LINEMEN PARADISE

Grady Jackson

2007-09-02T00:46:10+02:00

Height/Weight: 6-2 / 345 lbs.Age: 34 Experience: 12 yearsCollege: KnoxvilleTransaction: Signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an unrestricted free agent on August 23, 2006.

SOME PICTURES FROM PATRICE AT THE CHIEFS

2007-08-17T23:11:27+02:00

2007-05-26T01:07:09+02:00

During a lopsided loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Titans defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth angrily stomped the helmetless head of downed Cowboys’ offensive lineman Andre Gurode, then shouted at the referee who ejected him from the game and at Titans coach Jeff Fisher. Gurode’s offense? Successfully blocking Haynesworth on a play in which Dallas scored a touchdown. Gurode, who required numerous stitches on his face, did not return to the contest. Haynesworth was suspended five games by the NFL.

Big Adjustment Period For Big Lineman

2007-05-26T00:51:04+02:00

Greg Smith By Mark Murphy Inside the Auburn TigersPosted Aug 17, 2006Auburn, Ala.--Josh Thompson says that new Auburn noseguard Greg Smith reminds him of a up-sized version of last year’s starter at the position, Tommy Jackson. Jackson, who has moved on to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, was a force in the middle for the Tigers. This season, Thompson, a redshirt junior, is expected to be the main man at noseguard with fellow junior Tez Doolittle in reserve. However, Thompson notes that there is room for another noseguard to play this year and says he thinks the 6-1 1/4, 345-pounder Smith can help. “It will be tough, but I think he can do it,” says Thompson. “Noseguard is not really a difficult position to learn as far as the assignments go.” Head coach Tommy Tuberville agrees that the newcomer has a chance to play this year despite getting a late start, arriving after the completion of two-a-days because he had to finish eight additional juco hours to be eligible to transfer to Auburn. “I am expecting him to help us this year,” the coach says. “He obviously needs to get in better shape, but he has the potential to come in and help.” Greg Smith hit the Auburn practice field for the first time on Thursday. Smith, who was placed at Northeast Mississippi Junior College two years ago by Auburn after an outstanding career at Tyner High in Chattanooga, has set a goal to see action on opening night. “I will play against Washington State,” he vows. Auburn’s defensive line coach Don Dunn isn’t as optimistic that will happen, but has hopes for the newcomer. “He has a long way to go,” Dunn says. “He just got here. His head is swimming. He has class and a lot of things on his mind. He is not in great shape, but we probably knew that. It is hard to tell, but he did some good things early--getoffs and that type of thing. You can tell he is athletic and explosive and big. Time will tell. We have to get him in shape ready to play.” Is getting the juco transfer ready to contribute vs. Washington State on Sept. 2nd overly ambitious? “I don’t know,” Dunn says. “I will be able to tell more when he is in pads.” Because he is just starting practice, the noseguard will have to wait until Sunday’s practice to compete in full pads. “I doubt he will be able to play very much if he does get ready for that first game,” Dunn adds. “Hopefully, we can play him a couple of plays here and there--short yardage and first down run-type situations. We just have to see how it he picks it up mentally and see if we can get him ready to survive four or five plays or 10 at the most. I don’t know about Washington State. That will be tough.” Smith says he ran a total of a mile on a daily basis this summer to try to stay in shape, but admits he has work to do that area. He says his goal will be to get to 325 pounds. Dunn says he would like to see the barrel-chested lineman at 330 pounds, but notes that he doesn’t want to see the junior try to lose too much weight too quickly. “We don’t want him to not eat and start cramping in practice,” Dunn says. “He is in a tough spot. It is a whole new world for him.” Smith says he is ready to face the challenge of the transition to major college football and says “it won’t take long” to get to his goal weight. He also notes that his new teammates have been supportive. “They have been working with me and helping me learn the defense and stuff,” Smith says. “The guys really want me to be on this team and I appreciate that.”

some pictures of patrice#71 at the Admirals

2007-05-26T00:35:29+02:00

The brief career of "Big Daddy" Lipscomb

2007-05-26T00:27:13+02:00

The brief career of "Big Daddy" Lipscomb Big Daddy LipscombPhoto courtesy The SPORT Collection "Big Daddy" Gene Lipscomb was a larger-than-life football player, a unique physical specimen, colorful and memorable, and completely suitable for a side career in pro wrestling. Yet, before he hardly got started, he was done wrestling, and then dead at the age of 31. Born in Uniontown, Alabama on August 9, 1931, Lipscomb never knew his father, and moved to Detroit with his mother at the age of three. When he was 11, his mother was murdered in the ghetto where they lived and he moved in with his maternal grandparents, where things weren't much better. He worked from a young age, paying room and board to live with his grandparents. A star football player at Miller High School in Detroit, Lipscomb didn't go to college. Instead, he was discovered by the Los Angeles Rams while in a Marine Corps camp in California. At 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, he was a monster for his day, suiting up as a defensive tackle for the Rams (1953-1955), Baltimore Colts (1956-1960) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1961-1962). He dominated football games the way few defensive players ever had. He did receive his share of honors too, including the Dan McGuire Award as the Pro Bowl's best lineman in both 1960 and 1963; he was on two Colts championship teams as well. Former Steelers head coach Buddy Parker had high praise for Lipscomb: "The best man I ever saw at knocking people down." Sports Illustrated's William Nack summed up Lipscomb's impact on the game in a lengthy feature in January 1999. "He was, in fact, the prototype of the modern lineman, the first 300-pound Bunyan endowed not only with enormous power but also with the two qualities usually denied men of his size: agility and speed. His belly did not roll out of his pants. He was hard and trim, and the fastest interior lineman in the league." A long-lived quote from "Big Daddy"-- he got the nickname because he used to call people he couldn't remember the name of "Little Daddy" -- carries on his legacy, which came to an abrupt and controversial end on May 10, 1963. "I just wrap my arms around the whole backfield and peel 'em one by one until I get to the ball carrier. Him I keep." In a column on ESPN.com, Hunter S. Thompson on ESPN described Lipscomb: "Gene 'Big Daddy' Lipscomb was arguably the cruelest pass rusher in NFL history. He was a violent junkie who invented the dreaded roundhouse whack upside the head -- directly on the ear-hole of his victim's helmet -- that often burst both eardrums of any hapless offensive linemen he could reach. Big Daddy weighed 300 pounds and he really wanted to hurt people. And he did -- but he is not in the Hall of Fame." Sounds like the perfect fit for professional wrestling, no? Yet, generally in the ring, he wanted to portray a hero. "Big Daddy" Lipscomb in action.

Former Husky football player Bob Sapp.

2007-05-01T22:25:57+02:00

Former Husky football player Bob Sapp. Photo courtesy K-1 USA.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------In December, about 74,000 fans packed the Tokyo Dome and another 10 million watched on TV as Sapp, who stands 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds, destroyed four-time world champion Ernesto Hoost of the Netherlands."I don't enjoy hitting and hurting anyone at all, I'm not a madman," says Sapp, who played for the Huskies from 1994-96. "But I do enjoy going in there and getting the adrenaline flowing. Ninety-nine percent of the time it's done in good sportsmanship."Sapp can't believe his stardom overseas. "Oh, man, it's crazy," says the 29-year-old, who is charismatic and loves to clown for the cameras. "And it's so hard to explain. A regular celebrity would hope to just get half this phenomenon."He has signed on as the "ambassador" for Northwest Airlines and the NFL's Japan office. He is almost a regular feature on Japanese TV, appearing in commercials promoting everything from DVD players to fabric softener. His tongue-in-cheek debut CD, "Sapp Time," has sold more than 100,000 copies since March.How did this all come about? "In every sport, you have to have a Plan B," says Sapp, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears but never made the team. He played briefly with the Minnesota Vikings before he was suspended for using steroids, a charge he denies. "For me, Plan B is already set. It's to do everything from voice-overs for cartoons to action and adventure movies, not only in the United States but here in Japan. I'm ready to do Hollywood movies."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007-05-01T22:17:54+02:00

Larry Allen's Bench PressLarry Allen is considered one of the most powerful men ever to have played in the NFL. And Larry Alen's bench press is no different, powerful! Larry Allen has been reported to bench press 700lbs RAW. Larry Allen's bench press is 700lbs! That's huge for someone who is not a professional bencher. Larry also has a powerful squat with his coach reporting he can squat 900lbs! Let's take a look at some stats for larry Allen... Name: Larry AllenBorn: 11/27/1971Height: 6'3"Weight: 325lbsBench Press: 700lbs RAWSquat: 900lbs Larry's Allen's bench press caught media attention and larry was asked "After your NFL career woudl you consider a career in strongman and bench press competitions?", his response, "We'll just have to wait and see". Who know's, maybe one day we'll see Larry Allen on the professional bench press circuit...watch out Gene! Here are some other pics of Larry Allen doing what he does best...