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Posted on 04/04/2006 12:48:00 PM PDT by TheDoctorNoh
Safely in his bra.
And Clayton won a SB? oh yea Dan Marino...
He made it based on changing the definition of a wide receiver in the NFL and for a physical toughness well beyond his relatively small stature. He was the first of the modern day "acrobatic" receivers who have made the game far more exciting than it had been yet he would go across the middle and absorb brutal hits and still hold the ball. He was the most graceful reciever in the game then, but also one of the toughest.
The guy played 9 season and was voted into the pro-bowl by fellow players in 7 of them. He was a first round selection for 25th anniversary Super Bowl team and a quarter century after he made his NFL last catch, he's still on all the highlight reels.
Here's a snip from an article that sums it up.
But what made him a finalist 14 times -- including three appearances among the six finalists in the past four years -- is what put him over the top. He was one of the game's big-play receivers in the regular season and in the Super Bowl. He was MVP of Super Bowl X. Comparisons were made between him and former Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, who played just seven seasons and compiled only 4,956 yards rushing. Like Sayers, Swann played the game spectacularly before injuries ended his career prematurely.
Swann, 5-11 and 180, caught 336 passes for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns. His ratio of one touchdown for every 6.6 receptions is among the best in NFL history.
"Nobody played better in big games, and that's the mark of a great player," said former Steelers coach Chuck Noll. "If we threw the ball a lot more, he could easily have as many catches as other players who are in the Hall of Fame."
This is nuts. Swann could show up anywhere on the field, with the ball, at any time. His skill was close to ballet while the defenders were comparatively wearing iron boots and boxing gloves.
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Ward already is the Steelers all-time leading receiver. He passed Swann & Stallworth last year. But it's a different game today. A 16 game season vs 14 games and a "rushing" team like the Steelers who pass today on about 50% of their downs vs around 40% for the 70's teams. The ball is in the air a lot more today and the type of passes has changed from mostly down field to short sideline or "possession type passes that allow receivers to build stats fast.
Harrison is 6' and listed at 175lbs i bet hes lighter than that!
Well you know it's very subjective...stats versus intangibles like the ability to come through in the big game.
You could say Clayton's team won an AFC Championship without a running game. You could say the Steelers won several Super Bowls with an average QB. You could say the Colts have the best offense in the history of the NFL, but they don't show up during the BIG ONE.
Same could be said for Vinitieri...An average kicker except during GUT CHECK TIME.
I do know is that Swann made some of the greatest catches in the history of the NFL. WHEN THEY MATTERED.
yep, Brady would look like a loser if it wasn't for the refs tuck rule and Vinitieri.
O.J. Simpson is still in the Hall of Fame. I somehow doubt this article will remove Lynn Swann from Canton.
Comparatively speaking, receivers have a much "safer" job today and that's a good thing.
On the other hand...after seeing the recent movie Failure to Launch....Terry Bradshaw should be removed for that.
people are bigger and faster today, that old argument doesn't hold water with me.
Who is this person who is not in the Hall of Fame:
1980 - 58 catches, 797 yds
1981 - 56 catches, 894 yds
1982 - 35 catches, 447 yds
1983 - 47 catches, 746 yds
1984 - 106 catches, 1,372 yds
1985 - 91 catches, 1,226 yds
1986 - 73 catches, 1,068 yds
1987 - 38 catches, 483 yds
1988 - 72 catches, 946 yds
1989 - 86 catches, 1,186 yds
1990 - 68 catches, 770 yds
1991 - 71 catches, 1,049 yds
1992 - 46 catches, 644 yds
1993 - 41 catches, 398 yds
He finished with 940 catches and 12,721 yds and 68 TDS
In 15 playoff games he caught 69 balls for over 1,0000 yds and 7 TDS - he also has 3 rings
Any guesses?
who would you rather get hit by Tatum at 5'10 203lbs or John Lynch at 6'2" 220lbs?
Art Monk
and far more scientifically conditioned as well, on both sides of the ball. But it is the rule changes that have made the difference in the game, especially the passing game. When Swann played, a corner or safety could beat the crap out of him all the way down the field as long as the ball wasn't in the air. Now, if they look at them funny after 5 yards, the hankies go flying. It's opened the game up to the point that even below average QBs have 60% completion ratings.
And after the catch (or drop) there was not much in the way of hits other than face mask that would draw a flag or a fine. Now, you can't even grab their pads from behind let alone smash them in the head the way Swann and others of his era were beaten around. It's a "kinder, gentler" game now.
Easy. I'd rather be hit by Lynch. He's not looking to put you in a wheel chair for the rest of your life. Tatum was.
the new rules has also added a new diminson the reciever gets open across the middle and gets a head shot. how many nasty helmet to helmets did you see last year?
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