George Blanda and Sammy Baugh Colorization

By John Turney

 

Otto Graham Colorization

 By John Turney

The Browns'  Otto Graham in orange jersey—not often worn

The Detroit Lions—Top Seasons by Passers in Club History

By John Turney 

Any idea what passers had the best single seasons in Detroit Lions' history? Notice I said "passers," not "quarterbacks?" That's because the franchise dates back to the Portsmouth Spartans of the early 1930s when the passer was a tailback or fullback ... and, in my book, those guys count.

So, let me ask again: Who had the best single seasons?

OK, full disclosure: It's somewhat of a trick question. Because unlike teams such as the Chargers or 49ers, the Lions had few elite seasons by their passers.

Astonishingly few.

Only four passers were first-team All-Pro, including three single-wing tailbacks who played prior to Word War II. Moreover, since the advent of the modern Pro Bowl, only four T-formation quarterbacks received an invitation. Of course, there's a reason: In only 15 seasons has a Lions' passer thrown for 20 or more touchdowns.

Expansion teams that joined pro football in the late-1960s and 1970s had more.

But that won't stop me from compiling a list of top seasons turned in by Lions' quarterbacks and tailbacks over the last 90 years. As written before, I take the top year by each player and then rank those seasons by criteria that matter -- including winning and awards. Then I put it all in a blender and come up with my Top 15. 

So, here goes:

15. (tie) Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer, 1991

Rodney Peete, art credit: Merv corning

Yep, two guys. These two share the 15th slot. 

The Lions were 12-4, and each had a 6-2 record. When Peete tore an Achilles tendon in the season's eighth game, Kramer stepped in and finished the year. Kramer even won a playoff game, guiding the Lions to a 38-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. But a week later, Washington crushed them, 41-10.

But, combined, Peete and Kramer had such a successful season that it wouldn't be until 2023 that the Lions won another playoff game.

14. Jon Kitna, 2007

Under Mike Martz, Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards, one year before the Lions went 0-16. He also won seven times. Not everyone loved Martz, but Kitna did. Granted, this is more of an "eye-test' pick, but Kitna could move the ball. In his top season with Detroit, the team jumped to a 6-2 start before slumping badly and winning just one of its next eight games.

13. Eric Hipple, 1983

Hipple was the typical Lions' quarterback. He didn't have great stats, but he took his team to the brink of the playoffs, going 8-3 down the stretch before being eliminated the final week of the season.

12. Gary Danielson, 1978

He took over the starting job and went 6-5 on a team that opened the season 1-4. No, he didn't tear up the NFL, but he was noted as one of the league's top up-and-coming young quarterbacks, throwing for 18 touchdowns -- which ranked sixth in the NFL -- and 2,294 yards. He was also the eighth-ranked passer.

11. Dave Krieg, 1994

Though Krieg started fewer than half the games, he not only kept the Lions in the playoff hunt but was able to push them into the playoffs. He took over after starter Scott Mitchell was sidelined and proceeded to finish the season with a passer rating of 101.7. However, he didn't have enough attempts to qualify for the league leadership. 

10. Milt Plum, 1962

In his first year with the Lions, he went 11-3, but his passing stats weren't pretty ... which was somewhat odd for him. Plum had been one of the NFL's most efficient passers in Cleveland -- a quarterback who wouldn't throw for yardage but made his passes count.

You can do that with Jim Brown in the backfield.

Today, he'd be called a game manager, and that's what he was in 1962 when he beat Johnny Unitas twice and, with the help of his defensive front, handed the 13-1 Green Bay Packers their only loss. He also lost a squeaker to the Packers by two points and pushed the 12-2 New York Giants before losing by three.

9. Earl Morrall, 1963

Morrall was the NFL's quintessential backup during his career, and this was a season where he earned that reputation -- much as he did later for the Colts and Dolphins. In 1963, he stepped in for Plum and started the final 10 games, finishing with 24 touchdown passes and 2,621 yards. Incredibly, his TD total is still tied for 10th in team history, tied with Matthew Stafford in 2016 ... in 16 games. Morrall basically did it in 12.

8. Scott Mitchell, 1995

While going 10-6 as a starter, Mitchell broke team records for passing. His 32 touchdown passes were six more than the previous record, and he obliterated the yardage mark by over 1,100 yards. Only one problem: He didn't sustain it in the playoffs, throwing four interceptions in the NFC wildcard game against Philadelphia and getting benched in favor of Don Majkowski.

Ouch.

But his regular season included ranking second in passing yards and third in TD passes. Additionally, in Week 9, he was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and, four weeks later, Pro Football Weekly's NFL Offensive Player of the Week.

7. Greg Landry, 1971

A dual threat, Landry was the second-best running quarterback in the NFL (second to Bobby Douglass). Unlike Douglass, however, Landry could pass. 

As a starter in 1970, he led the Lions to the playoffs. But the following season he was so good that he was a Pro Bowler and even gained some MVP votes. That's the good news. The problem is that after a 7-3-1 start, the Lions lost their final three games and didn't repeat as a playoff team.

I admit, it was a close call with 1972 where he was 8-5-1, ran for nine touchdowns and threw for 18 -- a total of 27 TDs, or seven more than the second-place finisher in passing and rushing TDs combined. But he had some poor performances, with Landry at midseason conceding that he wasn't passing effectively. However, he corrected it somewhat in the second half.

Still, people forget that Landry was a winner. He was 25-14-1 from 1969-72, a span that included some quality wins along the way.

6. Tobin Rote, 1957

Art credit: Robert Hurst

Including the playoffs, he was 6-1 as a starter. His regular-season stats were ordinary, but in the playoffs he was 28 for 49 for 494 yards, with five TDs and just a single interception. Plus, though not used at the time, his passer rating was 117.2. What matters is that it wasn't for nothing. His final victory was in the NFL championship game, a 59-14 drubbing of the Cleveland Browns.

5. Jared Goff, 2023

Art credit: Marci

In coach Dan Campbell's third year in Detroit, Goff took the Lions to the playoffs and beat the Los Angeles Rams and former Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford. So what? So it ended a 32-year winless drought in the playoffs for Detroit.

But there was more. He won a second playoff game, the first time the Lions won more than one since 1957, and had his team one victory from the Super Bowl. Though the 49ers edged Detroit, 34-31, in the conference championship game, the former No. 1 draft pick did his job.

By all accounts, he grew as a quarterback. He completed 407 of 605 passing (67.3 percent) for 4,575 passing yards, 30 TDs and 12 interceptions. He was also the Week 6 NFC Offensive Player of the Week and in Week 15 threw for five TDs in a 42-17 win over the Broncos.

No, he didn't go to the Pro Bowl, but it was a Pro Bowl-caliber season.

4. Frank Sinkwich, 1944

A single-wing tailback, Sinkwich was the 1944 NFL MVP who led the league in yards per completion, was second in touchdown passes and third in passing yards. Plus, he did a little bit of everything. Not only was he a top-three passer; he was also a top-three runner, played defense and returned kicks.

3. Matthew Stafford, 2011

The passing stat king for the Lions, Stafford completed 421 of 663 passes (63.5 percent) in his top season for 5,038 yards, 41 TDs (both club records) and just 16 interceptions. Furthermore, the team was 10-6, one of the best records for Stafford with a struggling franchise.

Twice in 2011 he threw for five touchdowns, and twice he passed for over 400 yards -- with a high of 520 in the season finale against the Packers. In the playoffs, he threw for another 380 yards and three TDs, but the Lions couldn't keep up with Drew Brees and the Saints, losing, 45-28.

Few quarterbacks in NFL history had Stafford's arm talent and few were as tough. He played through injuries and was the 2011 Comeback Player of the Year, but he didn't have the success of others in his era. The 2011 season, however, was an exception -- one of four where he had a winning record in Detroit.

2. Dutch Clark, 1934

Art credit: Merv Corning

Clark was a do-it-all player who could run, catch, throw and kick and who might have been the best player anywhere in the 1930s. A tailback/halfback in the single-wing formation, it was he -- not the quarterback -- who threw the ball. The quarterback was a blocking back. 

In Clark's era, the Lions were a dominant running team that passed about 22 percent of the time, the lowest percentage in the NFL. But in 1934, Clark passed for 383 yards, the most on the team, and was the Lions' leading rusher. Had there been an MVP then, he would've have been a strong contender.

It's important to note that while Clark split time with Glen Presnell at tailback, it was Clark who threw for more yards and was far more accurate -- which was true for the rest of the years the pair shared the position. 

In 1934, the Lions began the year 10-0 but lost their final three games by a total of nine points to finish 10-3.

1. Bobby Layne, 1952

Art credit: Gizo

Wait. Bobby Layne led the NFL in most passing statistics in 1951, yet I picked 1952 as his best season? Correct. And here's why: While 1951 was a great year and set the table for back-to-back NFL championships by the Lions, beating Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns matters.

In fact, it means a lot.

In 1952, Layne and his Lions beat the defending league champion-Los Angeles Rams three times, twice in the regular season and once in the National Conference playoff game. That got them to the championship game, where they did enough to hand the Browns a 17-7 loss in their back yard -- Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

Layne was also a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career and went to his second Pro Bowl. Plus, he did it all with the swashbuckling style and charisma that became legendary and eventually put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

   ******************************************************************************

So, there you have it -- the top 15 seasons by Lions passers. No, it's not the worst quarterback situation for a franchise but it's close. Check out the Bears' record book. Yikes! At the back end of my list, there are a handful of unremarkable single-seasons. But at the top, there are truly excellent seasons, including one worth celebrating.

Bill Bergey—The 1970's Forgotten MLB

By John Turney 

When you think of great middle linebackers of the 1970s, you think of Hall-of-Famers Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, Willie Lanier, Randy Gradishar ... and maybe even players not considered for the Hall, such as Tommy Nobis and Lee Roy Jordan.

But one name you don't hear is that of former Cincinnati Bengals' and Philadelphia Eagles' star Bill Bergey, and it's hard to know why.

Maybe it's because he was overshadowed by the names mentioned above. Maybe it's because he played in a small market for the first half of his career. Or maybe it's because his team the second half of his career lost Super Bowl XV and didn't cement his legacy.

I don't know what it is. What we do know is that when it comes to the Pro Hall of Fame, he hasn't gotten the consideration he deserves. As a modern-era candidate, he was never a finalist or semifinalist, and now that he's in the senior pool, he has no traction there, either.

But that should change, mostly because he has credentials comparable to many Hall of Famers at his position ... and the envelope, please:

--- Noted for his ability to cover, Bergey had 27 interceptions -- or as many as Hall-of-Famer Willie Lanier. Furthermore, of the 17 inside linebackers in Canton, only four (Nick Buoniconti, Ray Lewis, Sam Huff and Jack Lambert) have more.

--- Bergey had 21 fumble recoveries, too, or more than Ray Lewis, Bill George, Willie Lanier, Sam Huff, Joe Schmidt and nine others. Dick Butkus, Sam Mills and Ray Nitschke are the only Hall-of-Fame inside 'backers who recovered more. 

--- Now do the math. When you add Bergey's interceptions and recoveries, you come up with 48 takeaways, which tie him with Nitschke. So which Hall of Famers had more? Only two: Dick Butkus and Ray Lewis.

--- Bergey also blitzed enough from his linebacker spot to record (unofficially) 18-1/2 career sacks. 

Put all that together and what do you have? A big-play machine who ranks high among middle or inside linebackers already in the Hall. That may come as news to media outlets like the NFL Network or ESPN, but it wasn't when Bergey played. He was known then as an elite middle linebacker, a reputation that somehow has been lost to history.

So let's review his personal honors which, like his turnover total, should open some eyes -- and you can start with his being named the AFL's 1969 Defensive Rookie of the Year in a season where he went to the AFL All-Star game. However, his national notice began in earnest after his first season with the Eagles, who thought enough of Bergey in 1974 to trade two first-round picks and one second to the Bengals for him.

That was the year he was a consensus All-Pro (first-team AP and PFWA) and second to the Steelers' "Mean" Joe Greene in Defensive Player-of-the-Year voting. The following season, he was first-team All-Pro again, (AP) and in 1976 he was second-team All-Pro. No one was going to beat out Defensive Player-of-the-Year Jack Lambert for All-Pro, but Bergey was next-best at his position and best in the NFC. 

In fact, the NFLPA voted him the 1976 NFC Linebacker of the Year. 

He was the PFWA and NEA All-Pro in 1977 and followed that with a second-team All-Pro (AP) selection in 1978. After missing most of the 1979 season with a knee injury (some say caused by a cheap shot by Saints' guard Conrad Dobler), he ended his career in 1980 named to Pro Football Weekly's All-NFC team. 

That means he was All-NFC every year from 1973-78, which means that in seven of his 11 full seasons, he was on the "honor roll' for his outstanding play. Those three All-Pro seasons were the same as Huff, Nitschke and Mills and more than Harry Carson.

I don't know if he was better than those linebackers. What I do know is that Bill Bergey won his share of honors -- which isn't easy in a league full of guys named Butkus, Lambert, Lanier and so on.

Originally from upstate New York, Bergey went to Arkansas State to play collegiate football on a partial scholarship. Pushed around as a freshman, he established himself as the best player to come out of that school after moving from running back to linebacker. He not only led the team in tackles as a junior and senior; he was a Little All-American as a senior, too.

What's more, he still holds the school record for tackles in a game with 33 (vs Eastern Michigan in 1968) and once set the mark for most tackles in a season. While that figure was broken, his record for average tackles per game still exists at the school. 

A second-round draft choice by Cincinnati, Bergey in 1969 became an instant starter and went on to lead the Bengals in tackles every year from his rookie season through 1973. Twice he was part of playoff teams, and though the Bengals lost both games to the eventual Super Bowl champions (the Colts in 1970 and Dolphins in 1973), Bergey was a standout -- leading the defense in tackles vs. the Colts and tied for the team lead in 1973. 

But things soon soured in Cincinnati, compelling the unhappy Bergey to sign with the WFL in 1974, fight the Bengals in court (where he won) and eventually get traded to Philadelphia. The Eagles not only gave him an immediate raise; then-coach Mike McCormack compared him to Hall-of-Famer Chuck Bednarik  ... and Bergey did whatever he could to prove him right.

He led the Eagles in tackles from 1976-80, missing only in the one season (1979) he missed. There are no complete records in 1975, but he undoubtedly led them in that season, too (he had 19 tackles in one game). So it's safe to say he led the Philadelphia team in tackles every year he actually played with the Eagles. 

But it wasn't only the number of tackles that mattered; it was the way he tackled, too. He hit hard. In fact, in a 1978 poll of NFL scouts conducted by the late Hall-of-Fame voter, Dave Anderson, Bergey was named one of the top 10 hardest hitters in the league.

"When Bergey hits you," said Rams' running back John Cappelletti, "you felt it."

But that's precisely what the beer-drinking, cigar-smoking linebacker liked most about football -- telling reporters that his greatest satisfaction was "when I hit a man, and he thinks, 'Wow, that must be Bergey.' "

Yes, I said beer drinking. It was one of his passions. But he had to limit it, and not because it was an issue; but because it had to go in 1977 when the Eagles' new defensive coach Marion Campbell installed a 3-4 defense. The reason: The 32-year-old Bergey felt he needed to trim down to remain an elite player ... and the hardest part, he said, was keeping to "a one-beer limit."

But it must have worked.. He played well, and the defense was one of the NFL's best. After ranking ninth in points allowed in 1976, the Eagles first rose to seventh ... then to fifth. Without Bergey in 1979 they dropped to ninth. But, when he returned the following season they ranked first and advanced to Super Bowl XV.

No doubt about it: Bill Bergey was the leader of an elite defense.

He played and hit hard, but he also played tough. In the Super Bowl loss to the Oakland Raiders, he suited up despite loose chips in his surgically repaired knee and calcium deposits (bone spurs) in both shoulders. But, like his playoff-exit games with the Bengals, Bergey's play in the Super Bowl was outstanding: He led the Eagles in tackles with 11 in what was his final NFL game.

When he retired afterward, Bergey said he wanted to be remembered, "as a linebacker who lined up on every single play and gave it everything I had." Well, then he succeeded.  He was a mobile, agile and hostile linebacker -- the epitome of what NFL coaches wanted from their man in the middle.

He played hard, was a team leader and made a gazillion tackles. Plus, he had a knack of finding the football -- be it via interceptions, fumble recoveries, forced fumbles or as an effective blitzer -- and that didn't go unnoticed. He was annually recognized by writers and players in their annual All-Pro votes and was two votes short shy of being the 1974 AP Defensive Player of the Year.

And remember: He also played on five defenses ranked seventh or higher in points allowed, including one which was the NFL's best.

Nevertheless, he still hasn't been recognized by the Hall's voters ... at least not yet. But the seniors' committee meets annually to pick three finalists to present to the entire board of selectors, and maybe soon it will do what nobody has to this point.

Give Bill Bergey a chance to be enshrined.

Kevin Williams—Will He Ever Get His Due?

By John Turney 

Somewhere former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams has to be thinking, "Whom must I run over to get in a Hall-of-Fame discussion?" Because, up to this point, running over guards, running backs and quarterbacks hasn't been enough.

That's what Williams did for 13 NFL seasons, yet it has yet to get him Canton's attention.

Williams is what those in and around pro football would call "a load," and it was the ultimate compliment from one lineman to another -- as in, "John Hannah was a load" or "Joe Greene was a load."

And that's exactly what Williams was.

An anchor in the interior of the Minnesota Vikings defensive line, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Williams was part of a unit that allowed the third-fewest rushing yards while he was with Minnesota -- behind only the Steelers and Ravens. Plus, the Vikings' defensive line was sixth-best in sacks, proof that it wasn't a one-trick pony.

When the "Williams Wall" (the nickname given to Kevin and his teammate, defensive tackle Pat Williams, both big men, even by NFL Standards) was at its peak, no one ran on Minnesota. 

No one.

From 2006-09 -- a span of 64 games -- the Vikings' defense allowed 74.9 yards rushing per game, over seven yards better than the next-best team and 40 yards better than the league average. Its 3.3 yards per carry was tied for No. 1, too -- and, that at a time when the league average was 4.2 yards a pop.

In 2006 Williams was part of a run defense that allowed fewer than 1,000 yards rushing and an average of 61.6 yards per game. Only the 2000 Ravens have done better in modern NFL history. That same year the Vikings also allowed 2.83 yards per opponent attempt -- the third-best ever. 

And by "ever," it includes the Doomsday Defenses, the Purple People Eaters, the Steel Curtain, the Fearsome Foursome, the 1985 Bears. All of them. The Vikings led the NFL in fewest yards rushing three consecutive years, the only time that's happened since the 1970 merger, and Kevin Williams was a huge reason why.

And that may be the rub.

Defenders who were great vs. the run in a primarily passing era sometimes are overlooked by the Hall-of-Fame's board of selectors. Defensive linemen who get the sacks seem to get more notice. At this point, it's just the rules of the game.  Except there's a catch here: Kevin Williams was a standout pass rusher, too.

When Hall-of-Fame defensive tackle Merlin Olsen talked about defensive-line play, he emphasized the importance of interior pass pressure, saying, "No matter how good the outside rush is, if the quarterback can step up and throw, the rush fails. You have to have someone who can crack that pocket from the middle. That was my job."

That was Kevin Williams' job, too.

From 2004 to the end of his career, he led all NFL defensive tackles in sacks with 52-1/2. If you count his rookie season (2003) when he had 10-1/2, that number rises to 63. The Vikings played a 3-4 alignment that season, and he was the left end in base defense. But in probable passing situations, he moved to defensive tackle -- with a designated pass rusher, Lance Johnston playing the edge and Williams cracking the pocket.

According to the Vikings' media guides, Williams led all defensive tackles in sacks in 2004 and 2008 and tied for the lead in 2009. More important, however, was his pressure on opposing passers. In 2008, for example, he tied for the team lead in that category with ... Hall-of-Fame finalist Jared Allen, one of the NFL's best-ever pass rushers.

It gets better.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), an analytics site that began tracking pressures in 2006, Williams that season led the NFL in total pressures among interior defensive linemen. For several years, PFF ranked Williams as a consistent performer in PFF's metrics, ranking highly in hurries and hits. 

For his size, Williams was an extraordinary athlete. He could run, and he could leap -- part of the reason the Vikings chose him in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. But they almost lost the Oklahoma State All-American when they failed to turn in their card within the required time, allowing a couple of teams to jump ahead of them.

Williams' athletic ability was evident in his pass rush, as he forced his way through the middle of opposing lines, saw the quarterback about to throw, and got a hand on the pass. In his career, he deflected 73 passes in his career - more than any interior defensive lineman and more than most defensive ends -- and in 2007 he returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

Now, let's make something clear: No one will suggest that he was a pass rusher on the level of, say, Aaron Donald or  J.J. Watt, who was a defensive end in a 3-4 setup but a defensive tackle in nickel defenses (and, occasionally, an edge rusher).

Those two were special players. 

But the Vikings' middle man could get after a quarterback and create an environment for a teammate like Allen to average 14-1/2 sacks a season by cracking the pocket -- a.k.a., the forward wall of offensive linemen. Mixing metaphors, you could say Williams was both a wall and a wrecking ball.

"This guy's the real deal," said former Pro Bowl guard Mike Wahle. "Explosive, strong, good with his hands, plays every play, very shifty. Uses leverage very well. He's probably the best we've played."

Former Green Bay offensive line coach Karl Dunbar described Williams as the type of player who could "take over a game." So he had the Packers start blocking him differently. In addition to double teams, they had running backs chip him "to try and take him out," as Dunbar said.

Yet Williams persevered. 

Five times he was a consensus All-Pro -- including five times on the Associated Press All-Pro -- and, to appreciate that figure, look at defensive tackles who never were AP All Pros a total of five times. It's a long list, including Hall-of-Famers Warren Sapp, Joe Greene, Alex Karras and Cortez Kennedy, to name just four.

Or how about a list of those who were AP All-Pro MORE than Williams? It's a short one -- Aaron Donald, Bob Lilly and Randy White. (Note: Leo Nomellini was a first-team All-Pro six times, but a couple happened when he was an offensive tackle).

Impressive? You bet. Yet Williams has never been a Hall-of-Fame semifinalist, and that's hard to explain.

Maybe he was overshadowed by the presence of Allen, an elite edge rusher who's been a five-time Hall finalist and had 22 sacks in one season. Or maybe it's because of a Brett Favre interception. If the then-Vikings' quarterback hadn't thrown one late in the  2009 NFC championship game, it might've been Minnesota ... not New Orleans ... that went to Super Bowl XLIV and won.

Maybe then the Williams narrative would be different.

Or, maybe if the Seahawks had won Super Bowl XLIX against the Patriots, it would have helped Williams' case. He'd signed with the Seahawks that year, and let's be honest: Rings help a Hall-of-Fame candidate's case ... and Williams never won one. Additionally, most of the years he was with the Vikings, they weren't winners. They were just under .500 in the 11 years he was there and won nine or more time only five times.

Or, maybe it's because he tested positive for an agent sometimes used to mask steroid use. If so, that wouldn't be fair because he wasn't the only player banned for positive tests; there are Hall-of-Fame inductees who tested positive, too.

Or maybe it's just this simple: There's no room for a five-time All-Pro from one of the great run-stopping defenses in history, someone who was an accomplished pass rusher and applied pressure but wasn't a classic three-technique-type -- i.e., someone who just rushed the passer and played the run as an afterthought.

Maybe being a complete player is a demerit these days. However, Williams knew the hazards of being known as a defensive lineman who could rush the passer but was more of a supreme run stuffer.

"The defensive-tackle position," he once said, "nobody really watches it. All they know is how many sacks you have or whatever. You can have 15 sacks, and people think you are killing it. A lot of time that (playing the run) gets overshadowed as to how good and how well players play."

Regardless, Williams deserves to be in a Hall-of-Fame discussion as a finalist so that his case can be debated, with the positives and a couple of perceived negatives dissected. And, hopefully, that happens soon. 

The top of the Williams Wall deserves nothing less.

Aaron Donald, the G.O.A.T.?

By John Turney 

Sometimes players referred to as "generational" eclipse the usual standards and must be measured on a more stringent scale reserved for rare players. Names like Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Dick Butkus, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice and Tom Brady are prime examples.

But so is Rams' defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who retired last weekend. 

In terms of his legacy, you can't ask questions like, "Will he be in the Hall of Fame? Or, "Will he be a first-ballot Hall of Famer?". The answers are obvious. No, for Aaron Donald, it's more appropriate to ask, "Is he the greatest defensive tackle of all time?" In other words, did his career measurably surpass his predecessors?

Let's explore.

THE CASE FOR AARON DONALD

Before Donald established himself as a dominant force, the "Mr. Rushmore" of defensive tackles was pretty much a consensus consisting of Hall-of-Famers Bob Lilly, Joe Greene, Merlin Olsen and Alan Page. They were dominant for a long time, played on great defenses and won the most personal accolades, i.e., the "alls," such as All-Pro, Pro Bowls all-decade, etc.

There can be considerable discussion as to which one was the best, and there was. But then Aaron Donald entered the game in the last decade, and the debate changed. The 6-foot-one, 280-pound first-round pick out of Pitt started his career with a bang, and that bang never stopped, even through his final season.

Considered undersized for a defensive interior player, he blew people away at the 2014 NFL scouting combine by running a 4.67 40-yard dash (one that included a 1.63 10-yard split) and bench-pressing 225 pounds 35 times. All are between the 90th and 99th percentiles for his position, and all were accomplished by someone in the bottom ten percentiles in height and weight.

We should have known then. Aaron Donald was a dynamo that came in a relatively small package.

As a rookie three-technique for the St. Louis Rams, Donald was a second-team All-Pro, made the Pro Bowl and was easily the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. In his next nine seasons, he was a consensus All-Pro eight times, went to every Pro Bowl and was voted Defensive Player of the Year three times.

No player has ever won that more.

He also logged 111 sacks, forced 24 fumbles and incessantly pressured quarterbacks while being double-and-triple-teamed and held more often than you can count.

Donald made a habit of sealing games with big plays, with Super Bowl LVI the most notable example. He closed out that victory with a signature move -- breaking through the Cincinnati interior to force quarterback Joe Burrow into a hurried ... and incomplete ... pass on Cincinnati's final play.

During his time in the NFL, no player had more QB sacks, regardless of position, and none was celebrated as often in the new world of defensive metrics. The analytics site, Pro Football Focus (PFF), graded him as the NFL's top player three times ... its best defensive player six times ... and seven times the top-graded defensive interior lineman. It also had him producing the most pressures of anyone, with pressures characterized as a combination of sacks, quarterback hits and hurries. 

But PFF was not the only one to rave about Donald. 

Check other organizations that tracked QB hits, hurries, knockdowns, pressures and disruptions -- sites like Next Gen Stats, Football Outsiders, Sports Radar and Sports Information Solutions. You find the same conclusions. Aaron Donald was atop their charts year-in and year out.

In addition to his 111 career sacks, a little digging into NFL gamebooks reveals that he had 92 tackles for losses on plays other than sacks, usually plays involving a running back. He was so quick that he could get into his gap before an opposing guard could defend it. But if that player tried to anticipate Donald's first move ... that is, if he attacked too quickly ... then Donald would just slip behind him and "backdoor it," as Donald put it.

Result: A running back going nowhere. 

Donald was also someone who couldn't be displaced in run blocks, even if it was a double team. His strengths and leverage wouldn't allow it. As a result, he wasn't a one-trick pony, someone like a pass-rush specialist, if you will. He was as dominant against the run as he was in pass plays, as other, more detailed, metrics illustrated. Whether it was "pass rush win rate" (ESPN Analytics), "double team pressure leaders" or "run stuff rate" (both Next Gen Stats), Donald was the leader in the years those stats were available.

I guess what I'm saying is that Aaron Donald was more than just elite for a defensive tackle; he was super-elite, ultra-elite ... one of the best players in the NFL for a full decade. He was both stout and slippery, a master of hand use who could read blocks and blocking schemes. In short, he was king of the physical and mental aspects of defensive interior line play.

Stats and metrics told you that. Opponents told you that. TV announcers told you that. So did opposing coaches and teammates. Virtually everyone and everything --  including your eyes -- told you that he was special.

THE "MT. RUSHMORE" OF DEFENSIVE TACKLES

So back to the question: Was Aaron Donald the G.O.A.T.? Let's take a peek at what the four "Mt. Rushmore tackles" accomplished and then decide:

Bob Lilly

14 seasons, seven consensus All-Pro seasons and 11 Pro Bowls.

One Super Bowl ring.

Unofficial sack total -- 95-1/2.

By far the best player on the great Dallas "Doomsday" defenses. He never won a Defensive Player-of-the-Year award. But the NEA didn't award one until 1966, while the AP began in 1972. Had there been one in 1964, it would have been Lilly, and there were other years where he'd have been in the running.

For the Rushmore tackles, there are far too many positives to cover. So let's just grant that they built their reputations on rare abilities and accomplishments. Separating them won't be easy, but citing possible "holes" in their near-perfect resumes can help ... and all four, to small degrees, have imperfections.

For example, prior to his era of dominance (call it 1964-72) Lilly was "spinning his wheels" (as Tom Landry called it) as a left defensive end. So he was moved to right defensive tackle in mid-1963 when Landry implemented the "Flex defense" full-time on likely run downs. The idea was to prevent offensive tackles from "do-dad" blocking Lilly (now called "duo" blocking), and it worked to perfection.

Bob Lilly became a legendary defensive tackle. 

Then, in Lilly's final two years, especially 1974, he was slowed by a bad back and removed on passing downs. Perhaps Landry thought in years 13 and 14 of Lilly's career where he was slowed by an ailing back, the team was better off with Bill Gregory in the game on third and long situations.

Nevertheless, he was "Mr. Cowboy" and one of the all-time greats.

Joe Greene

13 seasons, three times consensus All-Pro, 10 Pro Bowls.

1972 and 1974 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Four Super Bowl rings.

Unofficial sack total -- 77-1/2.

At his peak (1969-mid-1975), "Mean Joe" may have been the most feared defensive tackle of the four. He was unblockable and could not be intimidated.

But remember: We're dissecting these careers, and upon close inspection, find that in 1975 Greene was slowed by a pinched nerve in his neck -- an injury that lingered through 1976 and one that, by Greene's admission, limited him.

While he wasn't as effective a pass rusher afterward, he remained a dominant run stuffer and a Pro Bowl-level player. But he was no longer someone who would compete for the Defensive Player of the Year as he did the first half of his career.

His strength and quickness remained, which meant he could still be devastating vs. the run in Pittsburgh's "Stunt 4-3" scheme. However, the last half of his career, he wasn't the pass rusher he was before.

Merlin Olsen

15 seasons, five-times consensus All-Pro, 14 Pro Bowls.

No Super Bowl rings.

Unofficial sack total -- 91,

Olsen's peak was not as high as Lilly, Greene or Page, but he was more consistent doing what he was asked in tandem with Deacon Jones and, later, Jack Youngblood. With two elite edge rushers who were as fast as they were quick, someone had to make sure there were no gaps in the defensive line, and Olsen often was that someone. He had to be aware of traps, screens, draws, you name it ... anything that could hurt an aggressive defense.

"That became my job", Olsen said.

 And he did it well, making a ton of plays. 

Olsen's only significant setback was a knee injury that occurred in the Pro Bowl following the 1970 season, and it probably affected him through the 1971 season. Nevertheless, he had fabulous years after that. Unfortunately, by then Greene and Page had established themselves as the top two defensive tackles in the game.

In the final analysis, Olsen had no negatives in his career. He was consistent from one year to the next. But if he was the league's best defensive tackle in the NFL, his reign was short. It would have been in 1969 and 1970 ... and that's a maybe, and it was only by a fraction over Lilly. Still, he was a top-two finisher many times, if you follow.

Alan Page

15 seasons, five-times consensus All-Pro, 9 Pro Bowls.

1971 NFL MVP.

No Super Bowl rings.

Unofficial sack total -- 148-1/2.

Of these four candidates, Page had the highest peak, mostly because he was the first defensive player to be voted an NFL MVP. Plus, to this day, he was as effective a pass rusher from the inside as the game has seen -- right there with Donald and John Randle. 

Lighting quick off the snap, Page could make guards look silly. Coach Bud Grant gave him the freedom to play anywhere from opposite a center to the inside of an opposing tackle, which was unusual for that era. But it worked, with Page in the conversation as best-ever defensive tackle for the first decade of his career.

But then something happened.

Late in his career, he not only attended law school but took up marathon running, too. In the process, he shed over 20 pounds, dropping his weight from around 245 pounds to 225 or so. And he played at that weight from 1977 through the rest of his career. 

Page contended the weight loss was "mostly fat," but, whatever it was, it had an impact on his career. He suddenly was displaced by offensive linemen, so much so that Grant released the former MVP early in the 1978 season. From there, he went on to Chicago where he played well as a pass rusher but wasn't as strong stopping the run as you'd expect from an all-time great.

But in 1980-81, then-Bears' defensive coach Buddy Ryan began implementing his "46 defense," with Page positioned over center and a defensive lineman placed to either side over the guards. It created a one-on-one match for Page with the center, and it worked. Even at a lighter weight, Alan Page excelled.

THE VERDICT

Okay, now that we've explored and explained some facts about the competition, there's one other factor that should be included ... and that's supporting casts. In other words, whom did these candidates play with and how much help did they have?

Lilly had solid players like Jethro Pugh and George Andrie flanking him, but he also had Chuck Howley, Lee Roy Jordan, Mel Renfro, Cornell Green and others who made the "Doomsday" defense what it was. All were All-Pros. Howley and Renfro are Hall-of-Famers. Cliff Harris is too, but he was more of a "Doomsday II" player, the second iteration of the famed Cowboys' defense.

Bottom line:  Lilly had a lot of help.

Joe Greene was part of the "Steel Curtain" and shared the defensive line with Pro Bowl-level players like L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White and Ernie "Fats" Holmes. But look who was behind them: Elite players galore in the second and third levels, four of whom are in the Hall of Fame -- Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount and Donnie Shell.

Like Lilly, Mean Joe had help.

As part of the "Fearsome Foursome" of the 1960s, Merlin Olsen played on one of the top two or three front fours ever. But he was part of terrific defenses in the 1970s, too. 

Hall-of-Famers Deacon Jones and Jack Youngblood were on his left, while Pro Bowlers like Roger Brown and Larry Brooks stood to his right. Teammates who went to Pro Bowls or who were named All-Pro included Maxie Baughan, Isiah Robertson and Jack Reynolds.

Yep, Olsen was not alone, either.

Then there's the Purple Gang that surrounded Page in Minnesota. Hall-of-Fame defensive end Carl Eller and Pro Bowl defensive end Jim Marshall teamed with him on the line, while Hall-of-Fame safety Paul Krause roamed deep. There were also Pro Bowl linebackers and defensive backs in there with him, as well.

That makes it four-for-four in Mt. Rushmore tackles as elite parts of elite defensive units that were some of the league's best-ever. They could stop the run, sack the quarterback, pick off passes, limit yards and shut out opponents. In short, they were dominant.

So, now, what about Aaron Donald? How were the defenses he played on? Answer: Good but not great.

From 2014-23, the Rams generally were in the top 10 of most of the same categories mentioned, with the exception of team sacks. They were third there. But with the rest, they finished more like sixth, eighth and ninth. Donald played on one top defense (arguably the NFL's best in 2020) and some good ones, but he also played on some that were merely average.

Or worse. 

As for the "help" question, Donald teamed with really good players for a short time, but, for most of his career, he didn't have Hall-of-Fame-caliber teammates. Granted, he played with All-Pro Jalen Ramsey for a few years and had Von Miller for half a season, and those two contributed to the Rams' Super Bowl victory in 2021.

Pro Bowler Robert Quinn was there for Donald's rookie season of 2014, too, and linebacker Bobby Wagner was a second-team All-Pro in 2022. But they were the exceptions, not the rule. Simply put, there weren't a lot of  Rams' defenders dotting Pro Bowl rosters from 2014-2023, where there were with Lilly, Greene, Olsen and Page.

In fact, former Rams' defensive line coach Mike Waufle (who implored the Rams to choose Donald in 2014, calling him the "best player in the draft") suggested last weekend on the NFL's Sirius XM Radio channel that the Rams' inability to provide Donald consistent support from edge rushers may, in part, have contributed to his early retirement. That's not to say Donald did it all alone. He didn't. He had help, but it wasn't at the position-to-position talent level of the Cowboys, Steelers, Rams and Vikings. 

Of course, the elephant in the room is the era, and that matters when trying to pick the G.O.A.T. because ignoring it leaves out important and relevant details.  The 1960s and 1970s were simply different than the 2010s in countless ways. For instance, Donald never went into an NFL game with a size advantage vs. those blocking him. His advantage was his strength and quickness, and they more than compensated for 20, 30 or 50-pound disadvantages. 

With the exception of Alan Page, our old-school guys were considered large men -- even at 265 or 275 pounds -- and in almost every game they played, they held size advantages over their opponents. Oddly, Donald weighed roughly the same, but he played in an era where that was considered small.

Then there's the question of how the game was played. In Donald's era, linemen could do far more with their hands than decades ago, and it showed on countless replays. There you could see offensive linemen grabbing Donald on plays where nothing was called. In my opinion, the "eye test" tells you that Donald had it tougher in terms of tactics used against him. 

Enough already. I know what you're wondering:  If there is evidence that Donald is the best ever? Well, yes, there is.

And yes, he is.

Given the totality of everything -- personal honors, statistics, team success, era considerations, amount of surrounding star power, and the "eye test" -- Aaron Donald is the G.O.A.T. of defensive tackles. He stood above his peers and at a greater level than his predecessors.

He just did. 

Donald also didn't have any of the nit-picks mentioned above about Lilly, Greene, Olsen and Page -- that is, unless you think playing 10 years doesn't compare to 13, 14 or 15 seasons or that Donald didn't play for elite defenses.

But those two points would be about it. Aaron Donald retired when he was elite, so he didn't have the decline that can happen with prolonged careers. Plus, he holds the advantage over the four others in nearly every category, which -- for me, at least -- makes him the best defensive tackle ever, bar none.

Surprising? It shouldn't be. Not at this point. It's simply a matter of four guys who drew 10s on a scale of 1-10 and Donald ascending to a level that, as Spinal Tap guitarist Nigel Tufnel might say, "goes to 11."

It's that simple.

The 1976-77 Chiefs' Defensive Line—Kind of Odd

By John Turney 

Wilbur Young (l) and Whitney Paul (r)

Every so often, you can go back and see things in football history that make you scratch your head. It may be a player who was overlooked for the Hall of Fame ... something that contradicted conventional wisdom ... or a coach who deployed players in an extraordinary manner.

Which brings us to today's story.

In the era of the 4-3 defense -- call it the mid-1950s through the 1970s -- there were accepted philosophies involving who lined up at particular positions. A strong safety, for instance, usually played on the tight-end side ... with the free safety away. Or a cornerback who was better at run support lined up on the left side of the defense because opponents game-planned runs in that direction.

Then there was the left defensive end. He generally was the better all-around player, a bit bigger and maybe stronger than the defensive right end who was smaller and sometimes quicker. The same theory that applied to cornerbacks was practiced here, mostly because opponents ran more to their right (and the defense's left).

Of course, there were exceptions, and the defensive bookends of 1976-77 Kansas City Chiefs were one of the most notable.

Not only did they position the bigger player on the right end and the quicker player on the left, but look at the disparity between the two: Their strong-side end was listed as 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds; their right-side defensive end was 6-6 and 285 pounds.

That made the left end the smallest in the NFL, and the right defensive end the biggest ... and they were on the wrong sides!

On the right was Wilbur Young, who was actually larger than the listed 285 pounds. He was probably 300 pounds or more. He'd been a right defensive end for a few years and had a good season there in 1975, with 12-1/2 sacks, according to Chiefs' records.

Whitney Paul was the left end in question. He was a rookie in 1976, a 10th-round pick out of the University of Colorado who, by midseason, was the starting defensive end on the strong side of the Chiefs' defensive line. By that time, his weight was closer to 233 pounds, but he was still light for the position. And though Young was heavier, both looked out of place.

So what to do? That was up to Chiefs' coach, Paul Wiggin, a former Pro Bowl left defensive end and one of the game's best defensive line coaches. And he was stuck.

He didn't have a plan. He had a problem. 

Initially, the idea in 1976 was to be the same as 1975 -- with Young as the right defensive end and the huge (6-foot-8, 280-pound) John Matuszak on the left. But Matuszak's behavior early that season was more erratic than usual, and his antics forced the Chiefs to trade him to Washington prior to the regular season.

The problems had nothing to do with Matuszak's play on the field and everything to do with his behavior off of it. One Friday night in August, Wiggin found him unresponsive in the locker room with his girlfriend (who tried to run "the Tooz" over in a previous incident) after she said he'd consumed pills and alcohol --  specifically, vodka and Valium.

Wiggin acted quickly, rushing the unresponsive Matuszak to a nearby hospital where he was treated for an overdose, and his life was saved. Sadly, Matuszak never learned his lesson. After he was released by Washington, he went on to Oakland and won two Super Bowl rings. But he died from an accidental overdose in 1989 at the age of 38.

Matuszak's exit in 1976 left Wiggin in a pickle. He was short a talented (albeit out-of-control) left defensive end with few viable options. So he positioned the rookie, Whitney Paul, at left end - creating a sort-of "Mutt-and-Jeff" situation with Young, caused by the departure of "the Tooz." 

The result? Not good.

Wiggin gained little production from his ends in either the pass rush or run game. In 1976 Paul had 3-1/2 sacks and Young just 1-1/2, according to official gamebooks -- the lowest total of any pair of starting defensive ends in the NFL. The following year, Young totaled 5-1/2, and Paul had another 3-1/2 sacks -- improvement, yes, but not enough to place them out of the NFL's bottom five for a tandem of defensive-end starters. 

But that wasn't all. The Chiefs' defensive unit as a whole wasn't stopping anyone from running on it, either -- both seasons ranking last in the NFL in most run-stopping statistics.

Enough was enough, and, Wiggin was fired on Halloween, 1977.  The "patience" he said he was promised ended early, and he was dismissed in favor of a new coach --  Hall-of-Famer Marv Levy -- who introduced a new defensive philosophy by switching to a 3-4 defense. 

Levy's first priority was fixing his defensive ends, and he wasted no time doing it. The Chiefs took defensive end Art Still with the second overall pick of the 1978 draft and Sylvester Hicks, another defensive end, with the 29th overall choice).

Both were starters as rookies.

Not satisfied, the Chiefs drafted yet another defensive end, Mike Bell out of Colorado State, with the second overall pick in 1979 -- a testament to how serious Kansas City was about upgrading the position.

As for Paul and Young, their stories didn't end there. They had just been put in a tough position, and, yes, I mean that literally. Young wound up with the Chargers, backing up defensive tackles Louis Kelcher and Gary Johnson. But when Kelcher was sidelined by a knee injury in 1979, it was Young who stepped in and had such an outstanding season, with 14 sacks and All-AFC honors, that the late Paul Zimmerman named him one of his All-Pro defensive tackles.

"The Chargers' gigantic Wilbur Young," Zimmerman wrote, "moved inside for the injured Louie Kelcher and found a home. He became a freewheeling, offense-shattering tackle in the best Leo Nomellini tradition."

He wasn't the only one to find success. Under Levy, Whitney Paul was moved to a position more suited to his size -- outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense -- and there he found a home. He had three interceptions and four sacks in 1978 and eight sacks one year later.

In each season, he scored a defensive touchdown.

Later traded to New Orleans, Paul excelled under coach Bum Phillips and his son, defensive coach Wade Phillips. Playing the opposite edge to Hall-of-Famer Rickey Jackson, Paul averaged six sacks in four years -- including one 9-1/2-sack season. Ironically, both he and Young found success in positions more suited to their body types than where they lined up in 1976-77. The big man, Young, ended his career playing interior defensive line, while the small guy, Paul, was moved to linebacker.

Is there a lesson there? 

Perhaps. After all, there was logic to axioms involving the size of players at particular positions -- at least, there was here. Paul and Young were victims of circumstances beyond their control and could've been considered failures.

Except they weren't. Both went on to credible careers, and while they won't qualify for any Hall of Very Good, they are worth remembering for what they did ... and did not ... do.