1979 Steelers Jack Lambert Elbow To Helmet Hit Cosell MNF

[SteelRock73]

The Steel Curtain!!!Hell Fu******ck Yeah!!!

[OriginalGrasshopper]

Old Time Football: when you were allowed to actually hit people!!

[MisterBouncyBounce]

according to posters here, there is no such thing as a cheap shot. why not hit him an hour after the play is over?

[usaeagle1776]

real football back then, when we didnt have all this political correctness bullshit.

[radio53]

Chuck Knoll talked about the Raiders having a "criminal element". Seems like he was a bit blind to his own team's antics.

[blount47]

legit hit..the nfl is run by jagoffs now

[cowboyzsuk81]

@blount47 i doubt elbowing was ever legal..i understand the league is kind of a pussy league now with all the new hit rules but that's not a hit, that's an elbow in the face at full speed

[boattrainpaddy]

Back when REAL MEN played in the NfL.

[MisterBouncyBounce]

@boattrainpaddy yeah, jacked up roiders who had to take cheap shots in order to compete. real men alright.

[fireandice909]

@MisterBouncyBounce I take it you prefer your qb's to wear dresses then?

[Poetryman690]

violent play has always been the Steelers way and though i'd like to see them try to win with fairness once in awhile, i will say that Lambert was one of the best and James Harrison is a never-will-be, thats true...but hey, it is what it is...

[MrCooshcoosh]

lol you hear him " well that ball should have been caught" ROFL that was football back in the day bitches shit now they would be making up every excuse possible for the WR while berating lambert for playing football the way it should be played fuck joe buck and chris colinsworth they need to grow a fucking pair and deion sanders can go on ahead and quit being a goddamn hypocrite

[Platibus666]

If I hit the helmet with my elbow or my arm while tackling, is that a personal foul?

[TommyC503]

Thank you New England Patriots, Roger Goodell, for making the greatest sport in history a PUSSY sport!

[Poetryman690]

the James Harrison of that time...

[MrCooshcoosh]

@Poetryman690 dude this guy puts harrison to shame though harrison is one of the few guys along with suh and richard seymour to play football the way it should be played but seriously dont compare harrison to lambert

[redmustang03]

If Lambert played today, he would be fined and suspended for most of these hits that he did back then if he played today.

[Richurro]

FUCK the NFL of today.

[MrStones64]

6'4" 205

[bnegs521]

@MrStones64 The size of an NFL wideout a skinny one at that like Al Toon.

[NordyMark0594]

Easy for Howard Cosell to say..it was catchable. Yeah..it was catchable. But if you're 185 lbs, and in your vision is 260 lb Jack Lambert..a wee distraction..ya think...Howard Cosell never played the game. Howard Cosell was great at boxing commentary, and Monday Night Football halftime highlights. At times he made stupid comments..this was one of them.

[TheRealJamDawg]

@NordyMark0594 260? Lambert didn't weigh much more than 215. He was just a mean SOB.

[Freezer818]

Then: The announcer's slam the receiver for not catching the ball, but admit that the Lambert elbo had something to do with it.

Now: The announcers would've spent at least five minutes decrying Lambert as a dirty player. Sports radio would've spent the nest week condemning or defending the shot. And Lambert gets at least a game's suspension (two if he doesn't come right out and apologize).

[Seaverful]

Tough Jack

[hotprofdude]

Back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's, the wide receivers never seemed to retaliate. The Raiders and Stellers were the dirtiest teams--Tatum, Atkinson, Lambert, and Green got away with abusing WR's. I'm not sure why the receivers took it. If I were Haven Moses' teammate on offense, my elbow would have found the back of Lambert's head--even if the play had ended, etc.

[88cutty]

@hotprofdude get ur facts right..why would green be in the secondary? swann and stallworth were flagged many times for retaltiation while blocking for franco so yes wr did stick up for themselves. steelers or the raiders didnt do anything that other teams weren;t doing too, they just did it better. the steelers had some serious hitters in blount, ron johson,, jt thomas, glen "pine" edwards and donnie shell... you forgot the raiders Skip "dr.death" thomas

[nodreffahs]

james harrison just got fined because someone at nfl headquarters saw this clip

[gfpirate]

Football in the 1970s was much better as an overall product. However, I didn't care for the hard artificial turf of the day. Today's "fake grass" is better. However, back then they let defenders play and hard hits like this were the rule, not the exception.

[sixsixxsixxxx]

@gfpirate oh bullshit todays players are bigger stronger and faster and the game is much more complex on both sides of the ball...ur either old or stupid

[DwightWhite78]

@sixsixxsixxxx what are u talking about? Your the only idiot here, "i wanna see points on the board" Go watch arena football if u dont want defense to be played like its supposed to be played. I'd like to see how well ur favorite team would do against the '70's steel curtain, or the '85 bears, or the packers d from the 60's, or even the 2000 Ravens d, or the best defense of all time, the 1976 Steelers defense. u think Rodgers would be throwing for 300+ yds against them?

[sixsixxsixxxx]

@DwightWhite78  yep

[DwightWhite78]

@DwightWhite78 well then that really shows how little u know about football, ur not a football fan ur a loser who's never played football, go play your fantasy football, because thats all football is and ever was to u, just a fantasy, ur feet have never touched the gridiron and never will.

[neneshubby]

Love the orange pants the Broncs used to wear.

[uberdavez]

I will always hate you Jack Lambert.

Signed an old Cowboy Fan

[mpj32587]

Plus hits like this are just uncalled for, the ball wasn't even anywhere near them.

[mpj32587]

The reason why the NFL wont allow these types hits anymore is because the players end up getting concussions most of the time. There has been more research on the damaging effects of concussions now than ever before. Its a safety issue, bottom line.

[redmustang03]

This was legal hit back then. Today you get penalized, then fined, then talked about on the media about how of a dirty player you by the media. Most of Harrison's hits would be legal back then.

[Kinksayshi]

Joe Cowley is a penis.

[indy66]

When the Steelers play like that, they play the game rough.

When the Raiders play like that, they are dirty.

NFL is f..ing biaised towards the ''leaders'' of the league (Rooney, Kraft, etc.)

[TheSolosaber]

lol gooood hit...harrison can suck it

[IDiScIpLeZ]

They fined James Harrison for this.

[rrrrramone]

@IDiScIpLeZ This before the NFL lost its balls

[IDiScIpLeZ]

@rrrrramone lol nahhhh they just don't want their players to die. today's athletes would dominate the old school players.

[TranceKontrol]

Lambert what an a hole doosh! He would get his skinny arse kicked in the NFL now.

[SLIMSHADY1357]

@TranceKontrol nah he was one of the best linebackers ever, in my mind theres nuthing wrong with that hit. besides in the heat of a game how the fuck are you gunna persisley aim a hit. when i play i see the guy i just hit him idc where cuz ive got so much adrenaline im not gunna stop and think were to hit

[SteelerGold1]

TranceCantKontrol-- Why dont you consider Not watching the NFL any longer, and take up Bad Mitten instead? LOL. Puss. BTW- That was a LEGAL hit back then Sissy Boy, ergo, You have No point-- LMFAO at you!

[jsharp1701]

@SteelerGold1 It wasn't legal back then. In the rule book (which I read as a teenager in the 70s) that was a late hit. They just didn't call it much because 1. that's the way the game was played and 2. it was Lambert, and the stars got away with stuff more.

[MrCooshcoosh]

@jsharp1701 actually referees didn't like the guy and he was a dick to his fans so no a star is liked by all and every other team looked for any excuse to get him out of the game for his style and I will add Joe greene was way meaner than lambert plus the guy hit he got into a fight with dick butkus his rookie season enough said

[tranurse]

@MrCooshcoosh supposedly mean joe spit in bukus's face. and butkus took it.

[cardigan3000]

i cant believe all these plastic tough guys who think forearm smashing a defenceless player 5 seconds after the play is dead is somehow manly

[posada37]

@cardigan3000 well to the guys defence he was allready in the air ready for the tackle he couldn't stop if he wanted to

[cardigan3000]

@posada37 bs

[posada37]

@cardigan3000 its clear on th video he coudn't stop if h wanted to

[cardigan3000]

@posada37 hes not even in the picture when the ball is gone

[posada37]

@cardigan3000 his momentum kept him from stopping

[cardigan3000]

@posada37 did his momentum make him ram his elbow into his throat as well?

[posada37]

@cardigan3000 no but the guy's momentum carried him in which the guys position was already made. Do i agree it was a fair play. No im just saying he had no way to stop

[DrVegasIII]

10% (at best) chance that ball would be catchable by the primadonnas we have now !! Embarrassing and shameful all the dropped balls these days !! Worst part of the game now !!

[dolphinbuc]

NFL is a panty party now.

[PorkFrog]

Cosell: 'shoulda been caught'

musta been drunk as he was from time to time

ball was high...and somehow I don't think he woulda held onto it anyway, what with losing consciousness and all

----

Football is still good, but if you saw it then and now, you know it was better then

----

and for the argument below about Lambert being a 'dirty player'

you bet your ass he was, but he wasn't head and shoulders above everyone else dirty, and this hit here was legal then

but yeah he was one nasty dude

[DavidDLPE]

Finally, let's not forget the biggest factor - compensation. Players of the 70s got notoriety, but the pay was far from glamorous. Those were the guys who laid the foundation for what football is today - an industry that other industries are built around. Those guys played the sport out of sheer passion and pride. These days, playing in the NFL is like hitting the lottery. Take that away, and it is likely that a huge portion of today's players are in jail or dead.

[freddypickle]

@DavidDLPE You act like any American can become an NFL player. Like 25% of kids today are too fat to hit that sort of lottery. And then the rest either can't make it through high school, let alone college, to get to the pros. The players have had to work their whole lives to get where they are.

Of course Lambert was a dirty player. He played for the Steelers, and they've always been a dirty team. And this is coming from a Steelers fan.

[DavidDLPE]

@freddypickle - 1) "You act like any American can become an NFL player." What gives you this idea? Very faulty assumption on your part.

2) While I appreciate your acknowledged bias as a Steelers fan, your opinion that he was a dirty player is no more qualified than mine as a long-time Oilers fan. Everyone knows that the real Superbowls in 1978 and 1979 was the AFC Championship games between the Oilers and Steelers. There was hard htting (and some bad calls by the officials), but no dirty plays.

[DavidDLPE]

@freddypickle - 1) "You act like any American can become an NFL player." What gives you this idea? Very faulty assumption on your part.

2) While I appreciate your acknowledged bias as a Steelers fan, your opinion that he was a dirty player is no more qualified than mine as a long-time Oilers fan. Everyone knows that the real championship games in 78 & 79 were the AFC Championship games - Oilers vs. Steelers. There was hard htting (and some bad calls by the officials), but no dirty plays.

[DavidDLPE]

@freddypickle - 1) "You act like any American can become an NFL player." What gives you this idea? Very faulty assumption on your part.

2) While I appreciate your acknowledged bias as a fan of Pitt, your opinion that he was a dirty player is no more qualified than mine as a long-time fan of Hou. Everyone knows that the real championship games in 78 & 79 were the AFC Championship games - Oilers vs. Steelers. There was hard hitting (and some bad calls by officials), but no dirty plays.

[freddypickle]

@DavidDLPE You said that playing in the NFL is like hitting the lottery, not me. This is not a faulty assumption, this is your exact words. Playing in the NFL is not like hitting the lottery because only a few thousand Americans are even capable of doing it.

[DavidDLPE]

@freddypickle - it was awhile ago, so I can't be sure I didn't reference the lottery. If I did say that, I was only referring to the exorbitant salaries, esp compared to the Lambert era. The first player to land a $1 M contract was Earl Campbell, 1978. It has always been true that very few could play in the NFL, but it was not always true that everyone who could would be millionaires. Before you so readily disagree, you might clarify before assigning your own meaning to the words of another.

[DavidDLPE]

The players of old did not have all the benefits today's players have. Most modern high schools have workout facilities that are superior to what was available to the pros through the 60s and 70s. Rules were extremely different. It was legal to head slap and clothes-line through the 60s, and in the 70s, there was no illegal contact rule for defenders against receivers.

My point is that there are very few players who could play across eras of the sport. Jack Lambert is certainly one of them.

[DavidDLPE]

Many people on this channel who are making the claim that guys like Lambert couldn't play today's game are in deep error. Listen to what the MLBs of today have to say. They call them what they are - greats if the game.

This is the fallacy of comparing eras - do you think the players of today would play the way they do if they wore the old leather helmets?

[zyxwut321]

All those going on about the good ol' days keep in mind that Lambert was 220 lbs. in pads soaking wet, not a roided up 265 lbs. He'd be small for many high school teams nowadays. They were also a lot slower as well. Jack Tatum might've translated well to today's game because of his speed and ability to roam (kind of a smaller Ed Reed) but most players from that era, like new HOFer Chris Hanburger, wouldn't survive now and even then often used what today are "dirty" moves to compensate.

[kbess74]

if lambert and oaklands jack tatum played today, they'd have a perment spot in the commisiners office.

[kclark1169]

Back then if u came across the middle to catch a pass, you were gonna get hit and hit hard...thats the way it was then....remember, that play took place 32 years ago......you dont run thru a zone defense to catch a pass....you find a hole in the zone and sit and wait to catch the ball....today's game the league wants the defense to let the wr's catch the ball and not hit them too hard

[bwashinski]

Today, it would be all over ESPN for how dirty Lambert is for that play....and there would be countless articles on bleach report and by the talking heads......all in the sake of political correctness.

[hotprofdude]

@bwashinski Players like Lambert and george Atkinson were dirty....they were undersized but got away with it because they could. Lambery wouldn't even make it in the Pros today...not at 6'4 220.

[sixsixxsixxxx]

@bwashinski no ur just another armchair warrior

[threegonline]

@bwashinski yea well this was a better time in the nfl. Jack is the greatest of all time

[speranzayaya]

hey howard cosell! you drop the fucking ball too if you were in mid air with Jack Lambert, Jack Hamm and Donnie Shell running at you full speed from all angles trying to kill you. stfu

[casheasy]

LAMBERT!!!!! Funny thing is, he'd be kicked out of the league for this now. NFL sucks compared to then, and yet I still watch it, because it's football. The NFL capitalizes and yet doesn't understand why.

[sixsixxsixxxx]

@casheasy another moron...todays game is sooooo much better from a skill level alone as well being faster

[emike1211]

@casheasy NFL? - Do you mean The National Flag Football League?

[killerboy600]

how does his elbow not hurt?

[Thierolf0054]

@killerboy600

Because he's Jack Fucking Lambert, duh.

[Ariamaluum]

@DatPicksburghGuy. Take at look at this clip and what his former teammate, Ed O-Bradovich said at 3:06. It pretty sums him up.

Hall of Famer Dick Butkus Highlight Reel

[avalsonline2]

the sad part is, many of these fiitball players are dying in their 40s and 50s. the body shuts down early because of abuse like this. bur hey, what is an early death compared to the price of entertainment

[5lowrollD]

Howard is a harsh slaver .

[marcxopoco]

Cosell eats you know what.

[tomistomasinensis]

Lambert is a beast. He looks even more intimidating with those football pads on,  hes just so big

[Ariamaluum]

@tomistomasinensis. Not compared to Butkus or against TE like Ozzie Newsome.

[DatPicksburghGuy]

@Ariamaluum Yes compared to Butkus. The two were the same exact type of player. Not overly strong, not overly fast, not overly gifted or athletic, but smart and fucking crazy.

[Ariamaluum]

@DatPicksburghGuy. Dick could pick up running backs at fullspeed and throw them down to the ground. He was cat quick. Likewise, he could strip the football out of the guy's hands. Never had a front line. Lambert was more of a puzzle that fit the piece.

[DatPicksburghGuy]

@Ariamaluum Watch interviews of anybody who ever played with or against Butkus. He wasn't fast, or quick for that matter. He did have game speed. Meaning he had a rare sense and intelligence for the game, which is why he was always the first one to the ball carrier - not because of any physical gifts or skills.

Btw I'm not making any kind of argument over who's better, I'm just saying that they were the same type of player: extremely intelligent, durable, and hard-nosed.