsoulin—One of the top two-three defensive players for the first six seasons in the AFL, if there had been an AFL Defensive Player of the Year he would have been in the running a few times.

Mike Reinfeldt—Had a huge year in 1979 but was highly graded by one pro scouting service from 1977-81. Very underrated.

Raheem Runneth Over

By Eric Goska

The 49ers deep run into the playoffs continues.

The Packers were the latest to get trampled as San Francisco sprints to Miami to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

San Francisco overran Green Bay 37-20 Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers more than quadrupled the rushing output of the Packers in laying claim to the NFC championship.

This was old school football. And San Francisco carried the day.

By game’s end, the number of missed tackles by Green Bay could well have reached double digits. The yards it surrendered after initial contact may have approached triple digits.

What had been billed as a three-headed rushing attack became a one-man show. Raheem Mostert exploded for 220 yards (29 carries) and four rushing touchdowns as San Francisco amassed 285 yards on the ground.

Green Bay collected a meager 62 on 16 attempts.

So effective were the 49ers that they required just nine passing plays. Jimmy Garoppolo threw eight times for 77 yards and was sacked once for a loss of eight.

But to call this an unbalanced attack would be unfair. If nothing else, it was balanced in that Mostert was seemingly always upright.

Mostert (772 rushing yards), Matt Breida (623) and Tevin Coleman (544) paced the 49ers during the regular season. San Francisco led the NFC in ground gaining, and its 23 rushing touchdowns were tops in the league.

Coleman opened at running back Sunday, but a shoulder injury sidelined him early in the second quarter. By then, Mostert was in high gear. Breida played just two snaps on offense, carrying once for two yards.

When Coleman did not return, Mostert became the go-to back. His performance ranks among the most impressive in any playoff game against the Packers.

·    His 220 yards rushing broke ColinKaepernick’s single-game record of 181 set in 2013.

·    His four rushing touchdowns broke the previous record of three shared by Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis and Shaun Alexander.

·    His 10 rushing first downs nearly tied the record of 11 held by Smith and Davis.

·    His seven gains of 10 or more yards is one fewer than the eight of record-holder Marshawn Lynch.

·    He became the first player to gain more than 100 yards rushing in a single quarter (113; second) against the Packers.

Mostert’s big outing helped San Francisco to:

·    Run 11 straight times (second quarter) and 13 in a row (late second quarter into the fourth). The last team to run 13 straight times in a playoff game against Green Bay was the Colts who did so on Dec. 26, 1965. Baltimore was without its top two passers that day (Johnny Unitas; Gary Cuozzo), and started running back Tom Matte at quarterback.

·    Attempt no passes in the third quarter and join the 1938 Giants (fourth quarter) and 1944 Giants (first) as the only teams to produce pass-free quarters in a playoff game against the Packers.

·    Become the first team to utilize fewer than 10 pass plays (9) in a postseason game involving Green Bay. The Bears (12) of 1941 had had the fewest.

So overpowering was San Francisco that its offense needed just 51 plays to dispense with Green Bay and move on. Only two clubs previously – the Eagles of 1960 (49) and the Redskins of 1972 (51) – had bounced the Green and Gold from the playoffs so expeditiously.

Extra Point

With 27, the 49ers became the 12th playoff team to nick Green Bay for 20 or more first-half points. The Packers are winless when that occurs.

Most, Mostert, Mostest

Players who gained 150 or more yards rushing in a playoff game against the Packers.

Player                           Date                       Team         Yards     FD   10+   TD

Raheem Mostert           Jan. 19, 2020           49ers           220       10      7       4

Colin Kaepernick         Jan. 12, 2013           49ers           181        7       7       2

Barry Sanders              Jan. 8, 1994             Lions           169        8       5       0

Terrell Davis                 Jan. 25, 1998         Broncos         157       11      4       3

Marshawn Lynch          Jan. 18, 2015       Seahawks       157        8       8       1

Emmitt Smith                Jan. 14, 1996        Cowboys        150       11      4       3

There Are Three Offensive Lineman Up for the Hall of Fame—All Have the Credentials, Who Goes In?

By John Turney

Sadly, the Hall of fame backlog at offensive tackle has thinned but not by induction, but by attrition. Joe Jacoby and Mike Kenn ran out of eligibility and are now in the senior pool leaving only Tony Boselli as the lone tackle on the  HOF Final 15. The Hall would be more complete with Jacoby and Kenn in rather than waiting.

Hopefully, Boselli will be inducted the day before the Super Bowl when the HOF committee meets.  He has the credentials, but his longevity "box" cannot be checked because his career was cut short by injury. But with players like Terrell Davis and just a week ago Jimbo Covert being inducted with their injury-shortened careers, it bodes well for Boselli's chances.

Attitudes on the committee have changed since the 1990s when Dwight Stephenson was deemed unworthy by a small minority because he lacked longevity. Finally, in his sixth year of eligibility he was voted in, rightly so. 

That leaves two guards who have been slugging it out. It seems reasonable to us that since Troy Polamalu is (according to conventional wisdom and Internet chatter) a lock and with Bill Cowher and Donnie Shell being inducted in the 2020 Centennial Class last week that Alan Faneca would now a longshot unless the Steelers voter and media want to be completely partisan and piggish.

With Faneca and Steve Hutchinson vying for (theoretically) for one slot, it seems that if there is no other way to order them or stack them, then Hutch should get the nod. We happen to think both have the credentials but that Hutch was the more dominant and had the higher "peak" but Faneca lasted a bit longer.

So, if all's well that ends well, go with the top guy first and then follow-up with Faneca next year. If they put four Steelers in, well, let's just say they might want some viewers from somewhere besides Western PA.

Of course, it's only our hope that two offensive linemen get in. It may not happen. The way skill players get all benefits of the doubt the linemen (see Jacoby, Kenn) have to wait and wait and sometimes never get in. It's a travesty since some of the best football players of all time are linemen.

We'd also hope one or two defensive linemen get in—Bryant Young and Richard Seymour are both worthy but our feeling is that Miami will freeze over before they put four linemen (two offensive and two defense) in the HOF the same year even if they are four of the top football players on the Final 15 (which they may be, if not that case can be made).