Could any of the Detroit Lions 1957 championship team play today?

Despite the early returns in the trenches coming up short, I do believe there were a small handful of players from that championship team that could play today. Starting with a couple of Hall of Fame standouts in their secondary.

Yale Lary was a versatile athlete for that 1957 squad who played safety, was a return man and also punted. Unfortunately at 5′ 11″ and 185 pounds he would have difficulty playing safety, but he could return kickoffs as his 22.5 career average tells us and would still be one of the better punters in the league today as testified by his career 44.3 average.

Lary’s running mate at safety, Jack Christiansen, was 6′ 1″ and 205 pounds. With today’s training Christiansen, who was widely considered one of the best at his position at that time, could certainly compete with today’s players.

Yet the best candidates from that 1957 team to play today would have to be their young star at middle linebacker and their old pro who finished the season on the injured list.

Joe Schmidt was a young talented linebacker who stood in at 6′ 1″ and 220 pounds. Small by today’s standards, but again with modern training could be big enough to play the game. His ability to read opposing offenses became legendary.

For 13 seasons he anchored the Lions defense making plays from sideline to sideline. His 24 career interceptions showcases his ability in coverage and he seemed to be in on every tackle. Without question Joe Schmidt was a player that could have played in any era.

The other truly transcendent player from that team was quarterback Bobby Layne. At 6′ 1″ and 201 pounds, he would also be on the small side, but again with modern training (provided he could be coaxed into training) Layne would be an elite signal-caller today.

Layne was the pioneer of the hurry-up offense and the tougher the situation, the better he played. His command in the huddle was unquestioned, even if his escapades the night before could be.

Layne was as talented as any other passer in the league including another future Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas. Yet there was probably no one in the league that was as tough or competitive as Layne.

Next: The Detroit Lions All-Time Defensive Team

For a team that owned their respective decade, like the Detroit Lions of the 1950’s, there are precious few that could compete in today’s NFL landscape. Such is the difference over a half a century makes. Yet those few who are capable could play in any era.