PIONEERS: Outside Linebackers Joe Fortunato & Matt Hazeltine

[JohnTurney]

http://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/ ... s-joe.html

PIONEERS: Outside Linebackers Joe Fortunato & Matt Hazeltine
LOOKIBG BACK
By T.J. Troup


Coach T.J. does good job explaining a few things. I wonder if we at PFRA have done similar things as HOF committee, forget about these guys. We did vote in Forester, and a couple of others.

I will vote for Fortunato again and Haziltine, who I admit, have ignored . . .

[JeffreyMiller]

Another stellar job, Coach TJ!

[bachslunch]

Enjoyed reading this.

Of the five OLBs mentioned or pictured in the article, definitely think Joe Fortunato (3/5/50s) and Bill Forester (4/4/none) have HoF cases. I'd rank them just behind Chuck Howley (5/6/none), Maxie Baughan (5/9/none), and Robert Brazile (5/7/70s) among deserving Senior eligible OLBs along with Larry Grantham (5/5/allAFL).

Larry Morris (0/0/60s) and Dan Currie (3/1/none) don't strike me as having a HoF case.

Matt Hazeltine wasn't anywhere near my radar, either. His profile of 0/2/none is pretty skimpy, though it's likely he may be one of those players with thin honors who looks really good in film study, such as Bob Skoronski (0/1/none, 7.8 at Ken's site). Hazeltine did have what amounts to four 2nd team all pro selections: Sporting News 1st team all pro in 1959 and 1961, 2nd team all pro by AP/NEA/UPI in 1962 and 1964 (the last two were his pro bowl years). Not sure what to do about him re the HoF.

[JohnTurney]

Enjoyed reading this.

Of the five OLBs mentioned or pictured in the article, definitely think Joe Fortunato (3/5/50s) and Bill Forester (4/4/none) have HoF cases. I'd rank them just behind Chuck Howley (5/6/none), Maxie Baughan (5/9/none), and Robert Brazile (5/7/70s) among deserving Senior eligible OLBs along with Larry Grantham (5/5/allAFL).

Larry Morris (0/0/60s) and Dan Currie (3/1/none) don't strike me as having a HoF case.

Matt Hazeltine wasn't anywhere near my radar, either. His profile of 0/2/none is pretty skimpy, though it's likely he may be one of those players with thin honors who looks really good in film study, such as Bob Skoronski (0/1/none, 7.8 at Ken's site). Hazeltine did have what amounts to four 2nd team all pro selections: Sporting News 1st team all pro in 1959 and 1961, 2nd team all pro by AP/NEA/UPI in 1962 and 1964 (the last two were his pro bowl years). Not sure what to do about him re the HoF.

Agree with most of this. I was speaking more of the HOVG for Fortunato and Hazeltine . . . PFRA has already voted in Forester. But, agree than Fortunato has a case for HOF, but Howley and others, IMO, have better cases.

[JeffreyMiller]

Hazeltine was also part of an unfortunate and unlikely triumvirate of SF 49ers who contracted and died from ALS.

http://www.people.com/people/archive/ar ... 18,00.html

[Bryan]

Thanks for linking to the article...Hazeltine had a very interesting career. I think OLB is a position that has evolved a lot over the years, especially considering that strongside/weakside, 3-4/4-3, etc. all have a big influence on how the position should be played. I think it was in NFL Films "The Defenders" where Chris Hanburger says that the main responsibility of the strongside OLB was to stop the sweep...oh how times have changed.