Q & A With Joey Browner
Tim Krieg
Man, he was awesome in his day. I know Ronnie Lott gets most if not all of
the attention for being the toughest, hardest hitting safety ever to play
the game, but I still believe to this day that in Browner's prime he was
better than Lott. Wouldn't it be great if the Vikes had a bone crushing
tackler like Joey Browner again? <sigh> Reading that made me realize how
much I miss the good old days when we those great defenses.
Tim
Rus
says...
Probably my all time favorite Viking player. He's the guy who got me
interested in football and later, martial arts as a kid. When I was
young, I was pretty brainy and had a pretty negative disposition towards
football players. I saw Browner make this play where he grabbed this
wide reciever, picked him up, and carry him back 5 yards and just throw
him down...then I saw an interview with him, and it really dispelled a
lot of notions about professional atheletes for me.
-Rus
Tim Krieg
> Probably my all time favorite Viking player.
One of mine too. Right up there with Page, Eller, Blair
>He's the guy who got me interested in football and later, martial arts as a
kid. When I was
> young, I was pretty brainy and had a pretty negative disposition towards
> football players. I saw Browner make this play where he grabbed this
> wide reciever, picked him up, and carry him back 5 yards and just throw
> him down...then I saw an interview with him, and it really dispelled a
> lot of notions about professional atheletes for me.
>
> -Rus
Yeah, some of the greatest defensive moments I remember for the Vikes
involve Brower. I remember the TV analysts covering the Vikes games would
mention at least once a game that Browner had the "strongest hands" in the
NFL. There are two plays in particular that stand out for me. One is a
Raiders game when Bo Jackson broke free from the line into the secondary
with a full head of steam, and Browner comes from behind and grabs the back
collar area of his shoulder pads and yanks him down instantly. That was
amazing! After that I bet "Bo knows Joey"! ;-) The other one that stands
out was a Monday night game against Denver when Browner grabbed and
dragged down a Denver RB at the goal line (it may have been Sewell?).
Again, that RB was in the open field and looked to be cruising into the end
zone only to be catapulted backwards and land at the 1 yard line. Not only
did he prevent the guy from scoring, he broke Sewell's leg when he fell
backwards. That part of the story was too bad, but it was an exceptionally
great defensive play!
Tim
Zep77
tackle!
whoever it was had like a 40+ yard run to the 1 yard line where Browner just
yanked him backwards and broke his leg.
Browner is one of my top 5 favorite Vikings too.
Mike
Tarkenton 10
could be wrong it might have been D NELSON year anyway i remember
thinking TAKE JOE MINNE TAKE JOE MINNE TAKE JOE MINNE
dont get me wrong I LOVED BROWNER and NELSON
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losperros
wrote:
Thanks for the heads up about this interview. It's great stuff. I
also remember Joey Browner and what a great player he was. Man, I
miss having players like him on the Vikes D.
Craig
NJ Vike
game of '93 ( I believe).
They were showing the Vikings with Keith Millard showing his son how he
crushes the QBs. Next, was Joey Browner and his martial arts. Very
impressive.
Not only do I miss Browner; I also miss: Todd Scott, Vincie Glenn and Carl
Lee.
Heck, when is the last good DB that could compare to the above?
Ken
"Rus" <n...@spam.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.18aee240c...@news.verizon.net...
Geoff Gass
> Do you remember when the Vikings were playing the Giants in the Championship
> game of '93 ( I believe).
>
> They were showing the Vikings with Keith Millard showing his son how he
> crushes the QBs. Next, was Joey Browner and his martial arts. Very
> impressive.
>
> Not only do I miss Browner; I also miss: Todd Scott, Vincie Glenn and Carl
> Lee.
>
> Heck, when is the last good DB that could compare to the above?
Robert Griffith hit like a ton of bricks.
Brian G. Mueller
"Geoff Gass" <g...@tanzenmb.com> wrote in message
news:slrnb4c11...@glencairn.dyndns.org...
> NJ Vike <nospam...@excite.com> wrote:> >
> >
> > Not only do I miss Browner; I also miss: Todd Scott, Vincie Glenn and
Carl
> > Lee.
> >
> > Heck, when is the last good DB that could compare to the above?
>
> Robert Griffith hit like a ton of bricks.
I'd say that RG was a much better tackler than Browner. I never really
liked Lott or Browner that much because they were constantly head-hunting.
Often blatantly so. I don't know how many times I watched Browner leave his
feet and lead with his forearm to clock a WR. I'd rather see a solid
fundamental hit than something like that.
BGM
Jeff G.
Unfortunately un-like Browner, Griffith also have bricks for hands.
Jeff G.
"Brian G. Mueller" <choirbr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:v4cab23...@corp.supernews.com...
the vacinity of Lott or Browner? You know that these guys aren't going to
just try to make a tackle, they're trying to put you in the half-time
highlight. These guys brought more than just Football to the table, they
also brought pain and fear.
Tarkenton 10
HE KNOCKED THE BALL DOWN!
He managed the occassional int too.
Chavous isn't getting to the ball!!!!!!
Tarkenton 10
BECAUSE THEY KNEW GRIFF was gonna unleash a HELLICIOUS HIT ON THEM did
you see the pass catchers this year it was like a practice out there
underneath NO ONE TOUCHED THEM
Minniman
He really came to play, and he was a sure tackler.
"Brian G. Mueller" wrote:
> I'd say that RG was a much better tackler than Browner.
I have to disagree. Griffith was a good tackler until he started using
the bounce tackle technique that Orlando Thomas was known for.
Browner either ran through the ball carrier or just grabbed the player
with his super grip and pulled him down.
It was Browner's and Lott's job to put on the hit. This is the NFL, and
as long as the hit is clean, the harder the hit - the better the
results.
Minniman
Vikaram Gupta
I'll never forget that moment. The runner was Gerald Willhite I believe,
and it was really sad that he got his leg broken in 3 places. But it
demonstrated Browner's amazing ability.
That Broncos game was notable because it was rescheduled from the day
before, when the Twins were hogging the Dome. Of course, that was
because they were finishing the World Series over the Cardinals :)
Vik
--
Vikaram Gupta | v...@nospam.stanfordalumni.org | http://vikg.net/
Brian G. Mueller
"Jeff G." <nom...@none.cum> wrote in message
news:v4fk45c...@corp.supernews.com...
> If you were a receiver wouldn't you kinda cringe when you catch the ball
in
> the vacinity of Lott or Browner? You know that these guys aren't going to
> just try to make a tackle, they're trying to put you in the half-time
> highlight. These guys brought more than just Football to the table, they
> also brought pain and fear.
>
Yeah. But it wasn't fun for me to watch. I like big hits myself. But what
Lott and Browner were renowned for was going for the kill. Just not my cup
of tea.
BGM
Brian G. Mueller
"Minniman" <Minn...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:v4fqc6i...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> It was Browner's and Lott's job to put on the hit. This is the NFL, and
> as long as the hit is clean, the harder the hit - the better the
> results.
I just didn't care for their head hunting, that's all. When I say "head
hunting", I mean their proclivity to lead with a forearm and aiming to take
a guys head off at the neck. To me, that's not football. It's assault. It
may be legal, but it wasn't any fun for me to watch. I am a "fundamentals"
guy when it comes to football. A "John Galigardi-type" team is much more
interesting to me than a flashy hit squad.
(For those unfamiliar with John Gagliardi, he is the long-time head coach of
Division III St. John's (MN). His teams are known for their excellent
fundamentals, their cool heads [few penalties due to late hits, etc.], and
his famous no-contact practices. And, IIRC, he is either mere wins away or
has surpassed Eddie Robinson's victory totals as a head coach.)
BGM
Tim Krieg
"Vikaram Gupta" <v...@Xenon.Stanford.EDU> wrote in message
news:b28r2j$j2m$1...@Xenon.Stanford.EDU...
> In article <v4aoo6n...@corp.supernews.com>,
> I'll never forget that moment. The runner was Gerald Willhite I believe,
> and it was really sad that he got his leg broken in 3 places. But it
> demonstrated Browner's amazing ability.
Yeah, it could've been Willhite. I think the Sewell era may have been a
year or two later now that I think about it. What I do remember, however,
is the slow motion replay. It played over and over again showing that guy's
foot flopping back and forth about 3 or so above the ankle. Ouch! Damn,
that looked nasty!
> That Broncos game was notable because it was rescheduled from the day
> before, when the Twins were hogging the Dome. Of course, that was
> because they were finishing the World Series over the Cardinals :)
>
> Vik
>
> --
> Vikaram Gupta | v...@nospam.stanfordalumni.org | http://vikg.net/
>
Hey - great recall, Vik! I remembered it was a weird Monday night game, but
I couldn't remember why. It was rescheduled because of our beloved Twins,
so I don't think it was televised as THE Monday night game. It might be the
only time there has been two MNF games played at the same time - good trivia
fodder!
Tim
Tarkenton 10
Minniman
"Brian G. Mueller" wrote:
>
> "Minniman" wrote:
>
> > It was Browner's and Lott's job to put on the hit. This
> > is the NFL, and as long as the hit is clean, the harder
> > the hit - the better the results.
>
> I just didn't care for their head hunting, that's all. When I
> say "head hunting", I mean their proclivity to lead with a
> forearm and aiming to take a guys head off at the neck.
> To me, that's not football. It's assault. It may be legal,
> but it wasn't any fun for me to watch.
If they go for the head, I agree. If it is just a hard hit, then that's
good football.
> I am a "fundamentals" guy when it comes to football. A
> "John Galigardi-type" team is much more interesting to
> me than a flashy hit squad.
>
> (For those unfamiliar with John Gagliardi, he is the long-
> time head coach of Division III St. John's (MN). His
> teams are known for their excellent fundamentals, their
> cool heads [few penalties due to late hits, etc.], and
> his famous no-contact practices. And, IIRC, he is either
> mere wins away or has surpassed Eddie Robinson's
> victory totals as a head coach.)
I live just down the road, so coverage of St. John's is a given.
Minniman
Geoff Gass
> Hey - great recall, Vik! I remembered it was a weird Monday night game, but
> I couldn't remember why. It was rescheduled because of our beloved Twins,
> so I don't think it was televised as THE Monday night game. It might be the
> only time there has been two MNF games played at the same time - good trivia
> fodder!
It's not. It has happened other times, generally under similar
circumstances. It happened Bears @ Dolphins in 1997 (Marlins in the World
Series), game pushed to Monday Night.