Tag Archives: best offensive lineman combinations

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Munchak, Mike ‘Munchie’ (2)

Pro Set 1990, #518
Action Packed All Madden Team 1990, #35

CARDS: Pro Set 1990, Action Packed All-Madden Team 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o The Denver Broncos
SENT: 3/19/20 RECEIVED: 12/23/22 (1001 days)
FAILURE: TTM 2015, C/o The Pittsburgh Steelers

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • See also Mike Munchak ‘Munchie’
  • Served as the Titans head coach from 2011-13.
  • Posted a 22-26 record.
  • Worked as OL coach for the Steelers from 2014-18.
  • Finalist for the Broncos HC job in 2019 that ended up becoming the team’s OL coach.
  • Was not retained after Nathaniel Hackett was hired as head coach of the Broncos for the 2022 season.

NOTES:

Well I never expected to get this one back. After failing on Munchie back in 2015, I saw a few successes in early 2020 and packed 3 cards up and sent them out to him C/o the Broncos. There they languished in a mailbag I guess. I thought for sure I’d never see them again, but like a Christmas miracle, in tricked in a few successes from Munchie from his time with Denver, well after a year after he’d been let go. I held out a bit of hope and lo and behold these cards came back to me- but oh no, he didn’t sign my set need… Ah well, 2 of 3 ain’t bad.

So neither of these ended up being a set need. Curses! But they are still great cards. The Action Packed 1990 All Madden Team or AMAD for short came out at an odd time. I think it was for the 1990 AMAD team, but it wasn’t really seen in stores where I could get them until 1991. Still it bears an interesting transitionary phase hinting at Action Packed 1991 and ’92s looser left leaning canvas design. Also the image of Mike from this card was reused for Score 1990 as well- or the other way around depending on how you look at it.

I still think Mike has some gas in the tank to coach, and would make a great assistant coach/ OL coach for some team. I’d personally love to see him reunited with the city of H-Town.

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Munchak, Mike “Munchie”

Card: Action Packed 1990
Acquired: In Person 1991, Houston Oilers Training Camp

I got a stack of autographs out at camp that year, and future Hall of Famer Mike Munchak was one of them along with Bruce Matthews. Together they formed one of the greatest 1 2 combinations in the NFL on the offensive line, and these two were basically inseparable it seemed, on or off the field once Bruce was drafted in 1983.

Munchak was a heavily decorated lineman coming out of Penn State in 1982 and had all of the skills, metrics, and size that you could want out of a prototypical guard (6’3, 281). The 8th pick taken in the first round by the Houston Oilers, he’d play his entire career in Houston and by 1984 had established himself as a formidable force. In a day when defenses could do a lot more to limit production of the passing offenses, the Oilers typically ranked near the top of the passing charts and near the bottom in sacks allowed with Munchie nailing down the left guard position.

Equally adept at the pass or run, Munchak was named to 9 Pro Bowls and first or second team AP 10 times over his distinguished career. He’d see the rebirth of the franchise from the doormat of the AFC Central (2-14, 1983) to the dominant power of the AFC (12-4, 1993) as injuries to his knees eventually forced his hand into retirement after the 1993 season. Named to the 80s All NFL Team, Munchak had his number retired by the Tennesee Titans (who he never played for).  

He has worked his way up the staff of the Titans and after Jeff Fisher’s departure from the franchise in 2011, Munchak was a shoe in for the job. Ironically in 2010, the Texans attempted to steal Munchak off the staff of the Titans to pair him up with Matthews as coaches again in Houston, -but the Titans refused to grant an interview. The Titans then turned around and hired Bruce Matthews off of the Texans’ staff to be offensive line coach reuniting the inseparable linemen again but this time in Tennessee.