Jim Taylor, Fullback, 73

Jim Taylor, fullback for the Green Bay Packers in the Lombardi era, is 73 today. Jim Taylor was the epitome of the word "power sweep." Tough, strong, tough, compact, tough, quick, and tough, Taylor used to run through defenders. There is tape of him running to daylight, being able to run past a safety downfield down the sideline, but turning toward the center of the field just to run over the safety. Very cool. He was to the Pack offense what Ray Nitschke was to the defense.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Paul Brown, Greatest Football Coach in History, Born 100 Years Ago

Paul Brown was born 100 years ago today. Paul Brown was the greatest coach in football history, I think (as do others), and I think that I can make the case.

Brown might not have been the greatest coach in high school football history. But he did create the myth and legend of the Massillon Tigers High School program, which lays claim as the greatest high school program in football history. It is certainly among the top high school teams in football history. Brown was 80-8-2 in nine years at Massillon, with six state championships. Combined with his 16-1-1 mark at Severn, a Naval Academy prep school, before taking over the Massillon program, Brown was 96-9-3 record in 11 years as a high school coach. Maybe not the greatest … but maybe.

Brown was not the greatest coach in college football history. But he did win a National Championship in his second season as Ohio State's coach, in 1942. He lost most of his team to the war effort the next year, and his Baby Bucks went 3-6 in 1943, his final season as a college coach before going into the Navy. He was 18-8-1 in three years as the Buckeye's head coach. Good … not the greatest.

Brown might not have been the greatest coach in pro football history. But in his first 13 season in the NFL, as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Brown was 111-44-5. If I am calculating that correctly (I'm not sure how to calculate ties … I think you throw them out), he had a better-than 71 percent winning percentage. In those 13 seasons, he won three NFL titles, went to the Championship Game seven times, and went to the postseason eight times. Vince Lombardi was 89-29-4 in his nine years as the Packers head coach (.754 winning percentage), with five NFL titles (two Super Bowl wins) and an additional appearance in the Championship Game. Brown's first nine years in the NFL compare very favorably. Brown was 81-25-2 (.764 winning percentage?), three NFL titles (pre-Super Bowl), and an additional five appearances in the Championship Game. Maybe not the greatest … but maybe.

There are other things, of course, including the four AAFC Championships, the Great Lakes Naval Station teams, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown, a member of the Cradle of Coaches at Miami University, was innovative, using classrooms and inventing the facemask, etc. Taken all together, certainly a very good argument can be made that Paul Brown was the greatest football coach of all time.

The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team update

Here is the update on The OldCleat All Did Not Get Drafted Team. There were seven players that when given the chance impressed coaches enough to make the active squad. There were six players that were waived but then put on apractice squad (mostly their own teams, but Titus Brown was signed by the Browns after being cut by the Dolphins. One retired from football instead of trying the NFL. There are 13 players out of 39 on the list who will be with their teams when the season starts.

Xavier Lee - QB 6'4" 232 Florida State Baltimore Ravens
Lee was moved to TE from QB and dropped not far into training camp.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB 5'11" 220 Mississippi New England Patriots
Green-Ellis was waived on final cutdown, but was re-signed to the Pats practice squad.

Dionte Johnson - FB 6'0" 238 Ohio State Arizona Cardinals
Johnson was waived on final cutdown.

Kalvin McRae - RB 5'9" 208 Ohio Kansas City Chiefs
McRae was waived during traning camp.

Kregg Lumpkin - RB 6'0" 226 Georgia Green Bay Packers
Lumpkin made the Packers' active roster, beating out Vernand Morency and Noah Herron for a roster spot.

Dantrell Savage - RB 5'8" 187 Oklahoma State Kansas City Chiefs
Dantrell Savage made the Chiefs' active roster.

Tony Temple - RB 5'9" 210 Missouri Cleveland Browns
Temple signed with the Browns and was waived during camp. He then tried out for Bills. Can't see that he was signed.

Dorien Bryant - WR 5'10" 169 Purdue Pittsburgh Steelers
Bryant failed the physical for Steelers ... And he didn't appear to be signed by anyone else.

D.J. Hall - WR 6'2" 190 Alabama New York Giants
Hall was cut by the Giants near final cutdown day.

Maurice Purify - WR 6'3" 224 Nebraska Cincinnati Bengals
Purify was waived by the Bengals near final cutdown day, then was re-signed to the Bengals practice squad.

Todd Blythe - WR 6'6" 209 Iowa State New Orleans Saints

Blythe was waived before final cutdown day.

Taj Smith - WR 6'1" 187 Syracuse Green Bay Packers
Taj Smith was cut by the Packers during training camp, and tried out for the Jaguars.

Digger Bujnoch - OT 6'5" 290 Cincinnati New York Giants
OK ... I have to admit that Digger was going to make OldCleat's All Did Not Get Drafted Team mostly because of his dad, Glenn Bujnoch, former Bengal guard. But Digger was a pretty good player in his own right. Bujnoch was placed on injured reserved instead of being cut by the Giants because of a sprained knee.

Robert Felton - OG 6'4" 313 Arkansas Buffalo Bills
Felton was waived by the Bills on final cutdown day.

Adam Kraus - OG 6'6" 305 Michigan Baltimore Ravens
Kraus was waived by the Ravens during final cutdown day.

Drew Miller - OT 6'5" 302 Florida Jacksonville Jaguars
Miller was waived by the Jaguars on final cutdown day, then was re-signed to the Jags' practice squad.

Martin O'Donnell - OG 6'5" 312 Illinois Retired
O'Donnell battled leg and foot injuries during his college career and decided to not pursue an NFL career.

Tyler Polumbus - OT 6'8" 312 Colorado Denver Broncos
Polumbus made the Broncos active roster.

Drew Radovich - OT 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Minnesota Vikings
Radovich made the Vikings active roster.

Matt Spanos - C 6'5" 305 Southern Cal Miami Dolphins
Spanos was waived during final roster cutdown.

Chris McDuffie - G 6'4" 330 Clemson Kansas City Chiefs

Originally incorrectly listed as a defensive tackle (sorry about that), McDuffie was waived during camp at some point.

Tommy Blake - DE 6'3" 272 TCU - tryout Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tommy Blake was a highly regarded prospect but had issues with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder that made him miss several games his senior year. He had a tryout, at least, with the Buccaneers, but it doesn't appear that he was signed. I can find no additional information on him.

Jeremy Geathers - DE 6'2" 256 UNLV New Orleans Saints
Geathers -- Jumpy Geathers's son -- was waived in final cutdown.

Wallace Gilberry - DE 6'3" 263 Alabama New York Giants
Gilberry was waived in final cutdown, then was re-signed by the Giants for the practice squad.

James McClinton - DT 6'0" 289 Kansas Kanas City Chiefs
Was given a tryout by Chiefs but was not signed, apparently. Can find no further info on him.

Darrell Robertson - DE 6'5" 245 Georgia Tech Dallas Cowboys
Robertson was waived in final roster cutdown.

Titus Brown - OLB 6'3" 239 Mississippi State Miami Dolphins
Brown was cut during final roster cutdown by the Dolphins, but the Browns signed Brown to their practice squad.

Vince Hall - ILB 6'0" 238 Virginia Tech St. Louis Rams
Hall was waived with an injury early in camp by the Rams. He had a hamstring injury.

Ali Highsmith - OLB 6'0" 226 LSU Arizona Cardinals
Highsmith made the Arizona active roster.

Jeremy Leman - LB 6'2" 240 Illinois Minnesota Vikings
Leman was cut on final cutdown.

Ben Moffitt - OLB 6'1" 234 South Florida Houston Texans
Moffitt was waived in final cutdown.

Wesley Woodyard - OLB 6'1" 227 Kentucky Denver Broncos
Woodyard made the Broncos active roster.

Simeon Castille - CB 6'0" 190 Alabama Cincinnati Bengals
Simeon Castille made the Bengals active roster.

D.J. Wolfe - CB 5'11" 207 Oklahoma Atlanta Falcons
Wolfe was cut during training camp by the Falcons.

Jamar Adams - S 6'2" 212 Michigan Seattle Seahawks
Adams was released by the Seahawks on final cutdown day but was re-signed by the Seahawks to the practice squad.

Cornelius Brown - S 5'11" 200 Missouri Kansas City Chiefs
Pig Brown was waived by the Chiefs sometime during training camp, but I can't find when.

Marcus Griffin - FS 5'10" 201 Texas Minnesota Vikings
Marcus Griffin was waived by the Vikings near the beginning of camp.

Tony Joiner - FS 6'0" 215 Florida Tennessee Titans
Tony Joiner was waived during final roster cutdown.

Nehemiah Warrick - SS 6'1" 210 Michigan State New York Giants
Warrick was waived near the beginning of Giant training camp with an injury.

Paul Dietzel, Cradle of Coaches Coach, Turns 84

Paul Dietzel, one of the four I believe Miami University Cradle of Coaches coaches who have won a National Championship, is 84 today.

Born September 5, 1924, Paul Dietzel served in World War II. After serving, he was an All-American center from Miami University. After he was graduated in 1948, Dietzel was an assistant under Red Blaik and Bear Bryant, two of the greatest coaches in history. Blaik was one of the four Miami coaches who went on to win a National Championship. The others were Paul Brown (in my opinion the greatest football coach of all time), Ara Parseghian, and Woody Hayes.

Dietzel became the head coach at LSU in 1955. He was credited with popularizing the platoon system when, in 1958, he won a National Championship with a starting team, the White Team, that was the starting offensive and defensive unit, the Gold Team, which was the second string offense, and the Chinese Bandits, the second string defense. The Chinese Bandits have gained fame for being smaller, quicker, less talented but more ferocious players. Dietzel went on to coach at Army and South Carolina.

There is a great article from Bud Johnson of the Advocate on the magical 1958 LSU Season. That is where the image is from.

thankyouverymuch,

OldCleat

Miami Redhawks football ... livin' the dream

Miami Redhawks play at the larger-than-average hizzy in Michigan Saturday. This is my dream upset ... The Redhawks beating the old blue and yellow giant weasels in their place making the fans of the old blue and yellow very very sad. But, there are several problems with this dream. 1) Appalacian State came in a year before and did a masterful job in destroying the weasels. Even if the Redhawks were to beat the weasels, it would be bad but not rank as the big upset. 2) Lloyd Carr either was forced out or just had it, and the new coach doesn't run the circa-1989 pro style offense that old Gary Moeller had devised. Thus, Utah beat the weasels at the larger-than-average hizzy. 3) Daniel Raudabaugh, the Miami QB, may not have the ability to do those things to take an underdog on the road and beat a bigger-school team. He has a pretty good arm, but he isn't that accurate. And he doesn't have great feet, which is problem when you are running the spread option. So he doesn't really move the chains. And, yes, as far as it goes, the blue and yellow giants weasels offense, which doesn't look all that great, will score against the Redhawks D. So keeping the ball and moving the chains will be important to the Redhawks. A dream deferred. (Photo is from Ohio.com ... Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal)