Top 10 linebackers, 1950 thru 1969?

[Bryan]

Not my rankings. I posted what I am pretty sure, based on conversations, was TJ Troup's thoughts would be. I'd recommend his book "The Birth of Football's Modern 4-3 Defense: The Seven Seasons That Changed the NFL". A lot of information about players over the years.

He goes yeah by year for all teams and gives blurbs about players. He writes glowingly of Drazenovich. Thinks he was underrated because the Washington defenses were not good. Said he covered better than the others ... that he'd scrape to the ball, good instincts as he saw them.


He's mentioned Huff was good but his coverage skills were behind Schmidt more of a converted D-tackle who was good and mobile but didn't have the speed of a running back. He said he was a "fine" zone defender He would have Les Richter behind those guys at maybe 6th or 7th.

Thanks for sharing. One question for you regarding Drazenovich. He was put into the AAFC dispersal draft, but he had been drafted by both the Lions and the AAFC Dons in 1949 and didn't play for either team. Wouldn't Drazenovich's draft rights still be held by the Lions in 1950? I'm not sure why Drazenovich was placed into the AAFC dispersal draft.

[JohnTurney]

Thanks for sharing. One question for you regarding Drazenovich. He was put into the AAFC dispersal draft, but he had been drafted by both the Lions and the AAFC Dons in 1949 and didn't play for either team. Wouldn't Drazenovich's draft rights still be held by the Lions in 1950? I'm not sure why Drazenovich was placed into the AAFC dispersal draft.

Short answer is I am not 100% sure.

In the Jan 1950 NFL meetings, the commission proposed some things pertaining to the draft and such and they were passed.
Among them is that teams had to cut to 32 players and if I read it right they also had guys who had played for them in 1949
so, looks like to me, 32 players plus all the guy not on their list of 32 and they get to keep 3 of the "reserve list" that were not part of their
32 ... so looks like teams could keep, basically 35

And their unsigned draft picks from the 1950 draft

The rest went into a pool --- including those from the 1949 NFL and AAFC drafts.

It's hard to decipher --- but it seems that the Lions did not protect him and he went into the "pool" of AAFC players to be drafted. There were other rookies in that pool along with Drazenovich.

The Lions drafted Drazenovich after his junior year -- he played for Penn State in 1949, and boxed in the following spring... was talking about boxing as a career.

He would not have been eligible for the 1950 draft, so it seems like he was put into the pool. There is, though, no specific mention of his name.

What was interesting is that for players who played for more than one team (putting him on both teams' reserve lists) a coin flip would determine which list he stayed on. If there was more than one -- the winner of the toss gets one, then the other team gets the second ...

So, my answer is still "I don't know" but my guess is he was drafted, not signed, not protected and was thrown in to the "lottery" draft pool.

[74_75_78_79_]

Great, outstanding knowledge droppings, Gang (as...Usual)!

Another fun, informative topic!

[Sonny9]

I think I can give TJ Troup's
1. Burkus (went into the 1970s, don't know how strict you are for 1950-69)
2. Schmidt ... TJ thinks he the best of the big 3 of the 1950s
3. Bill George
4. Chuck Drazenovich
5. Nitschke/Huff

I think that would be pretty close

No love for Dale Dodrill? Granted he played in the middle of the line his first years and moved to MLB when they changed defenses late in his career.

[JohnTurney]

No love for Dale Dodrill? Granted he played in the middle of the line his first years and moved to MLB when they changed defenses late in his career.

I think TJ looked him a lot, but I think he may not have thought he was a top 5 guy -- I don't remember all the chapters in his book but he was complimentary from what I do remember.