Ex-Steeler, now Augusta National member Lynn Swann talks football

UNDER THE OAK TREE

Lynn Swann, 62, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001 after a distinguished career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He won four Super Bowls during his career and was known for his grace and tremendous leaping ability. Swann is now an Augusta National member and serves on the hospitality committee, but he took time out this week to talk football.

Q: What do you think of punter Ray Guy’s being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

A: I think Ray Guy should have been there a long time ago. First punter drafted in the first round, and he did a remarkable job for the Oakland Raiders his entire career. I look forward to welcoming him to Canton in August.

Q: Have you seen South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney play?

A: I have not seen him play a lot. I’ve seen a lot about his stats and his speed and his strength, he has all the assets and all the tools, and I think if he has the heart and head to play this game in the right system, I think he’ll be great.

Q: How do you tell if a player will be great?

A: I don’t think you can tell that by asking a guy questions. But there are guys who played college football who weren’t necessarily at their best in college football, but they find a better system and structure around them, and more talent around them in pro football that gives them a better platform. So you can’t always tell by just the stats. You can’t measure work ethic. You can’t measure the drive to get someone to play as hard in the fourth quarter as he did in the first quarter. I think (Clowney’s) got all the assets, I think he’s got all the tools, and a coach will look at that and say, “I want him.” So we’ll see.

Q: As an offensive guy, do you draft a quarterback first?

A: Coaches and general managers have to figure out what it is they are trying to do. How to get the right players to make that happen. We’ve seen teams win different ways in the NFL. We certainly see the best teams for the long term winning with great defense. So you’ve got to have a cornerstone somewhere in that defense to build around. The Steelers have always done it; the Cowboys, when they won, did it; Green Bay did the same thing. The Giants did it with a strong four-man rush and great defensive play. I think the first thing you have to do is build a defense. Give a quarterback more opportunities to play the game.

ALL ABOUT ARNIE

Arnold Palmer has earned $284,013.33 in his Masters career. That includes his 50 consecutive appearances as a player and the nine years since that he has shown up to play in the Par-3 Contest or serve as an honorary starter.

By comparison, Brandt Snedeker and Thorbjorn Olesen each earned $278,000 in 2013 for tying for sixth.

The most Palmer earned in a single year at Augusta was $20,000. That’s what he received for winning in 1962 and 1964.

It’s a good thing Palmer parlayed his success and charisma into lucrative endorsement deals in the early 1960s. According to Golf Digest’s annual ranking of top earners in golf, Palmer was third, with $40 million in earnings in 2013.

MASTERS SPEAK

When players hit their tee shots into the taller grass at Augusta National, don’t call it “rough.”

The Masters refers to it as the “second cut,” which was first introduced at the course in 1999.

The fairways are mowed at 3/8 of an inch, and the second cut is kept at 1 3/8 inch.