BOSTON -- Paul Zukauskas' toughest opponent in long-ago NFL trenches? That would have been Pro Football Hall of Famer and New England Patriots legend Richard Seymour.
"He was very long and strong," Zukauskas said of Seymour, a defensive end who checked in at 6-6 and around 315 pounds during the height of his powers. "He played with great technique, leveraging his length to keep offensive linemen off him. And he had the strength to move a lineman where he wanted you."
Zukauskas' days of hand-to-hand combat against Very Large Men are long gone -- he retired in 2006 after four seasons (and 18 starts) on the Cleveland Browns' offensive line (he was a guard) and one unsuccessful attempt to make the San Francisco 49ers roster in training camp in 2005.