Floyd Little comes up for a big vote by the selectors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, and if all is right and just, he should be selected.
There are no guarantees, but beyond the extraordinary hold that he still has on the hearts and minds of Denver Broncos fans, his body of work screams for induction.
The statistics have been gone over and poured over time after time, but there are a couple of other facts to consider in “out of the box” thinking regarding Floyd.
He was the heart and soul of the Broncos and the Mile High City at a time when pro football was growing here and the team was lousy, to be very, very kind.
He was the kind of person who was selected team captain by his teammates nine years out of nine.
I was a young radio reporter during much of Floyd’s career, in addition to spending three years with the Denver Bears at that time, and I was a Broncos season ticket holder.
So I saw virtually every game he played, and knew him well. I still prize his friendship.
You had to see him, and you had to know him, to understand the command he projected and the leadership which he gave to the team and to the community.
And he carried the team on his back, make no mistake about it.
His nickname was The Franchise, never a more accurate one in the history of pro football.
He is the only running back in the history of pro football to lead the league in rushing while playing for a last place team.
He was on an all-decade team – again, while playing for a last place team. Just think about it, and it staggers the imagination.
In Floyd Little’s career he only played behind three linemen who ever made any kind of all-star team, Larry Kaminski, Mike Current, and George Goeddeke, one time each, and I’ll bet many people reading this never heard of any of them.
Let’s take a look at several Hall of Famers and see what kind of blocking they had.
Jim Brown, regard as the greatest back in pro football history, wore number 44 at Syracuse before Floyd. Brown played behind eight different linemen who made a combined 20 Pro Bowls, and three of those blockers went into the Hall of Fame.
Jim Taylor was a cornerstone of that great Green Bay Packers team, and he ran the ball behind four players who made a combined 16 Pro Bowls, with two of them making the Hall of Fame as blockers.
Joe “The Jet” Perry – yes, I realize you never heard of him, but he was a stud, believe me – was a great back for the 49ers and Baltimore for 14 years. Perry played behind 11 men who made a combined 17 Pro Bowls, and three of them made the Hall of Fame.
O.J. Simpson ran to glory behind three players who made a combined five Pro Bowls, and two were elected to membership in Canton.
LeRoy Kelly had a great 10-years career with the Cleveland Browns, and his line included four players who made a combined 13 Pro Bowls, with Gene Hickerson making the Hall of Fame.
John Henry Johnson played for 13 years and in his time had 12 different linemen who made a combined 16 Pro Bowls, with two earning Hall of Fame induction.
For Floyd Little, no blockers who ever made the Pro Bowl, three who made the AFL all-star game once each, and no Hall of Famers, certainly.
For the other six, 42 combined offensive linemen who made a combined 87 Pro Bowls, with 13 who made the Hall of Fame.
Really, let’s be serious.
Floyd Little was one of the greatest players in the history of pro football.
Plus, he passed the “eye” test. If you saw him play, you knew what you were watching.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope these figures make sense to the selectors this Saturday.
The Franchise, one more time.
Tags: Floyd Little, Hall of Fame
I watch this and the only thing that comes to my mind is FIRE McD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K9cSqlca4w&feature=related
umm well as much as I love peyton hillis and think he should be used more, Im keeping my fingers crossed for floyd because, the broncos always seemed to get snubbed by the hall and its voters, He should have went into the hall before Elway even retired, before davis floyd held so many bronco records and put up # with a team that was mediocre at best, there are # of players through out denver bronco history that have put up hof stats and they dont ever get a look
Not even Hillis coulda saved us last year. A combo of bad blocking and bad PLAY CALLING but he definitely shoulda been used more…wasted season for him
He ran so well the year before because of shanahans play calling and offensive line zone blocking scheme. Yes he is a power back, but to see his power he has to build up momentum…there was no blocking to get momentum this year and the play calling was all the same…nothing different or new.
Sndvl, why do you have to rain on Floyd Little’s parade? Do you hate the Broncos so much you have to tarnish this? Are you a stupid Chargers or Raiders fan?
Floyd is the real deal and forever will be the real deal, as was TD, Elway, Sharpe, Odoms, Gradishar and Wright. Hillis was probably (hopefully not) a one year wonder taking the spot of other fan favorites who were one year wonders like Joe Dudek, Oliver Ross, Mike Croel.
Now is the time for Floyd Little to be enshrined in the HoF.
igor, antagonizing is his motto, ignoring him works wonders.
No Igor, I am a diehard Broncos fan. This has nothing to do with raining on Floyd Littles parade.Did you read the earlier posts? Just because I am not a fan of the coach makes me any less of a Broncos fan. So just ignore me if thats what works for you. But I refuse to be a cheerleader for the coach… FYI Baylin,my motto is- “Never, Never, Never Quit”- Sir Winston Churchill
GO BRONCOS & FLOYD LITTLE 2K10!!!!!!!!!!
igorbstrange: LOL! You better get your spoon out of that pot you’re stirring.
Sometimes I think that McD doesn’t know how to use a guy like Hillis. He really hasn’t ever had a guy so versatile as him. Its like having an iPad and not knowing how to use it.
or how to spell it lol…….
And coachemup makes an apparition, what do we owe the pleasure to, other than the obvious ipod joke, hope you’re doing ok with all that coaching change, coach! LOL.
Anybody watching Bmarsh on NFLN? Very interseting.
Ahh, I made a joke and not even know it. However I really did mean an “iPad” not an “iPod.” The new iPad from Apple is the latest thing and is going to revolutionize the way we look at computers….well that’s what the people at Apple think.
florio, what’s interesting about it?
He said he wants to put everything behind him and move forward. He wants to hop aboard the McD express. He again said he wants to stay a bronco for the rest of his career.
Florio, could it be that Woody Paige is onto something when, just today he said, I quote “And a lot of teams don’t want to touch Brandon Marshall. His reputation precedes him. He’s a $10 million talent with a 10-cent head”.
Point is maybe after Marshall’s agent has gone around getting a feel for his client’s value, he realized it was limited at best and told him his best option would be to stay in Denver, therefore the late kissing McD’s rear end during the pro bowl and the interview you just saw. Personally, I can’t buy a thing the guy is saying as genuine. I believe we are still looking at plots of his to accomplish what is in his best interest, it has nothing to do with the Broncos. However when I say plots of his, I actually mean plots of his agent, as Marshall is not the brighest light bulb in the clubhouse as referred to by Woody and I second that, he does what he is told, nothing more. He plays big on the field but has remained a small man in character, regardless of how he supposedly has improved, which is an illusion, all set in place by his agent. You don’t all of a sudden become smart but you can be made to appear that way. I’m afraid it’s all a mirage, and if we give him a contract we will still be left with a baby T.O. and a very expensive baby sitting project.
I still think that instead of doing all the talking in front of the cameras, he should go directly to McD and Bowlen and have a little chit little chat. If he’s trying to send a message through interviews instead of going face to face with Josh and Pat, that to me makes him a boy amongst men. If you really want to be here go talk to directly the poeple who can make it happen. He doesn’t need to keep telling US he wants to be here.
McD and SpiderMarsh. 2 peas in a iPod! I got your joke Brian!!! lol
again with the rehashing..lol….
I’m down with getting a NT in the draft if its not addressed in the FA, whats the price of a 1st round DT?its hard to find one that comes in and impacts on the rookie year, hence, the FAs is the likely place to be targeted for a starter…IDk
Im not saying I bought any of it. Just thought it was interesting.
Last season’s draft it was 5-years, $28.5M; $17.7M guaranteed for B.J. Raji taken at #9. It was 5-years, $24.6M: $14.24M guaranteed for Aaron Maybin (DE) taken at #11. I figure somewhere in that range for a DT taken at #10/11 pending the coin toss at the combine.
thanks brian for that info
I dont think the Patriots are too worried about losing wilfork…they had one the best drafts last year which included SS patrick chung and that BIG DT from Boston College, he was a teammate of Raji..
I read an article that had Asante Samuel talking about how the Patriots “don’t care about you.” At least that’s what his message was to Wilfork. Asante was in a similar position that Wilfork is seeing himself in now. We all know what happened to Asante.
It has been reported this week that Wilfork has been saying he would really like to return to Florida, and play either for Miami or Tampa.
It has been common knowledge that in N-E the individual payrolls are somewhat lower that in the rest of the league and the reason the players accepted it is because in return for that sacrifice their payoff was going all the way to the super bowl most every year. You pay your stars less, you can average better pay across the board to all your players, hence get better players all around for the team concept, where there is no I. The problem the Pats are now facing, they are not going to the super bowl every year any longer, so some of the star players are saying wait a second, the reason we used to deal with less pay is because we got the glamour, now that’s not the case anymore, I better make that big money now and I don’t care with who. It has been obvious that slowly but surely most of the N-E star players have left or are on the way out.
Which brings us to the fact that it is exactly what McD is trying to replicate here, so for our stars to remain here they would have to somehow bite the bullet a bit financially wise for the greater cause if you wish, hence the real team players will remain and the other ones will be gone. I am not saying it’s right, it’s just the way it is, and the sooner we accept it, the less painful it will be. And if McD can’t prove that he can take us to the promise land on that premise in a year or two, he will have failed. For that way of operating to work, you have to give your players the reward of winning and winning big, without it you’ll have a mutiny on your hands in short order. McD is definitely making a big gamble, he might just be in over his head, we will know fairly quickly, in football years that is.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/denver-broncos/09000d5d81632850/Brandon-Marshall-on-set
The Marshall on set vid for anyone who cares.
And just cuz he says it to us doesnt mean he doesnt say it to bowlen and McD behind the scenes. We just never hear that stuff, so im happy he says it to all of us as well. But i dunno if he has said it to them, since he said he wants the business side to be handled by his agent since he (Brandon Marshall) handled it so poorly last time. Plus the interview wasn’t about staying with the broncos but u know it will always come up…..
GO BRONCOS IN TWENTY-TEN
PS: Floyd Little is very deserving, but as we all know, we broncos tend to get passed on too much. At this rate i just pray he gets in while he is still alive….
Good point Baylin, makes alot of sense.
Now my question is, did belichek start this b4 or after the first superbowl. Cuz u kinda got to get there, to prove your promise has merit. So im guessing maybe he payed people initially and then asked them to take a paycut and in return they will have more talent around them and the superbowl will be even more gauranteed. You get me? U have to have a basis for the promise to have merit….At least thats what i think…I dunno if thats how it played out which is why im asking…
That’s something Belichick did right from the get go, it was a philosophy he was able to sell onto the players, and with luck playing a bit of a role in it too, like finding out Brady was a gem, but I can remember from the first couple years the players were buying into it and signing for less money and it all snow balled into super bowls. Problem is, can it be duplicated, because with McD that’s all we got, that’s the only thing he knows how to do in the pros, the Belichick way, that much we know, hence the huge gamble, but I like it, putting the team first in front of the stars is refreshing in this day and age in the league, I would love it if he succeeds, but the clock has already started to click. He needs a big year to have a shot long term.
to tick, LOL.
Belichick was hired by the Pats for the 2000 season and in his second season won his first SB. It goes to show that for this theory to have a good chance to succeed in application, you need to get to the top quickly, that’s why I keep thinking that unless we have great results this year, it will be like going up the creek without a paddle. At least I hope Bowlen sees a bit of what I’m thinking, so that if we don’t have a significant improvement in our record this year and get at least a win in post season, I see no reason for McD to be given another year, it would seem to be an exercise in futility, considering his MO.
Oh, and to anyone who cares, apparently Bowlen, McDaniels, and Marshall have been talking face to face, because McD said in a interview in which one reporter asked about Marshall’s future with denver he said that they were “signatures away from a new contract”
Of course, people will say this is all publicity and create conspiracies that its all just a cover up, but Brandon Marshall coming back isn’t such a far reality.
What interview would that be, if you know where I could find the source, it would be greatly appreciated.
Oh ok Baylin, based on your theory and McD MO makes alot of sense…gotta see the improvement this year or bye bye. Also they say Patriots did it without great recievers, but patriots had Brady, something we dont….
Anchovies,
I believed they were behind closed doors and what marshall says is for the fans.
But i echo Balins sentiments…would love to see the article/interview/source. Cuz if its true, it will put this Marshall fans mind at ease a bit
I have a strong feeling that you might just have been fed purely a made up rumor as in today’s interview on the NFL Network Marshall said he had not talked to McD since the season end, the only contact he’s had with him since then is McD left a message on Marshall’s answering service congratulating him at the pro bowl. Just saying. The only thing that could be possible is that Marshall’s agent sat with McD and Bowlen, but that’s not what you said.
Gotta play the detectives here with all the rumors going around, LOL.
Anchovies! This is Bust Out breaking news… we need the source man.
OC, I don’t buy it, listen to what Marshall said on the link TRB left for us on his 3:16 pm post. Marshall is saying plain as day I have not talked to McD since the season end.
When Marshall is asked by Warren Sapp if he has talked to McD since he was benched for the last game, Marshall answered “No, I haven’t talked to coach since.” And that’s in this afternoon’s interview in Fort Lauderdale, so unless Bowlen and McD are in Fort Lauderdale right now and just met with Marshall, it’s just not true.
Maybe Anchovies is just enjoying throwing us a curve ball…
Yeah, I just looked all over and can’t find nut’n!
Anchovie… Why Man???? lol
That’s what happens if you eat too much anchovies… vitamin E overdose…
There is definitely something fishy about anchovies, LOL.
bay,
One factor in getting star players to play for less money is the lure of playing with a superstar QB and a Head Coach that players respect and admire.
What’s your point, we don’t have either? LMAO…..
I read in the DP where the guy asked why did McDaniels come to Denver? The writer answered “to work with Jay Cutler”.
I just thought that was really weird, but probably true.
To work with Jay was one of the reasons. But Jay wasn’t happy about Bates leaving and got all pissy.
while thats true Aussie..and while mcd said that was one of the reasons, he sure has a odd way of showing it with the allegded deal he was trying to do for cassel…who is stinking it up in KC. Both parties faults…if cutler had just sucked it up, we would be a much better team cuz McD claimed he wanted to work with cutler…coulda taken the kid to the next level.
Yeah I think he wanted to do the Cassel deal because Cutler was being a twat about the Bates thing and not being team first, wanting things his way.
First of all Little should be a shoe in into the hall.
Everyone seems to be talking about the Marshall sittuation(AGAIN) so let me get in the conversation to.
I am one of the people who would be torn apart not to have the BEAST back but the interview I saw left me wondering if the guy is just reading a script made by his agent. Hopefully he is being honest to us fans. What I do believe is that he has learned how to handle situtations a lot better.
Free agency starting to creep up and Im so excited about it. I’m not to worried who McD sign because he proved he knows which players can immediatley contribute to this team. Goodman and Dawkins are great examples.
We all know our biggest need is to upgrade the D-Line. So here are a few free agents(unrestricted) I would go crazy for if they join the team.
Adewale Ogunleye DE
Richard Seymour 3-4 DE – He worked with McD and is versitile wich McD loves in a player. Im not sure how Clady would feel about this though.
Ryan Pickett
Tank Johnson
cali you forgot renaldo hill. He also did a great job.
Whats all this Cutler talk? Let met put it in plain english for all of you…..HE SUCKS!!!!!!!! Why would we want the leagues leading INT Master on our team. All the guy does is give away the ball. I for one would much rather have Orton over Cutler anyday.
Some_Anchovies: That’s just plain mean man!! LOL! Hey don’t feel bad though, we all have one time or another got caught up in the media bustle. Maybe those “signatures” they speak of are by another team? LOL!
In all seriousness, I’m a real fan of what McD is trying to do. That’s not saying I’m for all of his actions. But I like him trying to put together a TEAM. Sports is getting to the point where, its all about the money. If they don’t get something figured out there could be a lockout and that would totally blow. Players don’t want to take a pay cut, and the owners don’t want to dish out more money either. They’re not even thinking of the people that fund that billion dollar business…..US the Fans!! Sure there are other sponsors and stuff, but what about us are we just going to get crapped on? There’s nothing we can do about it either. Just like the baseball lockout, the game, fans never have been the same.
Maybe we go back to how it was before, no cap, but also no FA. I don’t know. It makes me sad and mad at the thought of no football. Didn’t Elway take a pay cut at one time to bring in some players?