Leon Gray Elected to Pats HOF

[DarrylS]

There's a bunch of guys from that mid 70's era that deserve consideration.

More than Darryl Stingley?? Jack Tatum got more recognition as the "assassin" than Stingley...

 

[p8ryts]

Honestly....not sure I ever knew that OL couldn’t extend their arms...or if I knew once, I forgot. When did the rule change?

They not only couldn't extend they had to use a technique that essentially had their elbows away from the body and their fists back to their chest. Now, they extend, grab, its just so different. DL used to be able to give a first step shot to the head, now illegal. Different game in the trenches. Get an old Detroit game with Nighttrain Lane at CB. A true assassin.

 

[Steve102]

More than Darryl Stingley?? Jack Tatum got more recognition as the "assassin" than Stingley...

More? I dunno. Darryl should have some sort of special recognition, but his numbers are just ok, even for the era. The more I look at it, most of the guys who are from that era that should be in there are already in there. Sam hunt, Julius Adams, Raymond Clayborn maybe. But I would be in favor of some sort of recognition for Darryl.

 

[Hyped]

Ha!

Sounds like it was your time

...oh, you mean you got the beer for your dad

Well anyway you got to see team with the cool uniforms on the TV...

No, I was getting beer for myself.....LOL.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

More than Darryl Stingley?? Jack Tatum got more recognition as the "assassin" than Stingley...

Darryl Stingley is the Troy Brown of that era.

He did not return kicks, but he did make crucial plays in big games, and his humble leadership and example on and off the field were the reason he was getting the big contract.

And just like a lot of other things that were just as true then as today, the Patriots didn't pay.

Of course he belongs in the team hall of fame.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

More? I dunno. Darryl should have some sort of special recognition, but his numbers are just ok, even for the era. The more I look at it, most of the guys who are from that era that should be in there are already in there. Sam hunt, Julius Adams, Raymond Clayborn maybe. But I would be in favor of some sort of recognition for Darryl.

How Darryl got open on fourth down and ran off with the winning score at Three Rivers in '76 was the same as Troy Brown breaking free in OT to beat the Dolphins in '03.

The numbers must be viewed in context, and he was an established pro.

In contrast, Norm Leveille was only a promising 19 year old when he retired.

 

[DarrylS]

More? I dunno. Darryl should have some sort of special recognition, but his numbers are just ok, even for the era. The more I look at it, most of the guys who are from that era that should be in there are already in there. Sam hunt, Julius Adams, Raymond Clayborn maybe. But I would be in favor of some sort of recognition for Darryl.

His career was cut short at 5 years in, thus his numbers are a tad lower..

On those teams, the run was more prevalent or about equal to the pass.. in his last season(1977) he was the second leading receiver behind "all world" Russ Francis..

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

His career was cut short at 5 years in, thus his numbers are a tad lower..

On those teams, the run was more prevalent or about equal to the pass.. in his last season(1977) he was the second leading receiver behind "all world" Russ Francis..

And the new DB rules opened up the passing for everyone, changing the game.

Like Troy, Darryl executed at the highest level when the most pressure was on.

 

[PP2]

They not only couldn't extend they had to use a technique that essentially had their elbows away from the body and their fists back to their chest. Now, they extend, grab, its just so different. DL used to be able to give a first step shot to the head, now illegal. Different game in the trenches. Get an old Detroit game with Nighttrain Lane at CB. A true assassin.

Nighttrain Lane? That's a hell of a name.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

They not only couldn't extend they had to use a technique that essentially had their elbows away from the body and their fists back to their chest. Now, they extend, grab, its just so different. DL used to be able to give a first step shot to the head, now illegal. Different game in the trenches. Get an old Detroit game with Nighttrain Lane at CB. A true assassin.

**** "Night Train" Lane his highlights.

 

[Zuma]

Mike Reiss: Like his dad, Matthew Slater finds meaning in staying with one team

With the late Leon Gray being elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame via a seniors committee vote on Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played alongside him couldn't have been happier. "It was a long, long time coming," John Hannah said in a telephone interview.

"You didn't have to worry about Leon. He was going to get it done. When a tackle has that type of ability, it frees up everybody else. And they play off each other," Hannah said. "What I was amazed about with Leon, he was working like a dog, but he made it look so easy. Smooth. He had such good feet. People underestimate just how strong he was. He was just a great offensive tackle."

Some view the Gray-Hannah combination at left tackle-left guard as one of the greatest in league history, which was something they both took pride in during their careers.

"I used to run a little football camp in my hometown each summer and Leon would come down. Ken Hutchinson, who played in Seattle, was there, and we were showing the kids how you have to work together. After we were done, Hutch came over to us and said, 'You two look like the ballet together.' [Gene] Upshaw and [Art] Shell had that left-side attack in the late '60s/early '70s, and then Leon and I came about, and we kind of took over from them for a few years until the Sullivans decided to trade him away."

 

[Steve102]

His career was cut short at 5 years in, thus his numbers are a tad lower..

On those teams, the run was more prevalent or about equal to the pass.. in his last season(1977) he was the second leading receiver behind "all world" Russ Francis..

His numbers for his individual seasons, not career. I am not trying to say the man wasn't good, he was. He deserves recognition. I just don't know, given the success of the franchise since 1991, that he deserves "enshrinement". And yes, I believe it's a sliding scale.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

His numbers for his individual seasons, not career. I am not trying to say the man wasn't good, he was. He deserves recognition. I just don't know, given the success of the franchise since 1991, that he deserves "enshrinement". And yes, I believe it's a sliding scale.

This whole 1970's thing, the bottom line is, you had to be there.

The post-merger era had just begun, this was the foundation for football going forward.

Only a few teams were good enough to win the Super Bowl, and the Patriots were one of them.

Only one team has had a Super Bowl clearly, blatantly stolen from them, and that is the Patriots.

Based on numbers, Swann doesn't deserve to be in Canton.

 

[Canuck]

You know that's a great question. I'm not sure, but my best guess would be sometime in the late 80's. I tried a quick google search and didn't find anything, though I'm sure someone better could get that answer. I know I'd appreciate the info.

BTW- BEFORE that rule change an offensive lineman was supposed to keep his hand stuck to his chest. Therefore his blocking surface would be measured from elbow to elbow. If you locked out your arms it was holding.

The technique was completely different. The object was to keep you head glued to the rusher's chest. So instead of creating space with your arms, you popped him in the chest with your head and moved your feet to stay in front of them.

I was thinking back to all my football playing days which accounted for 4 years in HS, 4 years in college and 2 after college, and I couldn't think of a play I made on either offense or defense that I DIDN'T lead with my head. When you blocked you fired out low with your head trying to put you facemask into the defender's chest. Then you were supposed to slide your head to the side you wanted to create the hole, and turned you hips into the block using your head and elbow as your blocking surface. Your target point was always the waist.

I kind of makes me wonder about CTE, because if hitting with your head (even in the proper position) causes it, then I'd be the poster child for CTE, because that's all I did.

According to a Washington Post article, it was changed in 1978.

The league has changed the rules on pass blocking to allow an offensive lineman to extend his arms and use an open hand in warding off those grabby, pushy, smack-em-in-the head defensive linemen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...061c8ca/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.008253c035ef

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

According to a Washington Post article, it was changed in 1978.

The league has changed the rules on pass blocking to allow an offensive lineman to extend his arms and use an open hand in warding off those grabby, pushy, smack-em-in-the head defensive linemen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...061c8ca/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.008253c035ef

This, combined with altered DB contact rules, opened up the passing game for everyone

 

[DarrylS]

The NFL was played with more reckless abandon in the 70's often yielding unintended consequences the intent to maim or hurt a player was sometimes obvious.. unfortunately the NFL did not keep stats on what happened regarding type and number of penalties in 1977 ( or I cannot find any)

 

[Steve102]

This whole 1970's thing, the bottom line is, you had to be there.

The post-merger era had just begun, this was the foundation for football going forward.

Only a few teams were good enough to win the Super Bowl, and the Patriots were one of them.

Only one team has had a Super Bowl clearly, blatantly stolen from them, and that is the Patriots.

Based on numbers, Swann doesn't deserve to be in Canton.

Been a fan since '78.

 

[captain stone]

Honestly....not sure I ever knew that OL couldn’t extend their arms...or if I knew once, I forgot. When did the rule change?

According to a Washington Post article, it was changed in 1978.

The league has changed the rules on pass blocking to allow an offensive lineman to extend his arms and use an open hand in warding off those grabby, pushy, smack-em-in-the head defensive linemen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...061c8ca/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.008253c035ef

Yeah 1978 was a watershed year in league history. Offense - that is to say, passing offense - was legislated into prominence at the expense of defense, and soon thereafter of rushing offense too. And for that reason the record for most team rushing yards in one season - the Pats' 3165 in 1978 - will never, ever, EVAH be broken.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Yeah 1978 was a watershed year in league history. Offense - that is to say, passing offense - was legislated into prominence at the expense of defense, and soon thereafter of rushing offense too. And for that reason the record for most team rushing yards in one season - the Pats' 3165 in 1978 - will never, ever, EVAH be broken.

...the other reason is that our rushing game was awesome...

After losing Darryl, we also could not pass as effectively