NFLN All-time 2-way players: Troy #5, Vrabel #7

[ilduce06410]

troy brown in the NFL HOF?

Doesn't Troy Brown hold the record for most time cut by the New England Patriots only to be later resigned? (Rhetorical question only.)
I doubt that Troy Brown would receive even 1 vote for the NFL Hall of Fame nor hould he. He's been my favorite Patriot player (since Curtis Martin left), but he was nowhere close to a Hall of Fame career.

he should go into the PATRIOTS HOF as soon as appropriate. i remember him blocking a kick in the 2001 playoff game against steelers (post-tuck-rule; next they beat the rams in SB). as i recall he blocked it, picked it up, and then lateraled to _________? who ran it in 70-odd yards for the winning TD.

previous to that, he was an outstanding punt returner for several years.

BTW he's also taken practice snaps as an emergency QB.

unfortunately i can't think of any play he's made, you know, like the immaculate reception, that would get his spikes or something into the HOF. franco harris' spikes are in there for that, as well as the HOF bust for his career.

but he's one of my all-time favorite patriots players. gino cappalletti, sam (bam) cunningham, sugar bear hamilton, hannah, coates. then there's the zany folks, like harpo gladieux, steve zabel, jim nance (showered before games, not after), mini-mack herron.

 

[loosebearing]

Bucko Kilroy was a 3 time All Pro at an OG and a nose guard. Shouldn't he be on that list?

Yes he should at least have been mentioned

Kilroy began his NFL playing career in 1943 and earned all-pro honors six time during his 13 years as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was considered one of the toughest players in the NFL.

He once played in 146 consecutive games, then a league record, and was named to the NFL's all-decade team for the 1940s. During his final three seasons with the Eagles, Kilroy was as a player/coach before serving as a full-time line coach for six seasons.


I guess Troy now has another position to attain in keeping with being a Patriot

God bless, Bucko

 

[Fogbuster]

and who were the top few...Chuck Bednarik???

Who was Chuck Bednarik??? OK, you're a sprout, so it's understandable.

Bednarik should be #1 on this list, in my opinion. He played center on offense, then turned around and played middle LB on defense. He was on the field for 80% of *all* plays in any given game!! Played for the Iggles.

To top it all off, I read his testimony of his game day pre-game routine: a pot of coffee and half a pack of cigarettes! (Don't try this at home, kids.)

A ba-da-boom, if there ever was one.


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[Pats726]

Bucko Kilroy was a 3 time All Pro at an OG and a nose guard. Shouldn't he be on that list?

One must remember that 40-50 years ago, there was little specialization and rosters were a LOT smaller...are we talking 40?? NOT sure, but many players played a few positions and kickers were NEVER just a kicker. Lou Groza who kicked a lot for the Browns was also an offensive lineman. Pete Gofolak MIGHT have been the first specialist kicker, but until the early 60s, it was not the case.

 

[Fogbuster]

One must remember that 40-50 years ago, there was little specialization and rosters were a LOT smaller...are we talking 40?? NOT sure, but many players played a few positions and kickers were NEVER just a kicker. Lou Groza who kicked a lot for the Browns was also an offensive lineman. Pete Gofolak MIGHT have been the first specialist kicker, but until the early 60s, it was not the case.

Players were basically one-way from the time I started watching in the late 50's. And from what I understand from my dad and other research, it was that way from the late 40s. Two-way players have always existed, but these past 50 years they have more often been the exception and rather the rule. Kickers were not usually specialists in the earlier years, as they have been for almost 50 years, as they also played other positions: Lou "The Toe" Groza kicked off, did field goals and PAs; QB, George Blanda continued playing until he was about 50-something, on the strength of his kicking foot and the fact he could still be an emergency QB. Some position players punted, some just did kick offs. Offense-defense combos were very rare from the 60s on. I do remember Rosy Grier, all-pro offensive tackle for the Gints, coming in to do goal-line stands, way back when.

Gotta remember the salaries until the mid-80s were not what they are today, so extra duty was extra pay, for guys making 20 to 40 grand a year, an extra 5 or 10 was a lot of money.

And it's Pete Gogolak, who was the first soccer-style kicker to play in the NFL, and the first player drafted purely as a kicker by the Bills of the old AFL.


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[BHSL2]

And it's Pete Gogolak, who was the first soccer-style kicker to play in the NFL, and the first player drafted purely as a kicker by the Bills of the old AFL.

His son Steven graduated from my school in 2001. Played kicker on the varsity team. :rocker:

 

[Pats726]

Players were basically one-way from the time I started watching in the late 50's. And from what I understand from my dad and other research, it was that way from the late 40s. Two-way players have always existed, but these past 50 years they have more often been the exception and rather the rule. Kickers were not usually specialists in the earlier years, as they have been for almost 50 years, as they also played other positions: Lou "The Toe" Groza kicked off, did field goals and PAs; QB, George Blanda continued playing until he was about 50-something, on the strength of his kicking foot and the fact he could still be an emergency QB. Some position players punted, some just did kick offs. Offense-defense combos were very rare from the 60s on. I do remember Rosy Grier, all-pro offensive tackle for the Gints, coming in to do goal-line stands, way back when.

Gotta remember the salaries until the mid-80s were not what they are today, so extra duty was extra pay, for guys making 20 to 40 grand a year, an extra 5 or 10 was a lot of money.

And it's Pete Gogolak, who was the first soccer-style kicker to play in the NFL, and the first player drafted purely as a kicker by the Bills of the old AFL.


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Just a typo....Not really sure when it started..with non-two way players...but yes..the 50s only had a few....so I am assuming sometime in teh 40s it started to shift...

 

[Fogbuster]

His son Steven graduated from my school in 2001. Played kicker on the varsity team. :rocker:

And Pete had a younger brother, Charlie, who played for Princeton. Dartmouth defensive back, Steve Hawkin, totally psyched out Gogo on a FG attempt by climbing the back of some linemen to jump up in an attempted block of the FG kick (Charlie was considered automatic every time he teed up). Got a penalty but iced Gogo. Teehee.

Dartmouth won the game, stopping Princeton's 17 game winning streak, and gaining the Lambert Trophy as best team in the East, over BC, Penn State, Syracuse, and of course, Princeton (running the ancient single-wing), all powerhouses at the time.


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[Fencer]

Ironic that this appears just as we're seeing the obits for Bucko Kilroy, who made the Pro Bowl (or All-Pro or whatever) three times on each side of the ball.

Once upon a time, they all (or commonly) were full-time two-way players.

Since I haven't read the thread to see if this has been pointed out already, I'll stop there.

 

[363839]

Cold Hard Football Facts have an opinion on this list, too.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=1502