John Hannah, the GOAT of Offensive Linemen, Takes You Into the Weekend

Get your NFL fix as the weekend starts with this recently posted compilation of the career highlights of the best there ever was in the blocking game: John Hannah. The second best Patriots player of all time and a guy of whom you can honestly say there’s never been another like him.

At 6-2, 265, he wasn’t the biggest guard of his time, never mind of all time. But he hit like a 320-pounder and ran like a running back. He wasn’t just the anchor of the most prolific running attack of all time, the 1978 Patriots. He was the anchor, the bow, the engine, the propeller and the torpedoes. I can honestly say that as a kid I would watch Pats games long after they were decided, just to watch him continue to blow guys up, down after down. He was relentless. Like he wasn’t so much an offensive lineman as he was a weather phenomenon.

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Hannah is one-half responsible for one thing I’ve never seen in the NFL since. When the Pats were playing the Cowboys and most of the pregame hype and in-game focus was on a matchup of two interior linemen, Hannah versus Hall of Famer Randy White. And Hannah dominated him. If you watch no other part of this, skip to the 1:00 mark. Watch him pull, take on multiple defenders, and then wait for the simple power run where he obliterated White and springs Sam Cunningham (No. 39) right through the G-C gap for a 52-yard touchdown run.

Hawg Hannah: The best there ever was, and the best there ever will be. Enjoy.