Reasons why Rice is NFL’s greatest player

[Psycho Ward 86]

CANTON, Ohio – Colts president Bill Polian has no idea where to begin or end the conversation when asked to name the greatest football player.

“It’s like asking me who is the greatest hitter of all time. I’ll start with Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle and you can take your pick,” said Polian, who is a big baseball fan from his days growing up in New York.

In other words, Polian is asked, you’d be fine with the No. 4 pick.

“Exactly,” he said.

Picking the greatest football player is a similar equation. Is it Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana or some other quarterback because that’s the most game’s most demanding job? Is it Jim Brown because his staggering career numbers stand the test of time? Is it Reggie White because he was a game-changing force on defense?

As hard as this question is to answer (and as hard as it is for this boyhood Los Angeles Rams fan to write), the pick may be one of the seven men who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Jerry Rice.

“Oh man, that’s a good one,” said former NFL quarterback and long-time assistant coach Zeke Bratkowski, whose pro career started in 1954. “Rice, Jim Brown, Unitas … I don’t know how you decide.

There are four reasons Rice is atop the list.

Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...lloffame080610

[Godfather]

Mel Blount changed the game. The NFL changed the rules to contain him.

[SirHulka]

The only way that is sort of fair is to compare the player to his peers. You can't compare a player of the 60's with a player from the 90's. Different game. Like who is the greatest baseball player? Well, Babe Ruth by himself out-homered every other TEAM in baseball. Ruth led the majors in HR's, RBI's, ERA, and wins. Name another player who did that. He won 98 games over 5 years as a pitcher.

Brown played in an era where every team was geared to STOP the run, and he still averaged over 5 yards a carry, and 100 yards a game. Rice had the benefit of 2, not 1, but 2, HOF QB's. It's an interesting question for off-season, but it can never be answered.

[BuddhaBus]

Whoa, I thought for a second he was talking about Ray Rice! Although Rice is good (the Ray variety I mean), I thought he was following Al Davis into the land of cuckoo for frickin' Coco-Puffs!

[Psycho Ward 86]

Article (cont.)

Here’s a look at the NFL’s top 10 players:

1. Rice – For all the above reasons.

2. Jim Brown – Brown dominated in every way imaginable. His stats were stunning (he averaged more than 100 yards rushing per game). Physically, he was tough and fast. He was also a huge man by the standards of the day, sometimes not much smaller than some of the linemen he faced. Brown is one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of American sports.

3. Johnny Unitas – When Unitas retired, he owned every important passing statistic. He was a champion, an important player in critical games and, in some ways, was a mythic figure by the end of his career. He was the John Wayne of football with his blend of talent and toughness.

4. Joe Montana – Montana led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories and posted stunning numbers along the way. He returned from injury to win titles and was perhaps the greatest pressure player in the history of the game. He also took Walsh’s West Coast system and perfected it. The system’s principles are used in just about every offense in the league today.

5. Reggie White – At 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, White had a defensive tackle’s body and the speed to play defensive end. He finished his career with 198 sacks despite playing primarily at left end, as opposed to the right side where most speed rushers play. If White hadn’t spent two years in the USFL, he might still hold the sacks record.

6. Bruce Smith – If you draw up what a right defensive end is supposed to look like, it’s Smith. He was gifted in just about every athletic way you could imagine. In a league where great pass rushers run second only to great quarterbacks, Smith is the standard for pure pass rusher.

7. Lawrence Taylor – People who played against Taylor still believe he might be the greatest athlete they ever saw on a football field. His combination of size, speed and power was unreal. He may be the greatest linebacker in the history of the game and revolutionized the use of the 3-4 defense.

8. Dick Butkus – Butkus defined the malevolence of the game in the 1960s. His huge size (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) made him fearsome and he remains the prototype for that position. Every middle or inside linebacker in the game is measured against Butkus.

9. Anthony Munoz – When Bratkowski was asked to select players for an imaginary game of all-time greats, Munoz was his first selection. Great left tackles are a staple of the modern game (somebody has to block guys like Smith and Taylor). Munoz is the standard for that position.

10. Joe Greene – Mean Joe was the lynchpin of Pittsburgh’s famed Steel Curtain defense, which was the foundation of the most dominating team of any era. The Steelers won four titles in six years and only injuries prevented them from going six for six. Greene combined White’s power and Butkus’ ferocity.

[steeldevil]

Jim Brown is the greatest football player ever in my mind... And its not even close.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Jim Brown is the greatest football player ever in my mind... And its not even close.

I agree, and it's laughable that Emmitt Smith is considered by so many as the greatest RB of all time. I dont even consider him the 2nd best at his position all-time. 3rd best? Maybe.

Best RB's all-time

1) Jim Brown
2) Barry Sanders
3) Walter Payton
4) Emmitt Smith

that's just me

[Nadroj 20]

I agree, and it's laughable that Emmitt Smith is considered by so many as the greatest RB of all time. I dont even consider him the 2nd best at his position all-time. 3rd best? Maybe.

Best RB's all-time

1) Jim Brown
2) Barry Sanders
3) Walter Payton
4) Emmitt Smith

that's just me

I agree I dont think hes the best of all time but its certainly not laughable for some to think he is. He is the all-time leading rusher.

You just ranked him 4th so hes obviously one of the greats.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I agree I dont think hes the best of all time but its certainly not laughable for some to think he is. He is the all-time leading rusher.

You just ranked him 4th so hes obviously one of the greats.

I know it sounds bad to judge someone by their surrounding cast, but considering who he had around him, he just wasnt the best all time for me, not even that close. He just had the great fortune of being efficient for a long period of time, and its more about quality than quantity. He had one of the most accurate QB's of all time keeping defenses busy (Troy Aikman), probably the best O-line of all time blocking for him, and arguably the greatest fullback to walk the earth (Daryl Johnston).

Brown and Payton played for extremely dominant teams as well, but for what its worth, they were better. Brown= highest YPC all-time, Sanders= 2nd highest YPC all-time, smith isnt even close to their YPC, something to consider. As for Sanders, he was easily on pace to break Smith's all-time rushing record and only retired because he was sick of losing. The guy was a one man army, and the lions managed to make the playoffs once with him. Not his fault that his team sucks.

Just my two cents.