Comments on: TJB Hall of Fame: Larry Grantham

By: Bent

Bent — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:20:09 +0000

I actually got a chance to meet Flores briefly in November. Had I known that story, I would have definitely asked him about it.

By: matthewm

matthewm — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:27:01 +0000

Great choice. The guy was terrific, just as a player, leaving aside his other contributions. He once knocked out an opposing QB (Tom Flores, I think, of the Raiders), without touching him with his hands (a kind of submarine tackle). Plus he was never hurt (or out with an injury), and was a defensive star of Super Bowl III. Case closed. Soul of the franchise, in those years, along with Maynard, perhaps more enduring than even Joe, who, truth be told, threw a lot of picks in a lot of seasons. Lastly, LG and his peers gave credibility to the AFL, and that’s another of his legacies. Have better linebackers played for the Jets? Probably? Have better players? Not many.

By: OldRich

OldRich — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:56:28 +0000

A good choice. Grantham, Al Atkinson and Ralph Baker were a very good LB corps. Neither was exceptionally excellent himself, but they were tough as nails, smart, rock solid and played well together.

By: TJB Hall of Fame: The Class of 2009

TJB Hall of Fame: The Class of 2009 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:02:54 +0000

[...] Larry Grantham by Bassett [...]

By: How to Jump Higher in Basketball » Blog Archive » thejetsblog.com » TJB Hall of Fame: Larry Grantham

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:56:27 +0000

[...] Here is the original: thejetsblog.com » TJB Hall of Fame: Larry Grantham [...]

By: Bent

Bent — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:16:54 +0000

Harlan…Hudson, Philbin and Elliott are all guys that were considered (and will be in future). The choice of Grantham specifically recognizes the fact that he was an original Titan, played his entire 13 year career with the franchise and, based on his number of all-star appearances had a longer period of excellence. That’s what set him apart from all those other guys.

I haven’t seen him play, other than watching a re-run of the Superbowl, but he is a worthy choice based on everything I’ve read (including Bassett’s great article above) about his on-and-off-field achievements, personality and his inspirational fight against illness which embodies everything this hall of fame idea was created to recognize.

We don’t want to overlook any eras, so Grantham (along with Maynard) is a great choice to represent those formative years and the fact that he was still around to excel in the Superbowl seals the deal for me!

For the other eras, you have the late 60’s and 70’s (Namath, Hill – and the three guys you mentioned will compete with Snell, Boozer and others to join them next year). Then the late 70’s and 80’s has Walker and the late 80’s has Toon and Klecko (with McNeil and Mehl, and guys like Powell up for consideration next year). For the 90’s (so far) we now have Chrebet, Curtis, Byrd (obviously selected for his inspirational story more than his on-field successes) and Lewis.

By: Harlan Lachman

Harlan Lachman — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:50:54 +0000

I find this a strange choice.

Larry seems like a sentimental choice by those unfamiliar with our early years.

From the early years, Jim Hudson, Gerry Philbin and John Elliot were the strength of our Defense. I don’t mean to be rude, but did the voters actually watch these guys play live?

Hudson was the original mean safety who hit hard and made players take notice.
Elliot’s tackle for a loss convinced the Jets that the Colt juggernaut was human. And, Philbin was the most consistently highly performing defender.

With so many great Jets being ignored, this seems like a very strange choice and not a good one. How LG could get in when Freeman, Lance Mehl, have not (didn’t Wesley make it, he is not listed to the right). Larry was not HOF material. If he was, he was an afterthought who should get in after the truly greats.

OMHO,

harlan

Harlan