Most offensive linemen don’t get a lot of coverage in the NFL outside of making the Pro Bowl or making a dirty play, this week’s profile will take a look at a man who did both.

For those who do not follow the NFL in depth, they will remember Kyle Turley for one play only, when he ripped off Damien Robinson’s helmet in an attempt to protect his quarterback Aaron Brooks. Following that play Turley was forever remembered as a dirty player; however he wasn’t as much of a dirty player as he was one who would do anything to protect his quarterback and help his team out.

Kyle John Turley was born on September 24, 1975 in Provo, Utah. The Turley family relocated to Moreno Valley, California, which is where Kyle played his high school football. The school he attended, Valley View High School also produced Cincinnati Reds pitcher Ryan Madson and New York Giants running back Derrick Ward.

Following a standout performance in high school, Turley was given an athletic scholarship to San Diego State University. As an Aztec, Turley continued to improve his skills at the offensive tackle position, which lead to the prestigious honor of being voted as a first-team All-American his senior year. His elite status at his position caused the New Orleans Saints to draft Turley with their first round pick, seventh overall, as the first offensive lineman in the 1998 NFL Draft.

As expected, Turley started on the Saints offensive line right from the get go. In his rookie season he was a big part of his offense that had six different players rush for over 100 yards. Despite the number of players that were able to break the century mark for rushing yards, the top rusher, halfback Lamar Smith, was only able to amass 457 yards on the ground. Even worse for the Saints was the way they finished the season, with a 6-10  record after beginning the season 3-0.

A big part of their struggle was the inconsistency of the quarterback position; which had four different players start during the season. With the Saints lacking a blue chip player at any of the offensive skill positions, they were unable to produce. As history has shown us this was a hard thing for the Saints to grasp; as it took the team until 2006 to finally get a franchise player at quarterback.

After a terrible finish to what looked to be a promising season, head coach Mike Ditka made one of the most memorable and destructive moves in the history of the NFL. He traded away all of the teams picks to move up and select Ricky Williams. In theory the move looked good; Turley would be able to help one of the best college running backs at that time become a superstar in the NFL. As we all know things didn’t quite work out that way.

Ricky was able to almost double Smith’s rushing yards from a season before, but the Saints were now a one-dimensional team and defenses were able to game plan against the New Orleans Ricky Williams’.

Shockingly, the Saints did even worse with the addition of Ricky Williams, as they only picked up three wins during the 1999 campaign. The struggles would continue for the Saints throughout Turley’s time there. However, he was an integral part in an offense that never was able to connect on all cylinders.

Throughout the next couple of seasons the rushing yards began to stack up, in part due to the great blocking by Turley. The addition of Aaron Brooks at quarterback also seemed to help out the Saints. Though he wasn’t a great passer, Brooks was a playmaker who could easily pick up a decent gain with his feet. This caused Turley to have to be a strong multi-dimensional lineman as he would be called upon to help solidify the pocket and then get downfield on the same play if Brooks decided to take off. His phenomenal play paid off huge as he was elected to the Pro Bowl in both the 2000 and 2003 seasons.

In the world of Kyle Turley and the New Orleans Saints November 4, 2001, is the day that will live in infamy. The Saints hosted the New York Jets at the Louisiana Superdome in a game that went anything but the Saints way. New Orleans was trailing 16-9 in the fourth quarter when quarterback Aaron Brooks decided to tuck the ball and scramble to his left. Brooks was met by a wall of Jets who easily took down the starting quarterback. But while he was in the pile fighting for extra yards, Brooks’ facemask was grabbed by Jets safety Damien Robinson and being wrenched around. Turley, who was watching the whole play, went into the pile to protect his quarterback. He grabbed Robinson’s mask and began to rip it off of his head. Once he got the helmet off of the Jets defender, after twisting the shit out of Robinson’s head, Turley chucked the helmet into the air. If not for his fingers being stuck in the helmet the outcome would have looked a lot better, but the helmet only traveled a short distance and actually fell behind Turley.

Following the now infamous play, both players were awarded personal foul penalties, but Turley received an additional one for tossing the helmet and was subsequently ejected from the game. The Saints fined their offensive tackle $25,000 for “conduct detrimental to the team,” however the NFL decided not to levy any fine against Turley. They did fine Robinson $20,000 for his malicious attack on Aaron Brooks.

Regarding the play, Turley said he “thought Robinson was about to break his quarterback’s neck.” Luckily for him, the NFL saw it the same way and Paul Tagliabue was the commissioner at them time.

The actions that Kyle Turley took to protect his quarterback made defenders take notice. Aaron Brooks, a scrambling quarterback by nature, never seemed to take another cheap shot as long as Kyle Turley was around.

Despite the tenacity and talent he brought to the game, Turley’s career in New Orleans was heading to a close. Following the 2003 season, his contract came to an end and the Saints offered to sign him to a long term deal that would, in theory, make him a Saint for life. However, Turley rejected the contract and the Saints traded him to the Rams for their second round pick in the 2004 draft.

In his first season with the Rams, Turley met all expectations. He had to transition to the other side of the line because the Rams had Orlando Pace. Turley did so without missing a step and helped the Rams have a strong running game during the season.

Year two in St. Louis was a completely different story. Turley suffered a series of injuries that caused teams to believe that he had lost his skills that he showed in New Orleans. In 2004 Turley suffered a back injury shortly after recovering from a back operation. The injury was so severe that it was considered by some as life-threatening. Turley believed he could bounce back, however he was placed on the injured reserve list before the season even began.

On top of his injury issues, Turley was going at it with head coach Mike Martz throughout his time in St. Louis.

The battle between Mike Martz and Kyle Turley came to a head on December 13, 2004, when Martz claimed that Turley threatened his life. The NFL launched an investigation and found no validity in Martz’s statement; however Turley’s fate was already sealed. St. Louis released the two time Pro Bowler on June 6, 2005.

They say hindsight is twenty-twenty and it couldn’t be any more evident than through the lyrics to his song Flyin’ Helmets: “And fuck Mike Martz I never liked him anyway, I should have stayed my ass in New Orleans.”

For Turley 2005 was a tough year; not only did he miss the entire football season, but he suffered some serious injuries. Turley suffered from sciatic nerve damage that caused atrophy in his right leg. It seemed like Turley’s career was about to come to an end.

However on June 11, 2006, Herman Edwards gave Turley a chance as he signed him to a two-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. His first training camp in over a season was televised on HBO’s show Hard Knocks.

Turley looked promising throughout training camp and the Chiefs believed they had solidified a big part of their offensive line. Turley came out of the gates looking like the New Orleans version of himself, but it didn’t last long. The injuries that he sustained earlier in his career were back and he would end up missing over half of the season.

On March 21, 2007 Turley threw in the towel and officially retired from the NFL. He had the ability to have a long illustrious career, but it was cut short due to some brutal injuries. Turley left everything he had out on the field and he has suffered for it since.

Throughout his career, Kyle Turley spoke more with his play than with his words. He wasn’t one for the media hype and played the game for the love of the sport, not for the love of money. Turley embodied what an offensive lineman should be; a player who will not only create rushing lanes for the players behind him, but someone who will do anything to protect his quarterback.

Turley continues to be outspoken about the NFL but now in a different way, through his music. His music covers a variety of topics including his personal life, life in the NFL and thoughts about the NFL.

Even though he says that bands like Pantera and Slayer were big influences on him, Turley’s music tends to be more country. It does have a combination of some rock and could be compared to the style of Alcohaulin’ Ass by Hellyeah.

Currently Kyle Turley has released five CDs of which only one is a LP, Anger Management. Below is a list of all of his CDs that can be purchased through iTunes, Amazon or through his record company’s website store.

EP – 4 song EP (November 3, 2009)

My Soul Bleeds Black and Gold – Single (February 3, 2010)

Anger Management – 12 song LP (March, 9, 2010)

We Ride – Single (December 14, 2010)

Death, Drugs & the DoubleCross – 6 song EP (September 20, 2011)

If you would like to read more about Kyle Turley, below is a list of books about the two time Pro Bowl offensive tackle.

NFL Unplugged: The Brutal, Brilliant World of Professional Football by Anthony L. Gargano (September 22, 2010)

Sports Illustrated (January 2003)

Tales From the Saints Sideline by Jeff Duncan (July 30, 2004)

Most of my generation has not heard of Conrad Dobler. The man who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as “Pro Football’s Dirtiest Player” was a lot more than that. He was a three time Pro Bowler before fans made it a popularity contest. Dobler was also the anchor of one of the best offensive lines of his time despite not being inducted into the NFL’s Hall of Fame.

Conrad Francis Dobler was born on October 1, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. He played his college ball at Wyoming and was a fifth round pick, 110 overall, in the 1972 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Being a fifth round pick made Dobler a long shot to make the Cardinals team. However, the intensity he brought every time he lined up helped him gain a starting role that he refused to relinquish.

Through his intense play, Dobler quickly became the starting right guard in his rookie year and along with the Hall of Fame right tackle Dan Dierdorf, helped cement a strong foundation for Jim Hart to develop his offensive in.

The way Dobler played and his reputation helped him play mind games with defensive players from around the league. He caused defensive linemen to be more concerned about what he was going to do to them than how they were going to create a defensive play.

He was quoted saying, “I see defensive linemen jump to knock a pass down. When that happened near me, I’d smack ‘em in the solar plexus, and that got their hands down real quick.”[1]

Dobler didn’t care who you were, he would do everything in his ability to make sure you didn’t get to his quarterback or running back any way possible. It has been noted that he “punched Mean Joe Greene, kicked Merlin Olsen in the head, he bit, he gouged, and once, he spit on a downed and injured opponent, Bill Bradley.”[1]

Despite a reputation as a dirty player, Dobler was also a talented one. In 1975, the Cardinals offensive line set an NFL record for least amount of sacks given up in a season with eight. The season was special to Dobler as he was awarded his first of three consecutive Pro Bowl selections.

Dobler’s career in St. Louis came to an end in 1978 when the Cardinals traded him to the New Orleans Saints. He played two seasons with the struggling Saints, during which the team was unable to break .500. In his first season with the Saints, Dobler missed the majority of the season due to injuries, however the following year he didn’t miss a game. The lack of Dobler the first year could partially explain the performance of the Saints, however when Dobler played he brought his take-no-prisoners style of play with him. However the team that lacked any offense due to a lackluster quarterback named Archie Manning.

After his short stint in New Orleans, he went over to the Buffalo Bills, where he would finish out his career. He played two more years with the Bills before hanging up his jersey for good in 1981.

Through ten years in the NFL, Conrad Dobler played in 129 games and amassed nine fumble recoveries, of which one was for a touchdown.

If Conrad Dobler played in today’s NFL, it wouldn’t be for long. Suspensions and fines would pile up due to the way he played the game. However, if you remove Goodell from the situation, Dobler would have done just as good of a job protecting his quarterback and springing his backs for big runs against a much bigger defensive line than he faced back in his day.

For those who think that the size of today’s players would make a difference, I implore you to reconsider. Dobler played in a time when referees turned a blind eye to most things and the rules were a lot less strict. His reputation preceded him, which allowed other players to take cheap shots at the guard.

Today, Dobler is facing an uphill battle with his health. His knees are both blown out and he is now disabled. Since retiring, he has had nine knee replacement surgeries, but he still need further work. Sadly, Dobler has been unable to gain any disability assistance from the league that he poured his heart and soul out for.

To make matters worse for the great Conrad Dobler, his wife became a paraplegic in 2001 and he fell on very hard times financially. Due to all of his staggering medical bills for his wife and himself, Dobler was unable to pay for his two children’s education. Professional golfer Phil Milchelson helped out the Dobler household by footing the bill for both of his children’s college education, but Dobler, at 61 years of age, continues to suffer from injuries and staggering medical bills.

Players like Dobler should be remembered when it comes to today. The man never asked for a pay raise or held out. Dobler refused to miss games and played several hurt and would never be seen taking off games as players do at the end of each season nowadays. He left everything he had on the field to the point that he struggles to walk today. Like a lot of players that played when football was football he deserves to be compensated now so he can live out the remainder of his years without all of the issues that he is currently facing.

Unfortunately it is hard to find a lot of Dobler’s highlights out there, however I have compiled a short list below for those of you who are like me and never had the opportunity to witness this great player play.

Top 10 Characters in NFL

Offensive line.wmv  (Starts at 7:14)

If you would like to read more about Conrad Dobler, below is a list of books about and by the great offensive guard.

They Call Me Dirty­ – Conrad Dobler (November 1, 1989)

Pride and Perseverance: A Story of Courage, Hope, and Redemption – Conrad Dobler (October 19, 2009)

Conrad Dobler – L Egaire Humphrey (April 15, 2011)

References

1. Page 2 Staff. “Dirtiest professional team players.” Page 2 ESPN.com. Retrieved 2012-4-25