Being a wide receiver in the National Football League during the 90s required only one thing: balls of steel.
Sure, strong hands, precise route running and a big physical body helped, but when it came to crossing over the middle, you could expect a big collision every single time.
Rule changes have since protected offensive players who put themselves on the line, and we’ve seen far fewer guys get hurt as a result.
But for guys like Michael Irvin, Andre Reed and Ernest Givins, reputations were made and respect was earned by making those big-time plays in between the hashes.
Leadership on the field was all about how much pain players could take and get right back up to do the same thing.
It was his hard-nosed mentality that made football in the 90s so unique, and that brand of football lives on in this video.
