It has become kind of fashionable for offensive linemen to not say too much. During the Denver Broncos Super Bowl era (98-99), they kind of perfected it when they refused to speak to the media during the season. Currently, I couldn’t tell you what Bills linemen are quotable guys. Linemen like to hang out in the shadows. They don’t want to be bothered and I don’t think the media cares to bug them anyways. I mean, who wants to hear from offensive linemen? The only time the get any airplay is when they do a bad job, which is probably why most of them don’t like talking.
Kent Hull was different.
As I kid, I remember hearing him make the rounds on Sports Extra when it came to dissecting the team’s performance. I’m telling you, if I closed my eyes and heard Kent Hull’s voice, I would know it was him. His southern drawl would always give him away. When he spoke, everyone listened. He was astute with his observations for the team’s play. Win or lose, Hull knew how to examine what happened. He had the respect of the locker room and the press. Whenever Jim Kelly talks about his old teammates, one of the first guys he mentions is Kent Hull.
It’s interesting, because you could make the case that as a player, Hull may have not been the best linemen we had. Will Wolford and Howard Ballard were pretty good. But, you don’t really hear Kelly gloat about them. He always talked about Hull.
Hull, with that southern drawl, made a lot of calls at the line of scrimmage and would tell Kelly to audible out of a play constantly. Now, it wouldn’t be one of those Peyton Manning type audibles, where they would let the clock run down to 1 or 2 seconds and snap the ball. Hull had to make a decision quick, because Kelly wanted to keep the defense on their heels by snapping the ball quickly because of the no-huddle offense. All and all, it was Hull’s smarts and leadership abilities that I think stick most with his teammates. Hull was one tough dude. Maybe that was another reason why Kelly liked him so much because they played and acted the same way.
The best Kent Hull story I have is from one of Sal Maiorana’s books. Hull was brought in from the USFL on the same day that Jim Kelly officially signed with the Bills. I’m sure we all have seen the old footage of Kelly coming off the plane and riding to Orchard Park in a limo. Oh, Hull wasn’t far behind. In fact, he was trailing the limo while in a equipment van. Yes, Kelly got the limo and Hull got some beat up van. The story cracks me up every time.
Kelly and Hull ended up having the 2nd longest QB-Center exchange in NFL History at 157 games (Manning & Saturday own the record). Honestly, if the Bills won 2-3 Super Bowls, Kent Hull might have gone to the Hall of Fame. By comparison to Russ Grimm, who recently got in, both guys made the pro bowl the same amount of times (3), but Grimm had 3 rings, which is obviously a great credential. Hull also started 121 straight games, which adds up to almost 8 straight seasons.
Kelly and Hull came into the league together and left together at the end of the 1996 season. I do remember Hull’s retirement conference. He stood up tall like he use to do in the locker room when it came to assessing the Bills performance. He spoke about the good times, the Super Bowls and the memories. He also cried, which was at the expense of talking about the fans. He called us the greatest fans in the world through a vale of tears. It was at that moment when he started to cry. Yeah, players really don’t cry all that much for the fans anymore when the cheers stop. Those tears kind of stick with me.
Lastly, I can remember going back to the glory days of the early 90’s. I can remember seeing Kent Hull over the football. The snow, the turf, the pits and a tight shot of the football. Hull’s hand covers the football, as he lifts it to a 70 degree angle. You can see his breath as it looks like the fog from the Aud. His arms were wrapped up like a mummy because of the old battle scars.
He did this for 157 games. He did it with class and I’m sure he had a lot of fun doing it..especially for the fans.
Rest in peace #67
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KftCpqjCTI0&w=275&h=229]
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