Ronnie Lott hits harder than you

Goddamn this dude could hit--I think only Steve Atwater comes close. I know Primetime is the greatest cornerback, probably ever, but Ronnie Lott inspired more fear than any player I've ever seen maybe short of LT. And just because of the position he played, Lott may have inspired more fear. With LT, you always knew he was coming. But with Lott--because he was a safety--you never knew necessarily where he was coming from, if at all.

This video is bitter-sweet for me. The most poignant moments are not when Lott delivers a blow--though that Icky Woods joint is off the chain--but when he takes the worst of a collision. I love that because it shows that what made Lott so ferocious wasn't so much his physicality per se, but his mentality. He hit like he had nothing in the world to lose. I know a lot of pro players have paid for that mentality, and I guess that's why its kinda bitter. At the same time, there is something deeply spiritual about watching this dude continuously sacrifice his body. It mirrors the way I've always tried to approach life--go big or go home as my buddy David Carr says. I think that's what I love about football. There's no half-assing anything. Either you're going to be fearless or you're going to get ran over. It's such a metaphor for life. There is no substitute for mental courage.