Day 2 At NFL Films

I've seen many highlights of the amazing career of former Washington Redskins great Sammy Baugh. Put simply, an amazing football player. Yesterday I learned that highlights fall short in painting his career. It was a tiny sampling of his passing work, but it was a real treat to finally see actual game film of the early Redskins and, in particular, Sammy Baugh. Seeing play after play, snap after snap, I was able to better see the true skills of one of the first, and all-time, great quarterbacks. He has an interesting, somewhat sidearm, delivery that brought about his nickname "Slingin" Sammy Baugh, With a quick delivery, the ball leaves his hand like it's shot. There's no extra or wasted motion. It's all fluid and remarkable. Baugh was also a tremendous defensive back and punter. Seeing game film of Sammy Baugh was an excellent way to close the Pro Football Researchers Association meeting and our visit to NFL Films.

One special, unexpected treat of this weekend's fun at NFL Films was a visit by Bob Dilweg. He's the son of former Green Bay Packers great Lavvie Dilweg. Now, the senior Dilweg is one of the finest players of his era. He played end for the Packers from 1927-34. He was an impact player on a team that won three consecutive NFL titles from 1929-31. Dilweg was considered the greatest end of his era. All-Pro six consecutive seasons and named to the 1920s All-Decade team. It's been said of Hall of Famers that you should not be able to describe the era in which they played without mentioning their role. Lavvie Dilweg impacted his era of football like few others in any era. The Packers were an impact team revealed easily by their titles and success over Dilweg's career. It's no coincidence. His play contributed greatly to the success of the Packers. The NFL limped out of the '20s. Kept alive by stars like Red Grange, Johnny "Blood", Ernie Nevers, Benny Friedman and Lavvie Dilweg. There are fromer NFL players whose absence from the Hall of Fame I find truly stunning. Friedman was one. Dilweg still is. These are absences so stunning that I have to check to make sure that their absence from Canton is real. The Pro Football Hall of Fame was open for business in 1963. They had to catch up to four decades of football. Lavvie Dilweg's induction should have happened before the '60s closed.

These two days at NFL Films have been incredible. A visit made possible by membership in the Pro Football Researchers Association. I've been drooling over the opportunity of walking the halls of a place that I find beautiful. The work that they do there is beautiful. It's art. Beautiful art. My guess is that none that work there consider it work. I wouldn't. They are the "Keepers of the Flame." I came to Mt Laurel, NJ to see NFL Films. I leave discovering that people like me, for good or bad, really are out there in the world. People that seem to doze off if I mention that Princeton impacted the color scheme of the current Ohio NFL teams. That really doesn't go well in most social situations. The PFRA is much like I expect work at NFL Films to be. People that love football discovering more about football. Just like NFL Films. Just like the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The PFRA carries the light of football. Keeping that light on football past and making sure that no one ever forgets players like Lavvie Dilweg.