Football
Football
Rick Casares was drafted in the 2nd Round by George Halas' Chicago Bears in 1954, and after he served a year in the military, he would become one of the elite Fullbacks of the National Football League. Casares was a straight-forward rusher who was finished in the top ten in Rushing Yards in his first six seasons (1955-60), the first…
Are there enough Green Bay Packers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Tom Nalen would play his entire career in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos, where he started all 187 Games at Center. Early in his career, Nalen would win two Super Bowls with John Elway as his Quarterback, and during those ring acquisitions, he was in the midst of a four-year streak of Pro Bowls with two First…
If it seemed like Jim Hart was the St. Louis Cardinals Quarterback forever it is because in football terms, he practically was. Hart started 180 games for them from 1967 to 1983, but for such a long tenure it went largely unnoticed. Playing for bad teams will generally do that.
Spending all but one of his professional seasons with the Chicago Bears, Olin Kreutz was chosen to represent Chicago six consecutive seasons in the Pro Bowl. The former Center was a mainstay on Chicago’s Offensive Line for years and was selected to the NFL 2000’s All-Decade Team. As a star Center, he might have an interesting case for the Professional…
One of the best football players, regardless of the position that Central Michigan ever produced, has to be Joe Staley.
It is a shame how Steve McNair’s tragic ending may overshadow what was a very productive (and one tackle away from a Super Bowl) career. Unfortunately, professional sports have far too many of these stories.
Playing his entire twelve year career with the Chicago Bears, Lance Briggs was often in the shadow of teammate, Brian Urlacher but he was nevertheless a star in the National Football League. Briggs would make seven consecutive Pro Bowls, had a verstaile skillset, but his name is never mentioned in Canton circles. It is morel likely that the Hall will…
Selected in the 2nd Round out of the University of Arkansas in 1938, Jim Benton would go onto be one of the first great receivers in the history of the Rams franchise. Benton led the NFL in Yards per Reception as a rookie and was named to the Pro Bowl in his second season. He took 1941 off and returned…
Priest Holmes may have played for the high-profile Texas Longhorns in college, but that did not result in a draft selection. Undrafted in 1997, Holmes would sign with the Baltimore Ravens. The Running Back would see no action as a rookie but would rush for 1,008 Yards in 1998 and did well until Jamal Lewis supplanted him as the lead…
From Rice University, Tobin Rote was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, but in '50 the Pack was not very good, and wouldn't be for years. The ineptitude of Green Bay was no fault of Rote, who proved to be an excellent QB, but didn't have a lot of teammates around him at his level. He was also a solid…
Pat Fischer was not a tall man, standing at only 5' 9", which was likely why the multi-talented star at Nebraska fell to the 17th Round. It was the St. Louis Cardinals who chose him, and after initially using him as a Returner, he would force his way to become a starting Cornerback and would be named to the Pro…
The Cardinals franchise may have a long and storied history of great players. Jay Novacek may have played five seasons there, but it was not until he hit “Big D” did he become a star and was used to the best of his ability.
Nicknamed the "Mad Bomber," Daryle Lamonica signed with the Buffalo Bills of the AFL, where he saw limited playing time at Quarterback playing behind Jack Kemp. He did get to play, however, and was a part of the Bills' 1964 and 1965 AFL Championship. Lamonica was traded to the Oakland Raiders, and he was finally the starting QB and had…
There was a time where Joey Browner was considered to be the best Cornerback in the National Football League, and this was not just an opinion in the state of Minnesota...it was thought throughout the entire country.
Vince Wilfork was one of the most popular players in New England Patriots history and by many accounts one of the nicest guys ever to play on the gridiron. While all of that is fine and good, the most important facet that Pats fans really think of is that he was so fundamentally good at Nose Tackle, clogging lanes and…
Isiah Robertson was the 10th overall pick from Southern University in 1971, and it didn't take long for him to prove to the Los Angeles Rams that he was the right choice as he would go on to win the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Linebacker would go on to be one of the best defensive players the…
Lomas Brown played his first eleven seasons with the Detroit Lions, where his first six of seven Pro Bowls would take place. The Left Tackle would appear in seven straight Pro Bowls and would start in 251 of his 263 career games.
Aqib Talib was the 20thOverall Pick in 2008, but the former Kansas Jayhawk struggled early to live up to expectations. Winning the starting job at Left Cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his sophomore year, Talib did well, but it was not until 2012, when he was traded to the New England Patriots where his star began to rise.
