High Five: True Grit of the gory years

[Cheesehead]

2. MacArthur Lane, HB, 1972-74 – Lane was such a devastating blocker and intimidating presence even in his own locker room, his skills were sometimes overlooked. In 1972, when the Packers won their only NFC Central Division title in 27 years, he rushed for 821 yards and averaged 4.6 per carry – almost a yard better than teammate John Brockington – and led the Packers in receptions with 26. But, no doubt, his blocking was his forte. He was like a guard playing in the backfield. "Go back and look at the films," said Brockington. "He was awesome. He was unbelievable the way he blocked." Although Lane played only three of his 11 NFL seasons in Green Bay, it was no coincidence that the best Packers' team of the gory years was his first as a member. "He was the catalyst," said cornerback Willie Buchanon. "He brought an attitude. His work ethic, team leadership, everything about MacArthur Lane took us to the playoffs. He was that important in '72."


3. Barty Smith, FB, 1974-80 – Drafted No. 1 in 1974, Smith tore up his knee in the old Coaches All-American Game in Lubbock, Texas, before his rookie year, underwent surgery and never fully recovered. But he epitomized toughness, although he spent only two years as a fulltime starter. In all, Smith underwent four knee operations at a time when one could be career-ending. "It was kind of barbaric how they did it back then with the huge incisions," Smith once said. "You have to remember back then, when they did surgery, if there was any cartilage damage, they just yanked it out. There wasn't any of that trimming it up and leaving the buffer in your knee joint. They just yanked it out and you ended up with bone on bone." As a result, in seven years, Smith regularly had fluid drained from his knee and sometimes needed shots of Novocain not only before a game, but again at halftime to finish. "My last two years," Smith said, "I was having my knee drained at least once a week, maybe twice a week. Sometimes, maybe even more. It was probably triple figures." While Smith lost speed, he never lost his power. He could steamroll defenders in short yardage and blow people up as a blocker. "Guys used to go to the special-teams meeting just to watch Barty play the up-back on the field-goal and extra-point team, and he'd literally knock the snot out of guys trying to rush off the edge," said former center Larry McCarren. "People would go in there just to watch it."


4. Brian Noble, ILB, 1985-93 – At 6-3 and 250 pounds, he was an old-school thumper at inside linebacker. He was physical, instinctive and at his best filling holes between the tackles. But he had some range, too. "He moved pretty well for a big guy, especially in short areas," said Kaye. In his first seven seasons, Noble missed only two games to injury before back and knee issues derailed his career. Maybe the worthiest Packers Hall of Fame candidate on this list, Noble made the All-Madden team in 1990. Former Bears coach and tough-guy tight end Mike Ditka probably paid Noble his highest compliment back in 1988. "I think he plays the inside linebacker position as well as anybody," Ditka said. "Yeah, there are probably guys who move a little better. But when you look at the overall picture of a football player, you have to look at how guys approach a game. Are their hearts in it? He lines up and plays like the old guys played. I doubt that Ray Nitschke played with any more enthusiasm than Brian Noble does."