Tank McNamara by Bill Hinds for September 10, 2019

The most famous quote from & about Nagurski, after playing the Lions at Wrigley Field. He ran through all of them & scored a touchdown & then hit the brick wall. He said the first guys weren’t bad, but the last guy hit really hard!

Butkus has permanent nerve damage and can’t hold things in one hand.

Not all 2nd Gen pros work out . Luck did better than most but many flame out trying to match Dad. Peyton and Eli of course went well beyond theirs.

Dave Duerson, R. I. P.

Here’s a fan who wouldn’t last five seconds on the football field, who huffs and puffs to climb a flight of stairs, who runs to his doc for opiates when he stubs his toe, demanding that football players damage their bodies, live in pain and ruin their health for his entertainment. And, of course, he turns around and points to the money as his justification.

Good point.

Offer me 20 million, and my 74 year old body would be on that field until I had the first year’s pay.

Andrew Luck is a very intelligent man – You don’t get a degree in architectural design from Stanford University by taking “gut” courses and being pampered by the athletic department.

He will, I’m sure, put that education to good use. He was smart to get out of football in one piece, while he still could.

Recall reading an interview with Red Grange when he was old and could barely move. He stated that if he had known then what would happen to his body , he never would have played football

I recall some research, back in the 80s, that determined that playing seven years in the NFL took ten years off your life.

I remember not too long ago; I watched an interview with Terry Bradshaw and he said very directly, that he wouldn’t allow his kids to play football!

What good is a ton of money if your brain is addled and your body can’t move properly (if at all)?

Not sure how many remember Bell, who played for the University of Minnesota, 1960-1962 (freshmen couldn’t play back then), before the Kansas City Chiefs. Nagurski also played for the U from 1927-1929. While Butkus didn’t play for the U, I did get to see him play against them at Memorial Stadium, 10/17/64 (Illinois won 21-18).

But the best part, Bell returned to the U and got his degree at age 74:

https://www.profootballhof.com/news/bobby-bell-ready-for-diploma/

Luck has a 4 year degree in Architectural Engineering. He is healthy and will get even healthier when he is not getting beaten up every week for 1/2 of the year, not including the injuries, surgeries and rehabs he will all miss. He is getting out at the right time in his life and that is what is important.

Yep, typical fan. “I don’t care how he hurts himself as long as I’m entertained.”