Commentary

An All-Big Team without 'The Fridge'? No way

Can you have an All-Big Team without William "The Refrigerator" Perry? Of course not.

Originally Published: November 26, 2008

By Jeremy Lundblad and Ryan McCrystal | ESPN.com

Is this the be-all, end-all All-Big Team offense? Nah. You have your team; we have ours. We've sidelined Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, once charitably listed as 5-foot-11 and 255 pounds, in favor of a "Fridge" in our backfield. Hey, it's hard to argue against a 335-pound fullback.

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The All-Big Team (Offense)

Player
*Jared Lorenzen, QB, 6-foot-4, 285 pounds "J-Lo," who has pushed 300 pounds at times, is probably the only college quarterback who could have made the switch to offensive lineman in the NFL. The former Kentucky star may be the heaviest quarterback in NFL history. Among his other nicknames: "Hefty Lefty" and "Battleship Lorenzen."
*Brandon Jacobs, RB, 6-4, 260 Former teammate and longtime New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is just an inch taller and five pounds lighter than Jacobs. Jacobs also has big numbers: He has averaged 5.4 yards a carry this season.
William Perry, FB, 6-2, 335 Nimble enough to catch a pass or two, "The Refrigerator" frequently lined up at fullback for Mike Ditka's Chicago Bears, most famously when he rushed for a touchdown in Super Bowl XX.
*Calvin Johnson, WR, 6-5, 239 Too bad this guy doesn't toil in a bigger market instead of with the awful Detroit Lions. Johnson put his freakish blend of size and speed on display at the 2007 scouting combine when he borrowed a pair of shoes from James Pinkney and proceeded to run the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds.
Harold Carmichael, WR, 6-8, 225 Toward the end of his career, Carmichael shared the huddle in Philadelphia with fullback Leroy Harris, who was a full 11 inches shorter. His biggest season came in 1973: 67 catches for 1,116 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Morris Stroud, TE, 6-9, 255 As a pass-catching tight end, Stroud was no star. He caught 54 passes in five seasons. But Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stram attempted to use Stroud's height to the team's advantage by having him stand at the goalpost and jump to block field goals. Unfortunately, the plan never quite worked out.
Aaron Gibson, OT, 6-6, 375 A first-round pick of the Lions (who else?) in 1999, Gibson never really panned out. He entered the league as one of the largest players in NFL history and proceeded to pack on another 35 pounds. By 2002, the Dallas Cowboys listed him at a whopping 410 pounds.
Jonathan Ogden, OT, 6-9, 345 Ogden, who retired before the 2008 season, was simply an immovable object on the Baltimore Ravens' offensive line for 12 seasons, and he made the Pro Bowl in the final 11 of them. Next stop: Canton, Ohio.
*Leonard Davis, G, 6-6, 353 Davis apparently liked dessert more than the desert during his time in Arizona. It wasn't until 2007 with the Cowboys, his first year away from the Cardinals, that Davis made his first Pro Bowl appearance. In 2007, Davis gained another measure of fame by pulling a neighbor's horse out of a mud hole. (He used a tractor.)
Jamie Nails, G, 6-6, 335 Like any man who's more than 300 pounds, Nails loved to eat. He once said: "I love any kind of meat, except for humans, of course." He also once said that if he could play another position, it would be receiver. He might have made an interesting pairing with Harold Carmichael (see above).
*Jamaal Jackson, C, 6-4, 330 Although he went undrafted from Delaware State, Jackson's size caught the eye of the Eagles. He eventually started at center as a rookie in 2005.