The Fearsome Foursome

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Will former Browns defensive end Myles Garrett win a Super Bowl this season?

We don’t know that yet. It looks hopeful, but you just don’t know how things will work out.

But then there’s the more personal part of it. Will Garrett become a member of the greatest defensive line in Rams history?

We don’t know that, either.

As good as Garrett is, and as good as his new teammate is in tackle Aaron Donald, who just came out of retirement to see if the Rams can do some special things, it will take some doing.

Ladies and gentlemen, we turn back the clock way back — 60 years — to “The Fearsome Foursome.” That may be not just the best defensive line in Rams history, but also possibly the best in NFL history.

Yes, that line is that good. You had to see it to truly appreciate it.

End David “Deacon” Jones. This guy, who may be the best end in pro football history, was as tough as they come. He was no joke. And a mean streak? Oh, you bet! His vaunted head slap was  a lethal act of violence.

Tackle Merlin Olsen. His personality was just the opposite of Jones, as he was much more of a quiet man. He might be the best tackle the game has ever seen, and he was a great actor, too, in “Little House on the Prairie.”

The other tackle, Rosie Grier. He came to the Rams after starring for another great defensive line with the New York Giants, the Browns arch rivals at the time.. He was one of the few players in NFL history to be part of two great lines like that. He is the only member of the Fearsome Foursone still alive, as he turned 94 years young on July 14.

End Lamar Lundy. The tallest member of the group at 6-foot-8, he was the guy opposing teams tried to attack as they ran away from Jones. But Lundy made them pay for that.

Steve King

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