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Lomas Brown was an All-Pro offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions. Source: Facebook/Lomas Brown (May be subject to copyright) |
The correlation was very close all around – the more all-star offensive linemen a ball carrier had in front of him, the more yards he would gain.
It made perfect sense.
Except for one case – Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions.
He was one of the greatest rushers of all time, and retired with years left in the tank, so we’re not sure how high his totals would have been.
Sanders had one All-Pro lineman in front of him – Lomas Brown.
Yesterday, during halftime of the Monday Night Football game between Detroit and the Las Vegas Raiders, Lomas Brown was inducted into Detroit’s Hall of Fame known as the Pride of the Lions.
It reminded me of how great he really was.
Blue-chip blocker
Lomas Brown was a consensus All-American tackle for the University of Florida Gators in 1984. He was also part of the 1984 first-team All-Southeastern Conference or SEC-team and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy awarded to the conference’s best blocker. He would later be named to the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Lomas Brown was a consensus All-American tackle for the University of Florida Gators in 1984. He was also part of the 1984 first-team All-Southeastern Conference or SEC-team and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy awarded to the conference’s best blocker. He would later be named to the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
He was taken in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft, sixth overall, and would play for the Lions for 10 years. During that period, he was remarkably durable, starting 163 of the 164 games he played for the Lions.
He blocked for Barry Sanders for seven years, from 1989 to 1995, where Sanders won rushing titles in 1990 and 1994, and in that period gained 10,172 yards, for an average of 4.9 yards per carry, and 73 rushing touchdowns.
Brown was a first team All-Pro in 1995; a second team All-Pro in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1994, and a seven time Pro Bowler every year from 1990 to 1996. He also made the Professional Football Writers Association all-rookie team in 1985, made the Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary Team, and the Detroit Lions All-Time Team.
He was on the Lions when they won the NFC Central Division title in 1991 and 1993, and when Detroit made the playoffs in 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1995.
He would move on to play for the Arizona Cardinals from 1996 to 1998; the Cleveland Browns in 1999; the New York Giants in 2000 and 2001; and win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.
He retired after the 2002 season, playing a total of 263 games and starting 251 of them.
Parting thoughts
For so long it seemed that offensive linemen dwelled in obscurity as the players they protected, and opened holes for, got all the attention.
For so long it seemed that offensive linemen dwelled in obscurity as the players they protected, and opened holes for, got all the attention.
Then that perception began to change. Maybe it was the realization that winning football starts with strong line play, or maybe it was the movie “The Blindside” that brought attention to the importance of the offensive line.
Whatever the reason may be, more people understand the importance of offensive linemen.
And no offensive lineman was more important to the success of Barry Sanders, who some consider the greatest runningback in NFL history, than Lomas Brown.
He may have blocked for the best, but he was one of the best at what he did too.
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