formerlyofCtown Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 43 minutes ago, Buffalo Junction said: Definitely one of the most dominant positional groups I’ve ever seen. Woulda had 4 or 5 Lambardi's if that was our line.
Buffalo Junction Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 4 minutes ago, formerlyofCtown said: Woulda had 4 or 5 Lambardi's if that was our line. Which is saying something because Wolford, Ballard, Richter, Hull, and Davis were a damn good unit. Probably the second best o line at the time.
frostbitmic Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 8 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said: ...fun to watch.....tragic loss to liver ailment.........Emmitt was a durable grinder....Sayers' career was cut short.......there have been plenty of good ones....tough call on GOAT.. Agreed ... One of my all time favorite players though so I'll make him #1 in my book.
Nihilarian Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: Payton was amazing in a different way. He didn't have any of the classic attributes of any of the great ones - he didn't have great speed, he didn't have great moves, he didn't have great power, but he had just the right combinations of just enough of all those things that he was a great, great back. No doubt! While Barry could juke you outta your shoes and OJ with his 4:29 30 speed could run right by you. Sweetness motto was "never die easy" as he would never run out of bounds and always try to punish his tacklers. He had a stiff arm like no other! He didn't have the speed so he would use a "stutter step" to distract opponents to take the wrong angle as he would read what they were about to do and do the opposite. Like I said, for the majority of his career he didn't have top talent around him and basically carried his team every year
stuvian Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 I always liked the multipurpose backs: Marcus Allen Thurman Thomas Marshall Faulk
somnus00 Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 17 hours ago, Nelius said: Eh, I definitely don't agree with this. The generational gap with Jordan isn't anything like it is with Brown. Peak MJ would still dominate. Today's NBA is different. The players are bigger, faster without sacrificing agility. It's just a product of improved training, nutrition, etc. Jordan would still be good because, as you said, the time gap isn't too large. But I doubt he would dominate. By the way, I consider Jordan to be the greatest because I compare him to his contemporaries. Thanks for the comment by the way. Not being sarcastic.
metzelaars_lives Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 7 hours ago, mannc said: Wait, you're not blaming OJ for not winning the title with those Bills teams, are you? They were an abysmal team when he arrived and he single-handedly took them to the playoffs for the first time since the franchise joined the NFL. In his first two years with the Bills, OJ was coached by an idiot named Johnny Rauch, who was too stupid to simply hand the ball off to the best collegiate running back of all-time, whom the team had selected with the first overall pick in the draft. In his third season in the NFL, OJ was coached by the immortal Harvey Johnson... Dude, everything you just said about OJ you can apply to Sanders as well. The ‘they didn’t win anything/they had no supporting casts’ arguments apply equally to both players.
somnus00 Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 17 hours ago, GoBills808 said: Jordan would be better. The NBA was significantly tougher and more violent defensively in Jordan's day. He would absolutely dominate today's NBA. Sanders would as well imo. His game translates. Athletically he'd be fine. Plus the difference between the 60s NFL when Brown played and the 90s NFL >> the 90s NFL and today's NFL. D-linemen are bigger and faster. Linebackers can run 4.4 these days and still remain fluid. And the safeties... I disagree with you. Barry would be good. Just not great these days. But damn was he fun to watch in his prime. Never knew if it would be negative 3 yards, or a 60 yard td. Thanks for the conversation by the way.
Shaw66 Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 24 minutes ago, somnus00 said: D-linemen are bigger and faster. Linebackers can run 4.4 these days and still remain fluid. And the safeties... I disagree with you. Barry would be good. Just not great these days. But damn was he fun to watch in his prime. Never knew if it would be negative 3 yards, or a 60 yard td. Thanks for the conversation by the way. I really don't agree with this. As I've said elsewhere, I think Shady is a poor man's Sanders. Sanders' change of direction was simply devastating. He'd keep his center of gravity low, bend his knees and get his feet out in from of him. When his feet hit the ground, he would push off one way or the other or straight ahead. In any case, his hips and torso were still going full speed, trying to catch up where his feet were. When he pushed off, often to change direction, his hips and torso lost almost no speed, so he was going full speed almost immediately out of his cut. I don't think there are any more defenders who could deal with those cuts today than there were when he was playing. He was just amazing. The reality is that what makes the top 5 (maybe Brown, Simpson, Peterson, Sanders and, oh, just say Jackson) so great is that they would be great in any era. OJ was clearly better than Tomlinson, and Tomlinson was real tough in the modern game. Brown and Peterson are similar, so they clearly could move between generations. Jackson was like them, too - speed, power and shiftiness. And Sanders was and would be uncatchable. 1 hour ago, Nihilarian said: No doubt! While Barry could juke you outta your shoes and OJ with his 4:29 30 speed could run right by you. Sweetness motto was "never die easy" as he would never run out of bounds and always try to punish his tacklers. He had a stiff arm like no other! He didn't have the speed so he would use a "stutter step" to distract opponents to take the wrong angle as he would read what they were about to do and do the opposite. Like I said, for the majority of his career he didn't have top talent around him and basically carried his team every year Obviously, I was and am a big Brown fan. I did like sweetness simply because he was running over Brown's records. I kept watching him and thinking "he's got nothing." But "nothing" always seemed to turn into 100-yard games. At some point I put my prejudice aside and just started watching him. He was a truly fantastic back, even though he looked ordinary week after week. Still, the very best were better. 1
formerlyofCtown Posted March 29, 2019 Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Buffalo Junction said: Which is saying something because Wolford, Ballard, Richter, Hull, and Davis were a damn good unit. Probably the second best o line at the time. ?Redskins had a great line as well IIRC Edited March 29, 2019 by formerlyofCtown 1
Orlando Buffalo Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 I am very happy as i read that i have not seen Emmitt Smith- i can see good arguments for Brown, OJ, Sanders, Payton and even LT because each was dominate in their own era. The only guy that regularly is listed- mostly by Cowboy fans- that is absurd is Emmitt.
Alphadawg7 Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 (edited) Just thought I would come back in and say... Its still Barry Sanders. Edited March 30, 2019 by Alphadawg7
Charles Romes Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 I hate to say it the greatest running back I have ever seen play is Marshawn Lynch. Violent North South runner could elude, break tackles, bowl people over. Could make yards all by himself. Hands as soft as silk. A combination of Jim Brown and Marshall Faulk. Could take over a game with his energy. Went on to have a Hall of Fame career in a shortened time frame. If he was drafted by a stable playoff franchise he’d be widely recognized for what he is. The Goat. 1
Kirby Jackson Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 Barry Sanders is, without question, the best that I have ever seen. I’m not old enough to remember OJ or Brown or Sayers or Sweetness. Peterson is probably next. FWIW, I spent a good bit of time with Marv Levy (LAMP). I asked him one day who the best football player that he had ever seen. Without hesitation he said, “Gayle Sayers.” I said, “Marv do you want to think about that?” He said, “No, it’s Gayle Sayers.” That’s enough for me.
Helpmenow Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 3 hours ago, Chandler#81 said: Cherry picking. He was a rookie in ‘73 and split time with Dennis Shaw. By ‘75, he was a top QB in the League. Dennis Shaw only completed 22 passes on 73.
Alphadawg7 Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Kirby Jackson said: Barry Sanders is, without question, the best that I have ever seen. I’m not old enough to remember OJ or Brown or Sayers or Sweetness. Peterson is probably next. FWIW, I spent a good bit of time with Marv Levy (LAMP). I asked him one day who the best football player that he had ever seen. Without hesitation he said, “Gayle Sayers.” I said, “Marv do you want to think about that?” He said, “No, it’s Gayle Sayers.” That’s enough for me. I think if I made a ranking list it would look like this: Barry Sanders Jim Brown Gale Sayers Walter Payton Bo Jackson OJ Simpson Adrian Peterson Earl Campbell Eric Dickerson LaDanian Tomlinson Marshall Faulk Thurman Thomas Emmit Smith Tony Dorsett Jerome Bettis That was harder than I thought to slot them. Had to get Bettis in there, was just a rare combo of speed, power, and agility and had some decent hands too. 1
Nihilarian Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said: Barry Sanders is, without question, the best that I have ever seen. I’m not old enough to remember OJ or Brown or Sayers or Sweetness. Peterson is probably next. FWIW, I spent a good bit of time with Marv Levy (LAMP). I asked him one day who the best football player that he had ever seen. Without hesitation he said, “Gayle Sayers.” I said, “Marv do you want to think about that?” He said, “No, it’s Gayle Sayers.” That’s enough for me. I met Gale Sayers in Chicago, great guy and a darn shame his career was cut short due to injuries. Mike Ditka said he was the greatest NFL player he had ever seen. Anyway, my case for sweetness. "never die easy" 1
#34fan Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 I know he's not, but I love 'em anyway... Thurm! Thurm! Thurm!!!!
Shaw66 Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said: Barry Sanders is, without question, the best that I have ever seen. I’m not old enough to remember OJ or Brown or Sayers or Sweetness. Peterson is probably next. FWIW, I spent a good bit of time with Marv Levy (LAMP). I asked him one day who the best football player that he had ever seen. Without hesitation he said, “Gayle Sayers.” I said, “Marv do you want to think about that?” He said, “No, it’s Gayle Sayers.” That’s enough for me. That's interesting. Most of you aren't old enough to have seen Sayers. He was amazing. I remember when he was coming out of college I saw three highlights from his career. Kickoff return for 99, punt return for 95 and run from scrimmage for 97. It was jaw-dropping. Simpson had this way of gliding in the open, just sort of flowing through the defense. Sayers ran like that.
Shaw66 Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 18 minutes ago, Nihilarian said: I met Gale Sayers in Chicago, great guy and a darn shame his career was cut short due to injuries. Mike Ditka said he was the greatest NFL player he had ever seen. Anyway, my case for sweetness. "never die easy" Amazing balance and ability to absorb hits. Relentless. Since we're posting videos, here it is, the greatest kickoff return of all time.
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