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Great offensive lines are sadly a thing of the past; they are lost art. The reason for that lies with high school and college coaches who go with more quick passing that doesn’t use kick steps; a lot of linemen get to the NFL and don’t even know how to kick step. That’s why these offensive lines were from years ago when great coaching existed, and coaches realized you win with what’s up front.
LT: Grady Alderman
LG: Jim Vellone
C: Mick Tingelhoff
RG: Milt Sunde
RT: Ron Yary
The 1969 Vikings earned an NFL-best 12-2 regular season record and also led the NFL (this was the last year the NFL and AFL were separate) with 379 total points scored. Quarterback Joe Kapp passed for 1,726 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named to the 1970 Pro Bowl.
Running backs Dave Osborn, Bill Brown, and Oscar Reed combined for 1,466 yards and 11 scores in the regular season.
Center Mick Tingelhoff and right tackle Ron Yary anchored this venerable line, and both currently reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition, Tingelhoff and left tackle Grady Alderman were named to the 1970 Pro Bowl.
LT: Anthony Munoz
LG: Bruce Reimers
C: Bruce Kozerski
RG: Max Montoya
RT: Brian Blados
This group helped quarterback Boomer Esiason pass for an impressive 3,525 yards with 28 touchdowns during the regular season. It also helped produce a 1,239-yard rushing season from running back James Brooks.
The offensive line was anchored by the most outstanding offensive lineman in history Anthony Munoz. Joe Walter was also a massive part of this group’s success until an injury later ended his season. Brian Blados stepped in and had an excellent postseason run. Guards Max Montoya and Bruce Reimers were outstanding all year and, as players, are underrated. Center Bruce Kozerski was a stabilizing force in the middle.
LT: Bob Svihus
LG: Gene Upshaw
C: Jim Otto
RG: Wayne Hawkins
RT: Harry Schuh
The 1967 season saw The Mad Bomber Daryle Lamonica put up an incredible 3,228 yards passing with 30 touchdowns. The season also saw Raiders rushers Hewitt Dixon, and Clem Daniels combine for 1,134 yards and nine touchdowns.
They were anchored by future Hall of Famers Gene Upshaw and Jim Otto. Though not Hall of Famers themselves, Guard Wayne Hawkins and tackle Harry Schuh made multiple appearances in the AFL All-Star Game during their careers. Which of these linemen made the Raider’s all-time greatest team?
LT: Gary Zimmerman
LG: Mark Schlereth
C: Tom Nalen
RG: Brian Habib
RT: Tony Jones
This line was better than the 1998 offensive line; the 1997 line also featured future Hall of Fame tackle Gary Zimmerman. This group helped Elway to a Pro Bowl season—he passed for 3,635 yards and 27 touchdowns—and helped Terrell Davis to an incredible 1,750-yard rushing season.
Center Tom Nalen was one of the greatest center’s in NFL history and, in my opinion, belongs in the Hall of Fame.
LT: Bob Skoronski
LG: Fuzzy Thurston
C: Bill Curry
RG: Jerry Kramer
RT: Forrest Gregg
Future Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg led this line. He and left tackle Bob Skoronski were named to the 1967 Pro Bowl. Throw in the tough Bill Curry at the center and an excellent guard combination of Fuzzy Thurston and Jerry Kramer, and you had an all-time dominant offensive line.
LT: Joe Jacoby
LG: Russ Grimm
C: Jeff Bostic
RG: Fred Dean
RT: George Starke
The Redskins, over the last 40 years, have had some great offensive lines; I think this was the finest group of “hogs” they have ever had. The left side of Jacoby and Grimm was dominant; center Joe Bostic was steady in the middle. Fred Dean and George Starke played on the right side and did a great job all year. Super Bowl XVII was the crowning achievement for this group as they completely took the game over in the second half and led the Skins to their first Super Bowl title.
LT: Art Shell
LG: Gene Upshaw
C: Dave Dalby
RG: George Buehler
RT: John Vella
This group launched fullback Mark van Eeghen to a 1,012-yard season while helping quarterback Ken Stabler earn a Pro Bowl nomination. Stabler passed for 2,737 yards and 27 touchdowns during the regular season while only suffering 19 sacks. He was sacked only twice in the Super Bowl, going 12-of-19 for 180 yards and a score.
This unit was anchored on the left side by future Hall of Famers Art Shell and Gene Upshaw. The duo combined for 14 Pro Bowl appearances, and this line combined to spearhead one of the most memorable teams in Raiders history.
LT: Wayne Moore
LG: Bob Kuechenberg
C: Jim Langer
RG: Larry Little
RT: Norm Evans
This line helped Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris combine for 2,117 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in 1972. The duo rushed for 1,957 yards a year later.
Right, guard Larry Little and center Jim Langer are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet, there’s no denying that all five of these blockers helped to produce back-to-back Super Bowl wins and perhaps the most impressive two-season run of any NFL team in history. Where does Larry Little rank on the best Doplins of all=time!
LT: Mark Tuinei
LG: Nate Newton
C: Mark Stepnoski/John Gesek
RG: John Gesek/Kevin Gogan
RT: Erik Williams
This was the Great Wall of Dallas at the height of its powers, and the evidence is in the history books. Troy Aikman passed for 3,445 yards in 1992 behind this group while only suffering 23 sacks on 473 passing attempts. He passed for 3,100 yards the following season. Check out the biggest What if’ in NFL history!
Running back, Emmitt Smith racked up 1,713 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in 1992. A year later, he rushed for 1,486 yards.
There has never been a more dominating offensive line in history. They were big, fast, and mean. I combined the 92 and 93 teams here; the dominance of an outstanding bills team in two blowouts Super Bowls was indicative of the greatness of this offensive line.
The turning point of Super Bowl XXVIII was the start of the second half when the Cowboys were down 13-6. They came out ran six straight running plays, and from there, the game would become a 30-13 rout.
LT: Roger Finnie
LG: Bob Young
C: Tom Banke
RG: Conrad Dobler
RT: Dan Dierdorf
No, they never made it to the Super Bowl, but they are the greatest offensive line in NFL history. ‘These guys’ allowed an all-time NFL record low of 8 sacks during the 1975 season, protecting a very immobile Jim Hart (Cardinals all-time passing leader who, when he retired, was the 3rd leading passer in NFL history). Hart’s favorite target was the great Cardinals speedster Mel Gray (6th round draft pick, 45 TDs).
When it came to run blocking, the ‘Big Red Line’cleared the way for Terry Metcalf and Jim Otis to rush for 168 yards per game during 1975-76, en-route to records of 11-3 (division title).
This offensive line allowed “Air Coryell” to flourish.
LT: Jon Kolb
LG: Sam Davis
C: Mike Webster
RG: Gerry Mullins
RT: Larry Brown
I believe this line was better than the Super Bowl XIII line from the year before because of the addition of right tackle Larry Brown. The line was anchored by possibly the most outstanding center in history Mike Webster.
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