Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--"Beef" Jerkies, and a Brief Announcement For October

      Back on March 20, 2021 I did a post about some meatless hamburger alternatives.  Recently, at random, I came upon some more meatless versions of "meat-ed" things while in the supermarket--beef jerky.  I've had quite a few meatless offerings (see my September 14, 2014 post), but "beef" jerky hasn't been one of them.  So I picked up a couple.  These were both from the Gardein ultimate plant-based jerky line--their original flavor, and then their hot and spicy kind.

     The official Gardein website I located was very brief, and not at all detailed about the company itself.  Essentially, it showed what products they make.  These include soups and chilis, meatless meals, fake fish/shellfish, faux chicken and turkey, and veggie burgers.  Also a third flavor of jerky--teriyaki.  About the only other item on the site was a description of Meatless Monday, the practice of skipping meat on this day of the week, and how environmentally beneficial this is.  The listed celebrity supporters of this include Paul McCartney, Oprah, Al Gore, Russell Simmons, Olivia Wilde, and Kathy Preston.  (Some of these folks regularly have Meatless Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, too, it should be said.)

     There was quite a bit of information about Gardein's parent company, though, which is Conagra.  Conagra is huge.  According to their data, they employ about 16,500 people, at approximately 50 locations, and have an annual revenue of $11,000,000,000.  Some of their better known brands include Duncan Hines, Slim Jims, Healthy Choice, Hunts, Manwich, Vlasic, and Orville Redenbacher.  Conagra started in 1919, when Frank Little and Alva Kinney bought four grain mills and merged them, naming it Nebraska Consolidated Mills, or NCM.  The business moved from Grand Island, Nebraska, to Omaha, Nebraska in 1922.  In 1940 they started making their own flour, and in 1942 NCM expanded into making feed for livestock.  NCM started the Duncan Hines brand in 1951, but sold it to Procter & Gamble in 1956.  The company's name was changed to ConAgra in 1971.  Which was also when the business was near financial ruin.  However, in 1974 C. Michael Harper took over and saved it, largely by buying up pre-existing brands.  The business flourished, and in 2016 they changed the spelling of the name to Conagra.

     The thing that struck me most, though, was all the controversies surrounding the ConAgra/Conagra company.  I should preface this paragraph by saying some of these complaints are alleged, not proven, but still, they're troubling.  In 2006 Conagra was cited as having the worst company response to global warming, and having a very bad environmental record around the same time.  There have been various bitter labor disputes, too.  Also, some apparent criminal issues--in 1997 ConAgra plead guilty to federal criminal charges of fraud and bribery, and reportedly had to pay large fines and penalties.  And in the 21st century there have been several product recalls for salmonella and E. coli outbreaks, some of which resulted in hospitalizations and even deaths.  Additionally, ConAgra was allegedly very supportive about blocking legislative efforts to label products which use GMOs.  There was even an explosion at a North Carolina Slim Jim plant in 2009.  All in all then, it's a little weird that the brand, Gardein, which seems to care so much about health and environmental causes, is owned by a large company that has such a questionable track record on these issues.

Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Jerky, Original Flavor:  Color of strips was dark brown, and looked similar to real beef.  Had a strange odor--herbal-y, not really like meat.  The texture wasn't very beef-like, as it was too smooth, almost cake or fudge-like, and didn't have the stringy bits that meat does.  It lacked sinew, and the chewiness of meat.  The taste was marginal at best.  It was somewhat like beef, but somehow "off."  Once again, it reminded me of that scene in the 1986 version of "The Fly," when Geena Davis's character notes that the transported steak tastes somehow synthetic, and bad somehow.  Overall I thought it was a poor substitute for beef.

Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Jerky, Hot and Spicy Flavor:  It was identical to the Original kind except there were visible pepper pieces stuck to the outside of the shredded jerky strips.  So the same color, texture, and odor.  The taste was poor.  There was a noticeable spice bite that built up, but it wasn't enough to cover the weird, unbeefy flavor.  A bit better than the Original, but still well below average.  I often mention that I don't know if I could tell the difference between products and other types of the same, or similar things in a blind taste test.  Not true in this case--I can't imagine I could ever mistake either of these for real beef jerky.

     In conclusion then, I certainly wouldn't recommend these jerkies to anyone.  They do a pretty bad job of replicating beef.  So if you're a vegetarian or vegan for moral reasons (i.e., you like the taste of meat), it's not a good imitation, and you should look elsewhere.  Sometimes I've found certain plant-based versions of meat don't really taste like meat, but their taste is otherwise okay, or even good.  This wasn't the story here.  However, I will definitely not be opposed to trying other plant-based beef jerkies, when and if I encounter them.  And I'll give other Gardein products a go, too.

     Finally, my next five posts will be in the month of October, which is the prime month for horror enthusiasts such as myself.  Therefore, my plan as of now is to do three posts about horror trivia for some horror movie classics, one about the World Series (since that's also in October), and one about a Halloween season consumable.  Hope you find these topical and entertaining.

  

     

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Barenjager Honey Liquor

      This is a revival for me.  Way back in the late 1990's I used to really enjoy Barenjager, a liquor made with honey.  I can recall several parties with fellow archaeologists wherein I would stroll around, bottle and shot glass in hand, offering my friends and colleagues a sample of it.  I can't remember why I stopped buying it.  Maybe the stores I shopped at stopped stocking it, or it became too expensive.  Anyway, fast forward to several weeks ago, while I was perusing the hard liquor shelves at one of my local liquor stores.  And there it was, my old friend, of sorts.  So I thought it was long past time that I discuss it on my blog.

     As I learned when I looked into it, Barenjager is more of a brand name than a liquor type.  In Germany this type of alcohol is called barenfang, which means "bear trap" in their language.  "Barenjager" means "bear hunter" in German.  Another common name for this drink is meschkinnes, which means "male bear" in Lithuanian.  Barenfang is often made in German households--I guess it's the equivalent of Americans brewing their own beer at home.  But the history of barenfang goes back a bit.  It was developed in East Prussia in the 15th century.  The first commercial brand was made in that region's capital city of the time, Konigsberg.  However, this part of the world has changed quite a bit over the centuries, due to Teutonic Knights, World Wars, etc.  Currently what used to be East Prussia is now parts of Poland, Lithuania, and Russia.  But, since the population in East Prussia at times contained a fair percentage of folks with German heritage, this distinctive liquor is also readily made and consumed in present day Germany.  That out of the way, the drink is made using real honey as flavoring, and is usually 30-45% alcohol.  Some describe the taste as being like a honey-flavored vodka.

     Barenfang is usually known as barenjager outside of Germany, and I guess the places that used to be East Prussia.  But Barenjager is associated with one brand, made by Teucke & Koenig.   I couldn't find out much online about this brand, or its original parent company.  Just that it's made with real honey, and is currently owned by Schwarze & Schlichte, which operates out of the German town of Oelde in North Rhine-Westphalia.  I was able to discover some about that eventual parent company.  According to old church records, the ancestors of the Schwarze family were owning and operating a grain distillery in Munsterland back in 1664.  This business was moved to the town of Oelde in 1738.  In 1872 Katharina Bernhordine Schwarze became the first woman in the company's history to serve as the manager.  Finally, in 1990 Schwarze joined with the Schlichte distillery, which was based out of Steinhagen.  In doing so they acquired the Barenjager brand.  Aside from Barenjager, other products of Schwarze & Schlichte include Friedrich's Dry Gin, Pepino Peach, Licor 43, and Three Sixty Vodka, which is billed as being filtered through diamonds.  (For other tales of vodkas that are filtered through rocks and meteorites, see my post on June 6, 2020.)

Barenjager:  It's been a while since I had this, but my memory of it is pretty sound.  I read many recipes which described various mixed cocktails which include Barenjager, but I always had it straight, as a shot.  Its color, not surprisingly, was a honey-like brownish hue.  The taste was what you'd expect--a hard liquor flavored with honey.  Some tasters thought it was too sweet, but I quite enjoyed it.  Maybe it would be a little too sweet to drink all night, but as an occasional shot I think it really hit the spot.  So if you like honey in general, and sweet liqueurs, you'll probably like this one.  I'll have to buy another bottle and revisit my twenties.  Perhaps while listening to 90's music, and/or while watching a 90's television show or movie.  Finally, the bottles I used to get had a fun and distinctive woven basket wrapped around them, but I don't think the company is using that anymore, alas.  At least the bottle I saw the other day.

Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Chorizo

      I just happened across this one at the supermarket a few weeks ago.  I think I've had it in the past, but I can't remember when, or where, or much detail about it.  So I was glad to see it again.  My chorizo was made by the Daniele Inc. company, out of Pascoag, Rhode Island in the U.S.

     The history of chorizo is more than a bit murky.  That's because it's a type of pork sausage.  Pork sausage itself is ancient, dating back to around 3000 years ago.  But many, or even most places have their own versions of it, using different ingredients and sometimes preparation methods.  Therefore, it's rather difficult to pinpoint where and when chorizo was invented, and what its exact precursors were.  That said, chorizo was developed by those living in the Iberian Peninsula, or modern Spanish and Portuguese people.  One traditional form of chorizo uses a special kind of paprika called pimenton, which was only available in the New World, meaning it didn't reach Spain until after the conquest of the Aztecs in the early 1500's.  So that sort is about 500 year old.  Currently it's made and enjoyed in many other places, which, not coincidently, are usually areas of Spanish or Portuguese conquest or colonization, such as Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, parts of India, and Southeast Asian islands such as East Timor and the Philippines.  And, once again, most of these areas have their own versions of chorizo, such as using different meats, spices, or herbs.  For example, some folks make chorizo out of turkey, chicken, beef, venison, or vegan meat substitutes.  Some chorizo varieties need to be cooked before eating, while others don't.  However, traditional Spanish-style chorizo usually is made using chopped pork, pork fat, paprika, garlic, and salt, stuffed into natural intestinal casings.  This dish is eaten in many ways, too.  Grilled, fried, mixed into soups and stews, or as part of a sandwich.  Sometimes it's even simmered in liquor, including the topic of my January 9, 2021 post, aguardiente.

    The makers of the chorizo I tried were very cosmopolitan.  Stefano and Carolina Dukcevich are Croatian in origin.  But, after the founding of the communist Yugoslavia after World War II, they fled to Italy.  In the Northeast section of Italy they began making dry-cured meats.  They started selling them commercially in 1945 as Daniele, Inc.  By 1976 one of their sons, Vlado, moved to the U.S. and established some plants there, and made it their base of operations.  Aside from chorizo, other dry-cured selections made by Daniele include prosciutto, capocollo, sopressata, salame, and pancetta.  Also combination products like paninos and pepper shooters. 

Daniele Inc., chorizo:  Had a reddish-brown color overall, although other colors were also visible, of different cuts of pork.  The odor was like other cured meats.  The chorizo pieces were sliced into thin disc shapes.  The flavor was like pepperoni.  Or, in other words, really good.  I had it plain, and then on some water crackers.  Both ways were tasty.  It was a good take on standard sausage--nicely spicy.  I'd like to try it as a pizza topping.  Would definitely recommend, and will buy again.

    

     Therefore, I think if you like sausage, you'll probably like chorizo.  But, even if you don't like whatever version of chorizo you try first, you might enjoy the other variations of it, since there's so many.  (I certainly will sample other kinds if/when I get the chance.)  Maybe the vegan-appropriate kinds are even palatable.  Some folks might claim meat-less chorizo isn't authentic, or "real," but since there's so many variations of it anyway, this argument isn't very convincing.

 

NFL Trivia--Best Father/Son Combos, and Best Football Families

      As a longtime NFL fan, I've certainly noticed many instances when a player I'm familiar with is the son of a former player, or later has a son of his own who makes it, or sometimes even both.  So I got to thinking, who is the best overall father/son combination?  Fortunately, my research was helped considerably by the NFL Hall of Fame website.  It included a list of the 280 fathers and sons who have played in the NFL, as of 6/21/20.  Anyway, I went through all of the guys on the list, and then consulted their playing statistics on pro-football-reference.com  Specifically I was looking for length of career, how many games they played in and started, number of Pro Bowls and All Pro teams the player made, and then I used a newer stat to me, Approximate Value, abbreviated as AV.  This stat is assigned yearly, and measures how good a season that player had.  An AV of 3 or less is probably a reserve player, about 5-8 is a solid starter, and 10 or above is usually a Pro Bowl/All Pro caliber season, roughly.  And a career AV of say, 100 is probably enough to qualify the player as Hall of Fame caliber, depending on how long a career they had, of course.  AV is only calculated for guys who played in 1960 or later, so we have to go by the other means to rate players who played before this time.  Also, obviously, I note if the player was elected into the Hall of Fame.  If you're curious, no father and son have both been elected to the Hall, and to date no brothers have.  (Although Eli Manning may well become the first someday, joining his brother Peyton.)   Enough background, let's get to it.  This is in alphabetical order, so everyone can fight amongst themselves on who is the best of the best.  Each player's line is rendered as:

Father (f) or Son (s), Player name, position(s) played, team(s) played for, seasons played, (an asterisk (*), indicates the players is active as of 2021) number of games played, number of games started, number of Pro Bowl teams, if any, number of All Pro teams, Hall of Fame membership (if he was elected), number of NFL Titles or Super Bowls won, and then his career Approximate Value, or AV.

1) (f) Orlando Brown, tackle, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, 1994-99, 2003-05, 9 years, 129 games, 119 starts, 54 AV.

    (s) Orlando Brown, Jr., tackle, Baltimore Ravens, 2018-2020*, 3 seasons, 48 games, 42 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 30 AV. 

2) (f) Ross Browner, defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, 1978-87, 10 seasons, 139 games, 123 starts, 59 AV.

   (s) Max Starks, tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, 2004-13, 10 seasons, 125 games, 96 starts, 2 Super Bowls, 51 AV.

3)   (f) Rubin Carter, nose tackle/defensive tackle, Denver Broncos, 1975-86, 12 seasons, 166 games, 152 starts, 88 AV.

      (s) Andre Carter, defensive end/linebacker, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, etc., 2001-13, 13 seasons, 184 games, 147 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 75 AV.

4)   (f) Craig Colquitt, punter, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, 1978-84, 1987, 7 seasons, 97 games, 2 Super Bowls, 16 AV.  (Note that punters and kickers aren't credited with starts even if they're the only one of this position on the team, and their AVs are low, even for decent ones.)

     (s) Britton Colquitt, punter, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, 2010-20*, 11 seasons, 176 games, 1 Super Bowl, 24 AV.

     (s) Dustin Colquitt, punter, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2005-20*, 16 seasons, 244 games, 1 Super Bowl, 34 AV.

5)   (f) Bob Griese, quarterback, Miami Dolphins, 1967-80, 14 seasons, 161 games, 151 starts, 8 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 2 Super Bowls, Hall of Fame, 138 AV.

      (s) Brian Griese, quarterback, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, etc., 1998-2008, 11 seasons, 93 games, 83 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 61 AV.

6)  (f) Wes Hamilton, guard, Minnesota Vikings, 1976-84, 9 seasons, 116 games, 92 starts, 47 AV.

     (s) Ben Hamilton, guard/center, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, 2002-06, 08-10, 8 seasons, 118 games, 110 starts, 63 AV.

7)  (f) Craig Heyward, running back, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, etc., 1988-98, 11 seasons, 149 games, 107 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 44 AV.

    (s) Cameron Heyward, defensive tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2011-20*, 10 years, 149 games, 114 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 90 AV.

8) (f) Dub Jones, halfback/defensive back, etc., Cleveland Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1946-55, 10 seasons, 114 games, 73 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 2 AAFC Titles, 3 NFL titles.

   (s) Bert Jones, quarterback, Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams, 1973-82, 10 seasons, 102 games, 96 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All Pro, 1 League MVP,  92 AV.

9) (f) Steve Jordan, tight end, Minnesota Vikings, 1982-94, 13 seasons, 176 games, 149 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 60 AV.

   (s) Cameron Jordan, defensive end, New Orleans Saints, 2011-20*, 10 seasons, 160 games, 159 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 103 AV.

10) (f) Jake Kupp, guard/tight end, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, etc., 1964-75, 12 seasons, 154 games, 131 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 60 AV.

     (s)  Cooper Kupp, wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams, 2017-20*, 4 seasons, 54 games, 40 starts, 31 AV.

       (Note, another son, Craig Kupp, played in 1 NFL game, and accumulated 0 AV.)

11)  (f) Howie Long, defensive end/nose tackle, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1981-93, 13 seasons, 179 games, 151 starts, 8 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 1 Super Bowl, Hall of Fame, 119 AV.

      (s) Chris Long, defensive end, St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, 2008-18, 11 seasons, 162 games, 103 starts, 2 Super Bowls, 58 AV.

     (s) Kyle Long, tackle, Chicago Bears, 2013-19*, 7 seasons, 77 games, 76 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 44 AV.

12) (f) Archie Manning, quarterback, New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, 1971-75, 77-84, 13 seasons, 151 games, 139 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 94 AV.

     (s) Peyton Manning, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, 1998-2010, 2012-15, 17 seasons, 266 games, 265 starts, 14 Pro Bowls, 7 All Pros, 2 Super Bowls, Hall of Fame, 272 AV.

     (s) Eli Manning, quarterback, New York Giants, 2004-19, 16 seasons, 236 games, 234 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 2 Super Bowls, 169 AV.

13) (f) Ed McCaffery, wide receiver, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, 1991-2003, 13 seasons, 185 games, 109 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 3 Super Bowls, 81 AV.

      (s) Christian McCaffery, running back, Carolina Panthers, 2017-20*, 4 seasons, 51 games, 45 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 1 All Pro, 43 AV.

     (Note, another son, Max McCaffery, played briefly and accumulated 0 AV)

14) (f) Terry Metcalf, running back/wide receiver, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Redskins, 1971-77, 1981, 6 seasons, 81 games, 61 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 63 AV.

      (s) Eric Metcalf, running back/wide receiver, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, etc., 1989-2002, 13 seasons, 179 games, 77 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 78 AV.

15) (f) Jackie Slater, tackle/guard, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1976-95, 20 seasons, 259 games, 211 starts, 7 Pro Bowls, 129 AV.

      (s) Matt Slater, wide receiver, New England Patriots, 2008-20*, 13 seasons, 189 games, 3 starts, 9 Pro Bowls, 2 All Pros, 3 Super Bowls, 0 AV.  (I know his line looks weird--he's only been a special teamer, but he's been great at it, enough to be a frequent Pro Bowler, etc.)

16)  (f) Billy Ray Smith, defensive tackle/defensive end, Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, 1957-62, 64-70, 13 seasons, 168 games, 145 starts, 1 Super Bowl, 82 AV.

      (s) Billy Ray Smith, Jr., linebacker, San Diego Chargers, 1983-92, 10 seasons, 126 games, 111 starts, 55 AV.

17) (f) Jessie Tuggle, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons, 1987-2000, 14 seasons, 209 games, 189 starts, 5 Pro Bowls, 92 AV.

     (s) Grady Jarrett, defensive tackle, Atlanta Falcons, 2015-20*, 6 seasons, 93 games, 78 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 43 AV.

     (Another son, Justin Tuggle, played briefly, accumulating 8 AV.)

18) (f) Ted Washington, linebacker, Houston Oilers, 1973-82, 10 seasons, 128 games, 117 starts, 59 AV.

      (s) Ted Washington, Jr., nose tackle/defensive tackle, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, etc., 1991-2007, 17 seasons, 236 games, 204 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 1 Super Bowl, 121 AV.

     One kind of funny pairing.  Rudy Barber and his son Kantroy both had brief, undistinguished careers.  Which were amazingly similar:

(f) Rudy Barber, linebacker, Miami Dolphins, 1968, 1 season, 2 games, 0 starts, 1 AV.

(s) Kantroy Barber, running back, Miami Dolphins, 1999, 1 season, 2 games, 0 starts, 0 AV.

     Next let's look at some more complicated family lines in the NFL, cases where there were a lot more guys than just a father and a son.  Let's start with the Matthews.  First up is the grandfather, Clay.

Clay Matthews, defensive end/defensive tackle/offensive tackle, San Francisco 49ers, 1950, 53-55, 4 seasons, 45 games, 40 starts.  No AV because of his era, but appeared to be an average starter.  Anyway, Clay had two sons, Clay Jr. and Bruce:

Clay Matthews, Jr., linebacker, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, 1978-96, 19 seasons, 278 games, 248 starts, 4 Pro Bowls, 139 AV.

Bruce Matthews, guard/center/tackle, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, 1983-2001, 19 seasons, 296 games, 293 starts, 14 Pro Bowls, 7 All Pros, Hall of Fame, 215 AV.

Clay Jr. then had two sons, Clay III, and Casey who made the NFL:

Clay Matthews III, linebacker, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, 2009-19*, 11 seasons, 156 games, 150 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 95 AV.  (He might be done but he's not officially retired now.)

Casey Matthews, linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles, 2011-14, 4 seasons, 64 games, 15 starts, 10 AV.

Bruce then had two sons who made the NFL.  (A third one, Mike, nearly did, but didn't actually play a regular season NFL game.)  They are Jake and Kevin:

Jake Matthews, tackle, Atlanta Falcons, 2014-20*, 7 seasons, 111 games, 111 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 63 AV.

Kevin Matthews, center, Tennessee Titans, 2010, 2012, 2 seasons, 17 games, 3 starts, 3 AV.

There's one more--Bruce's nephew, and therefore Jake and Kevin's cousin, also played in the NFL.  He's Troy Niklas:

Troy Niklas, tight end, Arizona Cardinals, 2014-17, 4 seasons, 41 games, 18 starts, 1 AV.

     Now let's consider another, even more complicated family line.  The scion is Palmer Pyle:

Palmer Pyle, guard, Baltimore Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, 1960-64, 66, 6 seasons, 61 games, 33 starts, 19 AV.

     Palmer's brother, Mike, also played:

Mike Pyle, center, Chicago Bears, 1960-69, 9 seasons, 121 games, 119 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 61 AV.

    Palmer's son then made it to the NFL.  Born Eric Pyle, he changed his last name to Kumerow:

Eric Kumerow, defensive end/linebacker, Miami Dolphins, 1988-90, 3 seasons, 42 games, 0 starts, 4 AV.

    Eric's son, Jake, then later made it into the NFL:

Jake Kumerow, wide reeceiver, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, 2018-20*, 3 seasons, 25 games, 6 starts, 3 AV.

    However, Pyle's daughter married a man who also played in the NFL, John Bosa:

John Bosa, defensive end, Miami Dolphins, 1987-89, 3 seasons, 31 games, 21 starts, 10 AV.

     Then John's two sons grew up to play too, and are so currently:

Joey Bosa, defensive end, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, 2016-20*, 5 seasons, 63 games, 59 starts, 3 Pro Bowls, 43 AV.

Nick Bosa, defensive end, San Francisco 49ers, 2019-20*, 2 seasons, 18 games, 18 starts, 1 Pro Bowl, 13 AV.

Now let's move to the families with the most brothers who played in the NFL.  I found two examples of families where 4 brothers made it:

1)  Ross Browner, defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, 1978-87, 10 seasons, 138 games, 123 starts, 59 AV.

    Jim Browner, defensive back, Cincinnati Bengals, 1979-80, 2 seasons, 18 games, 6 starts, 3 AV.

   Keith Browner, linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, etc., 1984-88, 5 seasons, 65 games, 44 starts, 19 AV.

   Joey Browner, defensive back, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1983-92, 10 seasons, 145 games, 117 starts, 6 Pro Bowls, 3 All Pros, 87 AV.

2) Gloster Richardson, wide receiver/flanker, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, 1967-74, 8 seasons, 92 games, 40 starts, 1 Super Bowl, 25 AV.

   Tom Richardson, wide receiver, Boston Patriots, 1969-70, 2 seasons, 15 games, 0 starts, 0 AV.

   Ernie Richardson, tight end, Cleveland Browns, 1974, 1 season, 2 games, 0 starts, 0 AV.

   Willie Richardson, flanker/wide receiver, Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins, 1963-71, 9 seasons, 109 games, 54 starts, 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All Pro, 40 AV.

     Finally, let's get to the incredible story of the Nesser family.  Six of the brothers played in the NFL.  I can't tell you their AVs or much of their other stats, given they played up to 101 years ago.

Ted Nesser, center/tackle/guard, Columbus Panhandles, 1920-21, 2 seasons, 14 games, 10 starts.  Also the head coach of the team.

Frank Nesser, fullback/guard/tackle, Columbus Panhandles/Tigers, 1920-22, 25-26, 5 seasons, 40 games, 26 starts, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 receiving touchdown, 1 extra point.

Fred Nesser, tackle/end/fullback, Columbus Panhandles, 1921, 1 season, 7 games, 7 starts.

John Nesser, guard/tackle, Columbus Panhandles, 1921, 1 season, 2 games, 1 start.  At age 45.

Phil Nesser, guard/tackle/wingback, Columbus Panhandles, 1920-21, 2 seasons, 7 games, 4 starts.  At ages 40 and 41.

Al Nesser, guard/end/center, Akron Pros, New York Giants, Cleveland Bulldogs, 1920-28, 31, 10 seasons, 93 games, 75 starts, 2 fumble return touchdowns, 1interception return touchdown, 1 other unspecified touchdown, 1 All Pro, 1 NFL title.

     To add to it, Ted's son Charlie also played, at either age 16 or 18:

Charlie Nesser, back, Columbus Panhandles, 1921, 1 season, 9 games, 6 starts.

     Now, let's get into the obvious--the NFL in the early 1920's was clearly a much different game.  There were many, tiny teams, and not a regular, codified schedule.  The best athletes were probably participating in baseball, or boxing, since those were more popular, and paid better.  Plus, Ted Nesser was the head coach, so he'd presumably be biased in favor of his kin.  But, all those factors admitted, it's still pretty incredible that 6 Nesser brothers played in the NFL, and 5 for one team, at the same time.  Evidently they were renowned for their sizes at the time--they were considered big linemen because they averaged around 210 pounds.  (I know, that's laughable compared to the 300 plus pound linemen of today.)  And Ted and his son Charlie are the only father and son to play on the same team, at the same time.  I don't think these feats will ever be broken!  Finally, the Nesser's brother in law, John Schneider, and a nephew, Ted Hopkins, also played for the Panhandles in the early 1920's.