Role Players With A SB Ring That People Felt Good For

[JohnR]

Paul Lowe and Tom Flores with the Chiefs -- Lowe had a case for the HOF had he continued to stay healthy and Flores had been one of the few players to play the entire existence of the league.

You have to feel a little sorry for Flores. In '67 he gets traded to a team who'd been in 3 consecutive title games, from a team that would play in the NEXT 3 title games. That might
say something about his quarterbacking skills...or not.

[Brian wolf]

Good call on Banaszak. Other Raiders to feel good for since the team believed in free agent signings, aging veterans and castoffs were ...

Bob Chandler -- a Fred Biletnikoff clone and tough receiver who came from Buffalo and had a great 1980 season for the Raiders.

Raymond Chester -- who might have been a HOF TE had he not been traded by the Raiders to Baltimore, though he helped a young Bert Jones. Was a factor for the 80 Raiders team as Casper was traded.

Cedric Hardman -- The Dwight Freeney of the 70s without the spin move. A great natural pass rusher who got ran inside enough to not make the HOF but after getting disfavored and injured in Bill Walsh's first year with the Niners, helped the Raiders win a ring in Oakland.

Lyle Alzado -- another former great with another team who still was strong as a DE and finally got his ring in 1983/84

[JuggernautJ]

Can add Kenny King and Dan Pastorini to the list on Raiders who got a ring.
King had labored behind Earl Campbell in Houston and, of course, Pastorini contributed greatly to the Raiders Super Bowl run by getting injured and clearing the way for Jim Plunkett to lead the team to glory.

[Brian wolf]

A truly bittersweet ring for Pastorini who was basically done after trying to replace Ferragamo with the Rams in 1981. He had to have felt good for Plunkett but probably should have stayed in Houston unless he had a falling out with Bum.

Another former star was Ottis Anderson who got hurt in St louis, became a role player with the Giants and then had his big day in the sun as SB MVP. Should he be in the HOF ? I say yes, though a trying career.

[Bryan]

Pete Banaszak. He was kind of a super-sub. Filled in well when Daniels went down in '67 (which crazy enough led to SI creating a poster of him). Also, when Hubbard was injured in '75 he was a scoring machine. Great quickness made him an indispensable short yardage back. His two TD plunges in SB XI capped a career of doing much of the dirty work.

For the latter part of Banaszak's career, he was the oldest RB in the NFL. Interesting player for an interesting topic.

Babe Parilli, SB III - was Steelers QB coach in 73, and they considered activating him when injuries hit all at once. That would have been incredible.

Ernie Ladd, SB IV - did he get a ring?

Jimmy Orr, SB V - not sure if role player, but he missed out on the 58/59 titles and lived through SB III.

Tony McGee, SB XVII - Mac the Sack was a really underrated player. Always could rush the passer.

In 1979, the Chargers blew out the Rams 40-16, and it seemed like all of the players on that field ended up on the early 80's Niners. Charlie Young, Jack Reynolds, Wendell Tyler, Louie Kelcher, Fred Dean, Gary Johnson, Dan Audick, Billy Shields...throw in other guys like Russ Francis and Manu Tuiasosopo, and perhaps the 1984 Niners were the NFL's first "super team" instead of the 1994 Niners.

[Gary Najman]

Good call on Paul Hofer. I believe his teammate Lenvil Elliott also should be on this list. He had a great drive before The Catch. He didn't play in Super Bowl XVI (injuries?) and he shortly retired after a 9-year career.

Another great call on Tony McGee. The Super Bowl XVII Redskins had many veterans who were role players by then (Joe Washington, Rich Caster, Joe Lavender, Wilbur Jackson, Garry Puetz).

[Brian wolf]

Great call guys ...

Since Walsh went with Elliot against Dallas, he was determined to allow Patton to be starting again in the SB, so both players had to suck it up. Coming from TB, Johnny Davis had to be happy about a ring as well.

Pretty sure Ladd got the ring with the Chiefs. Gary Johnson was a great addition to the 49ers 84 champion.

Does anyone know if Wes Chandler got a ring with the Niners in 1988/89 ?

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

I second both Don Beebe and Louie Kelcher. Those were the first two that I thought of.

[Ronfitch]

I second both Don Beebe and Louie Kelcher. Those were the first two that I thought of.

Beebe was the first I thought of. I remember watching an early Packer practice open to the public and Beebe was not only the fastest WR but he was catching absolutely everything in his direction that day, outshining Brooks, Freeman, Mays, Howard ... none of them looked as good as Beebe that day.

I am going to throw Drew Bledsoe out there. He was young and promising and had just signed a then-record NFL contract in the off-season going into 2001. Second game of the season, Bledsoe gets seriously injured (internal bleeding) and misses several weeks. By the time he is back, Tom Brady was firmly entrenched as the starter and Bledoe the backup, getting a ring that season. As Brady's backup, though, Bledsoe did play a pivotal role in the Patriots' playoff run, coming in for a beatup Brady in the AFC Championship game against the Steelers, leading the Patriots offense that paired with a tough Patriots defense to beat the favored Steelers to advance to the Super Bowl.

[Brian wolf]

Though I wasnt a Redskins fan, the 1991/92 team had several people to feel good for like Gerald Riggs who had played on bad Falcon teams, Earnest Byner, who had to forget about "The Fumble" in Denver for the Browns, Brian Mitchell, the all-time special teams yardage leader and Jumpy Geathers, an underrated pass rusher off the bench ...

The 92/93 -93/94 Cowboys had an aging but deserving Jim Jeffcoat, Bill Bates who starred on special teams for years and Bernie Kosar in 93/94, who got cut by Cleveland before holding off the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Issiac Holt wasn't around for the back-to-back championships but deserved his ring in 92/93. A physical, though slower cornerback, he was the last player that Jimmy Johnson kept from the Great Train Robbery of Viking's players/draft picks for Herschel Walker.

Though I am still upset about the 49er salary cap-defensive All-Star team from 1994/95, I was happy to see Rickey Jackson get a ring beating the Chargers. I may be the ONLY one who believes he was as good, or better an overrall linebacker than Lawrence Taylor ...