#12. John Alt, LT, 1984. 21st pick.
Here's the main thing you need to know about John Alt: he had the highest strength score of any lineman in Tecmo Bowl:
https://tecmobowlers.com/2017/07/11/...-man/#_ftnref1
A group of Tecmo hackers at the above site programmed an offensive line of 5 John Alts against an all-Derrick Thomas defensive line, and the quarterback had ten seconds in the pocket. John Alt was a top-notch left tackle.
It wasn't all roses with John, though. The Chiefs drafted him in 1984, and he had the initial back problems that would plague him for his entire career. He couldn't stay on the field, starting only 7 games in his first two years. In 1986, he finally underwent back surgery and didn't start a single game. I remember being a college kid at this time and thinking, "Man, that guy was a bust."
He started coming back in 1987, starting nine games, and then he finally got healthy. Boom. He became a top-notch starter for the next nine seasons. Over his 13 years, he started 149 games and made two pro bowls, in 1992 and 1993.
In 1994, he had a neck injury that cost him some playing time, and it was believed to be a factor in Joe Montana's retirement. Without Alt at LT, Montana took a beating and called it quits. Alt came back the for two more seasons, but two bulging disks in his back finally made him ride off into the sunset as training camp was about to start in 1997.
But it was a good ride. Here's what Derrick Thomas said upon hearing about John's retirement:
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/206671325/
. "In eight seasons I've faced almost every tackle in the National Football League, and I've beaten them all," eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Thomas said. "But in eight years of practice and scrimmage, I can only remember beating John Alt once
Lest you think that John was just a big, strong guy...well, he was. He was a giant. And he wore enormous shoulder pads that made him look even more intimidating. But he had the feet of a ballerina. You may ask why he only made two pro bowls in 13 years if he was so good, and there's a simple explanation. Remember how we discussed earlier that Bill Maas screwed Dan Marino's sister? Well, Dan Marino screwed John Alt, though that was in a professional way rather than personal. During most of John's career, Marino was in Miami, and you couldn't sack Marino. He had such a quick release that a 55-gallon drum of oil could protect him, and that's what happened. Miami LT Richmond Webb got credit for Marino's quick release, screwing John Alt out of many well-deserved pro bowl spots. Without Marino in Miami, John Alt is probably way higher on this list.
But hey, #12 is still a really good spot. Let's depart this post with a look at just how intimidating John Alt was on the field. Dang, that guy was big.
