Originally Posted by
steelreserve
Of course they weren't. That's the difference between eras. Put Emmitt Smith or Adrian Peterson up against opponents where the defensive linemen are almost the same size as the running backs, and also they play funky shit like a 5-2 defense with a middle linebacker at nose tackle, and also their best player works as a garbageman Monday through Friday, and also there are fewer games ... and that's good for an extra 5 TDs and 600 yards projected. Put someone like Bettis or Edgerrin James in there who really is the same size as the linemen, and that's probably a better comparison.
Now put Jim Brown on a team today, where the defenders outweigh him by 80 or 100 pounds but aren't any slower than the ones in the '60s, and also he has to play 30% more games. Do you think that projects better or worse than blowing away every current record?