You & I are probably the only two that remember #20. lol Casanova would also be pretty high on my list.
He was well before my time, and I'm middle-aged (I guess...) I remember him most for being arrested for conterfeiting when I was in the 7th grade.
That's right, rub it in. He got arrested because the bills were printed with the saying "In Billy We Trust." I had one but it got lost.
Would Billy Cannon have started on the 2011 defense? I don't know I never saw him play. Conversely would Mathieu have started on the 58-59 defense?
Excellent questions. I would have Billy starting ahead of Brandon Taylor on the 2011 defense. And Mathieu would play on the '58 & '59 defensive teams. I'm just not sure where.
i remember seeing that his first game. the TE is so past him it seems impossible that he managed to get close enough to punch the ball out. with his inside hand. i think he had a want to get to the ball. if coaches and scouts could measure instincts and smarts, knowing what players to sign would be much easier. Mathieu is average across the board on most measurables and the size of a white defensive back in the 50s. i think he did four 225 reps at the combine. FOUR. but he has the best instincts and football iq you may ever see. this is partly why the nfl combine is a joke even though I like to watch it in small doses. therefore I cant use the argument that cannon cant be considered the greatest by only playing against white dudes. he was well above average on all his measurables. cannon was lightning fast, incredibly strong and big. he did steroids i think. he would be huge with todays conditioning. i didnt see him play minus a certain highlight or two but ive heard and read enough about him to know he was no joke by any standards. he had a successful nfl career, led the league in all purpose yards and rushing a time or two.
Cannon was also a world class sprinter on the LSU track team. Strength guru Alvin Roy said that Cannon could either be the strongest man in the world or the fastest man in the world but he couldn't be both.
It is impossible to compare the two-way era with the platoon football era. Cannon played the whole game. Modern players get to rest a lot when the other team is on the field. They can specialize in a single position. Two-way players had to play offense and defense. Guards could not get too huge when they had to stand up and play linebacker for half the game. Fullbacks had to be able to play safety. Defensive ends had to be able to be a receiver, too. It took very good athletes to do that, not behemoths. At 210 pounds, Cannon was a big back in his day and he was heavier than all but one of his starting linemen. Matthieu is one of the few platoon-era athletes that probably had the skills and stamina to play both ways as well. Kind of small for an SEC receiver today, but I think he could have done it in 1958. Cannon was certainly big and fast enough to play running back or linebacker today. Or he could bulk up and play tight end, which he did in pro football.
Add me to the list. I remember the 1959 season well. One of Billy's daughters lived in my neighborhood for a while. I got to meet him a few times Really pleasant guy.
