Here I was an unimportant fifth round draft pick from Syracuse University, waiting for my first NFL action, Standing amongst and surrounded by future to be Steelers legends. He found the Wolf cast on Steelers Nation Radio and Steelers dot Com. The crowd was bigger than I've ever seen anywhere in my life. The roaring from the home crowd seemed to come from everywhere, swirling through the upper reaches of the meadowlands.
Even though it was just the first preseason game of the nineteen eighties season, the significance of a Giant Steelers matchup in a meaningless preseason game was in the big scheme of things, minor, to be sure, unless, of course, you happen to be a rookie like me trying to make the roster of the recently crowned four times Super
Bowl Kings of the NFL. Kickoff was fast approaching. Man adrenaline washed over me in buckets, and I was fighting the strangling tendrils of nervousness of being overwhelmed in my very first NFL game. Here, I was an unimportant fifth round draft pick from Syracuse University, waiting for my first NFL action, standing amongst and surrounded by future to be Steelers legends. The Giants kicked off and I was out of my mind with excitement watching the game unfold from
the sidelines. Back to back running plays left the Giants short of the first down marker. Now on third down, the Giants threw the ball. It was a typical every day short out route by a Giant's wide receiver, just trying to nudge the ball past the first down marker.
The wide receivers sprinted several steps down the field, dropped his hips, planted strongly on his outside foot, cut hard for the sidelines, then reached out and caught the well timed past a couple of yards away from the out of bounds with shocking closing speed, Like a giant bird of prey, melt Blunt swooped in and circled the waist of the Giants receiver, planted his feet firmly, and then in an explosive, violent upheaval of the hips, legs, and back,
Blunt ripped the Giants receiver off the artificial turf, pivoted and slammed him head first back to the ground. The sidelines around me exploded and shouts of exultation as the ball came loose and rolled out of bounds from the now lying still wide receiver. I think my jaw hit my shoetops. Mel, standing above him, looking for all the world like a heavyweight champion, having just vanquished the latest threat to his reign, glared to see if anybody else
wanted a shot at the belt. Blunt watched as, now rising groggy to his knees, Wide Receiver simply rolled over onto his back. Once the trainers arrived, Mel looked down at him, shrugged his shoulders, turned and walked to the sidelines. No history onics, no classless borish behavior, just a simple acknowledgement of physical superiority and power displayed in one heart
stopping moment such as I'd never experienced before this close up. Meanwhile, the crowd, now roused by Blunt's ferocity, countered and began making their feelings. Heard an avalanche of booze cascaded down in a sonic flood. Blunt continued walking to the bench, never agnowed, colleging the play, the crowd, or the sheer violence that had just been unleashed. Man, you talk about
being impressed. This was the NFL circ and it was just another play on the job by a future Hall of Famer Mel Blunt, a k A. Soup short for superstar. Said Mel, one of the things that I always wanted to do was let people know that this is my territory. If you come in here, you're gonna have to pay pay. Indeed, yes the game has changed, and yes, the play that just unfold in front of me on that day so long ago would have cost Mela's second mortgage on his
house to pay off the fine in today's football. You see, that was bawling out in today's terminology, but in yesterday's accepted physicality, said Mel. Football is a physical game, and well it used to be anyway. You see, there's the Mel Blunt rule, and then there was Mel Blunt's personal rule. Quite a difference. Prior to a wide receiver could be physically jammed all the way up down the field prior
to the throw. Someone such as a physically dominant Blunt six ft three pounds, a cow punching rodeo ranch or tough muscle physically overwhelmed receivers, sometimes not letting them even get off the line of scrimmage. Mel Blunt's personal rule of thumb was, as he said to make them pay. So the NFL decided there needed to be a change. Thus the Mel Blunt Rule. Simply put, you couldn't touch your receiver after you got five yards down the field.
Now do you think that offended Mel? Said Mel. I think any time a player can have such an effect on the game that they name a rule after you, I think it's an honor and it's something that my kids can read about, and so it's a part of your legacy, and I'm honored that they thought enough of the way I played the game that they would change the rule and call it the Mel Blunt rule. He's a game changer, and folks, I do that in aarrow quotes.
It's an often used term to describe the brilliant, cuble player, but in this case, it really does apply. I can't even imagine being so good, so dominant. They the NFL rules makers, felt they had to change the rules of the game, specifically for a man like Mel. The game was literally, not figuratively, but literally changed by Mel Blunt.
I imagine there's a lot of cornerbacks in today's NFL to look back at the man, the legend, and the source of so much angst in today's passing game, said mel defense backs today they probably look at me and say, man, that's the guy right there that's causing so many problems today. Yes, that is the man. He is no myth, but he is a legend and forever will be remembered for the rule that changed the game and that bears his name. I'm Greig Wolfley and this is the wolf Cast. Thank you for listening.