Best all-time roster: TEs

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Packers have a good history -- Ron Kramer, Marv Fleming, Paul Coffman, Mark Chumura was good, Keith Jackson played for a year or three....

[racepug]

Packers have a good history -- Ron Kramer, Marv Fleming, Paul Coffman, Mark Chumura was good, Keith Jackson played for a year or three....

True. As with Packers vs. 49ers for WRs, I think of Packers vs. Cowboys for TEs to be pretty close.

[racepug]

Marv Cook was one of the only bright spots on some pretty terrible early 90s Patriots teams.

Oooooops - NOT "before my time," then! {You're right about the early '90s Patriots. The 1992 Seahawks were absolutely terrible. They finished 2 - 14 and the offense was truly abysmal [I think the 'hawks averaged something like 7 ppg that season. If that]. Frankly, I have no idea how they beat anybody that season. Their two wins? I remember one - it came against the Denver Broncos on a Monday night late in the season. The other? Against New England [a team that the Seahawks normally struggled against back then]}

[Halas Hall]

Great thread - we are missing a few outstanding tight ends who could catch, but earned their money leveling linebackers.

Add the noteworthy Walter White and Jonathan Hayes to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pettis Norman was a top player for the Cowboys between 1962 and 1970, then a few years with the San Diego Chargers. I would say the top Cowboys tight ends are Whitten, Norman, Dupree, Cosbie, Novaceck? I am not sure if Jay Novacek had blocking responsibilities?

Thanks again.

[Brian wolf]

Novacek was underrated as a blocker ...

[racepug]

Great thread - we are missing a few outstanding tight ends who could catch, but earned their money leveling linebackers.

Add the noteworthy Walter White and Jonathan Hayes to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pettis Norman was a top player for the Cowboys between 1962 and 1970, then a few years with the San Diego Chargers. I would say the top Cowboys tight ends are Whitten, Norman, Dupree, Cosbie, Novaceck? I am not sure if Jay Novacek had blocking responsibilities?

Thanks again.

I'd love to hear more about TEs who could block.

[Gary Najman]

Patriots? Gronk and Russ Francis

Don't forget Big Ben Coates catching passes from Drew Bledsoe! Will always remember that NFL Films feature where two opposoing players
were warming up and one says,"Man, that Ben Coates is the biggest TE I've ever seen!"

Yeah, the Patriots might surprise some people with the selection of TEs off of their all-time roster. Here's another: Marv Cook. Before my time (I think) but I see that in 5 years with the Patriots he was named first team All-Pro once and also went to a couple of Pro Bowls.

You can also add Aaron Hernandez (before all his tragic story).

[racepug]

Great thread - we are missing a few outstanding tight ends who could catch, but earned their money leveling linebackers.

I am not sure if Jay Novacek had blocking responsibilities?

Thanks again.

The numbers (attributes) from that old football simulation that I use (and love!) suggest that Jay Novacek was more about catching the ball than he was about blocking (maybe things would've been different had Tom Landry still been the Cowboys' head coach at that time).

[Bryan]

I'd love to hear more about TEs who could block.

Here is a random list of old TEs that I've seen referred to as being good blockers:

Mike Ditka
Jackie Smith
Bob Tucker (!)
Ron Kramer
Don Warren
Marv Fleming
Terry Nelson
Hoby Brenner
Tom Mitchell
Russ Francis
Paul Seymour
Bennie Cunningham
Milt Morin
Dave Casper
Mark Bavaro
Fred Arbanas

[Brian wolf]

Great list Bryan. Kramer may have been the first great blocking TE with Ditka and Mackey entering the HOF with their great blocking-receiving ability, though Mackey didnt have great hands. Once he caught the ball though, like Charley Taylor, a monster running with the ball. Smith was more like a huge receiver, like Retzlaff or Jerry Smith but had underrated blocking ability. I only watched Ditka on a couple of games I collected or NFL Films but he deserved to be the first TE in the HOF, though Nickel, Brewster or Mutscheller might have been considered, the first Tight Ends ... Casper and Bavaro were the best blockers I ever saw and Francis was underrated as a blocker as well. Odoms and Sanders had combination ability too ...