Dick ''Night Train'' Lane # 2 most feared tackler

[Legend33Larry]

@boiler6460, since the 70s, QB attempted more passes in games: Peyton Manning Cmp%=65%; Marino, 59.8%, and they are more accurate, even though they attempted more passes in games. Even average Philip Rivers puts better numbers than HOF QB of the past: he completes 63% of his passes, while only 2.6% of his passes have been intercepted (Baugh&Von Brockling INT% were superior to 6% in their respective career!).

So, today QB attempted more passes and they had fewer picks per attempt!

[Legend33Larry]

Imagine Dick Butkus, Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor played w/out all these rules the NFL implanted due to Dick's dominance... players would probably died on the field!

[seanman70]

Yea a TON of qbs were throwing the pigskin in the 30's thank Don Hutson one of the greatest receivers ever opened up the passing game.

[beatlejim64]

A real football player...

[40yard4and25]

He was a great DB, but many of his tackles were simple neck-grabbing. It was legal then but in the modern era he'd have been an interceptor only, imo.

[buckwheat40]

all time secondary, Night Train and Deion at cornerback.

Steve Atwater and Ronnie Lott at safety.

[Bryanth29]

Wow lots of shots to the head. Don't know if I'd call him a great player as much as I'd call him dirty. But I guess you can't be considered dirty until there are rules in place.

[1frag2gypsies]

seems like the best tacklers have the name dick

[KingAmani1]

if night train lane played in the league right now he would of been bankrupt after the first 4 games. the league gets softer and softer evry year

[Bonemeal]

@jamdawg I respectfully disagree. Christian "The Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye definitely wins it by a nose.

[theboss232323232323]

night train i thought would be higher than butkus

[andrewr62]

Really? John Unitas, Norm Van Brocklin, Bobby Lane, Y.A. Tittle, Otto Graham,

Sonny Jurgenson, are all legendary. The could all play today. The rules today too

favor the offense. You cannot touch a reciever five yards off the line of scrimmage.

In thos days you could tear a receivers head off any time any where.

[VampireYoshi]

Night Train's bait and switch worked because he was so vicious in the tackle. If he faked the pass rush, you could bet your @$ $ they were going to throw, and bam, take it the other way.

[KaramelLolaBunnie91]

0:53-1:03 hahaha

[hemet92544]

Brother looks like can still PLAY!

[cuenco78]

great post, dude. TY

...

a lot to learn with this guy

[upabittoolate]

At 0:18, I actually winced.

[buzzkill225]

yawn, good hits but im sick of ppl comparing football from the 50s and 60s to todays football, if these mother fuckers tried that shit to todays athletes their fucking lights would get knocked the fuck out, ray lewis the real number 1, 15 years fucking all the best athletes the nfl has ever seen right up the ass.

[XRRfan]

@buzzkill225 its the other way around it was a tougher game back then. player now would be getting their teeth kicked in and clotheslined. respect TO a Cornerback that was a feared hitter not to many of them .

[upabittoolate]

@buzzkill225 Ray Lewis? C'mon. He's is 1 helluva a linebacker & leader. He's a 1st ballot HoF player without question. But in terms of toughness, those old school guys rule all. Jim Brown, if he was in his prime now, would probably still truck Ray. These 2 men didn't play in the '50s but take a long, hard look at guys like Mark Carrier (CHI) & Ronnie Lott. Look at Jim Marshall & Jack Lambert for that matter. Those mu'fuckas would rock modern players.

[loyaldude10]

@upabittoolate -you have a point; however, athletes today are much bigger and faster than in the past, as well as having better training methods. (Even wthout steroid use). If you added a couple inches and about 30 lbs to the older guys, to allow for people of this generation, non-athletes included, of being larger, than you're right--this guy Lane was absolutely frightening--maybe he should be no1. Butkus and Nitschke were crazier, but this guy hit harder.

[upabittoolate]

@loyaldude10 You have to keep it in context then. Don't you think those old school guys, if placed into the modern era, would be hitting the weights, using specialized nutrition & performance improvement tactics (not just 'roids but foods that help you get bigger)?

In Jim Brown's case, he was the biggest som'bitch on the field; offense or defense.

The conversation, however, is about toughness. I'm talking about the will to play recklessly. Modern guys just don't have the heart.

[mijreed]

Bad ass! Old school football.

[diablo313]

Wish the Lions had players like this nowadays...

[Jdub14000]

@diablo313 Word on that man!

[joelradwanski]

That's how you hit a MF'er!

[andrewr62]

I see your points but I do think you underestimate many of the QB's of that era.

I believe players like Norm Van Brocklin, Sammy Baugh or Otto Graham were as

accurate as any QB's of any era. Van Brocklin still holds the single game passing

record which has stood for 60 years. The football of today is much more narrow

and was made for throwing unlike the ball of 1950's

[PlatinumBD]

With that aside, Night Train hit HARD! I mean even he was flying after his hits, haha!

[trewells]

This guy punished receivers!

[andrewr62]

14 interceptions in a season still an NFL record. Lane did in 12 games what today's players cannot do in 16.

[PlatinumBD]

@andrewr62: I think we all love this guy. But you have to take into account the inefficiency of the passing game back in his time. The running game then had the power of today's passing game. Nowadays you can't win in the NFL without a good QB. Back then, you needed a good RB. He wasn't facing Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees you know? Also, he made alot of head tackles (facemask)..something illegal in todays game. He could have threw a receiver on the ground before stealing the pic..

[Jamelo81]

@PlatinumBD

the receiver could have done the same to him.

[PlatinumBD]

@Jamelo81: Well they didn't.

[Jamelo81]

@PlatinumBD

well, that's their fault. He was following the rules as they were at the time.

[PlatinumBD]

@Jamelo81: Kinda hard to worry about throwing the toughest CB in NFL history to the ground, AND focus on your route AND catch the ball.

[KLove3232]

@andrewr62 did you see those passes though?? fuck man i could pick those off

[VoodooSmash]

@andrewr62 wellll yeaa but he didnt play with qb's as good as now



[Imdobest]

@VoodooSmash who says the QB's weren't as good back then???

[92463mike]

@VoodooSmash It always takes one special dumb-ass to say something so clearly ignorant. He just explained to you about the rule changes, and you still say the quarterbacks weren't as good as they are now? Did your mother drop you on your head, or were you just born a dumb-ass?

[Imdobest]

@andrewr62 not trying to take any credit away from the incredible "Night Train" Lane but QB's did throw more INT's back then than compared to today.

[MegaAstrodude]

@andrewr62,

Give some of today's players a break! The bump and run zone is only 5 yards now, illegal contact downfield is called all of the time for the most trivial things. and you can't clothesline! The rule changes make it impossible to play what night train called defense, especially the changes to illegal contact downfield.

There really is no reason for the facemask now with the full shield available for most positions.

[andrewr62]

@MegaAstrodude Your points are valid but more often then not players of 1950's abd 1960's are greatly under estimated by the casual fan today. The make the false assumption that none of the NFL players of the past

had the skills of many NFL players today. I disagree. I also have a problem with the NFL recognizing season

records even the the season expanded from 10 games to 16 games. That's why I personally put more worth in single game records.

[boiler6460]

@andrewr62 Quarterbacks are a ton better these days than back when the forward pass was seemingly a new phenomenon. Also, Night Train could get his hands on receivers and re-route them all over the field to screw up pass plays, whereas today, DBs can't even look at wide outs without drawing a flag. Lane was a great great player, no doubt. But the odds are stacked much more against today's DBs.

[andrewr62]

@boiler6460 The forward pass was a phenomenon in the 1930's. Powerful passing attacks by teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Browns, and Lions and Slingin Sammy Baugh of the Redskins was well established by this time. The most yards ever completed passing in a game was Norm Van Brocklin in 1950. Don't give me this crap like it was something new or unknown in 1950's. QB's were throwing for over 2000 yards in 12 game seasons by then.

[Legend33Larry]

@andrewr62, in the time, NFL QB had slow mechanics and their completion% was awful! Van Brockling Cmp%=53.6%, while Sammy Baugh Cmp% (56.5). The second thing is they pulled a lot of interceptions on a very few attempts. For example, Baugh attempted 315 passes and have been intercepted 23 times! Baugh (career)had more INT than TD...

[andrewr62]

@Legend33Larry True, you must also remember thogh that the football itself was a rounder than. It was not the sreamlined missile it is today. Also denfensive backs had

much more freedom than to take a reciever out of his pattern at any time before the

ball was thrown. I disagree about aweful mechanics. Not all NFL QB' today are elite or have great from either. Techniques have evolved. If the qb's of today played then they would have the same form.

[66AAA46993]

if u didnt know this was a famous football players name this sounds really dirty

[jamdawg]

Coolest Nickname EVER.

[dredandmrbears]

@jamdawg Your Right No.1 Nickname "Night Train"No 2 "Crazylegs" No.3 "The Galloping Ghost"

[Kidz24]

@jamdawg

But most unfortunate regular name.....