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Old Farts’ thread: Opinions on the 1956-63 Front 4

Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 2:14 pm
Robustelli-Little Mo-Grier-Katcavage from ‘56-‘62

Subtract Grier and add Lovetere in ‘63.

Definitely rank right up there with some of the best ever.

Random thoughts:

-I recall Rosy Brown and Jack Stroud being inserted for goal line stands

-They (Mo and Grier) kept Sam Huff ‘clean’ a la Adams and Siricusa for Ray Lewis, allowing Sam to thrive

Recollections?
Oh and again,  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 2:15 pm : link
anyone welcome
Though never an enjoyable time to face a goal line  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 2:19 pm : link
situation, I can clearly recall the roar that went up when Rosy Brown and Stroud came in
They were exciting to watch  
jjgmrg901 : 11/15/2018 2:29 pm : link
I remember always feeling excited when the defense came on the field. I remember Andy Robustelli was very light for a lineman and very quick. I also think he was from St. Olafs college. Kat was an all pro player. That defense was so tough all around. Dick Nolan Jimmy Patton Linden Crow and the favorite of any Irish Catholic family, the good looking Dick Lynch.
Soon Followed by  
DoctorT : 11/15/2018 2:30 pm : link
Anderson, Anderson, Lurtsema and Katcavage- UGH!

RE: They were exciting to watch  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 2:56 pm : link
In comment 14178709 jjgmrg901 said:
Quote:
I remember always feeling excited when the defense came on the field. I remember Andy Robustelli was very light for a lineman and very quick. I also think he was from St. Olafs college. Kat was an all pro player. That defense was so tough all around. Dick Nolan Jimmy Patton Linden Crow and the favorite of any Irish Catholic family, the good looking Dick Lynch.


Lynch of course as a College RB scored the lone TD for Notre Dame in a 7-0 win over the Sooners, breaking their 47 game winning streak
BB'56, I would have loved to have  
carpoon : 11/15/2018 3:01 pm : link
seen Rosey and Stroud play both ways. Stroud was considered the toughest, strongest, and meanest player in the league. Even more than Bednarik. And Rosey was immovable.
RE: BB'56, I would have loved to have  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 3:04 pm : link
In comment 14178749 carpoon said:
Quote:
seen Rosey and Stroud play both ways. Stroud was considered the toughest, strongest, and meanest player in the league. Even more than Bednarik. And Rosey was immovable.


Agree. It would have been nice if they were, at the very least, rotated in more. Btw? Stroud was one of the best Gs of his era before moving over to OT to finish out his career
For sure and Stroud was also an excellent tackle. The front four  
carpoon : 11/15/2018 3:29 pm : link
you mentioned was a great group.
In the beginning of that same decade was another great front four that most Giant fans won't remember consisting of Jim Duncan, Arnie Weinmeister, Al DeRogatis, and Ray Poole. Sometimes they added a middle guard, but most of the time they went with this very good front four.
RE: For sure and Stroud was also an excellent tackle. The front four  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 3:37 pm : link
In comment 14178777 carpoon said:
Quote:
you mentioned was a great group.
In the beginning of that same decade was another great front four that most Giant fans won't remember consisting of Jim Duncan, Arnie Weinmeister, Al DeRogatis, and Ray Poole. Sometimes they added a middle guard, but most of the time they went with this very good front four.


Missed out on seeing any of them play, but off of what I’ve read and heard, Arnie was something else
Without the slightest doubt, Weinmeister is my favorite  
carpoon : 11/15/2018 3:47 pm : link
Giant all time. He was sometimes triple-teamed and never got the back of his jersey dirty.:)) It really was a treat to see him in action.
I remember one incident with Jack Stroud. A defensive lineman from  
Ira : 11/15/2018 3:52 pm : link
another team was giving a Giants running back a hard time until Stroud walked over. The lineman then backed away quickly.
RE: For sure and Stroud was also an excellent tackle. The front four  
Alan in Toledo : 11/15/2018 4:12 pm : link
In comment 14178777 carpoon said:
Quote:
you mentioned was a great group.
In the beginning of that same decade was another great front four that most Giant fans won't remember consisting of Jim Duncan, Arnie Weinmeister, Al DeRogatis, and Ray Poole. Sometimes they added a middle guard, but most of the time they went with this very good front four.


and DeRogatis became an excellent analyst on the radio broadcasts alongside Marty Glickman
To this day, Alan,  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 4:29 pm : link
Dero on radio and Madden on TV were the two best analysts I have ever heard
A little off topic  
Defenderdawg : 11/15/2018 5:20 pm : link
But two of the key players of that era had their Birthdays today

Harland Svare LB 1955-1960 11-15-1930 Born In Clarkfield, MN
Not many survivors of the 1956 Champions left

Greg Larson C 1961-1973 11-15-1939 Born In Minneapolis, MN
Totally unique stat; started at RT as a rookie in the 1961 Championship game; started at RG in the 1962 Championship game and at Center in the 1963 Championship game, he remained at Center through 1973.
Larson was another great, albeit  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 5:28 pm : link
underrated Giant
That front four epitomized Giants football  
Phil in Joisey : 11/15/2018 5:39 pm : link
"Dee-fense" was invented by Giants fans because of the
fantastic efforts of Robustelli-Modzelewski-Grier and Katcavage.
When the four of them trotted out onto the field we were
always confident our offense would be getting the ball
back after 3 plays and a punt. And our defensive platoon
would trot off the field to a standing ovation.
No prima donnas here, just hard-working, hard-hitting
all-time Giants who will never be forgotten.
Ah, those were the days my friend.....we thought they'd
never end!
Ro, Mo, Grier & Kat were the heart of the team.  
Red Dog : 11/15/2018 6:08 pm : link
Huff got more publicity but the front four were what made it work.

I also have fond memories of Rosey Brown and Jack Stroud coming in for the goal line stands. With the two goal posts right ON the goal line in those days, there wasn't much space for the opponents to run inside, and it begame a game of pure unadulterated power.

And it was always a great lift when they stopped the opponents cold right down there inside the two yard line, which they did more often than not.

The whole Defense was great back then. I always admired the LBs, too. Not just Huff, but also Harland Svare, Bill Svoboda, Cliff Livingston, Tom Scott who was another really tough customer came a little later on, and the great defensive backs headlined by Emlen Tunnell, Jimmy Patton, Linden Crow, Dick Lynch, and all the others.

Us old timers grew up watching great defensive football, starting with those GIANTS up front (and with a nod to the great Detroit Lions defense headed up by Alex Karas, Joe Schmidt, Night Train Lane, Yale Larry, and that whole crew), and that's another reason why today's volleyball brand of football just isn't as appealing to a lot of us as the old game was. There's just something about watching a great defense just absolutely stone an offense that can't be matched by today's air show.
When they played the Packers, I realized that the DEs were too small.  
Ivan15 : 11/15/2018 6:19 pm : link
Robustelli and Katkavage only weighed 230-240. Packers DEs were much bigger.
RE: Ro, Mo, Grier & Kat were the heart of the team.  
Big Blue '56 : 11/15/2018 8:01 pm : link
In comment 14178970 Red Dog said:
Quote:
Huff got more publicity but the front four were what made it work.

I also have fond memories of Rosey Brown and Jack Stroud coming in for the goal line stands. With the two goal posts right ON the goal line in those days, there wasn't much space for the opponents to run inside, and it begame a game of pure unadulterated power.

And it was always a great lift when they stopped the opponents cold right down there inside the two yard line, which they did more often than not.

The whole Defense was great back then. I always admired the LBs, too. Not just Huff, but also Harland Svare, Bill Svoboda, Cliff Livingston, Tom Scott who was another really tough customer came a little later on, and the great defensive backs headlined by Emlen Tunnell, Jimmy Patton, Linden Crow, Dick Lynch, and all the others.

Us old timers grew up watching great defensive football, starting with those GIANTS up front (and with a nod to the great Detroit Lions defense headed up by Alex Karas, Joe Schmidt, Night Train Lane, Yale Larry, and that whole crew), and that's another reason why today's volleyball brand of football just isn't as appealing to a lot of us as the old game was. There's just something about watching a great defense just absolutely stone an offense that can't be matched by today's air show.


Yale Lary, All-Pro DB and All-Pro Punter. Curious how often (if at all) that combo has happened?
Incidently, as memory serves,  
Big Blue '56 : 11/16/2018 9:01 am : link
After Grier went to the Rams and Lovetere came here, we lost nothing in terms of production in 1963
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