Community Update

When we speak about the best defensive linemen of all time, a few names come to mind. Reggie White by far is one of the very best ever to play the position. If it’s not for him, we wouldn’t see guys such as J.J. Watt, Jared Allen and Ndamukong Suh in today’s NFL. Bruce Smith was another guy who truly changed how you defend a defensive lineman as well. He had the speed to get after the passer before the quarterback could even drop back and plant his foot. John Randle was a great one as well. He was undersized for the position but he didn’t play like it. He made sure you knew who he was on the field and now he’s in the hall of fame and you also have Michael Strahan. He set a record by recording 22.5 sacks in one season. Those names I’ve listed (Strahan, Smith, White and Randle) are all legends, but there’s only one Deacon Jones. Not only is he the best ever to play the position, he’s one of the greatest defensive players of all time. The NFL has truly lost a legend. Deacon passed away on Sunday at the age of 74 due to natural causes. <br><br>Deacon was drafted in the fourteenth round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the then Los Angeles Rams. After being drafted, he became a starter as a defensive end on a line that had Merlin Olsen, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier and these four would go on to earn the nickname, the “fearsome foursome” which is arguably the greatest defensive line of all time. Deacon was a 6’5 defensive end who had top notch speed for the position. He was physical, played with swagger, confidence and was one of the most feared players in the NFL when he played. I can sit here and truly say that Deacon revolutionized the position that is the defensive end. What seperated him from other defensive ends was the ability to make tackles from sideline to sideline and he is credited with utlizing the head slap which would give him an extra step to get past who was blocking him. Throughout his career, he was a very durable player having only missed six games in his 14 NFL seasons. <span><br><br>Deacon Jones will be missed. That is for certain. He finished his career with 194.5 sacks in his career and has since been passed up by two hall of famers in Bruce Smith and the late Reggie White. He was elected into the pro football hall of fame in 1980 in his first year of eligiblity and was named to the NFL’s 75th anniversary all time team in 1994. Without Deacon, we wouldn’t have come to know a Bruce Smith, Reggie White, John Randle, Richard Dent on the defensive line. He paved the way for those I’ve listed and those men paved the way for some of the current defensive linemen in the game today. </span>