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This compilation shows a lot of elusive runners, high school, college, and the pro, with a lot of great jukes and starts and stops, and this really might be the heart of football. This cover photo is from an Oct. 25, 1998, game in which Detroit's
Barry Sanders (#20) is attempting to elude Minnesota's
Corey Fuller (#27),
Ed McDaniel (#58), and
Dixon Edwards (#59).
In the 1991 season, Barry rushed for 1,548 yards and Detroit went 12-4 to win their division. In the playoffs, they beat Dallas big time before losing to Washington big time in the NFC Championship.
In the 1997 season, Barry rushed for 2,053 yards. At the time, he was just the fourth player to exceed the 2,000 yard threshold for a single season (including Herschel Walker in the USFL in 1985). And in this banner year, Barry's offense line included
Ray Roberts (LT),
Mike Compton (LG),
Kevin Glover(C),
Jeff Hartings (RG),
Larry Tharpe (RT). And
Tommy Vardell (FB) was a fellow running back who most commonly started games with Barry.
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Jerry Kramer (#64) played right guard for the Green Bay Packers for eleven seasons from 1958 through 1968 (although missing the '64 season for medical reasons unrelated to football). Green Bay won championships in 1961, '62, '65, '66, and '67, with these last two also being the first two Superbowls. Jerry was selected All-Pro six times.
In the 1962 NFL Championship, Jerry also recovered a fumble and kicked three field goals with Green Bay defeating the New York Giants 16-7.
Jerry is most famous for the "Kramer block" in "The Ice Bowl" on Dec. 31, 1967. Center
Ken Bowman (#57) helped out and should receive credit. It was third down, there were only 16 seconds left with no more time-outs, and the ball was on the 1-yard line. Coach
Vince Lombardi and quarterback
Bart Starr decided to go for the win via the quarterback sneak. The Packers scored and went on to win Superbowl II. This video claims this is the most famous block in the history of pro football. It defines Kramer. And it also defines Lombardi and his philosophy of football.
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Again, maybe the heart of football is the artful running. So perhaps radical rule changes where you simply have to corral the player, maybe with two defenders. Maybe even something like a rule similar to two-below that you have to get one hand on the hip and on shoulder on the opposite side?
CTE most probably comes from both concussions and accumulated lesser blows, like what happened to Mike Webster.