Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

http://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/ ... -team.html

Friday, April 15, 2016
Dolphins All Career-Year Team
LOOKING BACK
By John Turney

I pretty much agree with all of the first team selections. John, is there any outlying reason you chose Jim Langer's 1973 over his 1975 season for the 2nd team? I've always leaned towards his 1975 season myself. Do you have any grades for Langer during his all-pro years?

paulksandiego wrote:I pretty much agree with all of the first team selections. John, is there any outlying reason you chose Jim Langer's 1973 over his 1975 season for the 2nd team? I've always leaned towards his 1975 season myself. Do you have any grades for Langer during his all-pro years?

No, I do know that Dr Z picked him in 1973 . .. so I went with that, plus the Super Bowl, but 1975 may have been better . . . but I do think you are right, and wuill make the change.

Very enjoyable read.
Can you imagine having a backfield with Delvin Williams and Mercury Morris in it?
And those are the second team guys.

Marv Fleming would say Marv Fleming should rate at least an honorable mention.
Just ask Marv Fleming.

At first I was shocked to see Zach Thomas on the 2nd team.... But you can't pick him over Buoniconti at MLB.

JuggernautJ wrote:Very enjoyable read.
Can you imagine having a backfield with Delvin Williams and Mercury Morris in it?
And those are the second team guys.

Marv Fleming would say Marv Fleming should rate at least an honorable mention.
Just ask Marv Fleming.

Williams was retired by the time I started watching games. NFL fans my age and younger tend to not know anything about him. I have enjoyed watching old 49ers action with him on the team. He had a smooth, gliding type of running style. Cadillac Williams, before the injuries, ran and played similar to Delvin Williams.

ChrisBabcock wrote:At first I was shocked to see Zach Thomas on the 2nd team.... But you can't pick him over Buoniconti at MLB.

The thing about Zach Thomas and his All-Pros, they came at a time when the AP was selecting two ILBer for their All-pro team, the post-1985 or so era, I cannot remember offhand and too lazy to look it up, but in the 1980s it was a 3-4 era, until about early 1990s. Then, the 4-3 was far more popular from about 1995 on, but with several teams using hybrid 3-4/4-3 looks.

Anyway, the AP still chooses two ILBer. Zach Thomas only made AP All-Pro teams. So, did he benefit from the AP All-Pro alignment? How many times would he have beaten out Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher if there were only one vote for an ILBer.

Not taking anything away from him, or saying he's not a great player, but in the late-50s early 60s the MLBer often took up all three slots on the All-Pro team and I wonder who would have been the MLB from, say, 1956-63 or so if only one of George, Huff, Nitschke, Schmidt could be selected.

We have lots of vote totals, but still, it's hard to know.

I touched on this in the article, but will be doing a fuller expansion on it, and TJ touched on it, with Fortunato, Haziltime, etc not getting All-Pro mentions since their "slots" went to MLBers

http://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/ ... -team.html


Sunday, April 17, 2016
Cowboys All Career-Year Team
OPINION
By John Turney

I would have liked to see Tony Nathan 81 on the Dolphins team over Davenport. Pretty good year rushing receiving and who can forget the Hook-and-lateral (even in a loss) to top it off? Duriel Harris was mentioned as not being a starter, but he was actually the #1 receiver for a few years including the strike shortened season they lost to the Redskins in the SB. I would've taken Harris's 82 season despite the numbers not looking good, some of the catches were big.

TanksAndSpartans wrote:I would have liked to see Tony Nathan on the Dolphins team over Davenport.

It's a fair comment, I added him as hm, but in 1980 he started six games, and in 1986 he was in the pure role. Inbetween he was a starter, and thought of him as a good receiving back, but not a "specialist". But, even so, your opinion is just as valid as mine.