50's NFL That Wouldn't Fly Today

[@parrin96]

In the 50s, Cleveland and Detroit were huge cities with booming economies. Among the original/early NFL cities, they were THE place to be. Those cities were, at the time, the ideal markets to build and sustain a dominant franchise. So it makes sense that as the cities themselves got worse and worse, so did the teams.

[@Revy_1995]

The Red Wings and Tigers agree to this statement as well.

[@chaosgreyblood]

Pretty soon, Detroit is gonna be like Old Detroit in the Robocop universe.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

@@Revy_1995 Pistons as well

[@codiefitz3876]

As they got darker they fell apart.

[@VianoMusicAcademy]

I don’t understand why all the New York teams suck then

[@daviddechamplain5718]

Fun fact: until the mid-50's down by contact wasn't a thing. If he got knocked down a ballcarrier could still get back up (or crawl) until his forward progress was stopped. That's why you see defenders "piling on" in old football films.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Wow That sounds horrifying

[@jbj7599]

Yeah that would be insane today!!!

[@gunslingingbird74]

Fun fact: the people who start a comment with "fun fact" sound like douchebags.

[@drewsmith3673]

@@gunslingingbird74 You played yourself, Bird.

[@realwiggles]

Source? That doesn't sound true at all.

[@lastsinnersa8002]

The curse of Bobby Layne on Detroit is the #1 NFL curse. 50 years of pain and going 0-16 the season right after it's meant to end. Then you draft the should be savior in Stafford, who grew up where Layne lived, only for them to win a title for the Rams.

[@johnsicard6461]

Wow, that’s actually a pretty remarkable amount of coincidences, as a Bear fan I want the Lions to be good, need the Chicago Detroit rivalry to be reignited

[@cdjhyoung]

You left out the curse of Ford family ownership of the Lions. This may be the only franchise in history that trades away the owners to get better talent at the position.

[@dt2phillips]

Losing Bobby Layne is one thing. Being owned by the Fords has been the worse culprit. No curse there.

[@travismiller4320]

Unless Fords buying Lions are part are part of the curse

[@dt2phillips]

@@travismiller4320 It’s not.

[@napalmblaziken]

Paul Brown is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. His success and innovations can't be denied.

[@warlordofbritannia]

He turned football into a truly professional sport

[@shanestanton8]

When NFL Network did a countdown of “The Top 10 Things That Changed the Game,” I think Paul Brown was on the podium. Here’s another interesting thing they mentioned in that countdown. After Art Modell forced him out of Cleveland, he moved to Cincinnati, and started the bengals.

[@toomuchsauce1377]

He’s not one of the greatest he’s the greatest

[@Wotterblue]

If you mention Brown to Bill Belichick, the dude geeks out hard. I think I watched an interview with him talking about Paul Brown a while back, he's clearly a huge inspiration to Bill.

[@napalmblaziken]

@@Wotterblue It's not hard to see why. Football wouldn't be what it is without him.

[@Riley_Mundt]

Night Train Lane and Jack Tatum are the embodiment of "I will destroy you for even thinking about catching a pass in my presence".

[@littleblackduck3134]

Ronnie Lott was no dandy boy either

[@eggsngritstn]

@@littleblackduck3134 All three were great defenders.

[@andrewgrove1691]

The clothesline tackle .no more

[@gdr205]

How about the deacons...Head slap!

[@cdjhyoung]

@@gdr205 That got outlawed real fast. But probably not fast enough for those offensive left tackles.

[@littleblackduck3134]

I just watched a documentary about Kubrick and I was disappointed that they left out the part when he filmed a NFL game, until I realized you were F'n with us

[@nasis18]

Paul Brown was such an innovater. He also came up with the concept of radios in the QB's helmet. He also came up with the practice squad. Besides Walter Camp, I can't think of anyone else who changed the game as much as Brown did.

[@mitchelll3879]

Did he design the field and the football too? Big whoop

[@nasis18]

@@mitchelll3879 ✊🌭

[@darkhawk4863]

"He used the facemask like a handle on a suitcase full of whupass" - hilarious, and accurate. Lots of modern fans know the Mel Blount rule... there's closer to ten rules that resulted directly from "Night Train" Lane. Might also be one of the coolest football nicknames ever.

[@MichaelPiz]

Bobby Layne & Night Train Lane are two of my favorite characters from NFL history. Apart from his playing skills, Bobby was quite the party animal, too. And you're right, Night Train was an absolute assassin.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Wait, LT type of assassin or Aaron Hernandez? 😂

[@MichaelPiz]

@@warlordofbritannia Whatever kind of assassin he wants cuz I'm not gonna contradict the man. 🤣

[@tygrkhat4087]

@@warlordofbritannia LT type. Night Train was responsible for more rule changes than Mel Blount.

[@tygrkhat4087]

After Bobby was traded to Pittsburgh, the Steelers were getting beaten by the Lions. In the 3rd quarter, Alex Karras sacked Bobby and smelled whiskey on his breath. Alex said to Bobby he must have had a hell of a night; Bobby replied that because he was taking a beating, he had a couple of pops at halftime. The NFL was a different world back then.

[@shanestanton8]

Paul Brown might be the only Pro Football Hall of Fame coach who has also won championships in both high school and college

[@warlordofbritannia]

He’s basically the father of professional football

[@shanestanton8]

@@warlordofbritannia you’re right in terms of strategy, and getting his teams ready for the upcoming season or game. However, in terms of making The NFL something people would want to associate with, that honor most likely goes to either Red Grange or Jim Thorpe

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@shanestanton8 Jim Thorpe was more of a college figure though, wasn’t he? I’d put him down as the guy who made football itself a national sport with his achievements

[@shanestanton8]

@@warlordofbritannia I’m pretty sure Red Grange was the first college football star to join The NFL Jim Thorpe most likely is the first big name athlete to play in The NFL. Prior to joining the league, he spent some time in MLB, and won two Olymp medals. On the gridiron, his ability to do just about everything allowed him to become one of the first men to be immortalized with a bust in Canton

[@tygrkhat4087]

@@warlordofbritannia George Halas is the father of professional football; Paul Brown is the father of modern professional football.

[@Themadness42]

My Dad grew up watching Nighttrain Lane destroying dudes on a field. He's one of the half forgotten legends of the game before the NFL had all the glitz and glamor it does now. Yes damn near every tackle he made is not legal now but all are fun to watch.

[@nukey4121]

I don’t think the 50s were even real… the lions won league championships back then

[@ThatNofbody]

Bc they were one of the first teams and ford was such a big family back then once other teams got good players lions never won again 😂😂😂

[@nukey4121]

@@ThatNofbody simply put, the 50s never happened🤯

[@warlordofbritannia]

It’s the equivalent of the 1890s for baseball

[@nukey4121]

@Rowdy Jr basically

[@Rodanguirus]

@@ThatNofbody Ford didn't own the Lions in the '50s, which was to their benefit.

[@garyg3468]

The more I learn about Paul Brown the more I'm convinced that the NFL didn't ever disserve a coach of his caliber

[@chrisguardiano6143]

The facemaskless helmets of the 50's in the NFL were adopted by rugby 50 years later using modern materials to reduce the number of head injuries in the game. It should be pointed out that helmets aren't mandatory in rugby, though they are recommended for kids starting full tackle rugby (there is touch rugby for kids under 9) and anyone new to the game.

[@aidenfurnish3184]

Clutch upload… just sat down with my snack 😂

[@HawkCapooo]

Facts!😂

[@ThatNofbody]

Fr lmao just sat down for my lunch break 😂

[@JBTriple8]

yeah i got home work great watch to unwind

[@clipobserver]

It wasn't just Night Train Lane, a number of those players were veterans and they had a lot of fight left in them.

[@joermnyc]

Nighttrain Lane’s hits remind me of Forrest Whittaker’s character in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” during the big game when he thinks the other team destroyed his beloved car.

[@endcensorship874]

Then again, their idea of off season workout was fishing, drinking beer and smoking heaters.

[@citizenkane454]

They drank and smoked during the game lol

[@endcensorship874]

@@citizenkane454 True!😆

[@MichaelPiz]

I'm sure you've seen the famous pic of Lenny Dawson smoking in the locker room at halftime of Super Bowl I.

[@endcensorship874]

@@MichaelPiz yes. They thought that it "opened the lungs."

[@tygrkhat4087]

@@citizenkane454 Bobby Layne was noted for occasional imbibing during halftime. For medicinal purposes, of course.

[@jasonwhigham335]

Hol up, you're telling me the main reason why the lions are blighted to suck forever is because they basically have their own curse of the bambino

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

GAH-ro Ye-PREM-ian was the same kicker who had the infamous botched pass after a blocked FG in Super Bowl VII for the Dolphins.

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

PS Re: Night Train, I'm guessing Vontaze Burfict would have fit right in during the old school era (wrote this before you made the "cuddle monster" reference).

[@letsgoOs1002]

so close for the browns ravens. the browns records and all that stats are still part of Cleveland. the ravens didn't take the stats and records with them. so all stats and records for the ravens started over when they moved. unlike the colts who took everything with them.

[@travismiller4320]

Facts, but reality is Ravens are original Browns, not an expansion team in 1996, or an expansion team that took all of Cleveland’s players, either way to look at it

[@JamesRDavenport]

Another thing that happened in the NFL back then that wouldn't fly today....actually tackling QBs.

[@EazyE7620]

9:20 'he grabbed harder than a celebrity on Epstein Island'💀

[@PrimarySweeper13]

Wait, it’s all Paul brown? Always has been

[@UnchainedAmerica]

Dick Butkus had a reputation of hitting the players so hard they would be knocked out of their shoes, literally.

[@sillambretta]

"He used the face mask like a handle on a suitcase full a whoop ass" Great line. Back in the early ESPN they used to show old 50's NFL clips usually on Sunday mornings. I used to love watching them. Lot'sa dirty stuff. Finger stomping, butt kicking & head hunting. Running dominated the game b/c passing was high risk. There was another DB on the 49ers who was as infamous as Night Train. He didn't have as many picks but might have sent more players to the infirmary.

[@videogamevalley7523]

the NFL in the 50’s was savage

[@jkdm7653]

In 1962, the Lions gave just a last glimpse of their 50s greatness...11-3, 2nd to the Packers, whose only loss that season was at Detroit, 26-14, on Thanksgiving Day on national TV. The Lions secondary that season featured the 4 "L"s...Dick LeBeau, Gary Lowe, Yale Lary, and Night Train Lane.

[@ElrohirGuitar]

That was quite a secondary. The Lions always seemed to have DBs who were special: Christiansen and Jim David earlier and Lem Barney a little later. Night Train was the guy, though, who seemed to be a legend his whole career.

[@Rescue162]

I've known about Night Train Lane since the 1970s. His playing days were over, but I read about him in NFL fact books. The 14-interception season is legendary in NFL lore, just like Walter Payton's 275 yard game in 1977 or Gale Sayers' 6-touchdown game in 1965.

[@seanthomxx2694]

Dear God!!!...Night Train invented the Stunner, the RKO, Sling blade, and Clothline from Hell.

[@RedMo46]

I can only imagine how infuriated yesteryear QBs must be to see some modern QBs cry anytime they get touched

[@ThatNofbody]

Or make 500 million dollar contracts when they probably made less then 5% of that

[@MichaelPiz]

Even adjusted for inflation they made a lot less. Of course, the same is true for league revenues. I don't know how it works out percentage-wise, though.

[@warlordofbritannia]

I don’t think it’s fair to make aspersions on modern QBs’ toughness because they’re not getting their brains beaten out of their heads anymore Like, there’s toughness and then there’s being nostalgic for getting skull fractures…

[@Lukemasonmedia]

Lmfao right

[@JamesRDavenport]

@@warlordofbritannia Yes that's true but the balance has shifted so nanny state far that basically if a player breathes too hard on a QB he might get flagged. Passing records don't mean shit anymore when untouchables like Brady could play nigh forever because they don't get hit enough.

[@bryantsteury8910]

Ah the 50's Lions, where Martha Ford was only in her 80's

[@RELopez-mk4ic]

Paul Brown was very innovative. He is credited with filming and studying his and other teams, that was all done with 8mm film on reels. The Rams, sometime in the 50s used a type of early VHS machine for studying videos!

[@TheStapleGunKid]

Dick Lane has an amazing story. He was adopted after being abandoned in a dumpster when he was 3 months old He went on to play just one year of football at Junior college before joining the army. Then in 1952 he just showed up at the Rams stadium and asked the coach for a job. That's how we got one of the best defensive backs in NFL history.

[@steamedclams5689]

While it wouldn’t fly today, no player from today could play even three years in 50s nfl. I mean, you could clothesline, pretty much do anything.

[@AleisterMeowley]

Um, no. Todays players would demolish these guys. They’re bigger, stronger, and faster. Sure, it was rough and dirty back then and these old timers deserve all the respect in the world for pioneering the game. But if you were to let Team Today play Team Olde Timey by olde timey rules, it would be a massacre. You’d have to call it off by halftime because half of the old guys would be on stretchers.

[@TheFlyingFox14]

@@AleisterMeowley Well, yeah, of course they’d be on stretchers. Team old timers are in their 90’s right now.

[@AleisterMeowley]

@@TheFlyingFox14 haha yes that’s true. But even if we took the old school gen in its prime and this now gen in its prime, the old school is getting handled

[@richardadams4928]

When I first saw the title, without looking at the thumbnail, I IMMEDIATELY thought "Night Train Necktie Special". You see pics of him doing that to Jim TAYLOR, you know he wasn't playing around.

[@TecMatt]

"He used the facemask as a handle on a suitcase full of whoopass" 🤣🤣🤣 greatest line 10/10

[@tylerleggett5088]

As a lions fan, the curse of Bobby lane is the only explanation for the lions rock bottom performance the last 50+ years

[@thomasblock1164]

Well, there is also the ineptitude factor.

[@tylerleggett5088]

@@thomasblock1164 lol as a FAN, I stand by my ridiculous assertion. As an objective observer, it's definitely not the logical answer. Just can't stand the thought that my team was truly so bad for so long without blaming some force beyond our control for this fate.

[@thomasblock1164]

@@tylerleggett5088 Yes, Tyler. You convinced me! It has to be the curse. Maybe having a decent GM will help dispense with the curse. We can only hope. (which is the defining trait of being a Lions fan, but hey, we had Barry)Best of Football Fall for us both.

[@flaccidwhitecoat]

Looking forward to the 40s, 30s, and 20s editions

[@mikewach32]

As a Browns fan, there are only two people I blame for the Browns being bad Art Modell and Paul Tagliabue Art Modell because he moved the Browns to Baltimore Paul Tagliabue because he decided to have the Browns come back to the NFL as an EXPANSION FRANCHISE instead of keeping the original Browns in Cleveland and have Art Modell get a traditional expansion franchise in Baltimore (with an expansion draft and all)

[@Wotterblue]

Not a Browns fan but fuck Art Modell.

[@brentgranger7856]

Are you considering making this a series? The NFL has changed so much over the decades.

[@ethansprague2005]

It already is a series, check out the other ones it's really cool

[@toastnjam7384]

Another tough tackler from this era was 49er Hardy Brown who's tackling technique was using his shoulder to the face. Supposedly he knock out over 20 players in one season. The Rams had a bounty to whoever could knock him out of a game.

[@dwaynehall5791]

Way to butcher Garo Yepremian’s name. “Yep-er-me-an”? How do you slaughter a name connected to one of the more infamous bloopers in Super Bowl history.

[@anthonybrooks5040]

Yet somehow, the narrator did butcher Garo's name, who kicked for a long time in the NFL (1966-81).

[@TheMrSuge]

@@anthonybrooks5040 I believe it's called "blowing the research"

[@bjnt922]

They Night Train Lane’s tackling technique the “Night Train Necktie”.

[@johngoetz4462]

I really believed the bit about Kubrick. Good sell on that one.

[@FivePointsVids]

😂😂😂😂

[@badman3000]

We are actually closer to 2050 then 1950.

[@LSA30]

We are actually closer to 2090 (!!) than to 1950,

[@LazyCat010]

@@LSA30 Cool. I'm closer to a year I won't exist than a year I didn't exist yet.

[@just_radical]

Playbooks, film, scouting, facemasks, headsets, Paul Brown out here singlehandledly inventing the concept of trying to win at football.

[@bryantsteury8910]

"Handle on a suitcase full of whoopass" lolol

[@JorgeRojas-up3ih]

I totally fell for the Kubrick prank.

[@cdjhyoung]

Night Train Lane made many, vicious, legal tackles in his long career. He was also a very intelligent player - you don't have that many picks without game awareness skills. If Night Train were playing under today's rules, he would still be effective. And harsh. I'm just old enough to remember NTL as a back for the Lions in the late 1960's. I was amazed his playing career was that long, being a rookie in 1950. He was a monster then, playing in his late 30's.

[@henrybrowne7248]

Excellent documentary! I love your style . . I feel it is important to keep the past alive. Oh, and don't forget Hardy Brown from this era.

[@Mistertbones]

Otto Graham and Bobby Layne, two absolute legends. Graham possibly the GOAT.

[@oddballskull1941]

How is Otto graham a goat. Seriously how? Great yea, greatest? Ridiculous

[@Mistertbones]

@@oddballskull1941 In his ten years, his team made the championship game every season, and he won seven championships in those ten years. Can't argue with that success.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@Mistertbones The game was far less sophisticated back then though; for example, the difference between college/amateur and professional levels was far smaller

[@mmgen1711]

@@warlordofbritannia so?

[@NWOWCW4Life1]

@@warlordofbritannia That might be so but ya know..accolades. I don’t know if anyone would really disagree for Graham either for being probably the best QB that Cleveland ever had

[@asd36f]

The Dallas Texans joined the NFL in 1952, and recorded a dismal 1-11 record. Although based in Dallas, they were so terrible that the NFL bought the team and the Texans played their final 5 games away from home as a "travelling team". Not surprisingly, it was their only season in the NFL.

[@shelz333]

This is going to be the superbowl in 5 yrs. You read it here first 😄 Browns vs Lions

[@billschipper1718]

The style of play you described Night Train Lane played was still going on in the 70s. Watch Mel Blanc and the rest of the goons from the 70s and you'll see the same play.

[@ThinkTwice2222]

Video idea: the most influential people in football. Highlighting the individuals who shaped the game we love

[@warlordofbritannia]

More recently, Bill Belichick, Roger Gooddell (influence doesn’t necessarily have to be a good thing), Junior Seau…

[@staidenofanarchy]

@Fries John Heisman too

[@kevinh2770]

Crazy my mans was graduating HS in the 50s 👏🏽 My respect.

[@jamescharles1588]

YES - finally someone other than me saying what I’ve been saying for years- Night train is the most brutal tackler in the history of the NFL. He was found in a dumpster when he was an infant. What a rag to riches story.

[@jeffelmore5614]

0:01 is a 1954 Mercedes SL 300, beautiful car.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Also the NFL back then wasn’t anywhere near as popular as it is today.

[@shanew5957]

That game film part fkin hilarious

[@mo_jamma9091]

Mom: Why didn’t you clean your room? Me: because fivepointvids just uploaded a new video 😩

[@jameswilmer8433]

Yes. The 50s -80s rule changes for the offense improved the scoring. So snide the QBs of bygone Era. They weren't sacked, they were plundered. Couldn't throw the ball away. Newcomers forget these things.

[@slicksmick89]

Laughed my ass off while learning something new. Love this!

[@quasimoto7662]

I need a Night Train Lane jersey soooooo bad

[@DisRespectoids]

As soon as the browns show up it’s 50s NFL that doesn’t happen today

[@nicholasbarber3644]

imagine night train lane playing now

[@sonicbobomb15]

I'm happy to see that the Lions can do relatively good. Losing since 1957.

[@keithnewyear3047]

One more 1950's Browns-adjacent fun fact: QB Otto Graham's father (Otto Sr.) was also the man who first taught Jack Benny to play violin.

[@michaelalley214]

Loved you game film reference to Stanley Kuberick Classic!

[@LifeOfTheShooter]

SMART TRIP CARD!!!! miss how simple the DC subway was

[@sortofanoakyafterbirth3661]

Shout out to my old hometown of MASS-uh-lawn Ohio. Locals just say MASS-lynn. I'm not nitpicking, or being an ass. It's the only thing after football the Massillon folks have...

[@ian-si9xw]

Try NRL ( Australian rugby league ) the only ones wearing head protection are the fans , oh and most of the players don't even wear any padding either

[@FlipWarBucks]

Dude kick the top of the helmet. 😂😂

[@footballtalkwithfreddy8684]

Here before the Bills trade for Barkley

[@jeremycrandall2899]

Even without the headhunting, anybody under the age of 80 calling themselves Dick wouldn’t fly ANYWHERE today, much less in the NFL.😄

[@gregggillott8551]

Stanley Kubrick the film student offers to film the games.... THAT WAS GREAT!!

[@markjr.huguenot3254]

Detroit being good is very interesting

[@terrytitus5291]

Clev,Det were,Pittsburgh wasn't,things change

[@NoahRicks1999]

It’s interesting hearing stuff about Paul Brown because my sister actually lives in Massillon.

[@alanstrong55]

Always glad to see the Browns come back to life.

[@willosee]

Fantastic!

[@nekonomicon2983]

No wonder they showed Football being so brutal in old cartoons.

[@mikesullivan1988]

Whenever I’d play someone in Madden and they had Night Train I’d always be pissed cuz these children gotta stop buying coins off websites and he’s broken in the game 😭💀

[@bluesdoggg]

I believe the painted helmet was implemented in Ann Arbor Michigan in the late 1930s.

[@KameSennin4209]

Ah, Texas Roadhouse; I see that you are a man of culture, as well.

[@cornbreadmilton5265]

9:53 CuttleMonster lol.

[@PariahEarth]

1:57 LMFAO GODDAMN DUDE

[@andrewalisuag1473]

Love this video. Plus you’re the funniest. -lions fan

[@bradleysample3246]

Back in the day defenders did the" cloths line" They stuck their arm out to hit a receiver in the head when he was on the route

[@EastPeakSlim]

"Lane was the most vicious tackler in the NFL." Ever see video of Hardy Brown of the 49ers? He ranks up there with Night Train.

[@RBXROCK]

There was a guard who played for cleveland and detroit, he played for like 9 seasons.... He never didnt end his season in the championship game... Pretty sure hes in canton.

[@conspiracyx8916]

The guy laying on the ground to get kicked in the head 😆

[@NA-du6dz]

Common five point vids W

[@stevenreichertart]

They sure moved quickly in the 50s!

[@SONICX1027]

So this is Paul Brown, the video. Good to know

[@CobiOnTheRocks]

Night Train was the Bounty System before the Saints even did it

[@evog35viii]

2:58 and 4:13 LMAO 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💀💀💀💀💀

[@sanchezjr13]

Would’ve loved to watch football back then. The 80s and 90s were awesome too, not like today’s flag football with QBs wearing skirts.

[@aardvark870]

I wish I could go back in time and introduce the spread option and dominate for a decade

[@Sea_Stallion]

That style of offense wouldn’t work because you could play defense back then. Spread offenses wouldn’t even work in the 2000’s

[@she_lovesbillz]

@@Sea_Stallion the Wildcat and the run n shoot worked in the 2000's. If one team ran the spread offense in the 50's they would blow teams out by 70

[@Sea_Stallion]

@@she_lovesbillz The wildcat and run and shoot literally got figured out a year later and they didn’t work. Your forgetting defensive coordinators do get paid too

[@she_lovesbillz]

@@Sea_Stallion did the lions run the run and shoot all throughout the 90's? And they wasn't that bad I mean they went to the playoffs every other year and came 1 game short of the superbowl in 91 but I see what you're saying but let's be real the spread back then(50's) would of broke the NFL