RIP Merlin Olsen

[Boom_70]

I am shocked and saddened. I was a big Rams fan as far back as the mid 60's and he actually anchored 2 seperate front fours of note....don't forget Youngblood-Brooks-Olsen-Dryer. They were a main reason LA had one of the best defences in the NFC for a number of years.

A real role model.

Boy - that was a great D line also. Got me thinking how few really dominant D lines there are now.

In the NFL now it seems like a lot of teams use their D line for gap control and as glorified blockers to keep O line of the backers.

At first thought that last great 4- 3 D line I can think of were the '85 Bears - Hampton/ McMichael/ Perry/ Dent.

I am sure there are a few more post '85 but they don't come to mind.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I remember seeing a video of the Fearsome Foursome singing some Motown number on a variety show. I can't remember where I saw it, however.

 

[Small Town Guy]

I am shocked and saddened. I was a big Rams fan as far back as the mid 60's and he actually anchored 2 seperate front fours of note....don't forget Youngblood-Brooks-Olsen-Dryer. They were a main reason LA had one of the best defences in the NFC for a number of years.

A real role model.

Boy - that was a great D line also. Got me thinking how few really dominant D lines there are now.

In the NFL now it seems like a lot of teams use their D line for gap control and as glorified blockers to keep O line of the backers.

At first thought that last great 4- 3 D line I can think of were the '85 Bears - Hampton/ McMichael/ Perry/ Dent.

I am sure there are a few more post '85 but they don't come to mind.

The 1989 Vikings actually had an outstanding line, in a season overshadowed by the Herschel trade. Chris Doleman, Keith Millard - both all-pro - and Al Noga and Henry Thomas. Doleman had 21 sacks, Millard 18, Noga 11.5 and Thomas 9.0. I'd imagine that's collectively one of the higher sack numbers for any line of the last few decades. But that crew pretty much only had that one year, no longterm greatness at all.

 

[farmerjerome]

Olsen seemed like such a great guy, too young. RIP.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Very sad.

He was the soundtrack of my life from 4-7 p.m. on Sundays in the fall, seemingly almost always from Mile High Stadium.

 

[Bob Crotchet]

I'm obviously in the minority in that I remember him most as a player. Although I still recall when he and Roman Gabriel were in a John Wayne movie, "The Undefeated." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065150/) Saw it in a theater. Yikes. One of my idols, and one of those rare ones who doesn't become an ex-idol along the way. RIP.

 

[Mark2010]

Great person. Awesome D-lineman with the old Los Angeles Rams and one of my favourite broadcasters as well.

Seems like, one by one, all of the broadcasters I grew up listening to are passing away: Jack Buck, Hank Stram, Jim McKay, Charlie Jones, Don Wittman, Al McGuire and now Merlin. (I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple of others, no ill intent.)

 

[cyclingwriter]

I was thinking about the Fearsome Foursome's first names.. . Merlin, Deacon, Roosevelt and Lamar...sounds like something a movie script writer would have com up with. Makes Alan, Carl, Jim and Gary sound mundane.

 

[93Devil]

Very sad.

He was the soundtrack of my life from 4-7 p.m. on Sundays in the fall, seemingly almost always from Mile High Stadium.

and snowing

 

[Shoeless Joe]

I don't recall anything ever negative surrounding Merlin Olsen. Not only was he a truly great college and pro football player, he earned his masters in economics while still in the NFL and had a very full career post football. For all I know, he could have been no different than today's players and his off the field activities not reported as they would be now, but ... assuming he truly was the same guy in private as public, every professional rookie athlete should be required to read up on him.

 

[bevo]

Didn't really look at NBC's web site myself but a friend said there was no presence of his death on the front page. Could it be because he sued NBC over asbestos...and seeing that he died from it.

 

[misterbc]

The 70's Rams defences also had "Hacksaw" Reynolds and Isiah Robertson backing up that great front four. They were both outstanding but I've never seen or heard any discussion about Reynold's greatness, unfortunate since I consider him a borderline HOF'er, much like Bill Bergey. Reynolds was better over a longer period but Bergey was the best in the business for about 4 years.

Back to Merlin, I still remember him dominating the line of scrimmage while the play unfolded, always ready for a draw, rarely out of position while Jones/Lundy and later Youngblood/Dryer did their thing. No team ran consistently well against the Rams.

The more I have read about Merlin the more I realize what a tremendous human being he was.

 

[Huggy]

Great SI story on Olsen from 1981.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124138/4/index.htm

 

[Batman]

I am shocked and saddened. I was a big Rams fan as far back as the mid 60's and he actually anchored 2 seperate front fours of note....don't forget Youngblood-Brooks-Olsen-Dryer. They were a main reason LA had one of the best defences in the NFC for a number of years.

A real role model.

Boy - that was a great D line also. Got me thinking how few really dominant D lines there are now.

In the NFL now it seems like a lot of teams use their D line for gap control and as glorified blockers to keep O line of the backers.

At first thought that last great 4- 3 D line I can think of were the '85 Bears - Hampton/ McMichael/ Perry/ Dent.

I am sure there are a few more post '85 but they don't come to mind.

The 1990-91 Eagles were awesome. Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons and then Mike Pitts and Mike Golic (both very good players at the time, although maybe not Pro Bowl-caliber) rotating at that other DT spot.
That defense was so good in 1991 that they led the league in run, pass and total defense and went 10-6 despite using five quarterbacks and having the handicap of being coached by Rich Kotite.
If Randall Cunningham hadn't gotten hurt, there's no doubt in my mind they would've won the Super Bowl. For Eagles fans, it's the title that got away.

 

[cyclingwriter]

The 70's Rams defences also had "Hacksaw" Reynolds and Isiah Robertson backing up that great front four. They were both outstanding but I've never seen or heard any discussion about Reynold's greatness, unfortunate since I consider him a borderline HOF'er, much like Bill Bergey. Reynolds was better over a longer period but Bergey was the best in the business for about 4 years.

Back to Merlin, I still remember him dominating the line of scrimmage while the play unfolded, always ready for a draw, rarely out of position while Jones/Lundy and later Youngblood/Dryer did their thing. No team ran consistently well against the Rams.

The more I have read about Merlin the more I realize what a tremendous human being he was.

Not to threadjack, but wasn't Robertson the Ram who got ran over by Earl Campbell. I may be way wrong, and If I am, I apologize. But I do know Conrad Dobler painted him in a bad light in his bio back in the early 1990s...said Robertson was an ego maniac, who would have friends call him at restaurants just so he could be paged over the intercom and people would say "hey, it's Butch Robertson." Also, told a story of how Robertson cheated at golf.

 

[misterbc]

I believe you are correct, it was Robertson but he was All-Pro 6 out of 7 years in the early 70's, and Earl ran over everybody! It seems the Rams got beat in big games on a one off play by the opposition that they couldn't or didn't recover from due to their conservative, run driven offence.

Sported one of the great uniforms in NFL history. Wish they would move back to LA.

 

[93Devil]

Tampa had a great dline when they won it.

 

[qtlaw]

Page, Eller, Marshall and Larson(?); That was an amazing dline.

 

[Sleeper]

On NFL Network right now: Olsen and **** Stockton calling a Falcons-Cowboys game in 1991.

 

[playthrough]

I am shocked and saddened. I was a big Rams fan as far back as the mid 60's and he actually anchored 2 seperate front fours of note....don't forget Youngblood-Brooks-Olsen-Dryer. They were a main reason LA had one of the best defences in the NFC for a number of years.

A real role model.

Boy - that was a great D line also. Got me thinking how few really dominant D lines there are now.

In the NFL now it seems like a lot of teams use their D line for gap control and as glorified blockers to keep O line of the backers.

At first thought that last great 4- 3 D line I can think of were the '85 Bears - Hampton/ McMichael/ Perry/ Dent.

I am sure there are a few more post '85 but they don't come to mind.

The 1990-91 Eagles were awesome. Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons and then Mike Pitts and Mike Golic (both very good players at the time, although maybe not Pro Bowl-caliber) rotating at that other DT spot.
That defense was so good in 1991 that they led the league in run, pass and total defense and went 10-6 despite using five quarterbacks and having the handicap of being coached by Rich Kotite.
If Randall Cunningham hadn't gotten hurt, there's no doubt in my mind they would've won the Super Bowl. For Eagles fans, it's the title that got away.

So true. And gosh, Jerome Brown has been gone for 18 years.