Card: 1972 Topps Football #240

Team/Position: Miami Dolphins / Guard

Cost: $2.00

With the Saints and the Indianapolis Colts recently losing, what better time than to feature a member of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.  The Dolphins remain the only team in the history of the NFL to complete a perfect season, although they only won fourteen regular season games as opposed to the current 16-game regular season schedule.

Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single person that has any respect for the ’72 Dolphins squad.  Every year they celebrate by popping the cork on a fine bottle of Champagne when the final undefeated team loses and somehow, Mercury Morris finds his way onto ESPN. The Dolphins’ perfect season will always put them in the conversation for the greatest team ever, but for what it’s worth — they’re not even close.

Little arrived in Miami via trade after San Diego had signed him two years previous as an undrafted free-agent.  When the great Don Shula took over the helm, Larry Little’s life was about to change.

Don Shula replaced George Wilson as the Dolphin coach. When he first met Larry Little during the off-season, the new coach glared.

“How much do you weigh?” Shula asked.

“About 285 right now,” Little replied.

“I want you at 265,” Shula ordered.

Larry Little frowned. Growing up in downtown Miami, he recalls, “We were poor, but I never was hungry. We ate good. I ate more than anybody in the family. Any food anybody didn’t want, I was always around to get it.” He still takes many of his meals at his mother’s home. But when he trimmed himself to 265, he realized that his quickness had increased. When the Dolphins began to win, his reputation also increased. In each of his first three seasons under Shula, he was selected as the AFC’s outstanding offensive lineman in a NFL Players Association poll that determines the best player in various categories. (SPORT magazine — a great read if you get a chance)

Little became known for his quickness from the guard position and his ability to haul ass around the corner when Shula pulled him.  Little’s versatility in the ground-game allowed both Miami running-backs, Morris and Csonka, to eclipse 1,000 yards a piece in ’72 — the first teammates to accomplish such a feat.

Little’s ability as a pass-protector was also top-notch.  From 1970 to 1972, Little was named the top offensive lineman in the AFC by the NFLPA.  When Little finished his career, he had been selected All-NFL six different times and had been selected to play in the Pro Bowl on five different occasions.

As always, it’s tough to put an offensive lineman’s greatness into context without having seen him play.  Unlike many of the interior linemen of today, Little wasn’t a hulking beast that relied solely on his mass.  Little did everything well which allowed him to take on huge defensive tackles and quick defensive backs with equal effectiveness.

A week or so ago before Christmas, I grabbed a few packs of Gridiron Gear and was pleased to pull a Larry Little autograph.  While youur average collector would probably be pretty pissed off pulling Little over even the worst rookie, I was quite happy.  The cards are a bit cheesy especially if you love vintage, though.

Card: 1955 Topps All Americans, Card #28

Team/Position: Washington State (New York Giants) / Center, Linebacker

Cost: $18.00

Mel Hein was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the first ever class in 1963.

Sammy Baugh, Bert Bell, Dutch Clark, Red Grange, George Halas, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, Blood McNally, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers, and Jim Thorpe — who we’ll get to in a second — were also part of the inagularal class of ’63.

Hein was an absolute beast for the Giants and played both ways as was customary.  Relative to his competition, Hein dominated the center position as well as anyone in the history of the game.  Defensively, Hein was often asked to cover fellow inductee, Don Hutson, as he was one of the few men that could keep up.

Hein was voted All-Pro eight times in his career, and astonishingly won the league’s MVP in 1938.  Hein was a great player, but unfortunately was well before my time, so I’ll shift my focus to this:

Click To Enlarge, In All It's Glory

When it comes to insanely racist comics, the 1950′s seems to do it very well.  When I offered up about 20 dollars for this card, I didn’t see the back.  If I had seen the back, I would have  paid any price.

Which Indian became one of Football’s All-Time Greats?

The answer is obviously the aforementioned Jim Thorpe.  Thorpe, pictured above, apparently played football with a Tomahawk while performing the war-cry of his proud tribe.

Right now, it’s a toss-up between Mel Hein and Jimmy Brown for my favourite card.

Card: 1984 Topps Football Card #129

Team/Position: Miami Dolphins / Offensive Center

Cost: $5.00

When it comes to offensive linemen, induction into the Hall of Fame is almost always preceded by a lengthy NFL career.  Linemen almost always gather enough information or dirty tricks to balance the erosion of their athletic ability.

So when a player is inducted after only having played six years as a starter, you know that he’s very, very special.  This is the case with Stephenson who played his rookie and most of his second year as a special teamer before eventually taking over Center from an injured Mark Dennard in late 1981.

Stephenson was the perfect offensive center in just about every regard.  Stephenson was incredibly explosive off the ball which allowed him to beat defenders to the punch on a regular basis.  Stephenson had the uncanny ability to use his quickness and agility to beat the defender off the ball before using his strength and positioning to knock ‘em on their asses.

If you look at the rear of the card, you’ll learn that Dwight Stephenson bench pressed over 350lbs.  You’ll also learn that Dwight was apparently white, with man-tits, and liked wearing a bikini top, all while doing something that doesn’t even vaguely resemble a bench press.

Stephenson’s Dolphins lead the league in fewest sacks allowed from 1982 to 1987; a period during which Stephenson was voted All Pro every year but 1982.

For all of the Dolphins’ of the 80′s greatness, they never won a Superbowl.  Stephenson made it to two Super Bowls, but he and Marino fell short on both occasions.

A severe knee injury eventually ended Stephenson’s career after eight years.  His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998 is quite the testament to just how great Stephenson was as an offensive lineman.

Here’s my favourite exert from Stephenson’s Hall of Fame Chat Transcript:

kpaluso: Who was your favorite head coach?
Dwight Stephenson: I only had two: Shula and Bryant. Bryant had more of an affect on me as a person. He was influential in helping me to think and achieve goals. He helped me become a better person and player. As for Shula, he was very similar to Coach Bryant. He knows how to develop people so well.

Can you think of a better 1-2 combo?  Does anyone even come close now?  Pete Carroll and Bill Bellichick?  Woody Hayes and Tom Landry? Knute Rockne and George Halas?

By the way, 1984 Topps is the leader right now when it comes to the Best Football Set Ever.

Card: 1973 Topps Card #77

Team/Position: Oakland Raiders / Tackle

Cost: 1 Buck

Once again, we’ve got an offensive lineman that doesn’t get a card until his 5th season.  As a player, Shell was as good as they came in Oakland.  Art Shell grinded it out as a Special Teamer for two seasons with the Raiders before stepping into the left tackle spot.

Art Shell’s left-side partner in crime was another Hall of Famer and former head of the NFLPA, Gene Upshaw.  Shell and Upshaw formed one of the best left-sides that the game has seen and were responsible for giving Ken Stabler and Jim Plunkett the time they needed.

Shell was your prototypical left tackle with the added bonus of being a ferocious run-blocker.  By the end of Art Shell’s career, he’d amassed eight Pro-Bowls, three first team and two second team All American Awards.  Shell was a member of three of the Oakland / LA Raiders Championship teams and his mild-mannered, humble, personality will forever remain a favorite of Raider fans.

As A Coach

When Shell was brought back to coach the Oakland Raiders in 2006, it essentially ruined his legacy for fans under 25 years old.  The entire year was a mess, and little-diva Jerry Porter and Shell had a year-long disagreement.  Shell lead the Raiders to 2 wins and 14 losses in what was probably the worst Raiders offense of all time.

Shell finished up with a 56-50 coaching record though, so prior to the 2006/7 massacre; Shell was 54-and-36.  For me, I can’t seem to get the goofy image of Art Shell wearing that Ice-Cube style Raiders cap during his first coaching stint.

In 1990, Art Shell was named coach of the year after leading the Raiders to a 12-and-4 record.  Crazy lizard-man, Al Davis, fired Shell in 1994, which Davis later admitted to regretting.

Art Shell’s definitely proof that you can be unassuming and completely badass.

The Back of this Card is absolutely AMAZING, though:

If you ever wondered what Art Shell’s Yards Per Return was on punts after his first five seasons, you’ve got your answer.  While I understand that Shell played some Special Teams, this has to be the most useless statistic imprinted on the rear of a card ever.

Card: 1959 Topps Card #132

Team/Position: Baltimore Colts / Guard & Tackle

Cost: $4.50

After dealing with Jim Brown’s 1958 Rookie Card just the other day, it’s Jim Parker that shows up in my mailbox today.  As I said, the 1959 edition of Topps Football is absolutely gorgeous and this card’s in pretty good condition.  There’s a small unbroken crease that’s barely visible and most, if not all, of the gloss is still on the card.

So what does Jim Parker have to do with Jim Brown?  Parker was selected two picks after Brown as the 8th overall selection in the 1957 Draft.  The ’57 draft churned out HOFer (Hornung) after HOFer (Dawson) after HOFer (Brown) after HOFer (Parker) in just the first round!  Five others from the ’57 class also made the Hall of Fame.

Parker is the second Ohio State offensive linemen included and he comes with the same accolades.  Parker and Pace both won the Outland Trophy for Best Offensive Lineman and both finished top-10 in Heisman voting.  Orlando Pace was the winner of the Jim Parker Award; an award presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus for the best offensive lineman, obviously named after Parker, himself.

At Ohio State, Parker was a bad-ass interior lineman on both sides of the ball.  Woody Hayes successfully used Parker’s power to run the ball directly at opponents in his patented “3-yards and a cloud of dust” style.

After Parker was drafted by Baltimore, he was moved to tackle and asked to keep Johnny Unitas upright.  Parker was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot as the first true offensive lineman in 1977.  In his 11 seasons, Parker accumulated 8 Pro Bowl Selections, 10 All Pro Selections, and 2 Championships.

What Made Parker Special?

Parker’s ability to dominate the Tackle position after having very little experience in pass-blocking at OSU is impressive.  Very rarely do you see offensive linemen switch positions halfway through their career without missing a beat.  Parker handled the ends just as well as the tackles.

Parker’s versatility lends itself to many referring to him as the best offensive lineman of all time.  Very few linemen had the mix of speed, quickness and power, that Parker had.

Football has never really lent itself to statistics, and that’s why players are still judged on the number of championships they’ve won.   Football’s still without a statistic to adequately define All-Pro offensive lineman play and thus, the “Eyeball Test” is almost always used.

Jim Parker obviously passes this test.

Card: 1989 Topps Card #91

Team/Position: Houston Oilers / Center-Guard

Cost: 25-delicious-cents

Bruce Matthews played a long, long, time.  When it comes to playing well past your physical prime, you basically get a choice between Quarterback or Offensive Center.  Both positions emphasize superior intellect over raw-physical ability — It takes a different breed of man to play Center, though.

Matthews was selected ninth overall in the 1983 NFL Draft, but as far as I can tell, 1989 was the first year that Bruce had a card  (There was a 1986 McDonalds Oilers card).

Bruce had already played 6 years before getting his first card and I’m sure his 1988 Pro-Bowl selection contributed to him getting his first card in ’89.

Unfortunately for Bruce, he’s getting the shaft in my collection.  So many great players debuted in 1989 and most of their true rookie cards come from the Score brand.  The Topps Traded versions of Aikmen, Deion Sanders and Barry Sanders are nice, but they hardly compare to the ballin’ ass 1989 Score. So, as is always the case, the offensive linemen gets the shaft.

Matthews eventually played 19 years in the NFL, all for the same franchise.  When Matthews retired, no position player had played more games than Matthews’ 296 and only Merlin Olsen had played in as many Pro Bowls as Matthews (14).  Jerry Rice eventually snuck past Matthews for games played in 2004 with 303 games played.

What Made Matthews Special

Matthews managed to sustain a high-level of play for his entire career.  It’s somewhat jaw-dropping to learn that Jeff Fisher, a teammate of Matthews’ at USC, eventually went on to coach the Titans before Matthews retired.

Matthews was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2007, joining Elway, Marino, Kelly, Dickerson, and Darrell Green as HOFers from the 1983 draft.

That Family Tree

(photo gallery available here)

Clay Matthews Sr. played for San Francisco in the 1950′s.

Senior had two children that followed in the family business:  Bruce Matthews and Clay Matthews Jr. (who played in 4 Pro Bowls, himself)

Clay Matthews Junior’s son, Clay Matthews III, was recently drafted by the Green Bay Packers out of USC.

Bruce’s two youngest, Mikey and Jake, play for Elkin H.S.  Jake’s currently the 11th ranked Senior Tackle in the Nation by Rivals.com.  Bruce’s eldest, Kevin, is currently the starting Center for Texas A & M.

Finally, Clay Matthews Jr’s son and Clay Matthews III’s brother, Casey Matthews, is currently the starting MLB for the Oregon Ducks.  Kyle Matthews, Clay’s and Casey’s older brother, also played for USC during their 2003 Championship year.

That’s a lot of football for one family.

1989 Score Bruce Matthews

Matthews '89 Score

Two great lookin’ cards, but I believe the latter is his True Rookie Card.  I didn’t collect in ’89, so I tend to get confused.  Either way, Bruce Matthews autographs are surprising hard to come by nowadays. The only one that I could find on the ‘Bay was a 2000 Topps Finest autograph celebrating Bruce’s games played record:
This is actually an incredible card, but I’m sure back in 2000 whoever pulled it was pissed the hell off.  Matthews is one of the many incredible offensive linemen that’ll appear on my list.  I think I have a soft-spot for the men in the trenches.

I mean, just look at that Blue ’89 Score!  Matthews appears to be long-snapping and the Bills are literally inches away from his noggin’.  Half the defensive line is offside!  Great Photography like that deserves to be recognized and while I’m not exactly showcasing Bruce’s Score Rookie, I will add it to my collection.

Card: 1993 Bowman’s Best Cuts Refractor #BC1

Team/Position: St. Louis Rams / Offensive Tackle

Cost: 2 Dollars

Orlando Pace’s moved onto the Chicago Bears and apparently has something left in the tank.  He’s not the monster he once was, but at this point in his career even playing left tackle is astonishing.

It’s probably unfair to claim that Pace was far and away the best offensive tackle in the history of College Football, but very few linemen can be mentioned in the same breath.

When you think of the Greatest Show On Turf, Pace’s name isn’t the first to come to mind, but he was certainly instrumental.

What Made Pace Special?

We’re talking about the man who invented the pancake block (sorta).  Orlando Pace dominated the tackle position with his ridiculous speed and size combination.   Pace was one of the very few tackles that could nullify both the bull and the speed rush on every down, regardless of the man standing opposite him.

From 1999 until 2005, Pace notched a ticket to Hawaii for 7 straight years.  Injuries definitely began slowing Orlando down in 2006 and he now finds himself in Chicago.

A Personal Note:

I’m an Ohio State fan that’ll definitely show bias when selecting certain players, but Orlando Pace isn’t one of those players.  Pace was simply dominant and even if you compare players with eras in mind, I still think Pace comes out top-5 All-Time.

Why This Card?

I didn’t collect during the late 90′s, so it’s hard for me to present a definitive reason for this card. I think my favourite part’s the rear that reminds us of Ohio State’s victory over Illinois and Simeon Rice.  Rice was made for the Tampa-Two and ended up having a terrific career himself, but Orlando Pace pancaked him 8 times during one college game.

As is generally the case, the SP Authentic foil version of Orlando’s rookie looks the sharpest and will set you back the most cash.  The Topps Finest Atomic refractors also tend to look great, but both of these cards were over priced for what we’re trying to achieve.  Bowman’s Best also looks sharp.

Card: 1960 Topps, Card #56

Team/Position: Green Bay Packers / Offensive Linemen, Tackle.

Cost: 15 Dollars

Forrest Gregg’s an interesting choice for the first card, especially considering this card was produced when Gregg had already been in the league for four years.

Gregg was a crucial part of the Packers’ dominance during the 1960′s.

Forrest Gregg’s clearly amongst the best offensive tackles of all time, but Tackles get no love.  Gregg was selected to 9 Pro Bowls, and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team.

What Made Gregg Special?

The “Iron Man” Tag:  Forrest Gregg played in a ridiculous 188 consecutive games from 1956 to 1971.

Vince Lombardi claimed that Forrest Gregg was the finest player that he’d ever coached in his book, “Run To Daylight”.

A Personal Note:

Forrest Gregg has a couple things going for him in my books.  First off, he played for SMU football.  Gregg was even brought back to coach SMU football after the NCAA laid the smack down on the program.  Secondly, Forrest Gregg coached in my home and native land for the Toronto Argonauts.

There’s really nothing not to love about Forrest Gregg.  Even in the 60′s, Gregg was undersized yet still left his mark on each and every game.

LandofBoz recently had Gregg in for a signing back in 2007, and here’s what Forrest looks like nowadays.

Would You Rather Have?

A 1960 Forrest Gregg card or a 2009 Jason Smith autograph slabbed rookie card?