Hog Hannah, a national treasure keeping it real

[Patsgofor4]

NFL 100: At No. 25, John Hannah was maybe NFL's best offensive lineman ever — ‘He had no weaknesses’

"He had everything it takes,” ex-coach Raymond Berry said. “Size. Strength. Mentality. … He was the complete offensive lineman.”

theathletic.com

These days, Hannah’s direction isn’t pointed much to football, though he’s seen enough games to make this observation: “For an offensive lineman, the way we’d pass protect, it’d be a lot harder (today) because those quarterbacks are moving around so much,” he said. “The only guys that really stay in the pocket and understand the offensive lineman’s situation that I’ve seen are guys like (Tom) Brady. He kind of sits in the pocket and understands that the safest place for him is up front … because the offensive lineman doesn’t have eyes in his ass and he doesn’t know where the quarterback is unless he’s where he’s supposed to be. You’re blocking an area and if he doesn’t stay in that area, it makes it awfully hard. A lot of these quarterbacks are dancing around and moving around.”

And yet Hannah says he doesn’t watch a lot of football. Asked why that is, he said, “You want the honest answer, or the fabricated answer?”

We chose Door No. 1.
“I think the game’s lost a lot,” he said. “A couple things, one, I don’t like all the politics. They ought to just play ball and quit trying to friggin’, they don’t know what’s going on anyway, and they’re all making good money and they b*tch about the country. So I don’t understand that.
“And another thing, heck, I don’t like the rules changes,” he said. “I think it’s gotten to be a real wussy sport.”


Putting the kneelers and Goodell in body bags.

 

[neuronet]

I guess you want your left guard to have a “Get off my lawn” mentality

 

[Patsgofor4]

I guess you want your left guard to have a “Get off my lawn” mentality

 

[patfanken]

I met John Hannah a couple to times. Once when we were competing for a HS head coaching job - Guess who got the job. But that was OK I got one the next year. And later years later when we both were in the financial services industry. Me a stockbroker and him selling mutual funds to stockbrokers.

He's a good guy basically in that "a guy you'd want to have a beer with". He was also a little full of himself, but not obnoxiously so. He is absolutely right about the game getting soft. In my opinion some of the rules changes make the game MORE dangerous if less violent. if =you know what I mean.

He was also strongly right wing even back then, so his politics remarks rang true. Beyond that, he was the GOAT offensive lineman of his era. People overlook that he was so dominant at only 260 lbs. An amazing player.

 

[Hyped]

I'd loved to have read his take on Mac Jones. He must watch some Bama football at least....

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

View attachment 34693

Winner!!!

 

[neuronet]

I met John Hannah a couple to times. Once when we were competing for a HS head coaching job -

The fact that you were even in the running against him speaks pretty highly of you.

 

[DarrylS]

Remember the first time I saw Hannah up close and personal when he was walking through the ropes at Bryant on the way to TC practice, he was a very big man.. probably the biggest thighs that I have ever seen, he just wreaked power and don't f... with me.

While with the Pats he deserves every accolade he has gotten.. he was probably the best interior O Lineman we have ever had on this team.

 

[tom444]

Beyond that, he was the GOAT offensive lineman of his era. People overlook that he was so dominant at only 260 lbs. An amazing player.

During the 70s and 80s, 260 wasn't that small for a guard was it? But you're right, he certainly wasn't a big guard. Jim Parker was 6'3" 275 in the 50s and 60s.

272 pounds

In the 1980s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-4, 272 pounds.Oct 19, 2011

NFL Lineman Weren't Always Big And Fat — See How Much They've Grown Over The Years

 

[mikey m]

I don't fully agree with everything he said. But I would never say that to a man who looked like this at any point in his life. My goodness.

 

[patfanken]

I don't fully agree with everything he said. But I would never say that to a man who looked like this at any point in his life. My goodness.
View attachment 34695

I think that as the DL/OLB's become faster and more athletic the size of the average OT is going to go down, and guys like Wynn at 300 (or less) will be the norm rather than the exception.

 

[mikey m]

I think that as the DL/OLB's become faster and more athletic the size of the average OT is going to go down, and guys like Wynn at 300 (or less) will be the norm rather than the exception.

Honestly I'm surprised this transition hasn't started already. Seems like the best OTs are still 6'5"+, 310+. I think the big guys are just going to have to continue to get more athletic. Maybe there will be a breaking point, will be interesting to see over the next decade.

 

[Patriot Missile]

I don't fully agree with everything he said. But I would never say that to a man who looked like this at any point in his life. My goodness.
View attachment 34695

He just looks like he could turn green at any moment and “smash.”

 

[catent]

Quintessential “get off my lawn” attitude. Nothing of much value or insight was shared beyond his perspective as an offensive lineman, which was genuinely fascinating.

The NFL has been removing the violence that serves no purpose from the game, and rightfully so. Is there anything gained from a blindside block on a player away from the ball? Does launching yourself head-first into a receiver well after the ball has fallen incomplete add value to the game? On both counts, hell no.

As for the political chatter, players have the right to be politically active like any other citizen … just like Hannah and his political comments, ironically. Hannah’s words are no less political than anything active players are doing - they are both political statements.

 

[The Boston Patriot]

For those of us that witnessed his play, there was none better. You could see fear in the opposition he was that good. Joe Klecko stated that he was the toughest competitor he had ever played against. Joe Klecko was no slouch.

 

[patfanken]

Quintessential “get off my lawn” attitude. Nothing of much value or insight was shared beyond his perspective as an offensive lineman, which was genuinely fascinating.

The NFL has been removing the violence that serves no purpose from the game, and rightfully so. Is there anything gained from a blindside block on a player away from the ball? Does launching yourself head-first into a receiver well after the ball has fallen incomplete add value to the game? On both counts, hell no.

As for the political chatter, players have the right to be politically active like any other citizen … just like Hannah and his political comments, ironically. Hannah’s words are no less political than anything active players are doing - they are both political statements.

I think blind side blocks SHOULD be legal. They are part of the game and I say this as one who played mostly on the defensive side of the ball for most of the 12 years I played tackle football. Now if you want to eliminate a blindside block that occurs away from the immediate action, I'd be all for it. But as a guy who played OLB getting cracked back was something you had to be aware of when you played teams that ran sweeps. And you had help from CB's who yelled :"crack", when he saw one coming. )(at least the good ones did. ) Now that I think on it, I'd also be OK with a rule that all blindside blocks had to be above the waist But beyond that I think they are fine.

As for leading with your head. I was taught to square up on a runner and put my forehead into his chest, then slide it to my shoulder and WRAP. When I coached and one of my players hit with the top of his head, I would IMMEDIATELY pull him out of a game or practice and reinforce the importance of using the proper technique in the harshest of terms. Just about every bad head injury I have ever seen was caused when the player had his head down and hit with the top of his helmet. There was once a rule in football. They called it spearing. And even before the new rules came in, it would occur over and over again and was never called. Drove me nuts. I still find it odd that a RB can lead with his head, and its OK. IF players used proper technique when they tackled AND were severely penalized when they didn't you wouldn't see so many knee and shoulder injuries OR so many missed tackles. Too often players are just throwing their bodies at the WR;s or RB;s

BTW I have often thought that the biggest part of the problem was the helmet. You would think by now they could come up with one that didn't have a hard surface.

Another thought: Did you ever watch or play rugby. You see better tackling and fewer head injuries in THAT game than you do in the NFL and THEY can use their heads Go figure.

 

[FCB02062]

Hannah's speed was amazing...watch some clips and you young fanboys will be amazed

 

[Chevy]

Hannah's speed was amazing...watch some clips and you young fanboys will be amazed

Hannah blocked like Earl Campbell ran - run someone over, and look for the next one.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

As far as rugby... The reason they had less reports is because they had...less people reporting. There was also less focus on studying the effects. When studies have been conducted, the results were not in rugby's favor.

Comparison of Injuries in American Collegiate Football and Club Rugby: A Prospective Cohort Study - PubMed

Overall injury rates were substantially higher in collegiate rugby compared with football. Similarities between sports were observed in the most common injury types (sprains and concussions), locations (lower extremity and head), and mechanisms (direct player contact). Upper extremity injuries...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Is rugby safer than football?

Rugby promotes itself as less damaging to head, but there are growing concerns that's not the case

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

 

[Kontradiction]

Quintessential “get off my lawn” attitude. Nothing of much value or insight was shared beyond his perspective as an offensive lineman, which was genuinely fascinating.

The NFL has been removing the violence that serves no purpose from the game, and rightfully so. Is there anything gained from a blindside block on a player away from the ball? Does launching yourself head-first into a receiver well after the ball has fallen incomplete add value to the game? On both counts, hell no.

As for the political chatter, players have the right to be politically active like any other citizen … just like Hannah and his political comments, ironically. Hannah’s words are no less political than anything active players are doing - they are both political statements.

Mods, if y’all are going to delete my post, this one should probably go, too. That said, I’d rather nobodies posts got deleted and you guys just let the conversation flow, but if we’re deleting them then why pick and choose? I’d PM whoever did it and ask why, but I don’t know who did it.