Twenty-eight for Lions’ 75th anniversary team

By Os Davis  |   Tuesday, May 27, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Detroit Lions
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In celebrating the team’s 75th anniversary, the Detroit Lions have announced that a franchise All-Time Team will be assembled and revealed for the Nov. 9 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (gee, wonder if the Jags will be wearing retro unis for the game). Interested voters can have their say at DetroitLions.com beginning June 9.

Fans will account for two-thirds of the say in composing the roster, while a committee of media members, former Lions and Lions employees will kick in their two cents for the final 33 percent of the say.

As with most virtual teams of this type, many of the nominations are obvious; in announcing the announcement, Brian Van Ochten of the Grand Rapids Press starts us off with a nice list of CB Lem Barney, WR Terry Barr, QB/coach Earl "Dutch" Clark, RB Mel Farr, DB Dick "Night Train" Lane, QB Bobby Layne, WR Herman Moore, RB Steve Owens, RB Barry Sanders, TE Charlie Sanders, executive Chuck Schmidt, RB Billy Sims, RB/WR Altie Taylor, and RB Doak Walker.

A good start, maybe. But why stop there? With the offseason on, it appears we have plenty of time. Plus, the Lions have announced that there is no limit to the number of players named. (Though perhaps 53 would be a good number. Or even 75.)

Without further ado, then, a few additions to the All-Time Lions Roster, brought to you by RealFootball365.com.

• Horatio Benedict “Bennie” Blades, safety, 1988-1996. Ah, fleet-footed Bennie ... spending about half his career at free, the other half at strong, Blades was one of the most exciting players on the Detroit ‘D’ in the early '90s.

• Dennis Gibson, linebacker, 1987-1993. A monster force back there for Detroit who ran up 476 tackles for the Lions, including a scary 116 in ’88.

• Mel J. Gray, WR/RB, 1989-1994. “The other Mel Gray” was none too shabby himself, picking up four Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro nods. And all with Detroit, to which he came to with a reputation as a stud kick returner earned in New Orleans. One of the all-time great special teamers anywhere, Gray totaled over 10,000 yards in kick returns over his career.

• Jason Hanson, kicker, 1992-2007. Another no-brainer. The Lions’ all-time greatest kicker makes a short list of greats from either decade in which he has played.

• George Jamison, linebacker, 1987-1993 and 1997-1998. Slightly ahead of his time, Jamison was known for his pass coverage in addition to his crushing tackling (470 times for the Detroit in his nine years with the team). Wouldn’t Rod Marinelli like this guy to come through the door?

• Kenoy Kennedy, defensive back, 2005-present. A bit of a speculative pick here, but if this guy sticks around, he’ll surely write his way into the team's record books.

• Greg Landry, quarterback, 1968-1978. The No. 1 overall pick in the ’68 draft, Landry was really the sole franchise QB Detroit has boasted since The Curse of Bobby Layne. Unfortunately, Landry was one for the doctor through most of his career, producing a half-dozen excellent seasons mixed with several injuries.

• Yale Lary, jack of all trades, 1952-1964. The longtime Lion was primarily known for his 50 career interceptions at safety, but he also returned kicks and led the league in punting in three seasons.

• Dick LeBeau, cornerback, 1959-1972. If Lary, Barney and the Night Train each make the all-time Lions, so should a teammate bridging the three: Namely, LeBeau. In running up a CB-record 171 consecutive games, LeBeau notched 62 picks for Detroit.

• Robert Porcher, defensive end, 1992-2004. The first-round draft pick spent a long and productive career in Detroit, with 95.5 quarterback sacks recorded, three Pro Bowl and three All-Pro nods.

• Shaun Rogers, defensive tackle, 2001-2007. Imagine the announcement of Rogers to the all-time team at that November game ... yeah, it’ll never happen. Still, the Big Baby was a major force for Detroit in his time there.

• Joe Schmidt, linebacker/coach, 1953-1972. After a Hall of Fame career as a player (a 10-time All-Pro), Schmidt went on to coach the Lions for six years with a peak in 1970 and a playoff bid.

• Roy Williams, wide receiver, 2004-present. Yes, this team is already stuffed with WRs and yes, this pick is slightly presumptuous, but there’s no way the most underrated receiver in the NFL today gets stiffed again.

• John Arnold, punter, 1986-1993. Lest ye believe the punter was forgotten ... though with Lary on the team, the all-time Lions may not need another punter, so we’ll go with the Lions’ all-time leader in the categories. Though it should be said that John Jett (1997-2003) only marginally trails Arnold in punts (536 to 503) and yardage (22,893 to 21,494); plus, he has a way cooler name.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
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