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When I was setting up the Midsummer Madness Tourney, my initial list of 64 players (which was based largely upon career AV) included five members of the late 70s-early 80s offensive line, a solid but unspectacular bunch that were part of some prolific offenses (hence the high CAV numbers) but were never what we might consider a dominant unit. Feeling that this resulted in an imbalance, I winnowed the group to two: Tom Rafferty and Herb Scott (meaning John Fitzgerald, Pat Donovan and Jim Cooper didn't make the cut).
Two days ago, that group was further winnowed when Rafferty was defeated by Jason Witten in convincing fashion. That leaves the fourteenth-seeded Scott, who has the misfortune of going up against third-seeded Jimmy Johnson, the architect of, and motivating force behind, the 90s Cowboys, a team that, in my opinion, is the best the NFL has ever seen. Can Scott avoid Rafferty's fate? Read the bios and cast your ballots, faithful readers!
And, in case you want to see the entire tourney, here's a link to the bracket, courtesy of BTB member osa111. None of the previous winners are marked, but all the favorites have advanced, so you can figure it out...
Player: Jimmy Johnson
Position: head coach
Seed: 3
Essentials:
| Name | Years | Career AV | Pro Bowls | All-Pro | RoH | HoF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James William Johnson |
1989-93 |
-NA- |
-NA- |
-NA- |
no |
no |
Bio: Johnson took over a moribund and talent-depleted Cowboys franchise in 1989 and, in rapid fashion, transformed them into not only a championship-quality team, but one of the most dominant clubs the league has ever seen. Johnson was an extremely shrewd psychologist, with the ability to motivate both individual players and the entire team. Equally important was his genius as a talent evaluator. To build a Super Bowl winner, he stockpiled draft picks (thank you, Herschel Walker and Steve Walsh trades), made numerous trades, and acquired "Plan B" free agents such as Jay Novacek.
He is one of only six men in NFL history to coach consecutive Super Bowl winners, winning Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII in 1992-93. By doing so, Johnson became the first man (and one of three) to lead teams to both national championship and Super Bowl wins. Most impressive was his record late in the season, when it mattered most; from 1991-93, Johnson led the Cowboys to a record of 10-1 in the month of December, and a 7-1 playoff mark. And they were most dominant against the best competition; of those seven playoff wins, only one (their first, a 17-13 victory over Chicago) was by fewer than ten points.
Player: Herb Scott
Position: offensive guard
Seed: 14
Essentials:
| Name | Years | Career AV | Pro Bowls | All-Pro | RoH | HoF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Carnell Scott, Jr. |
1975-84 |
79 |
3 |
2 |
no |
no |
Bio: Scott was selected in the thirteenth round of the 1975 Draft, and became one of the famed "Dirty Dozen" - the twelve rookies who made the squad that season. His rapid ascendance allowed the team to trade long-time standout guard John Niland (who fell to Drew Pearson earlier in round one) and, with the draft pick acquired form the trade, to draft Stanford wideout Tony Hill. Scott soon emerged as one of the top guards in the league; with Pat Donovan, he formed one of the NFL's best left-side tandems. In 1980, Scott became the Cowboys' first All-Pro offensive lineman since Rayfield Wright in 1975. He was a two-time first team All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler, and helped the Cowboys to three NFC Championships and a Super Bowl win.
Alright, BTBers, which man advances to the next round?