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| Consistency Is
Rewarded |
| BY MARTY MYERS AND DONNIE COLLINS THE SUNDAY
TIMES |
August 05, 2001 |
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| CANTON,
Ohio -- Just 24 offensive linemen had been inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame since
its first enshrinees in 1963. |
Saturday, that
number swelled with the addition of Scranton's Mike Munchak, a 12-year veteran with the
Houston Oilers; Los Angles Rams great Jackie Slater, who played 20 years at offensive
tackle; and Ron Yary, who played 15 seasons in the trenches, 14 of them with the Minnesota
Vikings.
Some say it takes great footwork to be a Hall of Fame offensive lineman. Others point to
sheer strength.
But for most, it is a combination of factors that leads them to the steps of the Hall of
Fame.
"Consistency," Munchak said. "Work ethic is only going to get you so far.
You've got to be blessed with size. It's taking what God gives you and doing the most with
it that you can. I still think I could have done more."
Munchak has done pretty well for a high school fullback who coach Joe Paterno couldn't
find a position for when he arrived at Penn State.
"Joe was determined to find my niche," Munchak said.
Paterno tried him at tight end, defensive tackle, offensive tackle and center, before
finding a home for him at offensive guard. Even then, it was no piece of cake for
offensive coordinator Dick Anderson.
"Since I'd never played offensive line, he sure had his work cut out for him,"
Munchak said. "I'd like to thank Dick for teaching me the techniques that guided me
through the rest of my career. Going against (fellow Hall of Famer) Matt Millen and Bruce
Clark in practice didn't hurt, either."
Yary and Slater are quick to agree.
Yary had to deal with Hall of Famers Carl Eller and Alan Page in practice.
"Playing against Carl when he was really coming hard was harder than most of the
games we were playing," Yary said. "He taught me how to protect the outside,
plus many, many other things."
It wasn't always that friendly when Slater faced off with defensive end Jack Youngblood,
another member of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2001.
"We had some physical practices and there were days when we left the field that we
probably were not on the best of terms," Slater said.
Both were better for the combat.
"We played as close to game tempo as any players can," Slater said. "I went
up against some very good players in practice. You don't know how important that is in
your development as a lineman."
Dan Dierdorf, a 1996 inductee and 13-year trench warfare expert, said taking off a play,
let alone a day, was not an option.
"To be this good, you have to lay it on the line every Sunday, healthy or hurt,"
Dierdorf said. "You can't accept getting beat on any play. You are your own worst
critic. You have to take charge, be the aggressor and put it to whoever lines up across
from you.
"To be this good, you have to play with a controlled sense of outrage."
Or you have to follow Munchak's lead, said 19-year NFL veteran Bruce Matthews.
"When we watched film, I would first watch to see how I did on a play," Matthews
said. "Then I would watch Mike, to see how it was supposed to be done. He set a
standard of excellence that myself and every offensive lineman who played with him tried
to emulate."
Not that Munchak was perfect, but he strove for that goal.
"You can be happy with what you accomplished," Munchak said. "You just
can't dwell on the negative. That's what I had in me, that drive. You can't give up. You
just have to keep fighting through.
"You have to try to not settle for things. You have to think that next time it's
going to be different."
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| İScranton Times
Tribune 2001 |
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