|
Number Crunching: #8
by Chris Brophy
18/5/2009
Continuing our look at the greatest players who wore each number over NFL history we come to number eight and first instinct is to assume the nomination will be one of two great quarterbacks from the 1990’s. However, whilst I don’t think I need to mention them in person as the diners readership are an intelligent bunch (flattery gets me everywhere I hope!) when considering all the number eights there was a clear cut winner and he played for one of the leagues traditional strugglers. Read on to discover the tale of one of the toughest and most versatile defensive backs in NFL history.
FD’s All Time #8: FD’s All-Time #8: Larry Wilson, Safety (St Louis Cardinals)
 When you think of the free safety position in football, you think of defending the pass. Larry Wilson was a master of that, but he was also a safety so adept at blitzing that he stopped many a pass ever happening.
After a successful two way career at the University of Utah, the pro game beckoned for Larry Wilson but he dropped all the way to the 7th round of the 1960 NFL draft. It was decided defense would be the way for Wilson to go as a pro despite being one of his college teams leading scorers on offense. The Cardinals needed help in the secondary so he was first tried at cornerback with little success but injuries opened the way for him to slip into the free safety spot so in the teams final pre-season game of his rookie season he slotted into the starting role at free safety and would never let it go.
Wilson showed great instincts at the position, defending passes well but also showing a reckless abandon with his body to punish receivers and runners downfield. If you were hit by Wilson you remembered it. What made it all the more remarkable was Wilson was not a natural physical specimen. Six Feet tall and 190lbs, he was skinny as a rake but he made the most of what he had.
Seeing this style of play sparked an idea in Cardinals defensive co-ordinator Chuck Drulis to not just use Wilson as a pass defender, but as a surprise pass rusher on safety blitzes. It would work a treat. They called the play Wildcat after Wilsons nickname (given for his reckless style of play) and he showed the canny knack of being able to time his blitzes to perfection, getting into the offensive backfield and causing havoc.
Its a common misconception that Drulis and Wilson invented the safety blitz. It is however, no mistake that they mastered it. It was so successful the Cardinals would send Wilson at opponents play after play at times but he was no one trick pony. As well as being the ultimate blitzer from the position, he was still a fantastic pass defender, recording 52 career interceptions and returning five of those for touchdowns. He was also an inspiration to those around him, firing up his team mates, being the willing leader and getting more out of them than thought possible.
When you consider over his career that the Cardinals, whilst recording some winning seasons, never made post season play once in his tenure, its easy to believe how frustrated he could and probably did become but he never gave in. Injuries were common but it rarely kept him off the field. He had all his teeth knocked out at one point, was expected to risk taking big hits from more physically gifted blockers on his blitzing plays and in 1965 played with two casts on two broken arms. The latter also gave him his most famous moment as he managed to intercept a pass whilst wearing both casts from Steelers QB Bill Nelson.
 His finest single season came in 1966. Whilst England were off winning the World Cup, Wilson was recording 10 interceptions (leading the league), returning two of them for TDs and helping the Cardinals defense to the leagues number one ranking in yards allowed. Again, post season wouldnt be forthcoming so over his career Wilson would have to settle for a multitude of awards. Eight times he made the Pro Bowl and six times was named All-NFL. He was named to the NFLs 1960s and 1970s All-Decade teams and was named to the NFLs 75th anniversary team. When he had finished playing for the team in 1972 he was the franchises career interception leader and had his #8 jersey retired.
He remained with the team, going into the scouting department and even serving as interim head coach at one point in 1979. He would eventually rise to be the teams General Manager and Vice President before giving up his GM duties in 1993 and stepping down as VP in 2002.
In 1978 Larry Wilson was inducted into the Hall of Fame and the man known as the toughest player in the game had reached the pinnacle of what can be achieved by an individual in pro football.
Role of Honourable Mentions:
-
Steve Young, Quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers)
-
Troy Aikman, Quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
-
Archie Manning, Quarterback (New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings)
-
Nick Lowery, Kicker (New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, NY Jets)
-
Ray Guy, Punter (Oakland Raiders)
-
Mark Brunell, Quarterback (Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints)
 A descendant of Brigham Young, Steve Young would become the first left handed Quarterback to ever make the Hall of Fame. A two time NFL MVP, Super Bowl XXIX MVP and six times the winner of the NFLs passing title, it never looked possible at the start when Young chose the ill-fated USFL and the LA Express only to go to the NFL and be traded away by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who had drafted Vinny Testaverde to be their guy) to back up Joe Montana in San Francisco. Once he replaced Montana though, he never looked back and as well as replacing a legend, he made a legend of his own.
Troy Aikman was the first building block of the Jimmy Johnson era in Dallas as the #1 overall pick in the 1989 draft. After overcoming the challenge of former Johnson pupil Steve Walsh he would lead Dallas from the cellar to the top of the tree, being part of three Super Bowl Championships and being named Super Bowl XXVII MVP. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 and in 2008 followed it up with a place in the College Hall of Fame. Nowadays he is Fox Sports lead colour commentator.
We watch both his sons play every Sunday nowadays but Archie Manning was a fine Quarterback in his own right. Unfortunately, whilst his boys have had talent around them to help them win world championships, Archie was the Saints only star and although he did his best to keep them competitive, he took a beating doing it. His record as a starter is 35-101-3 (26.3%) which is the lowest among QBs with over 100 starts but really is not his fault as his two Pro Bowls and 1978 NFC Offensive Player of the Year help suggest. At Ole Miss, where he played his college ball the campus has an 18mph speed limit, in honour of his college jersey number. He was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1989.
Nick Lowery was a long time NFL kicker best known for his time with the Chiefs. By the time he had finished in the game he held many of the NFL all time records which have since being surpassed but by no means does that diminish his achievements. Earlier this year the Chiefs inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
Punters were never going to get a lot of love in this list but we cannot ignore the great career of Ray Guy. The only pure punter to be selected in the first round when the Raiders did so in 1973, Guy is considered by many the best pure punter of all time and he is the only pure punter who has ever gotten close to being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A three times Super Bowl Champion and member of the 1970s All-Decade and 75th anniversary teams, Guy may yet make the trip to Canton one day.
Mark Brunell is still plying his trade in the NFL today but is best known as the Jacksonville Jaguars long time Quarterback. A left hander who wore number eight much like the aforementioned Steve Young, Brunell was plucked from backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay to help lead the young Jacksonville franchise make the play-offs three times in their first four years and made the Pro Bowl three times. As a Redskin, he equalled an NFL record for consecutive completions with 22 (since broken by Donovan McNabb).
Learn More about past NFL greats in our History Archive
|
