Thomas Howard Drafted By The Chiefs in '77

philfree · 12-29-2005, 05:27 PM

In the 3rd round. He played for 6-7 years and was a starter after his rookie year. I don't remember him so what can you guys tell me about him? Was he a good player? His son Thomas Howard Jr is gonna be in the draft this year and he sounds like a beast of a player at OLB and an excellent pass rusher. 6'2" 230 lbs and 4.44 40. The site I was looking at has him as the 54th ranked player in the draft which is in range of our #2 pick. (Do we have a #2?)

PhilFree

shaneo69 · 12-29-2005, 05:35 PM

He started at OLB for some good defenses under Levy, but I think Mackovic tried to get rid of all of Levy's players once he took over in '83.

Those early '80's defenses were pretty good using a lineup of:

Art Still and Mike Bell at DE
Don Parrish, Dino Mangiero, and Ken Kremer at NT
T. Howard and Whitney Paul at OLB
Jerry Blanton, Frank Manumaleuga, and Gary Spani at ILB
Gary Green and Eric Harris at CB
Gary Barbaro and Lloyd Burruss at Safety

OLB was the biggest weakness of the defense all through the '80's until DT arrived.

**Rain Man** · 12-29-2005, 05:40 PM

I remember him well. He was an outside linebacker for us, and started for quite a while during the Chiefs' most dismal days. He was very undersized for a linebacker (I'm thinking that he played at or below 220, when the average OLB at the time was 230-235.) He and Charles Jackson were the starting linebacker tandem for a while.

He was relatively mobile and was one of the more visible Chiefs defenders, but I doubt that he would have started on most NFL teams. (He played like Donnie Edwards, but was less mobile and athletic.) I remember that the Chiefs were constantly wanting to upgrade, but their talent pool was so thin at the time that replacing him was a low priority.

I would've considered him to be our best OLB for a few years, but probably below average for the NFL.

(No offense, Thomas, if you're reading this.)

WilliamTheIrish · 12-29-2005, 05:42 PM

Gary Spani.

Has there been a guy in the world of sports that gave more and got less (in terms of wins)?

Spani was a two time AA at K-State and won a grand total of 1 game in 3 years. The guy was the best player that ever suited up for the Cats.

Gets drafted by the Chiefs and suffers through their most futile seasons.

Plus, he's a helluva good guy.

**Rain Man** · 12-29-2005, 05:51 PM

There was another linebacker in this era that I had high hopes for. His name was Ken McAlister, and I vaguely recall that he may have been the guy who finally took Howard's starting job. (I could be wrong on that.)

McAlister came in with a basketball background and was a top-notch athlete. Looking it up, I see that he got four sacks and two interceptions in his first year starting, and I remember being quite impressed with him. He then promptly blew out a knee and disappeared, never to be seen again.

nychief · 12-29-2005, 05:58 PM

I remember the name only. I just remember how relieved I was when DT and Lonnie Marts et al arrived.

12-29-2005, 05:27 PM
philfree Indian Twitter Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Free Agency Casino cash: $1646198	Thomas Howard Drafted By The Chiefs in '77 In the 3rd round. He played for 6-7 years and was a starter after his rookie year. I don't remember him so what can you guys tell me about him? Was he a good player? His son Thomas Howard Jr is gonna be in the draft this year and he sounds like a beast of a player at OLB and an excellent pass rusher. 6'2" 230 lbs and 4.44 40. The site I was looking at has him as the 54th ranked player in the draft which is in range of our #2 pick. (Do we have a #2?) PhilFree
Posts: 14,952

12-29-2005, 05:35 PM	#2
shaneo69 Smug Weasel Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bleachers at Busch Casino cash: $10004900	He started at OLB for some good defenses under Levy, but I think Mackovic tried to get rid of all of Levy's players once he took over in '83. Those early '80's defenses were pretty good using a lineup of: Art Still and Mike Bell at DE Don Parrish, Dino Mangiero, and Ken Kremer at NT T. Howard and Whitney Paul at OLB Jerry Blanton, Frank Manumaleuga, and Gary Spani at ILB Gary Green and Eric Harris at CB Gary Barbaro and Lloyd Burruss at Safety OLB was the biggest weakness of the defense all through the '80's until DT arrived. __________________ "I like Chiefs president Carl Peterson. I respect his business savvy. I envy his management skills and his penchant never to be driven by the whims of popularity. I admire his willingness to take responsibility for decisions that don’t work out the way he would have wanted." - Rufus, from KCChiefs.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posts: 4,910

12-29-2005, 05:40 PM	#3
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3318491 VARSITY	I remember him well. He was an outside linebacker for us, and started for quite a while during the Chiefs' most dismal days. He was very undersized for a linebacker (I'm thinking that he played at or below 220, when the average OLB at the time was 230-235.) He and Charles Jackson were the starting linebacker tandem for a while. He was relatively mobile and was one of the more visible Chiefs defenders, but I doubt that he would have started on most NFL teams. (He played like Donnie Edwards, but was less mobile and athletic.) I remember that the Chiefs were constantly wanting to upgrade, but their talent pool was so thin at the time that replacing him was a low priority. I would've considered him to be our best OLB for a few years, but probably below average for the NFL. (No offense, Thomas, if you're reading this.) __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit. Last edited by Rain Man; 12-29-2005 at 06:21 PM..
Posts: 141,427

12-29-2005, 05:42 PM	#4
WilliamTheIrish Champion Golfer Of The Year Join Date: Aug 2001 Casino cash: $6070607	Gary Spani. Has there been a guy in the world of sports that gave more and got less (in terms of wins)? Spani was a two time AA at K-State and won a grand total of 1 game in 3 years. The guy was the best player that ever suited up for the Cats. Gets drafted by the Chiefs and suffers through their most futile seasons. Plus, he's a helluva good guy.
Posts: 34,630

12-29-2005, 05:51 PM	#5
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3318491 VARSITY	There was another linebacker in this era that I had high hopes for. His name was Ken McAlister, and I vaguely recall that he may have been the guy who finally took Howard's starting job. (I could be wrong on that.) McAlister came in with a basketball background and was a top-notch athlete. Looking it up, I see that he got four sacks and two interceptions in his first year starting, and I remember being quite impressed with him. He then promptly blew out a knee and disappeared, never to be seen again. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
Posts: 141,427

12-29-2005, 05:58 PM	#6
nychief MVP Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NYC Casino cash: $7159466	I remember the name only. I just remember how relieved I was when DT and Lonnie Marts et al arrived. __________________ Good Time Charlie, Uncle Doobie and the Great Frisco Freakout.
Posts: 7,860