Jack Tatum died yesterday. He played safety for the Oakland Raiders back in a different era, the 70s. He was a vicious player and most opponents were afraid of him. No one wanted to go across the middle against the Raiders. That's where he was ... waiting to hit receivers that were crossing in front of him. About two minutes and fifteen seconds into that Tatum clip at NFL.com is a tackle he made on Earl Campbell in the Astrodome. That one is worth seeing. I was watching that game when it happened. I think it was a Monday night. I never saw anyone go at Campbell like that, especially someone at least 50lbs lighter.
Tatum played by the rules of the time and what was allowed then doesn't detract from the player he was. He was a good safety. Most of his tackles, clean at the time, would result in personal foul penalties now, though. Almost all of them were helmet to helmet. He was hardly alone in the league playing that brand of football. If you started following the NFL in the last 15 years, you would be appalled by the way the game was played then. I'm somewhat appalled by it. While channel-surfing the other day, I saw a clip of Tatum's contemporary and rival, Hall-of-Fame Steeler cornerback Mel Blount, pick up a receiver, flip him, and slam him to the turf on his head. I like hard-hitting football as much as the next fan these days but I don't want to see that kind of stuff any more. Call me a wimp. R.I.P., Jack.
43 days until football season ...
5 song iTune shuffle from the CrabAppleLane Five Star playlist:
- White Wedding - Billy Idol - Billy Idol
- Burn - Deep Purple - Burn
- Green Grass And High Tides - The Outlaws - Harley-Davidson Cycles: Road Songs [Disc 1]
- Rock The Nation - Montrose - Montrose
- On The Turning Away - Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
Quote of the Day
Adored by Raiders fans and generally despised by those who followed every other team, Tatum was a key part of the fabric of the game in the 1970s. There hasn't been another Jack Tatum, and there likely never will.
Mike Florio, MSNBC
Blog of the day is here.
Quote from said blog: "If you haven't, please read The Raider Way's post below about the passing of Jack "The Assassin" Tatum. A true Raider legend. His passing cast a gloom over this otherwise glorious day, but let it remind us all of the way he played football. He was a true Raider. I would love to see the Raiders play with a 32 patch this year."
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I very much disliked Tatum the player. Yeah, what he did was legal according to the rules, but he was the proverbial guy who always took things a step too far and ruined it for everybody. I remember when he hit Stingley and I still played at the time. Back then, even as a teen, I knew I would never have put that kind of a hit on an opposing player unless it was a "field justice" issue. Tatum did it as a matter of course.
May Jack Tatum the man rest in peace. The NFL player can go to hell.
Tatum was a big hitter. No question about that. The closest thing to him now is Ray Lewis. The NFL instituted the helmet to helmet rule in 1998 ... 20 years after the Stingley play and they didn't institute the helpless receiver rule until last year. I always considered that play unfortunate, but within the rules.