Big Blue Huddle

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As Archie and Edith used to sing, "Those Were The Days!" Bob

Quote from: Bob In PA on May 22, 2025, 12:34:59 PMAs Archie and Edith used to sing, "Those Were The Days!" Bob

I wondered how well his visit was received, considering he retired before any of them were born.  At the very least, I suspect his name-dropping of teammates didn't hit the mark with them.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 22, 2025, 12:42:18 PMI wondered how well his visit was received, considering he retired before any of them were born.  At the very least, I suspect his name-dropping of teammates didn't hit the mark with them.

I would like to think that they had respect for the person because of his accomplishments on the football field.  I would hope these fellows understand that doing what he did, no matter when it was, was a hell of an accomplishment.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 22, 2025, 12:42:18 PMI wondered how well his visit was received, considering he retired before any of them were born.  At the very least, I suspect his name-dropping of teammates didn't hit the mark with them.

Curious about this too, kids these days probably don't care about him. They care if someone who played when they were kids growing up showed up. Like Justin Tuck, or Osi, Eli etc. Bringing in LT was probably for their social media team to get some clicks.

I wonder too how a guy like Bill Belichick is received by kids who were toddlers last time he won a superbowl.
He is 73, and having to connect/ recruit these kids it must be a total shock to him. Do the kids even care about things he did years ago,  do they bond with him over having girlfriends the same age? Or do they want the young coach, who can get them riled up, and have a strong relationship with them? I find it interesting.

I just realized I am so old now that "goat" was meant for guys like Bill Buckner from the red sox. Goat was when you really screwed up. Now it means the total opposite      Buckner was a good player, I guess his grandkids are ok with him being the Goat all these years later..

Quote from: jimc on May 22, 2025, 01:00:20 PMI would like to think that they had respect for the person because of his accomplishments on the football field.  I would hope these fellows understand that doing what he did, no matter when it was, was a hell of an accomplishment.

I agree, they likely respect LT and his accomplishments.  Still, I think back to when I was a young man (many, many, many years ago).  Old timers weren't exactly people I was in awe of, and I was hanging on their every word.  When you're young, you are less impressed by your elders, especially when their accomplishments predate your birth. 

So while I loved hearing from LT and hearing all the names of greats from the past, I am not sure the young men in the room shared my feelings.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 22, 2025, 01:03:56 PMI agree, they likely respect LT and his accomplishments.  Still, I think back to when I was a young man (many, many, many years ago).  Old timers weren't exactly people I was in awe of, and I was hanging on their every word.  When you're young, you are less impressed by your elders, especially when their accomplishments predate your birth. 

So while I loved hearing from LT and hearing all the names of greats from the past, I am not sure the young men in the room shared my feelings.

Yes, get your point.

Quote from: Crypto Fareez on May 22, 2025, 01:03:16 PMCurious about this too, kids these days probably don't care about him. They care if someone who played when they were kids growing up showed up. Like Justin Tuck, or Osi, Eli etc. Bringing in LT was probably for their social media team to get some clicks.

I wonder too how a guy like Bill Belichick is received by kids who were toddlers last time he won a superbowl.
He is 73, and having to connect/ recruit these kids it must be a total shock to him. Do the kids even care about things he did years ago,  do they bond with him over having girlfriends the same age? Or do they want the young coach, who can get them riled up, and have a strong relationship with them? I find it interesting.

I just realized I am so old now that "goat" was meant for guys like Bill Buckner from the red sox. Goat was when you really screwed up. Now it means the total opposite      Buckner was a good player, I guess his grandkids are ok with him being the Goat all these years later..

Same here...maybe because I read so many Bill Gallo memes/cartoons in the old NY Daily News back in the day. He routinely posted heroes vs. goats after games or a "Goat of the Week", and always had "Basement Bertha" as the ultimate fan of the underdog teams, usually sitting in the corner of whoever was the goat of the week...lol

I still have a hard time hearing someone be called a "goat" in a positive manner

Maybe I disagree. EVERYONE knows LT as the greatest defensive football player EVER. I don't care how old you are, you are a football player, and you have to know the greats of the game. You might need to watch a highlite reel of LT's plays to realize how great he really was and maybe these guys aren't in awe of him as they might have been if he was still playing, but LT will always be LT and if you are a football player you will know him and heed his words.

 I never saw Joe DiMaggio play, but if he were to walk into a room, I would know him, know of him, and respect him to no end. Same can be said for many of the greatest athletes. Does anyone think anyone would not be in awe of Mohammed Ali if he ever walked into a room, no matter if you ever saw him box? LT, like the others, was the greatest o f all time and, I'm sure, they all know it.

I've heard Bill, and bill talk about the very high level of football intelligence that LT had/has. He did know everyone's role on D. He also slept through meetings. He also should have told them the goal of the defense is a high number of tent deposits from hard, by the rule hits.

Quote from: LennG on May 22, 2025, 01:52:35 PMMaybe I disagree. EVERYONE knows LT as the greatest defensive football player EVER. I don't care how old you are, you are a football player, and you have to know the greats of the game. You might need to watch a highlite reel of LT's plays to realize how great he really was and maybe these guys aren't in awe of him as they might have been if he was still playing, but LT will always be LT and if you are a football player you will know him and heed his words.

 I never saw Joe DiMaggio play, but if he were to walk into a room, I would know him, know of him, and respect him to no end. Same can be said for many of the greatest athletes. Does anyone think anyone would not be in awe of Mohammed Ali if he ever walked into a room, no matter if you ever saw him box? LT, like the others, was the greatest o f all time and, I'm sure, they all know it.

Lenn, I was just going to post something very similar.

Quote from: LennG on May 22, 2025, 01:52:35 PMMaybe I disagree. EVERYONE knows LT as the greatest defensive football player EVER. I don't care how old you are, you are a football player, and you have to know the greats of the game. You might need to watch a highlite reel of LT's plays to realize how great he really was and maybe these guys aren't in awe of him as they might have been if he was still playing, but LT will always be LT and if you are a football player you will know him and heed his words.

 I never saw Joe DiMaggio play, but if he were to walk into a room, I would know him, know of him, and respect him to no end. Same can be said for many of the greatest athletes. Does anyone think anyone would not be in awe of Mohammed Ali if he ever walked into a room, no matter if you ever saw him box? LT, like the others, was the greatest o f all time and, I'm sure, they all know it.

Lenn, I don't know if you ever read the book, "The Summer of '41" by Micheal Seidel, but he writes about Dimaggio, "The Yankee Clipper" who won 9 W.S. rings. According to Ted Williams, he said, "His (Dimaggio's) career cannot be summed up in numbers and awards. It might sound corny, but he had a profound impact on the country."

One story out of the book that I'll never forget as long as I live. It was that summer (for which the book is written) that the Yankees had clinched their division by a ridiculous margin. So the last few games of the season, most starters rested or took turns resting to prepare for the playoffs, and played rather casually to avoid injury. Not Joe, in fact, in a game in which they were ahead by 8 runs, Joe ran down a long fly ball and had to dive face first into the turf to catch the ball. When asked after the game, "Joe, what are you doing - the game was won - you could hurt yourself before the playoffs?" Dimaggio replied, "not everyone has a lot of money. There are fans in the stadium who had to save in order to watch this game, many who might be watching their first, and maybe only live game in their lives. I owe it to them to play every game as hard as I possibly can, because those people deserve nothing more than my absolute best". Class act without compare

Quote from: LennG on May 22, 2025, 01:52:35 PMMaybe I disagree. EVERYONE knows LT as the greatest defensive football player EVER. I don't care how old you are, you are a football player, and you have to know the greats of the game. You might need to watch a highlite reel of LT's plays to realize how great he really was and maybe these guys aren't in awe of him as they might have been if he was still playing, but LT will always be LT and if you are a football player you will know him and heed his words.

 I never saw Joe DiMaggio play, but if he were to walk into a room, I would know him, know of him, and respect him to no end. Same can be said for many of the greatest athletes. Does anyone think anyone would not be in awe of Mohammed Ali if he ever walked into a room, no matter if you ever saw him box? LT, like the others, was the greatest o f all time and, I'm sure, they all know it.

I saw Ali once after a Maurice Stokes Game played by NBA players at Kutcher's Resort in Monticello during the summer of 70'. He held court(no pun intended), and I got within 10-15 feet.  It was an annual benefit event back then. I was 13, and got numerous autographs. Auerbach was parading Cowens who he recently drafted. The teams were made up mostly with NBA All-Stars. Wilt, Willis, The Big O, Bob Lanier(biggest feet I ever saw), Dave Bing, Cunningham etc. It was like a game in the Rucker Tournament, a schoolyard game.

Quote from: MightyGiants on May 22, 2025, 12:42:18 PMI wondered how well his visit was received, considering he retired before any of them were born.  At the very least, I suspect his name-dropping of teammates didn't hit the mark with them.

Rich: The guys who really love playing football knew almost every name he mentioned, IMO, but there IS an element of how much the game has changed since he played.

I can see a lot of them watching his film and saying something like "hey, any real good NFL linebacker does that stuff these days." In other words, they might mistakenly take it out-of-context and miss the point... he did it when NO ONE else was doing it. He was "the original."

It's the same with movies. You might see (for example) high praise in the industry for Charlie Chaplin and think "same old, same old" while forgetting that all the "moves" you see were ORIGINATED (and essentially "invented") by Chaplin, then copied by all the guys who lived during your lifetime. It's a thing you have to be old to appreciate (so many of us here can relate).

Bob