I think Lomas Brown should definitely be a Pro Football Hall of Famer. I just think if you look at his play on the field and what he meant to the Lions organization – I mean he held down that position for so long and did it in incredible fashion.
- JIMBO COVERT
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER
7x PRO BOWLS +
FIRST-TEAM AP ALL-PRO
Lomas Brown is 1-of-5 Hall of Fame-eligible offensive tackles to earn at least seven Pro Bowl selections and earn a First-Team AP All-Pro selection but not be enshrined in Canton. Of those five tackles, Brown and Jim Tyrer are the only players to appear in a Super Bowl. Additionally, of those five tackles, Brown and George Kunz are the only ones to have never advanced to the semi-finalist stage of Hall of Fame voting.
7x PRO BOWLS +
FIRST-TEAM AP ALL-PRO
7-STRAIGHT PRO BOWLS
Since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, Lomas Brownis 1-of-13 offensive tackles to make seven straight Pro Bowls. Three of those 13 players are not yet eligible for the Pro Hall of Fame, and eight of the 10 remaining players are in the Hall of Fame. This makes Lomas Brown 1-of-2 tackles since the merger to earn seven straight Pro Bowls and be eligible for the Hall of Fame but not selected. The only other tackle to do so – Richmond Webb – has previously been a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame despite not ever appearing in a Super Bowl, playing 79 fewer games and starting 68 fewer games than Brown, who started in one Super Bowl and won another.
He was one of the best linemen. He should be in; there’s no question about it. He was the best player of his era at that position.
- JOE DeLAMIELLEURE
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER
SEASONS PLAYED: 18GAMES PLAYED: 263GAMES STARTED: 2511st-TEAM AP ALL-PRO: (1995)2nd-TEAM AP ALL-PRO: (1991, 1994)PRO BOWLS: 7x (1990-96)TWO-TIME NFC CHAMPION (2000, 2002)SUPER BOWL XXXVII CHAMPIONPRIDE OF THE LIONS (RING OF HONOR)COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER
AN ANALYTICAL LOOK
According to Pro Football Reference, Lomas Brown had two impressive stretches in relation to holding penalties accepted against him during his career. From 1994-2000, a seven season stretch spanning 103 games (102 starts), Brown only committed one holding penalty. From 1990-2000, an
11-season stretch spanning 161 games
(160 starts), he was only flagged for three holding calls.
The most holding calls ever accepted against Brown in a single season was four as a rookie in 1985, and he had 10 different seasons without accruing a holding penalty despite protecting the quarterback’s blindside.
PFR designed a metric called the “Hall of Fame Monitor” that estimates a player’s chances of making the Hall of Fame based on Approximate Value, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships and various other statistical milestones.
The platform rated every tackle whose career started since 1955 and lasted at least 50 games. The system ranked Brown as the 26th-most deserving of more than 600 offensive tackles that qualify and above several tackles already in the Hall of Fame.
PFR’s “Approximate Value” metric attempts to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year since 1960. Brown’s weighted career approximate value (98) ranks 11th among all-time NFL tackles, is above several Hall of Fame tackles and is higher than the average weighted career approximate value (91) of tackles in the Hall of Fame.
HOLDING HIS OWN
BREAKING IT DOWN
ACCORDING TO PRO FOOTBALL REFERENCE
Lomas Brown was one of the best left tackles in football the whole time he played. He was just phenomenal.
- TONY DUNGY
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER
VIEW FULL HOF PACKET
Player
1 Lomas Brown 263
2 Jackie Slater 259
Games
Player
Starts
1t Lomas Brown 251
1t Mike Kenn 251
Rk
MOST GAMES STARTED BY A T, NFL HISTORY
Player
Rk
Games
1 Bruce Matthews 296
2 Lomas Brown 263
MOST GAMES PLAYED BY AN OL, NFL HISTORY
Player
Rk
Starts
1 Bruce Matthews 293
2t Lomas Brown 251
2t Mike Kenn 251
MOST GAMES STARTED BY AN OL, NFL HISTORY
Lomas Brown and Bruce Matthews are the only offensive linemen in NFL history to play at least 10 games in 18 different seasons. Brown also started at least 10 games in 17 different seasons, tied for the seventh-most in NFL history among players at all positions.
RARE LONGEVITY
7x PRO BOWLS, 3x AP ALL-PROS & A SUPER BOWL START
Since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, there have only been 10 tackles to earn at least seven Pro Bowl selections, three AP All-Pro selections (first or second team) and start in a Super Bowl. Of those10 players, only Trent Williams is not yet Hall of Fame eligible. Eight of those remaining nine tackles have been enshrined in Canton, leaving Lomas Brown as the only Hall of Fame eligible tackle since the merger to earn at least seven Pro Bowl selections, three AP All-Pro selections and start in a Super Bowl, yet not be enshrined in Canton.
TACKLES TO EARN 7x PRO BOWLS, 3x AP ALL-PROS & A SUPER BOWL START, NFL HISTORY
Player
No.
HOF?
1 Lomas Brown No
2 Walter Jones Yes
3 Anthony Munoz Yes
4 Jonathan Ogden Yes
5 Orlando Pace Yes
Player
No.
HOF?
6 Art Shell Yes
7 Jackie Slater Yes
8 Trent Williams No*
9 Ron Yary Yes
10 Gary Zimmerman Yes
*= Not yet eligible
MOST GAMES PLAYED BY A T,
NFL HISTORY
Rk
VIEW FULL HOF PACKET
RONDE
BARBER
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STELLA GREENE
JOE
DeLAMIELLEURE
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STELLA GREENE
TONY
DUNGY
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STELLA GREENE
BRUCE
MATTHEWS
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STELLA GREENE
CALVIN
JOHNSON
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JOE
GREENE
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STELLA GREENE
BILL
POLIAN
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STELLA GREENE
RANDALL
McDANIEL
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KEVIN
MAWAE
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STELLA GREENE
DICK
VERMEIL
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STELLA GREENE
ANDRE
TIPPETT
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MIKE
SINGLETARY
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STELLA GREENE
KEN
HARVEY
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JON
GRUDEN
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• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 3x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• 5x Pro Bowler
• NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• Buccaneers Ring of Honor
Was teammates with Lomas on the Buccanners in 2002, winning Super Bowl XXXVII together
“Obviously a giant human being, which was an asset to our team. He came in and I didn’t really know much about him – I was young at that time. Just the way he played the game, the way he approached it – he came right in and was impactful in the room, and he’s a pro, man. The one thing that I took away from all of the older guys that I came into the building with was how professional they were. When Lomas came in, he took that to a different level because he had been around so long. He was one of our greatest offensive linemen and he was only there for a short period of time with us.
Lomas would fit right in with today’s league because so many teams are putting an emphasis on being a good man. The Bucs have a program that says, ‘I am that man.’ Well, he could relate to that now because he is the guy that comes to work, football matters, being a good teammate and person in the community matters. He just approached the game with some humility while still grinding and that’s an admirable trait. That’s exactly what the Hall of Fame represents.
If you’re really good at your job as an offensive lineman, nobody’s talking about you. There’s no real splash plays. You’re expected to do your job effectively, diligently and with a little bit of violence, but you never see it on the highlights. You’ll have to watch with a critical eye to understand why a great running back is sprung for a big run, or why a quarterback never gets hit. It’s often overlooked, and the guys doing that are the biggest guys on the field. Everybody that knows football understands what the good ones look like, and Lomas was definitely one of those.”
- RONDE BARBER ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
“He was one of the best linemen. He should be in; there’s no question about it. He was the best player of his era at that position. The problem is, he played in Detroit. I was born in Detroit, so I know that they don’t get the right publicity. He’s always been a great player. I don’t know, I don’t understand it. There are about five linemen like that who deserve to be in, and he’d be the number one guy.”
- JOE DeLAMIELLEURE ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 3x First-Team All-Pro
• 4x First-Team All-Pro
• 6x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
• Browns Ring of Honor
• Bills Wall of Fame
Detroit native who spent one season in the NFL during Lomas’ career (1985)
“I think Hall of Famers – I don’t compare between eras – but were you the best at the time you played? And Lomas Brown was one of the best left tackles in football the whole time he played. He was just phenomenal. He was a guy that had no weaknesses, and he did it his entire career. If that’s not Hall of Fame worthy, I don’t know what is.”
- TONY DUNGY ON LOMAS BROWN (JULY 31, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 2x Super Bowl Champion
• NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor
Served as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator from 1992-95, Lomas’ last four seasons with Detroit
“I remember Lomas quite a bit and I always admired him for being so athletic for an offensive lineman. He was on the left side – the side that’s been labeled the blind side for the quarterback – and Lomas could protect the quarterback. When I got out to Arizona, I saw him every day in practice, and I confirmed the thoughts that I previously had about him – that he was a special player. He practiced hard and he showed up to work every game, and he always handled the defensive right side, which is his left side, usually against the best pass rushers.
Lomas had really good feet, good hands and good hand placement. He had some strength too. He could do it all. In the run game, he had a way of getting that done, and in pass protection, he was special.
He lasted a long time because he was in great shape, and he had outstanding technique in everything that he did. You know, when you watch guys, even today, many of these guys are bored of technique. And technique, good technique, will allow you to play longer, to get your job done, and I’m sure that’s why he was able to play 18 years.
Lomas was special. He would be the guy that – if I was looking for a left tackle to protect my quarterback – I would have to say Lomas.”
- JOE GREENE ON LOMAS BROWN (MAY 12, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 4x Super Bowl Champion
• 2x NFL DPOY
• 5x First-Team All-Pro
• 3x Second-Team All-Pro
• 10x Pro Bowler
Coached the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive line during Lomas’ tenure with the team (1996-98)
“The reason why Lomas Brown deserves to be enshrined in Canton is – the biggest thing for me and a lot of guys that are enshrined – is the fact that they’re revered by their opponents. That’s one thing that I hear from a lot of the defensive linemen and guys that I talk to when I come to the Hall of Fame. Whether they played in Minnesota or Chicago, they ask how Lomas is doing. That’s just the respect that they have for him as a competitor, what he brought to the game and what he meant to the game on the offensive line. On top of that, as great of a player as he was, he’s a better person.”
- CALVIN JOHNSON ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 3x First-Team All-Pro
• 1x Second-Team All-Pro
• 6x Pro Bowler
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
• Pride of the Lions Member
Has known Lomas since arriving to Detroit as a rookie in 2007. Both work together in Detroit’s legends community
“Lomas Brown absolutely has a case for the Hall of Fame. I remember the longevity of his career. He played well for a long time – 18 seasons. If you hang around that long, you need special recognition. The Good Lord definitely has to bless you to be able to play that long, and no question, I think he’s a deserving candidate.”
- BRUCE MATTHEWS ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 7x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• 14x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
His career overlapped with Lomas’ for 17 seasons (1985-2001)
“He was a very athletic guy, played left tackle. I just thought he had a great career. Watching him, I think he’s a little bit older than I am, so I got to see him play and see what he did. He blocked for a
great running back, a Hall of Fame running back, with Barry Sanders, and that definitely holds a lot of weight. He’s got more starts in the League than I do, and I had 238 of them. That’s something to definitely take into consideration.”
- KEVIN MAWAE ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 3x First-Team All-Pro
• 4x First-Team All-Pro
• 8x Pro Bowler
• NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• Jets Ring of Honor
Played in the NFL during Lomas’ career (1994-2002)
“He was a hell of a player. I was at all of the Pro Bowls he was at too, along the way. His consistency, his work ethic, I mean – hell, he blocked for one of the greatest backs out there. You would assume that back didn’t do it by himself – he had help from the guys up front.
He started before me, he finished after me, and that says it all. For a guy to play that long, it just shows you the work ethic that he had and the dedication that he had to the game. That’s impressive.
For everything Lomas put into the game, everything Lomas worked hard to do, he deserves the opportunity to be with the other guys he played with.”
- RANDALL McDANIEL ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 7x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x First-Team All-Pro
• 12x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Was a guard whose career overlapped with Lomas’ for 14 seasons (1988-2001)
“Well, that amount of longevity is rare. It’s actually more than rare, it’s incredible, particularly for an offensive linemen who’s being contacted on every play. So, that in itself is an extraordinary accomplishment. The seven Pro Bowls are an extraordinary accomplishment and all of that is going to auger well for him in the process.”
- BILL POLIAN ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Super Bowl XLI Champion
• 6x NFL Executive of the Year
• Colts Ring of Honor
• Bills Wall of Fame
Was an NFL executive and general manager during the entirety of Lomas’ career
“Lomas Brown was one of the classiest guys you’d ever play against, first and foremost. The other thing is, Detroit’s offensive line was physical coming off the ball and they had a great running back running behind them, but I’ll tell you what – Lomas Brown was leading that charge.
He was a big, smooth guy. He had good feet, good hands and he was an athlete. There are a lot of big guys that don’t move really well, but he’s one of the guys that was really blessed with good mobility and agility, and that’s what I remember the most about him.
I think a lot of times, when you’re playing in the era that he was playing in – in Detroit – a lot of times it’s easy to get overlooked. When you have a running back like Barry Sanders, a lot of times people will say, ‘Well, the back could do that on his own – bounce and make people miss.’ But you have to have an offensive line."
- MIKE SINGLETARY ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Super Bowl XX Champion
• 2x NFL DPOY
• 7x First-Team All-Pro
• 10x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• 1990 NFL Man of the Year
Played against Lomas 14 times in his career (1985-92)
“Lomas Brown was a great offensive tackle. He had everything that he needed to compete every time you played against him, and he was a great player with great heart. He would always challenge your heart and courage every time you played against him, and you always had to come prepared.
All of us come into the League and we look around the locker room and we see guys that are on their 14th season, or their 15th or their 16th, and you see guys that play 17 or 18 years and it becomes a goal. I got 12 years in, and I was thinking, ‘I want to play 16.’ But in reality, your body talks to you and tells you that you can either do it or you can’t. Guys that get to play that long, I always take my hat off to them because I know how I feel now, and I know how you feel back then. For any guy to play that long, it’s a badge of honor.
Anyone who has played that long has a body of work and a legacy on the football field that should always be considered. Lomas was a tough guy, and he was always a joy to play against.”
- ANDRE TIPPETT ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 2x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• 5x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• Patriots Hall of Fame
His career overlapped with Lomas’ for nine seasons (1985-93)
“I followed Lomas’ career, and then in broadcasting, I got to do some of his games when he was playing and playing so well. Really, a gifted, fluid athlete, a big man, a great pass-protector, a good quality – he played a ton of games. That left tackle position now is almost equivalent to the quarterback position.
I have two of my left tackles in the Hall of Fame with Willie Roaf and Orlando Pace. He’s probably in that same category. Even though I never coached him, I watched him play. He was in that league.
He’ll eventually, I think, end up in the Hall with the rest of us, and he certainly deserves it.”
- DICK VERMEIL ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Super Bowl XXXIV Champion
• 1999 AP NFL Coach of the Year
• Served as head coach for the Eagles (1976-82), Rams (1997-99) and Chiefs (2001-05)
Coached against Lomas and covered him as an NFL broadcaster on CBS and ABC
“Lomas’ body of work at the hardest position I think there is to play on the offensive line makes him a Hall of Fame candidate. He was a great pass protector, durable – complete player. He could not only pass-pro in one-on-one situations, but he could run-block too.
We won the Super Bowl my first year in Tampa because of our veteran leadership. He helped Kenyatta Walker and Roman Oben and a lot of our young guys develop, and he gave us confidence, too, behind the scenes and in practice.
I have great memories of Lomas, and he’s a great friend. He played with great offenses, exciting offenses and he was smart.
Lomas is a great man, and he was a hell of a player, and he should be in the Hall of Fame. If he’s not, people are making a big mistake. I don’t know what the criteria is, but if you have a vote, you should get him in the
Hall of Fame.”
- JON GRUDEN ON LOMAS BROWN (JULY 28, 2025)
• Super Bowl XXXVII Champion
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor
• Served as the head coach with the Raiders (1998-2001; 2018-21) and Buccaneers (2002-08)
Served as Lomas’ head coach in 2002, when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII
“What I’ll remember most about him is when we played a game that went into double overtime, and we just kept going back-and-forth. I think we played 70 or 80 plays. I kept trying to get to the quarterback and he kept stopping me. Sometimes you judge a person not by the big plays they make but how consistent they are in what they do. I was kind of a star pass rusher and he never, never let me in and he just kept balling the whole time even though we were both tired.
I just appreciate a guy that’s a hard worker and doesn’t get the limelight and the fame. You do it because it’s your job, and you do it well, and you take pride in that job. And that’s harder when you don’t get the publicity, but you just do it because you take pride in your work. I think he’s one of those guys, and he was also a great person. You’ve always heard good things about him and he’s doing a lot in the community, talking about how great Detroit is, and he’s just a great ambassador.
For him to play that long and to play that well consistently, it just shows how great of a player he is because football is hard on the mind, body and soul. It’s weird to play that long and not be out of the game because of injury. It says a lot about the way you keep your body in shape, your tenacity and how good of a player you are.
If anybody ever asked me who I think the best lineman was, he’s always my guy. I think he’s the best person I’ve ever gone against.”
- KEN HARVEY ON LOMAS BROWN (MAY 8, 2025)
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• 4x Pro Bowler
• 89.0 Career Sacks
• Washington Commanders Ring of Fame
Played against Lomas nine times in his career (1988-98)
CARL
BANKS
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“Lomas was the best at his position. He was a great competitor, valued winning. Lomas was also very athletic – probably ahead of his time with his athleticism. I think that’s the thing that stood out – just his ability to move in all situations.
It takes the hand of God to enable someone to play a position like his at the level that he played it for the better part of 18 years. There are exceptions in life, and he was one of those. He excelled and was one of the best at it.
If Pro Football Focus was available during the time Lomas played, he’d be off the charts. He also blocked for one of the greatest runners of all time, if not the greatest. A problem that I have in why he’s overlooked is that you have voters who never saw him play and haven’t looked at the tapes. It’s that simple. I don’t think it should be up to Lomas to apply his career into a dataset like Pro Football Focus or something like that. It should be up to the voters to place his numbers into whatever their methodology is now in determining what a Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate is. They should be doing those things. They should be doing the work because they are overlooking a great player in one of the greatest eras in football.
The way that Hall of Famers are measured today, they have a lot of numbers that will back them because of the data analytics. Those analytics weren’t applied to Lomas’ career. There are people voting who have not seen him play and won’t go back and look at his career. I think that’s unfortunate. If you want to stack Lomas up against any of these current players, he’d run circles around them. It’s as simple as that.”
- CARL BANKS ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 22, 2025)
• Two-Time Super Bowl Champion (XXI, XXV)
• First-Team All-Pro (1987)
• 1x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• Giants Ring of Honor
Played against Lomas three times between the 1985-95 seasons
DOM
CAPERS
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“Well, he was certainly one of the best tackles of his era. He had the size and a tremendous amount of athletic ability for that size that made him an outstanding pass protector. He was a guy that as a defensive coordinator, when you went against him, he was so hard to beat that you designed a lot of the pressure to come away from his side.
I know many times people wouldn’t put their best rusher on Lomas because Lomas was hard to beat, so a lot of times they’d put their best rusher away from Lomas, and that’s where more of the defensive pressure would come from. So to me, that’s a real credit to him and what people thought of him in terms of the impact that he had on the game plan.
He certainly performed at a high level over a long period of time. It was a long and a very productive career, and in a society of productivity, he earned the respect of a lot of defensive coaches.”
- DOM CAPERS ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 20, 2025)
• Super Bowl XLV Champion
• 1996 AP NFL Coach of the Year
• Served as the head coach with the Panthers (1995-98) and Texans (2002-05)
Was either a defensive coordinator or head coach in 10 of Lomas’ 18 NFL seasons
JIMBO
COVERT
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“I think Lomas Brown should definitely be a Pro Football Hall of Famer. I just think if you look at his play on the field and what he meant to the Lions organization – I mean he held down that position for so long and did it in incredible fashion. Just such a great athlete, and when you look at left tackles of that era, I mean he’s one of the best. Lomas came in during the later part of the 1980s and established himself as one of the best in the League. He was just a great player.”
– JIMBO COVERT ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Super Bowl XX Champion
• 2x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
His career overlapped with Lomas’ for six seasons (1985-90)
ROMEO
CRENNEL
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“Well one of the things that I remember is every time that we had to go against him, he was somebody that we had to deal with because he had good size and length for the position, he was competitive, and he played hard. And that position, it’s a critical position.
If I’m right, he played 18 years. It is unreal that someone can play as long as he played – particularly at the position that he played. You’re getting hit on every play. To play 18 years, that shows some stamina, some grit and stick-to-it-ness. Those things are exemplary in my mind. He was also a starter for a high percentage of those years. That in itself should get him a lot of recognition.
In my time in the NFL, I’ve seen some of the older guys whose bodies have gone through a lot, and to play for 18 years along the offensive line, I know he had to endure a lot of things. When I was with the Giants and we were playing him, there were some battles with L.T., and the two of those guys would go at it pretty good. But everybody had a lot of respect for Lomas and his game because he brought a lot to the position. I’m excited that this conversation is being re-opened.”
– ROMEO CRENNEL ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 26, 2025)
• 5x Super Bowl Champion (XXI, XXV, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX)
• Served as the head coach with the Browns (2005-08) and Chiefs (2012)
Was either a defensive line coach or defensive coordinator in 13 of Lomas’ 18 NFL seasons
JOE DeLAMIELLEURE ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
STELLA GREENE
RICHARD
DENT
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JOE DeLAMIELLEURE ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
“First of all, Lomas was very aggressive. He was always trying to put his head on me, he wanted to hit me, wanted to pop me. He had a nice thud, he was well-grounded, and I couldn’t take advantage of him. I knew that when we played him, we were up for a task.
He had good hands, he could move his feet, he was quick and he could be physical, but it’s not just heart and body in the game – it’s all about the mindset. You’ve got to know how to present yourself to the talent that you played against. A guy like Lomas, I’d get physical with him, then I’d get quick with him. I’d always have to change things up. The way I did things was like a baseball player – I’m going to give you curveballs, I’m going to give you fastballs. I’m going to give you my best ball when I need to make a play, but he was always there to take something off of it.
You talk about Barry Sanders as one of the best running backs in the League, a guy that blocked for him should have the recognition. Emmitt Smith had Larry Allen and Walter Payton had Jimbo Covert. I have much respect for his game and I think he’s worthy of the class.
The stats are not going to change – the work has been done. For Lomas Brown, it’s just time for this man to get his honor. I can’t say it no nicer, no better. He can’t do any better than he’s done for 18 years. The Hall of Fame is getting tighter about getting in, but this man is worthy of his space.”
- RICHARD DENT ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 23, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Two-Time Super Bowl Champion (XX, XXIX)
• First-Team All-Pro (1985)
• 3x Second-Team All-Pro
• 4x Pro Bowler
Played against Lomas 18 times in his career, spanning from the 1985-97 seasons
STELLA GREENE
CHARLES
HALEY
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“Well, Lomas was one hell of a great player. He was the offensive tackle that gave me the worst. He made my day really bad. He had great feet, great hands, his movements were unpredictable but yet he dominated the game. I’ve always appreciated his game, his professionalism. I knew I had a war when I went up against him and I really loved that challenge. I wish I would’ve had more time to go up against him because I didn’t win many of them.”
- CHARLES HALEY ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 5x Super Bowl Champion
• 2x First-Team All-Pro
• 5x Pro Bowler
• Member of the 49ers & Cowboys HOF
Played against Lomas five times over the 1986-96 seasons
STELLA GREENE
RICKEY
JACKSON
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“Lomas Brown, man, he should be in the Hall of Fame. Everybody knows that. It takes some guys longer than others. Sometimes it’s about the teams you played for, or somebody just doesn’t push them, but with his work on the field, he should be here. You look at other guys, his numbers are better than their numbers, and they’re here. So, I feel like he should be here.”
- RICKEY JACKSON ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Super Bowl XXIX Champion
• 5x Second-Team All-Pro
• 7x Pro Bowler
• Saints Hall of Fame
His career overlapped with Lomas’ for 11 seasons (1985-95)
STELLA GREENE
DICK
LeBEAU
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“Well, I think his record speaks for itself. The Pro Bowl and All-Pro numbers are there, and he played 18 years in the National Football League. The longevity – of all those positions in the National Football League – playing offensive tackle? That’s amazing. Nothing short of amazing. I don’t know what qualifications he lacks for consideration for the Hall of Fame.
I played 14 years for the Lions and I always kind of watched the franchise. When they got Barry Sanders and he had all the records and production, the Lions had to have had a good offensive line. I think anybody who’s familiar with the team from that era would say that Lomas was the anchor of it. You could be the greatest back in the world, but you have to have a hole to run through. We always respected Barry Sanders, and Lomas Brown was always a huge part of his production. That should, I think, be mentioned.
In terms of capability, you don’t keep your job in the NFL that long unless you’re getting the job done. That in itself, I think, speaks volumes for his ability.”
- DICK LeBEAU ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 25, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Two-Time Super Bowl Champion (XL, XLIII)
• Member of the Lions’ Hall of Fame and the Steelers’ Hall of Honor
Was either a defensive coordinator or head coach in 15 of Lomas’ 18 career seasons
STELLA GREENE
MIKE
MUNCHAK
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“The first thing that always stood out to me was his athleticism, how athletic he was to be playing left tackle. His longevity, playing 18 years in the League, starting over 250 games – it’s amazing that he could line up every Sunday and play at the high level he did for so long.
Win or lose, he always played really well, played against a lot of good players. I played during some of those same years he did, so I got to see him on tape quite a bit and I always enjoyed watching him play and how he made the game look easy.
To play every Sunday showed how hard he worked to keep his body in that good of shape that he could withstand playing against some very good football players. He probably wasn’t completely healthy every week, but he still found a way to play and play at a high level no matter what the situation was, no matter what the record was, no matter who he was playing against. You just saw that consistency. When you watch a guy that played that well for so long, it’s inspiring to see.”
- MIKE MUNCHAK ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 26, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 2x First-Team All-Pro
• 6x Second-Team All-Pro
• 9x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
His career overlapped with Lomas’ for nine seasons (1985-93)
STELLA GREENE
BARRY
SANDERS
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“The reason I would think Lomas deserves deeper consideration is because if you look at his body of work over all those years that he played – if you look at his performance against the top defensive tackles, Hall of Fame defensive tackles – you look at sort of where he would have been ranked as one of the top offensive tackles during his time, then you definitely can make a strong case for him being in the Hall of Fame. His years and years and years of playing at a top level against one of the hardest positions in this game. You talk about having to block the likes of Reggie White and guys like that who are Hall of Famers themselves, and just the quality body of work that Lomas had over the span of his career. I mean, you can make a very strong case. I’m surprised that it’s taken so long, but I know sometimes because you play offensive line, it’s not a sexy position and you’re not the League story in a lot of cases. But yes, you can make a strong case for Lomas.”
“What’s been undervalued? I think it goes back to the players that he was playing against. First of all, I hated seeing him go when he was here. Looking back, maybe I would have put up more of a fuss, but I hated to see him go. But it gets back to, just,again, you look at the era of the 1980s and the 1990s, when he played, and all of the great defensive players that he played against and just his consistent performance against those guys – being able to play in the Super Bowl. For some reason, I think the defensive players do get a lot of the headlines there because of sacks. I think the game has started to catch up with offensive linemen and, ‘This particular guy didn’t allow so many sacks, whatever.’ But that wasn’t something that we talked about a lot then. You heard more about defensive players, but what was underrated was just hisbody of work, his quality of work against great, great players in this game.”
“Lomas is one of those guys that I bonded with early. For some reason, I ended upat his house, at his home, a lot. We spent a lot of time together. I knew that he was just one of those big guys who – he was just a few years ahead of me, but for some reason, it was just a place that, one, he obviously protected me on the field, but for some reason there was that relationship away from the field. He had a young family,and it was just a place where I felt comfortable. So, we spent a lot of time together. He kind of looked after me in a lot of ways, and those are some important times for me, fresh out of college, really trying to figure out professional football things. And really, trying to figure out not just professional football, but like how do you establish a winner and a winning culture and that kind of thing. Yeah, those were important years for me. I did my best to kind of reward him as well for their efforts and doing things like buying Rolex watches and things like that for the linemen, but yeah, he’s one of those guys that definitely kind of took me under his wings and it was just comfortable being around him. He seemed like just a big, friendly guy away from the field, and so we became friends pretty quick after I came to Detroit.”
- BARRY SANDERS ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 14, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 1997 NFL MVP
• 6x First-Team All-Pro
• 4x Second-Team All-Pro
• 10x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Played seven seasons with Lomas (1989-95), leading the NFL in rushing yards (10,172) in that span
“The reason I would think Lomas deserves deeper consideration is because if you look at his body of work over all those years that he played – if you look at his performance against the top defensive tackles, Hall of Fame defensive tackles – you look at sort of where he would have been ranked as one of the top offensive tackles during his time, then you definitely can make a strong case for him being in the Hall of Fame. His years and years and years of playing at a top level against one of the hardest positions in this game. You talk about having to block the likes of Reggie White and guys like that who are Hall of Famers themselves, and just the quality body of work that Lomas had over the span of his career. I mean, you can make a very strong case. I’m surprised that it’s taken so long, but I know sometimes because you play offensive line, it’s not a sexy position and you’re not the League story in a lot of cases. But yes, you can make a strong case for Lomas.” Served as Lomas’ head coach in 2002, when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII.
- BARRY SANDERS ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 14, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 1997 NFL MVP
• 6x First-Team All-Pro
• 4x Second-Team All-Pro
• 10x Pro Bowler
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Played seven seasons with Lomas (1989-95), leading the NFL in rushing yards (10,172) in that span
JACKIE
SLATER
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“He and I played in a few Pro Bowls together, and he was always a good sport about playing out of position sometimes so that I could get comfortable. But he was just a talented guy and a competitor. I always appreciated him because he didn’t do much talking. You don’t play as long as he did without getting your job done. He got his job done as well as anybody that ever played the position, if you ask me. You ask Barry Sanders, I’m sure he’ll tell you the same thing. On top of all of that, he was a fantastic guy. I wish him all the best and certainly, if he ends up here, it will be a beautiful thing to see.”
- JACKIE SLATER ON LOMAS BROWN (AUG. 1, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 4x Second-Team All-Pro
• 7x Pro Bowler
• No. 78 Retired By The Rams
His career overlapped with Lomas for 11 seasons (1985-96)
STELLA GREENE
CLYDE
SIMMONS
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“Lomas was so long and had good feet. His specialty was pass blocking. That was one of the things that made him really special, because he always made sure the backside of the quarterback was protected. He did everything right, he kept his body in good shape, and he did a good job of taking care of himself and doing all the things that require you to stay healthy to play this game. He just played with great passion. He was a technician about what he did. You’d never see him get too high, you’d never see him get out of place. He was just one of those guys where every day was a workday when you came to deal with him. It wasn’t going to be no cake walk dealing with him.
I mean, I sit down, and I put down Lomas in my top five of tackles that I played against. I can’t think of how many games we played against each other, and then we were teammates for a short period of time when we were in Arizona. Just getting to know the man first, he’s still the same good guy. People forgot how good of a player you were, especially in the time that we played. We played during similar times; he’s a little bit older than me and played a little bit longer than I did. People in the 1980s and all that stuff right there were caught up in the number of Pro Bowls and being a Pro Bowler. Lomas played in quite a few and I only played in two Pro Bowls. People forget that he played at a Pro Bowl level even when he wasn’t making more Pro Bowls. In today’s game, the Pro Bowl is not the same factor it was in the 1980s and 1990s. He was really good for a long time. Played at a Pro Bowl level for a long time. That is the key factor for all this stuff right here; he was good for a long time.”
- CLYDE SIMMONS ON LOMAS BROWN (SEPT. 24, 2025)
• 2x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Pro Bowler
• 1992 NFL Sacks Leader
• 1995 NFL Forced Fumbles Co-Leader
• 121.5 Career Sacks
• Eagles Hall of Famer
His career overlapped with Lomas’ from 1986-2000
MICHAEL
STRAHAN
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“What made Lomas a Hall of Fame player is that, first of all, he was an elite pass-blocker – especially in an era with some of the best pass-rushers we have ever seen. On top of that, he was consistent, he was durable, and he was one of the guys that – when your top guy was on Lomas – he was able to shut him out for that game. Lomas was a guy that presented a problem for even the best pass-rushers in the League.
The thing I remember most about him on the field is that he was just an incredibly hard player to beat. He was just consistently great at his job. What I remember most off the field is that he always had a big smile on his face, which always confused me. I’m like, ‘How can the same guy who’s so good on the field and just shut you out be the happiest guy I’ve ever been with on a team?’ I always say that there were three players – one of them is in the Hall of Fame already – who were the most honorable men that I’ve ever played with. One was Kurt Warner, one was Jason Garrett, and the other one was Lomas Brown. I hold him to the highest regard, for him off the field as a man, and for him on the field as a player.
Eighteen seasons – to be honest with you – that’s insanity. No one did that back then and no one does it now because it just takes so much preparation and so much commitment. And now, in the free agent era – which Lomas was in – if you’re not great, you don’t last 18 years. The fact he lasted 18 years shows me the greatness of him as a player and the respect he got around the League, that teams even knew he could get it done for that long. I think 18 years in the League shows that Lomas cared about the game, cared about himself, took care of his body, took care of his teammates and was productive enough for teams to look around and say, ‘Hey, we are still lucky enough to have him.’"
- MICHAEL STRAHAN ON LOMAS BROWN (SEPT. 21, 2025)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer
• 4x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• 7x Pro Bowler
• 2x NFL sacks leader
• NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• 141.5 career sacks
Was teammates with Lomas on the Giants for two seasons (2000-01)
