Paul Coffman from the ‘80’s Packers. He was a great complementary option to James Lofton. I always felt he was an underrated player who was a key behind the scenes contributor for some memorable Packer offenses in the 80’s. He came across as humble and a good teammate - always an easy guy to root for. This year’s Packers could sorely use a TE like old #82 on their squad.
Probably not hyperbole to say they haven't had a tight end like that since, too, eh? Wild that an elite franchise hasn't really had an elite tight end for so long. Do wonder what could've been of Jermichael Finley's career if he hadn't suffered that career-ending neck injury. I know his name alone can get some fans riled up but, gosh, he was talented. At his peak, Finley was remarkably athletic, fast, a freak in the open field.
Great call. Marv Cook makes his way into the book a few times, too. Kirk Ferentz explains how Iowa discovered him and Cook had a funny line to Dante Scarnecchia after seeing a rookie Ben Coates in the first 7 on 7 drill: "Thanks a lot." He knew it was over right then for him as the starter.
Mike Ditka. We saw him in SB 6 in New Orleans in 1972, his last season, when he was with Dallas. He caught a TD pass from Staubach in the end zone right in front of us. It was Dallas's final score. I got a snapshot of it. I still have that picture. Dallas beat Miami 24-3.
Whoa, very, very cool. What a memory. Loved learning about Ditka's Cowboys years, which have gotten so lost in time. He had such a huge, huge impact on that team beyond catching passes.
No discussion of great tight ends would be complete without the mention of Marv Fleming. He played on many championship teams and made a key block on Bart Starr's quarterback sneak in the Ice Bowl.
Great call, Ron. When I talked to Dave Robinson for Ditka and Mackey, he also really went out of his way to say Ron Kramer could've been the best of the best of the best. Had all the rare physical gifts for that time, but obviously Vince Lombardi preferred that power sweep over throwing it all over the yard!
John Mackey. The toughest TE to ever bring down. Broke so many tackles, ran over/thru more tacklers than anyone. Gronkowski and Ditka were the closest. Johnny Unitas and Mackey were quite the duo! There are others who were great pass catchers (Winslow, Jackson, Gonzalez, Newsome, Sharpe, etc) but lacked the sheer strength and toughness of Mackey.
Loved learning about Mackey for the second chapter in Blood and Guts, Danno. Found myself watching as much of his grainy footage on YouTube as I possibly could. John Mackey really struck me as the superhero bringing John Facenda's rhetoric to life. Right when the violence of the sport was being romanticized by NFL Films -- and elevating pro football to something much bigger, much different than the other pro sports leagues -- Mackey was such a spectacle. I think you'll enjoy the stories from Bill Curry and Ernie Accorsi. Was blown away by his presence and humble nature. Funny story, too: One prankster on the team (Tom Matte) stuck 17-year cicadas in his pants as a joke and Mackey had to rip 'em off mid-practice in the middle of a huddle. In Mackey fashion, he laughed it off. Never too himself too seriously.
Jason Witten, of course. One of the greatest tight ends. Blocking, catching, shoot, he didn't even need a helmet. He set the standard for TEs for over a decade.
Hard to argue with his numbers. And there aren't many players capable of putting a singular play on the map like he did with the Y option. While Witten's life and times aren't encapsulated with a full chapter in the book, we've got a handful of "mini chapters" scattered throughout and Bill Parcells broke down how that route came to be.
Keith Jackson university of Oklahoma edition. An incredible receiving threat on a wishbone-running team that never passed. Big, athletic, great blocker and very fun to watch.
No doubt about it, Ben. He had a pretty big role of that '96 Packers team. We probably don't talk about that enough. The fact that the Packers suddenly had two tight ends who could do damage -- Mark Chmura and Jackson -- helped Favre get to another level through those three straight MVP seasons.
One nugget from the book. Kirk Ferentz said that the only time Bill Belichick appeared flustered as a coach, when they were together in Cleveland, was ahead of the '95 game against Green Bay. Preparing for *two* dynamic tight ends had him stressed. Knew back then what it could all do schematically.
I always enjoyed watching Ben Coates for the Patriots in the 90s. Big, burly guy. Great hands, always seemed to catch everything. Humble and quiet off the field too. Brent Jones on those great 49ers teams was fun to watch too.
Mark Bavaro from the 80's Giants. One tough TE. Quiet, never injured and always gave it 100%. Never took a down off. Never forgot the 49er game our Championship year on Monday night when he caught a pass over the middle and carried what seemed like the entire 49er Defense literally on h is back for a 20+ yard gain. Amazing.
Mark Bavaro - to me the ultimate “prototypical “ TE - did everything very well and tough physical player. I’ve read that the battles between Bavaro and Carl Banks in practice for years were legendary
Another overlooked Giants TE was Howard Cross one of the best blocking tight ends of the era. In 1989 and 1990 the giants had both Bavaro and Cross ...now that’s a TE tandem.
Ed West. Just because of his nickname, "The Toolbox." And his longevity, many years in Green Bay, think 13-14 years in NFL, and was never a premier passing game target. Something to be said for guys at that position who play a long, long time and are primarily blockers or 2nd/3rd TE types.
Mark Bavaro. Great blocker. Great receiver. Tough as nails. Played with a broken jaw. Arguably made the greatest TE play in history against Ronnie Lott and seven other Niners in ‘86. Injuries cut short an amazing talent. After LT, probably Parcells’ favorite player.
Ron Kramer was one of the pioneers of the position and named to the NFL’s 50th anniversary team. The Lombardi sweep worked best during his years with GB. It is likely that GB never had a TE as good as it’s first one.
What happened to the packers content? The current packers week to week? Am I missing something? Where is that coverage? I’m not interested in McGinns opinion of 40 years ago.
Paul Coffman from the ‘80’s Packers. He was a great complementary option to James Lofton. I always felt he was an underrated player who was a key behind the scenes contributor for some memorable Packer offenses in the 80’s. He came across as humble and a good teammate - always an easy guy to root for. This year’s Packers could sorely use a TE like old #82 on their squad.
Probably not hyperbole to say they haven't had a tight end like that since, too, eh? Wild that an elite franchise hasn't really had an elite tight end for so long. Do wonder what could've been of Jermichael Finley's career if he hadn't suffered that career-ending neck injury. I know his name alone can get some fans riled up but, gosh, he was talented. At his peak, Finley was remarkably athletic, fast, a freak in the open field.
Just interviewed Paul and his son Chase for a feature in a Packers magazine. Good dudes!
Marv Cook was my guy. Absolute shame he got surpassed/overlooked by Ben Coates. He was the Pats only threat on Super Tecmo Bowl.......
Great call. Marv Cook makes his way into the book a few times, too. Kirk Ferentz explains how Iowa discovered him and Cook had a funny line to Dante Scarnecchia after seeing a rookie Ben Coates in the first 7 on 7 drill: "Thanks a lot." He knew it was over right then for him as the starter.
Mike Ditka. We saw him in SB 6 in New Orleans in 1972, his last season, when he was with Dallas. He caught a TD pass from Staubach in the end zone right in front of us. It was Dallas's final score. I got a snapshot of it. I still have that picture. Dallas beat Miami 24-3.
Whoa, very, very cool. What a memory. Loved learning about Ditka's Cowboys years, which have gotten so lost in time. He had such a huge, huge impact on that team beyond catching passes.
No discussion of great tight ends would be complete without the mention of Marv Fleming. He played on many championship teams and made a key block on Bart Starr's quarterback sneak in the Ice Bowl.
Great call, Ron. When I talked to Dave Robinson for Ditka and Mackey, he also really went out of his way to say Ron Kramer could've been the best of the best of the best. Had all the rare physical gifts for that time, but obviously Vince Lombardi preferred that power sweep over throwing it all over the yard!
John Mackey. The toughest TE to ever bring down. Broke so many tackles, ran over/thru more tacklers than anyone. Gronkowski and Ditka were the closest. Johnny Unitas and Mackey were quite the duo! There are others who were great pass catchers (Winslow, Jackson, Gonzalez, Newsome, Sharpe, etc) but lacked the sheer strength and toughness of Mackey.
Loved learning about Mackey for the second chapter in Blood and Guts, Danno. Found myself watching as much of his grainy footage on YouTube as I possibly could. John Mackey really struck me as the superhero bringing John Facenda's rhetoric to life. Right when the violence of the sport was being romanticized by NFL Films -- and elevating pro football to something much bigger, much different than the other pro sports leagues -- Mackey was such a spectacle. I think you'll enjoy the stories from Bill Curry and Ernie Accorsi. Was blown away by his presence and humble nature. Funny story, too: One prankster on the team (Tom Matte) stuck 17-year cicadas in his pants as a joke and Mackey had to rip 'em off mid-practice in the middle of a huddle. In Mackey fashion, he laughed it off. Never too himself too seriously.
Kellen Winslow with Dan Fouts and Air Coryell was fun to watch. The Nat Moore Helicopter catch was the most memorable TE catch for me.
Such a fun time talking to Dan Fouts about that offense. Decades ahead of their time.
Wow, those two could go AT IT during a game, too.
Jason Witten, of course. One of the greatest tight ends. Blocking, catching, shoot, he didn't even need a helmet. He set the standard for TEs for over a decade.
Hard to argue with his numbers. And there aren't many players capable of putting a singular play on the map like he did with the Y option. While Witten's life and times aren't encapsulated with a full chapter in the book, we've got a handful of "mini chapters" scattered throughout and Bill Parcells broke down how that route came to be.
Keith Jackson university of Oklahoma edition. An incredible receiving threat on a wishbone-running team that never passed. Big, athletic, great blocker and very fun to watch.
No doubt about it, Ben. He had a pretty big role of that '96 Packers team. We probably don't talk about that enough. The fact that the Packers suddenly had two tight ends who could do damage -- Mark Chmura and Jackson -- helped Favre get to another level through those three straight MVP seasons.
One nugget from the book. Kirk Ferentz said that the only time Bill Belichick appeared flustered as a coach, when they were together in Cleveland, was ahead of the '95 game against Green Bay. Preparing for *two* dynamic tight ends had him stressed. Knew back then what it could all do schematically.
I always enjoyed watching Ben Coates for the Patriots in the 90s. Big, burly guy. Great hands, always seemed to catch everything. Humble and quiet off the field too. Brent Jones on those great 49ers teams was fun to watch too.
Mark Bavaro from the 80's Giants. One tough TE. Quiet, never injured and always gave it 100%. Never took a down off. Never forgot the 49er game our Championship year on Monday night when he caught a pass over the middle and carried what seemed like the entire 49er Defense literally on h is back for a 20+ yard gain. Amazing.
Mark Bavaro - to me the ultimate “prototypical “ TE - did everything very well and tough physical player. I’ve read that the battles between Bavaro and Carl Banks in practice for years were legendary
Another overlooked Giants TE was Howard Cross one of the best blocking tight ends of the era. In 1989 and 1990 the giants had both Bavaro and Cross ...now that’s a TE tandem.
Ed West. Just because of his nickname, "The Toolbox." And his longevity, many years in Green Bay, think 13-14 years in NFL, and was never a premier passing game target. Something to be said for guys at that position who play a long, long time and are primarily blockers or 2nd/3rd TE types.
Mark Bavaro. Great blocker. Great receiver. Tough as nails. Played with a broken jaw. Arguably made the greatest TE play in history against Ronnie Lott and seven other Niners in ‘86. Injuries cut short an amazing talent. After LT, probably Parcells’ favorite player.
Tony Gonzalez. Hooper.
Ron Kramer was one of the pioneers of the position and named to the NFL’s 50th anniversary team. The Lombardi sweep worked best during his years with GB. It is likely that GB never had a TE as good as it’s first one.
What happened to the packers content? The current packers week to week? Am I missing something? Where is that coverage? I’m not interested in McGinns opinion of 40 years ago.