Bengals Legend Describes Blocking For New ROH Member James Brooks

Bengals legend Anthony Muñoz appeared on First Word With James Rapien this week amidst the newly revealed Bengals Ring of Honor class getting unveiled.

An inaugural class member and one of three Bengals Pro Football Hall of Famers, Muñoz knows exactly what it takes to get into this exclusive fraternity.

He can't wait to celebrate a guy he blocked for throughout James Brooks' entire time as a Bengals star running back. Muñoz played from 1980-92, coinciding with Brooks's time in Cincinnati (1984-91).

Legend Praise

Jan 22, 1989; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cincinnati Bengals running back James Brooks (21) carries the ball against San Francisco 49ers safety Jeff Fuller (49) during Super Bowl XXIII at Joe Robbie Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Bengals 20-16. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brooks and Bob Trumpy are getting inducted during halftime of the Titans game on Nov. 1.

"I'm old school. I didn't talk a lot during games, and JB loved to talk trash; it was like, why not? He could back it up, but it was fun," Muñoz said on the show. "I always give a little history on the zone-blocking scheme because people think it's something new. But we ran it just about my whole career, and to have a guy like James Brooks running it was fun, because you just take care of your job, and all of a sudden all you see is the back of 21 and Brooks on the back. The guy was amazing hitting holes, and as I said, there wasn't much of a hole. He made the hole because the strength that that guy had as a running back is amazing. He could run around you, and he could run through you.

"So being able to block for James Brooks was a lot of fun. And of course, we had some great linemen that we worked together to do that. You could play action fake, and if Boomer (Esiason) didn't see anything downfield, he could always dump it off to JB, and it was an automatic catch because JB didn't drop many things, and then he would do his thing after that running the football. So, just an all-around great running back. So it's great to have him in the Ring of Honor."

Brooks was an elite all-around running back for Cincinnati.

According to Pro Football Reference, Brooks tallied 4.8 yards per carry during his 118 Bengals games, while leading all running backs with at least 1,000 runs.

He was deadly as a receiver too. Boasting 10.1 yards per catch, which led all running backs with at least 3,000 receiving yards between 1984 and 1991. Brooks scored 37 of his 49 career touchdowns with the Bengals.

"Up until this year, we'll see with the Dexter Lawrence trade, but I believe, in my humble opinion, the best trade the Bengals ever made was Pete Johnson for James Brooks," Muñoz stated. "James Brooks, amazing running back. What 195 pounds, maybe dripping wet. The guy could run around you. He could run over you, and it was like having another wide receiver on the offense because he had great hands. So, yeah, two great new members of the Ring of Honor, and we're excited to celebrate."

Check out the full interview with Muñoz below:

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