Quads and Quints on offense
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We are all familiar with the "Tripletts" from the 90s Cowboys. But in reality that was a Quadruplet....as equally essential to that teams success was another person: OL Larry Allen.
Here I am going to try to document those teams that had 4, 5 or more players on one offense at one time that have made the HOF, including offensive linemen:
30s/40s Bears: Sid Luckman QB, George McCaffee, RB, George Musso OT/OG, Clyde Bulldog Turner OC, Joe Stydar OT
40s/50s Rams: Bob Waterfield QB, Norm Van Brocklin QB, Elroy Hirsch RB, Tom Fears WR
40s/50s Browns: Otto Graham QB, Marion Motley RB, Dante Lavelli WR, Frank Gatski OC, Lou Groza OT
50s Lions: Bobby Lane QB, Doak Walker RB, Dick Stanfel OG, Lou Creekmur OT
50s/60s Colts: John Unitas QB, Lenny Moore RB, Raymond Berry WR, John Mackey TE, Jim Parker OT
I think they may be the only team that had a QB/RB/WR/TE in the HOF)
60s Browns: Jim Brown RB, Leroy Kelly RB (played together 2 years), Paul Warfield, Gene Hickerson, Lou Groza (kicking)
1960s Packers: Bart Starr QB, Jim Taylor FB, Paul Hornung HB, Forrest Gregg, OT, Jim Ringo OC
1970s Dolphins: Bob Griese QB, Larry Csonka FB, Paul Warfield WR, Jim Langer OC, Larry Little OL
1970s Raiders: Ken Stabler QB, Fred Biletnikoff WR, Dave Caspar TE, Jim Otto OC, Art Shell OT, Gene Upshaw OG
1970s Steelers: Terry Bradshaw QB, Franco Harris RB, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann WRs, Mike Webster OC.
Finally those 1990s Cowboys: Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Allen
Oddly though, those Cowboys are the ONLY team since the 1970s to have as many as 4 HOF players in their lineup, where as you can see prior to that there could be 2-3-4 teams a decade where this happened.
Why the dropoff? Expansion? Free Agency...teams not staying together.
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So, OK then, here is the question: What if any other teams since the 70s do you think could end up with as many as 4 players on offense from the same team make the HOF. All of the above had an offense with 4 HOF play together for at least 1 year or more. The one top dynasty....the 49ers didn't meet the standard. Only Montana/Young/Rice have made it from those teams.
Look at the next great dynasty: The Patriots. The QB will get in. Moss played for a couple of years with him...but no RB from any of these Pats teams are HOF. Any other WR? Any OL....not that I can think of.
Also note...while the 90s Bills also had triplets: Kelly, Thomas, Reed, they have had no OL in or any other offensive player.
I have a few other possibles:
Rams....the Greatest Show on Turf: Faulk and Pace already in. Warner will get in. And if either Isaac Bruce or Tori Holt get in that will make 4. Touch and go for this team..
Colts: Peyton will get in. Marvin Harrison will. Based on his stats, Reggie Wayne is HOF worthy and could get in. What about Dallas Clark? Or more likely Jeff Saturday. Or possibly Edgerin James? Will 4 make it?
2005 Steelers? Bettis is in. BR will make it. Alan Faneca will make it. Will Hines Ward? He is the borderline 4th player.
Any other recent-ish team a candidate?
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Come on man you left out the most famous backfield of all time
"You see the Rams are still thinking that they are playing Tony Dorsett" -Jim Brown 1978 -
1. 1985 Bears
Never in the history of football has a defense intimidated quarterbacks any better. Playing with passion, ruthlessness and cunning, the 1985 Bears forced seven quarterback substitutions over the course of the season.
This may have been the best blitzing team of all time. The front seven was loaded with phenomenal pass-rushing talent, including Hall of Famers Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary. Also in the mix were Steve McMichael, who ranks third all-time among defensive tackles in sacks, and outside linebacker Wilber Marshall, who some think was the most talented player on the unit. The defense featured nine players who would at some point play in a Pro Bowl.
Best Offense is a great Defense.
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1. 1985 Bears
Never in the history of football has a defense intimidated quarterbacks any better. Playing with passion, ruthlessness and cunning, the 1985 Bears forced seven quarterback substitutions over the course of the season.
This may have been the best blitzing team of all time. The front seven was loaded with phenomenal pass-rushing talent, including Hall of Famers Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary. Also in the mix were Steve McMichael, who ranks third all-time among defensive tackles in sacks, and outside linebacker Wilber Marshall, who some think was the most talented player on the unit. The defense featured nine players who would at some point play in a Pro Bowl.
Best Offense is a great Defense.
1. 1985 Bears
Never in the history of football has a defense intimidated quarterbacks any better. Playing with passion, ruthlessness and cunning, the 1985 Bears forced seven quarterback substitutions over the course of the season.
This may have been the best blitzing team of all time. The front seven was loaded with phenomenal pass-rushing talent, including Hall of Famers Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary. Also in the mix were Steve McMichael, who ranks third all-time among defensive tackles in sacks, and outside linebacker Wilber Marshall, who some think was the most talented player on the unit. The defense featured nine players who would at some point play in a Pro Bowl.
Best Offense is a great Defense.
Well for this thread I was just doing offense....but another thread looking at teams that had 4 or more on defense would certainly be in order.
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Come on man you left out the most famous backfield of all time
Come on man you left out the most famous backfield of all time
Well, OK, enlighten us....what offense that had at least 4 Hall of Famers on it did I miss?
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Quads or Quints on Defense.
Here is the list of teams that I was able to find that had 4 or more Hall of Famers on Defense at the same time:
70s Cowboys: Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Randy White, Rayfield Wright Doomsday
50s/60s Lions: Joe Schmidt, Dick LeBeau, Dick Night Train Lane, Yale Lary
60s Packers: Herb Adderly, Willie Davis, Henry Jordan, Ray Nitschke, Dave Robinson, Willie Wood Sextuplet
60s/70s Chiefs: Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, Curly Culp, Emmit Thomas
1958 Giants: Roosevelt Brown, Andy Robustelli, Sam Huff, Emlen Tunnel
70s Steelers: Mel Blount, Joe Green, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert
So...again...no team since the 70s has had 4 HOF defenders.
Two questions: Did I miss anyone you can think of? And, are there other teams....more current, that you think could end up with 4 HOF defenders?
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Come on man you left out the most famous backfield of all time
Come on man you left out the most famous backfield of all time
I don't know if we are thinking along the same lines....but yes, I did miss one: The Million Dollar Backfield of the San Francisco 49ers back in the 50s:
Line-up[edit]- John Henry Johnson, #35, FB
- Joe Perry, #34, FB
- Hugh McElhenny, #39, HB
- Y. A. Tittle, #14, QB
All Hall of Famers.
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For a brief moment in 2010, the vikings had Favre, Moss and AP. Does that count?
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On recent defenses, I thought about the one that would challenge those 1985 Bears: the 2000 Ravens.
But they only had Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson on that defense. Ed Reed had not been drafted yet...and others on there : Boulware, Siragusa, Burnett etc......good players but not HOF caliber.
I thought about the 2002 Bucs: Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks already in. John Lynch likely to get in some day. What about a 4th: Simeon Rice and Ronde Barber.....borderline HOF? Maybe
2005 Steelers. Another great defense....but only likely HOF is Polamalu.
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Also in terms of the Patriots, don't forget Gronk. Welker probably doesn't make that cut though.
On the D side, you could be looking at the Seahawks now, with their DBs, plus potentially a couple of guys up front maybe.
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For a brief moment in 2010, the vikings had Favre, Moss and AP. Does that count?
It would....but that is only 3. Who else was on that offense? Let me check.......after checking....it could happen. Steve Hutchinson was on that OL....and he could be HOF candidate.
You can find a number of teams with 3 HOF on either offense or defense....4 is more rare.
Example: Neither the Fearsome Foursome nor the Purple People Eaters had 4.
The Rams had only Jones and Olsen....and the Vikings had Eller, Page, and Krause, but not a 4th.
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Also in terms of the Patriots, don't forget Gronk. Welker probably doesn't make that cut though.
On the D side, you could be looking at the Seahawks now, with their DBs, plus potentially a couple of guys up front maybe.
Also in terms of the Patriots, don't forget Gronk. Welker probably doesn't make that cut though.
On the D side, you could be looking at the Seahawks now, with their DBs, plus potentially a couple of guys up front maybe.
I do not believe Gronkowski and Moss played on the Pats at the same time.....no, they didn't. Moss last played for NE in 2009. Gronk drafted in 2010.
And yes, perhaps the Legion of Boom could some day get to that point. I thought about that. But they are still a long way off.
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Yeah, they need the longevity to get there, but you can't question that Sherman is at the top of the game today in terms of corners, and the safeties are both elite. You've also got the likes of Avril and Bennett that are elite. A long way to go though, for sure.
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Yeah, they need the longevity to get there, but you can't question that Sherman is at the top of the game today in terms of corners, and the safeties are both elite. You've also got the likes of Avril and Bennett that are elite. A long way to go though, for sure.
Yeah, they need the longevity to get there, but you can't question that Sherman is at the top of the game today in terms of corners, and the safeties are both elite. You've also got the likes of Avril and Bennett that are elite. A long way to go though, for sure.
Yea, don't count no chickens yet. As noted, some really great defenses don't have 4 HOF. The Bears, those Ravens...even recent dynasties like 49ers and Pats don't look to have 4 in on either side of the ball.
The fucked up thing is that the team most likely to get 4 in on either side of the ball are those Steelers with BR/Bettis/Faneca/Ward. Ward borderline, but still a good bet.
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For a long time, the ravens had lewis, reed and suggs, all of which have the credentials to get in. Any others from the 2012-ish era?
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For a long time, the ravens had lewis, reed and suggs, all of which have the credentials to get in. Any others from the 2012-ish era?
For a long time, the ravens had lewis, reed and suggs, all of which have the credentials to get in. Any others from the 2012-ish era?
Suggs, I think is borderline....but can be considered. The other best defender on that team is probably Haloti Ngata.
If those two made it, it would be a longshot.....but it is still a shot.
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Come on man you left out the most famous backfield of all time
I don't know if we are thinking along the same lines....but yes, I did miss one: The Million Dollar Backfield of the San Francisco 49ers back in the 50s:
Line-up[edit]- John Henry Johnson, #35, FB
- Joe Perry, #34, FB
- Hugh McElhenny, #39, HB
- Y. A. Tittle, #14, QB
All Hall of Famers.
I don't know if we are thinking along the same lines....but yes, I did miss one: The Million Dollar Backfield of the San Francisco 49ers back in the 50s:
Line-up[edit]
- John Henry Johnson, #35, FB
- Joe Perry, #34, FB
- Hugh McElhenny, #39, HB
- Y. A. Tittle, #14, QB
That's the one
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