Why is it that Pats fans, regardless of discussion topic, always find a way to turn it to fellate Brady and Belichick?
Why is it that Pats fans, regardless of discussion topic, always find a way to turn it to fellate Brady and Belichick?
Because in the AFC, 2017 is a battle between:
You've missed the entire context of the argument. The context is a comparison of players and what they did on the field when they played. Some believe you can compare any player straight across the board no matter the decade. My argument is that you cannot do that because today's players are bigger, stronger, and faster for the most part.
Context is everything.
Point taken. You're right that you can't say that Jim Brown could do today, what he did in the 50s, and 60s. But, transport Brown, or someone with the same size, speed, strength, and talent, forward, and train him as they do today, and watch out. Look what Andrian Peterson was able to do today. I would suggest he's Jim Brown like, faster yes, a determined runner like Brown, but not quite Jim Brown. Although he's the only one today who reminds me of Brown in many ways.
re: Jim Brown
If you take his phenomenal, natural physique... and give him him a 2017 training regimen, he'd be putting up 2,000 yard seasons.
Also, remember that Brown was an outspoken about civil rights during the volatile late-50s / early-60s. He has told stories about how after almost every single play, someone did something cheap to him (stepped on his hand, twisted his fingers, punched his groin). I know, I know: cheap plays happen... but, Brown was targeted.
So many great RBs on the list. Why list them in any order. Plus, then you have to compare OLs, era, running style, etc. Honestly, if everyone was so much slower in Brown's era, how would they ever have caught a guy like Barry Sanders?
And despite all that he never missed a game. Not one game in 9 seasons.
People complained that the Browns over used Jim Brown. Paul Brown replied, "when you have a big gun, you shoot it".
Rarely does a man live up to his legend. In this case Brown was everything his legend has made him out to be.
Last edited by BostonBlackie; 06-28-2017 at 05:14 PM.
As to Jim Brown. IMO the greatest football player to ever play the game. I have no doubt that a 24 year old Jim Brown would be the best back in the game today.
As to the omission of Franco Harris. Ridiculous! Gil Brandt obviously has lost his "fastball". Seriously Franco had the tools to be a great player in any era. As far as his skipping out of bounds, almost always after he gained first down yardage. He was very clever in the way he did this insomuch as the yards he "forfeited" were of little value. People forget when the Steelers were the NFL's dominant team opposing coaches always took the mentality to try to shut down Franco first. He's he the offense funneled through. Not Bradshaw, Swann , or Stallworth. The 76 greatest Steelers defense ever possibly the greatest defense ever owed a lot of it's dominance to Franco. The team was 1-4 with Bradshaw playing virtually all the snaps. Of course as we know Joe Turkey Jones spiked TB which forced the Steelers into playing the virtually worthless Mike Kruceck at qb. The guy couldn't throw the ball more than 10 yards practically. Anyway week after week Franco, Rocky and the Steelers o-line would dominate against stacked defenses. They controlled the ball and helped the defense stay fresh.Of course then in the playoffs Franco racked up 138 yards in the first half against a very strong Colt team in Baltimore in helping the Steelers destroy the Colts 42-14. But he fractured his ribs in the process and with he and Rocky unable to play in Oakland the Steelers possible best team ever couldn't compete with a great Raider team in Oakland. Anyway if you go through any old newspaper clips of the day you see opposing coaches such as John Madden and Bum Phillips speak of Franco with awe and reverence. He was a first ballot Hall of Famer for a reason.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Brandt is based and often wrong.
He did list John Henry Johnson at #16 overall, and he played for the Steelers the longest during his travels.
Brandt's DT picks are a real jokes, Aside from his #1. William Perry rates highly. Be warned.
http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap30...es-of-all-time
Story:
My buddy & his girlfriend (now wife) had an apartment at SDSU. Every Saturday night, he & I would play spades against his gf & one of her friends... and, we'd talk all kinds of smack. We. Were. Brutal.
So, one night, she introduces her partner: La'Roi Glover. Aside from the fact that he was THE man on the football team, he was really big (nice, but big). Fast-forward to him kicking our asses for a few hours, and my friend's gf talking all kinds of smack... and she asks us: "You two are quiet tonight; what's wrong???"
Perhaps. I don't know if he'd be as dominant even with a 2017 training regimen, but I'd think he'd be the top or one of the top RBs today. Basically, Jim Brown was probably fify-five years ahead of his time. As to everything else you mentioned, I'm sure that took a major toll on him psychologically. It makes me wonder if that's part of the reason he quite at the pinnacle of his career. I don't think people realize how much that type of thing can wear on a person.
I figured he tried to go for the "big bucks" in Hollywood - even star players in the NFL back in the day weren't exactly millionaires. Found this interesting tidbit:
Read more: Jim Brown Quits Football for the MoviesJim Brown Quits Football for the Movies
July 13, 1966
LONDON (AP)-Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns, of the National Football League, the leading ground-gainer in pro football history, will announce his retirement today. The 30- year-old fullback will make the announcement at a news conference here, where he is making a motion picture. Although Brown still has one year to go on a two-year contract at a salary reported to be $60,000-plus a year, he has decided to step out at the top of his career.
$60K in 1966 would be a little over $450K in today's dollars, which also shows how much NFL salaries have inflated over the years. I'd love for the Steelers to be able to get away with paying Bell or Brown $450K a season.
Some of those NFL players were taking other jobs (selling insurance for example) in the offseason in those days.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/inde...on_was_wo.html
Lou "The Toe" Groza sold insurance. Guard Chuck Noll was a salesman for Trojan Freight Lines in Dayton. Paul Warfield co-owned a Firestone tire outlet.
Even fullback Jim Brown, the league's marquee name and one of the Browns' highest-paid players at $85,000 his last year, worked as a marketing rep for Pepsi-Cola between seasons.
"All of our guys worked," said former Browns guard John Wooten, who spent several off-seasons teaching math at Cleveland's Addison Junior High. "Nobody just sat around and 'worked out.'"