This is SO Excellent: "Let me tell you something. The only thing I miss about football, is about 5 seconds. 5 seconds in the huddle, right before you break and go up to the line of scrimmage. When you have five of the best offensive linemen who are in tune with you: Wayne Moore, Bob Keuchenberg, Jim Langer, Larry Little, and Norm Evans. And I'm looking across at them - this is the game where we are going 17-0, we are putting the final emphasis on a perfect season - and each one of them is looking at me going, 'run behind me', their mouthing the words - they can't talk because Griese's calling the play - and their all pointing to themselves goin' 'anything happens, drift to me.' And Bob Keuchenberg grabs me by the face mask and says, 'You better stick your helmet up my *** on this play 'cause we're going to the end zone.' When you have people that intent on victory, you gotta just marvel. If I could go back for anything, I'd like to go back in a time machine just to live those five seconds and look in the eyes of those men, because that is the most confidence I've ever felt in my life about anything." - Larry Csonka, from America's Game - talking about the Super Bowl game against the Redskins. (if that doesn't get you fired up for some football, I don't know what will). That's one reason I love that era of the game (60's & 70's) over all others.
Awesome! When I was a kid, in Pop Warner or Little League football, I wore number 39. I made sure my helmet had the bullhorn that Csonka wore. I always wanted to play fullback or the one-back tailback. And we named our first little puppy, a beagle, Zonky. One of my favorite books was Always on the Run, by Csonka and Kiick. Larry Csonka was who I wanted to be. He was the roughest, toughest, meanest, forearm-shiver man-in-the-world, and I LOVED him. The Golden Years!!! (The rest of the '72-'73 and '73-'74 teams were okay, too!)
Man, that gave me a few goosebumps. Have to love Zonk. I remember Baumhauer saying that after practicing all week againsnt 3 All Pro's that games were a piece of cake. And Jack Tatum said Csonka was one of the few guys that he could never get a clean hit on; all knees and elbows.
Great stuff, compare that Superbowl victory to seal a perfect season to the Pats Superbowl choke to lose a perfect season and tell me which team was greater.
I knew exactly what it was going to be before I read it. That show is about 6 years old, and that always stuck with me.
I'm gonna get flamed for this, but that quote would mean a little more if he hadn't left those guys in that 5 seconds for "greener" pastures in the WFL.
Nah. It's said in retrospect with all the glory and mistakes accounted for but then put by the wayside. This analogy will probably fail, but it'd be like a man at the twilight of his life looking back and saying, "Man, my favorite thing in life, the thing I loved best, was being a father to my kids," which is a true statement for him. Then, someone comes along and says, "That'd mean more if you and your wife didn't get divorced." But he loved his kids, they loved their father, and despite the mistakes, he did the best he could when he was with them. Zonk gave his all when he was with the Dolphins, even when he came back and was more a shadow of his former days, and that's what I'll remember him for. No flaming, though. I get the sentiment.
I won't flame you and I wish they'd have stayed in Miami. But, I don't completely agree. Remember, that was also an era when most players had to work part-time jobs in the off-season; and life-expectancy for football was pretty bad (as it is today). Most of the players of that era have had to work hard to make ends meet since then (that's fine as far as society goes - but given what popular stars in other venues or what owners were raking in at the time, well...). A player today of Zonk's calibre could potentially earn enough in 10 years to retire 10x over. And, I like Finrunner's analogy. Sometimes we don't know the greatness of a moment until it is over for years. Then we realize, "that was the best moment right there."
I still think it's cool that he got a personal foul penalty called on him for initiating too much contact on a defensive player trying to tackle him.
Watch that elbow. Classic Zonk. Trying to find a gif or vid of the run he had against the Cardinals where he lifted the defender off his feet on contact.
Wholeheartedly agree. I have some of those moments already and I am still relatively young. The analogy hits home in that I do love being a dad. It's overwhelming sometimes (in the moment) but it is also beyond comparison. Also had a lot of fun times outside of my kids. Many of them came in college, when honestly I got up to a lot of **** back then. I should/could have been arrested so many times or worse, but it was great because I grew a great deal. Damn, now I'm nostalgic.
I noticed that as well. I never tire of watching highlights of the most intimidating MLB in NFL history. Just can't possibly rank anyone ahead of him. The Perfect MLB. Big. Great tackler. Great range. Total intimidation. And, could cover the pass (22 INTs in 8 1/2 seasons).
Still my favorite football player. I always loved the way he finished every tackle on top and was pushing the other guy down as he got up. Pick you up and drive you into the ground. 39 is my all time fav dolphin for the same reason. After contact the other guy was getting up after being dusted. That's what happened when we were boys and you stuffed somebody into the ground and a cloud of dust puffed up like a bomb went off. Tuck Roger goodell.