Anyway, I was the guy who introduced the topic that T-6 is talking about. I don't think that having previously discussed it makes it any easier to swallow. Monk will, of course, allow his number to go back into circulation. He's no hard-butt about things like that. It's me, and those like me, who say there can never be another #81, whether the self-deprecating Monk agrees or not.
Never.
"Sit back and watch the Redskins.
SOMETHING MAGICAL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"
JPFair- A fan's fan. RIP, brother
My heart says, retire them all...that is, those numbers we all know:
- 33, of course
- 9
- 28
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 49 (Bobby Mitchell, just for the record)
- 65
- 81
My head says, play those numbers, because we'll run out...but it will be downright bizarre to see someone else wearing them.
Especially if someone takes 43.
For those who missed Larry Brown, yes, he was special. Brown had a quicker takeoff than any back ever. He needed it, because the offensive line was poor. Len Hauss would snap the ball, and Brown would be through the hole before the defense blinked...watching, you might swear that Jurgenson or Kilmer had never touched the ball.
After Jim Brown retired, I heard him interviewed on one of the first "sports-talk" radio shows. The interviewer asked him to name the best current running back, obviously expecting to hear "OJ Simpson", the immaculate, the sportswriters' favorite. Jim Brown said, "The best runner today is Larry Brown. He's the only one who does things I could never do", meaning, that explosive start. Jim Brown could block if he wanted to, and could catch a pass when he wanted to, but only Larry Brown could explode from the snap the way he did.
And yes, Larry Brown played beyond exhaustion. I also saw him have to be picked up and carried bacxk to the huddle, and slowly stagger to line up for the next play, and then take the ball five yards over guard.
