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The question posed over at Gillette's "No Debate" site had me laughing too. When you search for nicknames of famous NFL players, the mind conjures fan given titles that'll strike fear in opponents. The nicknames that caught my eyes though were the ones that made me chuckle. When I read Fitzpatrick's moniker, I had visions of a flint-lock rifle. Since the weather report for Buffalo this Sunday calls for rain, the whole keep your powder - or arm - dry thing came to mind. I also can't help but wonder at the irony of the nickname when he misfires and throws an interception? Hey! I'm easily entertained, OK!
Buffalo has had a few player with nicknames over the years. The one that came to mind was "Machine Gun" Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback for the Bills from 1986 to 1996. That's a pretty cool nickname compared to the Bills Trent Edwards, who quarterbacked for the Bills from 2007 to 2010 - "Captain Checkdown".
The Rams have had some great player nicknames. The "Fearsome Foursome" was well earned by Deacon Jones, Rosie Grier, Lamar Lundy and Merlin Olsen. One of the best nicknames ever though is Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds. He played linebacker for the Rams from 1970 to 1980. The story goes he used a hacksaw to cut a 1953 Chevy Bel Air in half after his undefeated Tennessee Volunteers were crushed by Ole Miss - 38-0. Then there was Dick "Night Train" Lane, who earned his nickname because he was afraid to fly and took trains to games. We can't forget Chris "Crystal Chandelier" Chandler, the Rams quarterback who purportedly could suffer a concussion by putting on his helmet.
There are some great nicknames, but it seems to be a dying part of NFL fan Americana. Outside of names derived from Transformers (Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, Andre "Optimus Prime" Johnson, and Greg "Legatron" Zuerlein), there really aren't all that many nicknames worthy of note in today's NFL.
Who has the best nickname in the NFL? Know any nicknames around the NFL, or better yet names players should have? Get creative and let's see what you have in the comments thread. There's a Rams Cheerleaders calendar for the best new nickname for any NFL player you care to re-name!
Time to pay some bill. Make sure to visit the Gillette site for more on great nicknames. No Debate. Get fewer nicks and fewer cuts with ProGlide.*