Thread: Best All-time SAFETIES BEARS- who ya got

and for people that never saw plank"




the human missle:

mike brown:

All you need to know about Plank, besides his great play, is that he was the namesake of the legendary 46 defense

Originally Posted by soulman

You almost have to take these guys by their era. For those who never knew about that 63 Bears defense Richie Petibon and Rosie Taylor were one hell of a safety combination. I think Petibon led the league in picks that year and the defense as a whole led the league in picks.

Then you can take Plank and Fencik in their era and add in Dave Duerson along with Bell and Gayle as honorable mentions. Plank may well have been the most brutal hitter as a safety to ever play the game. Jack Tatum had nothing on Plank as a hitter and Plank was better in run support than Tatum. That hit he puts on Campbell is an example. The trouble is that he'd never be able to play his style today. He's get a spearing penalty on nearly every tackle. I'm surprised he still has a neck and a head on his shoulders, LOL.

Then you have to take Mark Carrier and Mike Brown as tops in the 90's and 00's. Carrier had a great rookie year but never quite duplicated that effort but Mike Brown may well have been the smartest and best safety the Bears ever had. If he wasn't at the top of the list then he'd share it with Richie Petibon IMO. Then I'd put Plank and Fencik side by side at SS and FS followed by DD and Carrier at the same as SS and FS. Then Rosie Taylor and Todd Bell the same with Shaun Gayle right behind Bell.

Parrish had a lot of talent but wasn't here long enough to consider him at the top.

yep besides the 4probowl's for pettibon, he had 8 in 1963( th champiosnhip year) and 48 for his career, 37 with bears which was one les than fenicks record of 38

people also forget what an athlete he was( andmost jsut knew him as a DC and HC), he was a qb in college:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...3044/index.htm

At Lawrence, Richie Petitbon was the one bright spot in a Tulane defeat; his passing led to the only Greenie touchdown as Kansas scored a 14-9 upset.

oh and soul.. no dunt plank wouldn't last 4 games w/o being fined out of the leagie now.. : ).. just a different game.. not sure if you have ever seen night train layne vid's.. he was even nastier than plank or tatum: )

Originally Posted by soulman

Dick "Night Train" Lane. Wow there's a blast from the past. He was huge as safties went in his era. Wasn't he about 6'2" and 215-220lbs? That's ideal size today but in the 50's and 60's that was TE or LB size, LOL. Most safties in that era were about the size if CB's today.

oh yeah... he was voted the #2 "most feared" tackler..( butkus obviusly #1), just a VISCIOUS clothesline and forearm shivers..