Bears best-ever offensive tackles- Who ya got

Mullin: Bears best-ever offensive tackles

Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Posted: 2:32 p.m.

By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com

Third in a series looking at the top Bears in the history of the franchise at each position. In this installment, CSNChicago.com Bears Insider John Mullin gets takes a look at offensive tackle.

During this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi had a simple declaration regarding the field of tackles in the 2011 draft: “I know I’m the best tackle out there.”

The Bears were fortunate that he fell to them at No. 29. That happened in large part because the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks didn’t quite agree with Carimi and drafted other tackles instead.

Who or what team was right about which tackle, or whether Carimi was the best tackle out there or anywhere else, doesn’t really matter. What the Bears would particularly like to play out, however, would be for Carimi to end up earning a place high up on the distinguished list of best tackles in franchise history.

With the NFL on indefinite break and the Bulls finished working on fast breaks -- theirs and the Miami Heat’s -- CSNChicago.com’s “View from the Moon” is taking this opportunity to bring unprecedented clarity to the Chicago Bears’ past, with some “present” folded in. Rather than undertake another analysis of the 2011 roster, which necessarily remains in a molten state pending yet-uncertain free agency, training camp and preseason, “View” will establish the franchise depth chart position by position.

Specifically, who are the three greatest Bears of all time at each of the 22 positions, plus special teams?

So how good will Carimi need to be to rank as one of the greatest at his position in franchise annals? Here are the ones at the top of pyramid above him, with special thanks to former Bear tackle and Comcast SportsNet colleague Dan Jiggetts, a teammate of two of the five finalists and in a unique position to cast a vote:

Honorable mention

Lionel Antoine: A near-miss for the Top 3 despite an injury-riddled and shortened career. ‘Toine was the third-overall pick in the 1972 draft and that was coming out of Southern Illinois University. He was 6-foot-6 and played at 265 pounds, was “mean as a snake on the field, anything but off of it and he handled Fred Dean and all the best of his era when he was healthy,” Jiggetts said. His career was limited to just 68 total games but what he displayed in his chances was memorable.

George Connor: In the “best-ever” discussion after being All-NFL on both offense and defense in 1951 and 1952, but his best work was as a linebacker, so he’ll appear again in our evaluations at a different position.

3. Keith Van Horne

The most underrated member of the great Bears offensive lines of the 1980s, from an elite football program (USC) and at 6-foot-8, 290 pounds, a dominant force then who would fit easily into the forward walls of today. Van Horne was overshadowed by his teammate on the other end of the line as well as Pro Bowl trips by Mark Bortz and Jay Hilgenberg.

The Bears of his years played the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Raiders seven times, winning six. The defensive left ends on those teams were Reggie White and Howie Long, both in the Hall of Fame. This was the guy who blocked them.

“'Horne was 265 pounds when he was drafted, was stuck at left tackle when he first got here, which he’d never played in his life, fought through that,” Jiggs said, “and probably never got the recognition he deserved just because of how good that guy at the other end of the line was.”

More on “that guy at the other end” in a second.

2. Joe Stydahar

Coincidentally, like Covert, Stydahar was the No. 6 pick of the 1936 draft, the NFL’s first. Another 6-foot-4 guy, albeit from an era long before Stan Jones introduced weight training to the game.

What actually does cast a shadow over Stydahar’s place on the list was that he played in an era when there were basically no minorities.

But Stydahar could only play the people in front of him and this Hall of Famer was an All-NFL tackle for the four years culminating in the 73-0 championship game against the Washington Redskins in 1940 and he was anchoring another championship line in 1946 after giving two seasons to military service


1. Jimbo Covert

Covert protected Dan Marino’s blind side at Pitt and then Jim McMahon’s in Chicago. He practiced every day against Richard Dent, who named Covert as the best he ever faced and remarked, “After practicing against Jimbo, games were easy.” If a Hall of Fame defensive end says so, good enough for “View from the Moon.”

The back injury he suffered in training camp and the decline of the Bears through the late 1980s cost Covert some of the recognition he deserved, although he still was voted the left tackle on the NFL’s Team of the Decade for the ‘’80s as it was.

Some perspective here also: Covert played at 6-foot-4, 280-290 pounds. Jordan Gross, the NFC starting left tackle in the Pro Bowl, is 6-foot-4. Michael Oher of “The Blind Side” is 6-foot-4. Covert could play in any era.

And he is the best the Bears have ever had at the edge of an offensive line.

“Jimbo could run-block and pass-block equally well,” Jiggs said. “But what made him really great and the best of his day was that he had the quickness to fire out, sell the run, knock you backwards with those guns of his and then be back in his pass set while you were still trying to figure out what hit you.”

while again hard to differentiate era's, esp when players in the early days went both ways, and had different formations..:

1. joe Stydahar- First draft choice for bears and a HOF'er

2.. ed healy- halas hismelf called healy the "most versatile tackle" ever in football.. that is good enough for me, HOF 1964

3. Bill hewitt- Last helmetless player in NFL( talk about tough!), just a beast in the 1930's, hall of fame 1971.Designed the play that won the 1939 chmapionship( a jump pass from FB to him and then a later to the HB!)-Bill Hewitt made his mark in nine National Football League seasons in a number of ways, but two stand out. First, he shunned the use of a helmet until the NFL finally forced him to wear this protective device in 1939, his eighth season. Hewitt's reason was simple-he felt a helmet handicapped his play.Secondly, he was as "The Offside Kid," because most people felt he was perpetually offside. Actually this was rarely the case-he just got such a terrific jump on the center snap that many times he was bringing down the rival ball-carrier almost before the ball arrived. The ordinary observer just couldn't fathom how a man could always react so quickly.

These are only the signal points in the Hewitt career. Many still call him the best "Two-way" end pro football ever produced. His qualifications are so complete that, on July 31 of this year, Hewitt will be inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Almost every point one makes about Hewitt must start in the superlative range and then improve. For instant, he was an official all-NFL player three out of his five seasons with the Chicago Bears and then won all-NFL honors his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1937. He was the first pro ever to win all-league honors with two different clubs.





4. jimbo Covert- still a shame both he and hilgy do not get prop's for HOF

5. Roy "link" lyman- known more for a being the pioneer of the slant and shiftas a DT, also a beast on the OT side

6. Keith van horne- the othe side of the 1980's bears teams

Special mention to george musso( who also played guard so hope he shows there)- who was the toughest player halas knew-But for literally the biggest star of all-at 6-2 and 270 pounds, George Musso was physically the most intimidating Bears-pro football's finest honor never came. As the years and even the decades rolled by, Musso reluctantly admitted that he most likely had been "lost in the shuffle"

Formal induction rites for Musso and his 1982 "classmates"-Doug Atkins, Sam Huff and Merlin Olsen-came on the front steps of the Hall on August 7, 1982. Because of his ability as well as his size, Musso was not easy to overlook on the pro gridirons. He became the epitome of the powerful line play that made the Bears famous and fearsome. Opponents and teammates alike looked at him as a quality 60-minute performer, an absolute terror on defense and far better than average on offense, particularly as a pass blocker and as a pulling guard on running plays.

"George was one of the outstanding lineman of his time," Washington Redskins coach Ray Flaherty once said. "His size and speed made him a difficult target, particularly on defense."

"He anchored the Bears' five-man line with authority," fullback Clarke Hinkle of the archrival Green Bay Packers recalls. "He always gave us plenty of trouble every time we played."

"Big Bear," as he was affectionately known by his contemporaries, was the Bears' middle guard on defense and he specialized in the big play-the blocked kick, the critical tackle, whatever was needed to blunt the enemy attack. It was almost impossible for a ball carrier to run through him and a detour around him meant running into a pack of outstanding linebackers such as Danny Fortmann and Bulldog Turner.

RT - James "big cat" Williams. wouldn't say the all time best, but one worth mentioning. never really got a lot of credit mainly cause he played the RT spot. did get 1 pro bowl at the end of his career but many felt he was deserving of a few more.

I think "Moon" got this one right.

I know Healey and Hewitt played both ways, but I think of them as DTs more than OTs.

Edit: I'll give you Healey, but Hewitt played "End" on O which we call WR today...

http://www.pro-football-reference.co...H/HewiBi20.htm

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Originally Posted by GeorgiaJeff

I think "Moon" got this one right.

I know Healey and Hewitt played both ways, but I think of them as DTs more than OTs.

Edit: I'll give Healey, but Hewitt played "End" or O which we can WR today...

http://www.pro-football-reference.co...H/HewiBi20.htm

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yeah think healey a complete miss by Moon.. And as said hard on those 1930's players on where to put in relation to today's game..If want to put Hewitt on the DE(or Dt), got no prblem with it- just like to make sure the history and these players do not go un-noticd or forgotten : ) I know you also like the history jeff, and for moon to not even mention healey a really bad oversight by Mullin.

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First player purchased by George Halas, who describes him as "most versatile tackle off all time." At Dartmouth (1916-1919) won three letters under Frank (the Iron Major) Cavanuagh and Dr. Clarence W. Spears with one year out for World War I duty overseas. Played in NFL's first two seasons with Rock Island. Bought in third year (1922) by Halas to settle $100 debt and in next five campaigns with the Bears was named All-Pro five times. Retired as building supply company executive.

Quoting Canton repository, August 9, 1965, before Healey's induction:

Walter Camp, father of All-America teams, watched the Chicago Bears play several occasions in 1924. During one game, they said he couldn't take his expert eyes off one man.

"Who is that magnificent tackle?" was his inquiry

"Ed Healey," he was told," Ed Healey of Dartmouth."

1920-22 Rock Island Independents

1922-27 Chicago Bears

Played college football at Dartmouth

Well, now, Camp was virtually flabbergasted.
"Wonder how I ever missed him at Dartmouth? He is the best tackle I ever saw!"

reason camp missed him at Dartmouth was that big Ed wasn't a tackle during his college days. He was an end, and apparently not too good an end, either. It wasn't until he turned professional that Healey developed into a giant in stature and ability.

He launched his pro gridiron career in 1920 and played eight seasons with the Rock Island Independents and the Chicago Bears, the latter National Football League club getting him by purchase in 1922. He was just about everybody's all-pro for half a dozen years.

Healey, who took his place among the pro grid greats on his induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame on September 8, 1964, was a sparkplug who helped the Bears to banner campaigns in 1923 and 1924.

The Bears lost only three games those two years but finished second to the Canton Bulldogs in 1923 and to the Cleveland Indians (the Canton franchise went to Cleveland for that one season) in 1924. Chicago and Cleveland split a two-game series in 1924, but the Clevelanders took the title on the strength of one more victory.

Veteran Bears' Coach Halas calls Healey the most versatile tackle of all time.

Healey figured in one of pro football's most unusual happenings in the 1924 season.

The Bears had a runner named Oscar Knop, from the University of Illinois, who was quite a speedster.

The play that was to bring Knop plenty of Fame occurred in a game against the Columbus Tigers at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Paul Goebel of Michigan, an end for Chicago, was the intended receiver on a pass, but popped out of his arms and was snatched out of the air by Knop.

Oscar cuddled the pigskin and set off for the goal line as 6,000 fans screamed. The louder the screams the faster Knop ran, and the faster Knop ran, the louder the screams!

Knop was running toward the wrong goal!

Instead of heading for a touchdown, Knop was headed toward a safety and two points for Columbus!

Healey gave Knop hot pursuit. He chased Knop for about 30 yards. Finally, four yards from the Bears' goal line, Healey cut loose with a flying tackle that grounded Knop and save him the ignominy of scoring for the wrong team.

The Bears won the game, 12-6, but the next day, the headline in the Chicago paper read: "Backward, Turn Backward, Knop in They Fight."

Healey was a native of Springfield, Mass. He attended Pomfret Prep before going to Dartmouth, where he starred in 1916, 1917, and 1919. The year 1918 found him in the service during World War I.

Healey was the first president of the Chicago Bears Alumni Association, which was founded in 1937.

The association furnishes guidance to young active players and serves as a job-finding agency to help Bear cubs get a foothole in the business world.

"Fellowship is fine," Healey related, "But it isn't everything. We old Bears want to be as helpful as possible to the young ones."

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Originally Posted by dabears54

yeah think healey a complete miss by Moon.. And as said hard on those 1930's players on where to put in relation to today's game..If want to put Hewitt on the DE(or Dt), got no prblem with it- just like to make sure the history and these players do not go un-noticd or forgotten : ) I know you also like the history jeff, and for moon to not even mention healey a really bad oversight by Mullin.

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After looking up Healey's career stats at pro-football-reference.com I noticed he's listed as a LT (I know he played both ways so on D he probably played what we call DE today; maybe some DT, maybe both DE and DT).

I think I'd still with go Covert, Stydahar, and Van Horne as the top 3.

Unless I missed something it looks like Hewitt played DE on D and End (WR) on O.

I'm still learning the team's history, and know very little about the players who played for the Bears prior to the 1940s (which is still thin even now for me since I cannot relate to that style of play from back then). Jimbo Covert would have to get the number one pick for me, and he deservies to be in the Hall of Fame.