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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HardRightEdge" data-source="post: 618838">Interestingly, the Saints retired Taylor's number, as well as Doug Atkins', whereas the Packers and Bears, respectively, have not.I saw these guys play in my youth, and in my opinion Hornung over Taylor is a matter more of image than productivity.Hornung had only 4 seasons where he ran the ball 100+ times and only one season when he caught over 20 passes.Over his career, he scored 62 TDs rushing and receiving on 1,023 touches, one TD per 16.5 touches.  That's an extraordinarily good ratio, but he simply didn't touch the ball all that often, 114 times per season, 9.8 touches per game for 49.9 yards per game.Taylor, excluding his one season with New Orleans, had 1,998 rushes and catches, 91 TDs rushing and receiving, or one TD per 22.0 touches.  If the Golden Boy was the "inside the 20" guy getting more prime opportunities per touch, Taylor's scoring ability more than stacks up.  With 115 games played, Taylor had 17.4 touches per game for 84.5 yards per game.Hornung's chief NFL resume item is his 1960 season when he set the all-time single season scoring record which stood until Tomlinson's 2006 season.  While Hornung scored 15 TDs in 1960, he set the scoring record on the strength of place kicking, including 41 extra points.  He was awarded the MVP in 1961, as much a follow-up to his 1960 season than what he did in 1961 with the Lombardi winning the first of his championships.Taylor won the MVP the following year in 1962, scoring 19 TDs on 1,580 yards from scrimage.So why all the love for Hornung?Notre Dame, Heisman Trophy winner, tall, handsome, charming:  the Golden Boy.It should be understood that beside being the face of the franchise, Hornung was a guy bringing a media image (in the nascent NFL's media era) to the blue collar backwater that was Green Bay.  In fact, it's not a stretch to say that Gifford and Hornung were faces of the NFL.Manariss' also explores why Lombardi admired Hornung more than any other of his players in "When Pride Still Matters", why Hornung was given more slack and rope, why Lombardi had what we might call today "the Hornung rules".  While an exercise in psudo-psychology, Manariss has a point:  Hornung was everything Lombardi was not; Hornung had the attributes that Lombardi lacked, and wished he had, that would have eased his struggle to the top.In the final analysis, on the football field, Taylor was the engine of the offense.  His image was as a lunch pail player, however I don't think it is very accurate.  I would not have been surprised at all if Taylor would have outrun Hornung in a 40 yard dash in their primes; Taylor was a terrific athlete.And I doubt 1965 was the first time Taylor and Lombardi had a tense conversation about money which may have colored things a bit.</blockquote>

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