Grogan said John set the tone every week with intensity and attention to detail. John’s individual performance in 1978 earned him his third of 10 selections to the All-Pro team and his first of four career NFLPA Lineman of the Year awards. New England’s 3,165 rushing yards that season stood as an NFL record for 41 years. John and the Patriots’ offensive line paved the way for one of the most dominant rushing offenses seen in professional football. When the games started counting, it was opposing defenses who were uncomfortable. He didn't say, ‘Why don’t you come out here and do this?’ He just went out.” “Pretty soon we’re conducting this seven-man sled workout before practice with half the offense, all because John was uncomfortable in his stance and wanted to correct it,” Brock said. Soon New England's running backs and quarterback Steve Grogan also started following John to the sled to get in extra reps on cadences and footwork. He looked like The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” “The next time he went out there, he had the entire offensive line out there behind him. “All of us would watch John out there a half-hour before every practice until finally someone said, ‘Hey, if it’s good enough for John Hannah, it’s good enough for the rest of us,’” Brock said.
John, featured this week in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Gold Jacket Spotlight, didn’t stay by himself for long. Brock and his teammates watched as John got in his stance facing seven foam and leather foes all by himself, practicing his first step over and over again until he finally felt comfortable enough to add a second step and a punch.
In order to knock the rust off his technique, Brock said John would come out of the locker room fully suited up long before practice started and silently make his way to the seven-man sled. It’s illegal in most states to get in a three-point stance and knock somebody down.” You can get big and strong in the offseason, you can get aerobic conditioning in, you can work on your sprint work, but you can’t practice your art. “Being an offensive lineman is an unnatural act. “Training camp used to frustrate the heck out of John,” said Pete Brock, another offensive lineman on the 1978 Patriots and John’s longtime teammate and roommate. Now a few days into training camp, John, then a two-time All-Pro left guard, still felt out of rhythm. The 1977 season had ended with his Patriots sitting just outside the AFC playoff picture. It was the summer of 1978, and John Hannah was uncomfortable.
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