Originally Posted by
steelreserve
I think it would probably narrow a hell of a lot. Like, there was not a lot wrong with Jim Brown by today's standards, but there was a lot wrong with defenses by today's standards, like really obvious things. You improve the competition a lot and Jim Brown a little, and I don't think you can project that he's going to be steamrolling everyone and winning rushing titles by 700 yards. Maybe he'd lead the league in rushing. Or maybe he'd get his shit ruined by 330-pound fat guys and be banged up all the time.
How about this - take the world's best swordfighter from today and put him in 12th-century England, and he'd probably get his shit ruined too because of the difference in eras. Not because he's "bad" at swordfighting, but because there were 500 times more people doing it, and they took it fucking seriously. Could he be the best if he trained the same as them? Maybe, but the odds would be like 1 in 500. That's just how that shit works.