While we are out of football season right now, there is much to be excited about. A new season is starting up in a few months, and we can get excited for pre-season, and the new rookies that will be taking to the field this year.
Of course, modern football also sees a lot of ancestors of legendary players on the field, and this is something to be even more excited about, and something we know always impacts the NFL lines. Of course, there is more to football than heritage, but it is still exciting.
In pro football, bloodlines run deep. It could be due to good genetics, name recognition, mutual competition, or some other extenuating factor, but some endless families have produced many NFL players, and some of them are outstanding.
That being said, many of these players fail to find success in time. Everyone is familiar with the Watts and the Mannings, but these are impressive and well-known NFL families who have cemented a place for themselves in the league.
Many others also deserve recognition too.
A great example of an awesome NFL family that needs more recognition is the Grieses. But, just who are they?
What We Know About The Grieses
The Grieses, far and son. Bob Griese is best remembered for being the Dolphin’s quarterback in the 1972, undefeated season. However, a dislocated ankle and a broken leg saw him sidelined halfway through that season, yet, he regained his power and position in the playoffs.
He helped to get the Dolphins over the finishing line that year.
Bob Griese ended up making 6 Pro Bowls over his career, which latest 14 years, and in 1990 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame!
Then there is Brian Griese, the son of Bob Griese. Brian did not get as much success as his father did, however, he still latest 11 years in the NFL, and he went to the Pro Bowl back in 2000.
These two were the first-ever father-son duo to win the Super Bowl, this was noted in history when Brian Griese won the Super Bowl in 1998, with the Broncos when we backed up John Elway!
We put their lack of recognition down to being overshadowed by some of the other legendary names in the NFL, but while they did not get as much success as some of the legends, they still managed to be the first to both win Super Bowls!
Learning From Your Father
When you have a Pro Football HoF dad, and he tells you about life and football, it would probably be wise to listen, but growing up Brian Griese did not do that much.
You could listen to NFL rumors and magazines, but Brian has a former Dolphins quarterback for a dad, but he was still his dad, and when you’re a teen, you’re right and dad is wrong.
As a teenager, Brian insisted that his dad didn’t know what he was talking about, but as he got older, he realized that a lot of the things he would say were true, and Brian started to see him as being smarter. It is a part of growing up, with an HoF dad or not.
The lessons that Bob taught his son were more life lessons than football lessons, but he did teach his son the basics of being a good quarterback, however, when Brian left for the University of Michigan, Bob stepped back and let the football coaches handle his development.
Being the son of a Hall of Fame quarterback comes with its own set of weights in expectations, and this was something that Brian was forced to live with all of his life, but Brian was never going to be Bob.
He entered the league at Denver as the heir to the throne Elway left, and when this did not work out, he turned to the Dolphins to try living in the shoes of his father, but this was no luck either. So, eventually, he got signed by the Buccaneers.
By age 30 he was entrenched as their starter, and he gained wisdom in his experiences, he grew up, and has a much stronger grasp on football and life.
Lessons
Brian has not exactly lived in his father’s footsteps or necessarily lived up to his father’s name, but he was a legendary quarterback in his own right, and he has learned a great deal through his own NFL experience as well as from his father’s lessons.
He learned that comfort breeds complacency and this does not benefit a good football player. He learned to prove himself, not to his father, media, or fans, but to his team and to himself.
The biggest legacy that Bob left Brian is one of the lessons, and their family’s legacy in the sport is one of both a father-son Super Bowl duo and one of learning and being comfortable to learn.
Overall
The Grieses are not the most infamous NFL family, but they still have a legacy in the game, and it is worth knowing their names.
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