Question: Who makes your all-time Alabama offensive line?

[day-day]

With modern weight lifting techniques and nutrition, Stephenson probably plays at 295 and dominates. Or, he doesn't play C, but likely MLB or TE.

Yes, I think John Hannah would find a spot somewhere as well.

 

[Ledsteplin]

R


really? The two of the best to do it in the last 20 years , Jeff Saturday played 6-2, 295 and Jason Kelce 6-3, 295 . I think Dwight could add 40 pounds with today’s advantages and play at a high level.

Might could have. But that's a guess. I can see 20 lbs or so. Not so sure about adding 40 lbs of muscle. But then, I'm no trainer.

 

[bamaga]

Might could have. But that's a guess. I can see 20 lbs or so. Not so sure about adding 40 lbs of muscle. But then, I'm no trainer.

Yeah it’s a guess, but players today aren’t all muscle. Saturday dropped 60 pounds within 5 years of leaving the league , I don’t think that was all muscle. Well at least not natural muscle.

 

[bamaga]

Yes, I think John Hannah would find a spot somewhere as well.

View attachment 42863View attachment 42863

Paint him Green and call him the HULK!

 

[AlexanderFan]

Might could have. But that's a guess. I can see 20 lbs or so. Not so sure about adding 40 lbs of muscle. But then, I'm no trainer.

You might could add 40, but it would take some lucky genetics and not being able to pass a drug test. 40 in four years? At 18-22, possibly, but 40 in a year and a half? Not likely.

 

[OakMtn4Bama]

There is no need to compare players from years ago to those playing now. Can't be done. The older players dominated their competition like the current players do now.

 

[davefrat]

Yeah it’s a guess, but players today aren’t all muscle. Saturday dropped 60 pounds within 5 years of leaving the league , I don’t think that was all muscle. Well at least not natural muscle. View attachment 42867

Brad Culpepper (DT) lost over 100 pounds after he left the league.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Yeah it’s a guess, but players today aren’t all muscle. Saturday dropped 60 pounds within 5 years of leaving the league , I don’t think that was all muscle. Well at least not natural muscle. View attachment 42867

Not it is not all muscle with the OL. Not at all.

It's sheer weight. We could still have OL playing at 200 like in the 1960s but our diets and food supply changed so much and people in all walks of life began getting larger and larger. That trickled to football and the bigger the OL, the better. Coach Bryant coached around it for some time because his "small, quick guys" would just out-athlete the bigger lines when they would face Nebraska.

But then modern weight-lifting came into the picture and suddenly Nebraska's 270 lb OLs were just as athletic as Alabama's smaller lines (see the 1972 Orange Bowl result).

Yeah, there is a lot of muscle on those 300 lb guys, but a lot of fat too. Stephenson, time travelled to the year 2020, would easily weigh 300 and be just as dominant as he was in 1977.

 

[Tidelines]

Not it is not all muscle with the OL. Not at all.

It's sheer weight. We could still have OL playing at 200 like in the 1960s but our diets and food supply changed so much and people in all walks of life began getting larger and larger. That trickled to football and the bigger the OL, the better. Coach Bryant coached around it for some time because his "small, quick guys" would just out-athlete the bigger lines when they would face Nebraska.

But then modern weight-lifting came into the picture and suddenly Nebraska's 270 lb OLs were just as athletic as Alabama's smaller lines (see the 1972 Orange Bowl result).

Yeah, there is a lot of muscle on those 300 lb guys, but a lot of fat too. Stephenson, time travelled to the year 2020, would easily weigh 300 and be just as dominant as he was in 1977.

... but I don't want to see the 1972 Orange Bowl.

 

[TideEngineer08]

... but I don't want to see the 1972 Orange Bowl.

It's still painful. Heck I wasn't even born yet. Still painful.

 

[Tidelines]

It's still painful. Heck I wasn't even born yet. Still painful.

I was 12. Still hard to think about.

 

[22Musso22]

John...Then the rest...

 

[PattheCatinSaudi]

... but I don't want to see the 1972 Orange Bowl. W
[/QUO

I was there, it was brutal.

 

[davefrat]

John...Then the rest...

You know you're a great OL when the defense double-teams you instead of the other way around.

 

[TiderJack]

Yes, I think John Hannah would find a spot somewhere as well.

View attachment 42863

Randy White, nicknamed Manster, who played for the great Cowboy teams of the 70's and 80's and who is a college football and NFL HOF hated playing against Hannah. Gil Brandt in 2016 listed his top 20 offensive players ever (players not OL) and he had Hannah at #7.


7) John Hannah, guard
New England Patriots, 1973-1985.
By the numbers: 183 games (183 started)
Cowboys defensive lineman Randy White told me Hannah was the best guard he ever played against. He was strong, fast, had long arms and outstanding competitiveness -- in short, he had everything we look for in offensive linemen today. The Hall of Famer was a seven-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler.

 

[bamaslammer]

Not a Saban player but whose the RG that played for the Eagles for so many years? I think a cousin/nephew to Bob Baumhower. Evan...

That was Evan Mathis, he was considered one of the top guards in the NFL at one time. He came to bama before all the rating stuff started. He might have been 220 or 230 when he got there. Steak and weights put some meat on him.

 

[Windsortide]

Andre Smith, John Hannah, Dwight Stevenson, Barret Jones, Chris Samuel

 

[davefrat]

Yes, I think John Hannah would find a spot somewhere as well.

View attachment 42863

He looks like he's about to murder someone.

 

[UAinAthens]

Howe Long once said he was double teamed by every center in the league - except Dwight Stephenson.

 

[Krymsonman]

Yes, I think John Hannah would find a spot somewhere as well.

View attachment 42863

Looking at this picture, I think John Hannah could play any time and any place he wanted to!