100 Years Of The NFL - Who's The Best Player You've Ever Watched?
As a Bears fan, I was able to see all of Walter Payton's games on TV, and a few in person. There is no doubt in my mind that he was the best football player of his era. It's a little hard to compare 35 or 40 years ago with today, athletes in every sport constantly grow bigger and faster, but there was only one Walter Payton. You always knew he was giving 100% effort on every play, even when the Bears were already out of the playoff race.
Payton only missed one game in 13 NFL seasons, and that was when the coach held him out of one the early games when he was a rookie in 1975.
When Payton first came into the league he would sometimes do handsprings to get back to his feet after being knocked out of bounds. Payton never ran out of bounds, he would always try to stiff arm the tackler by the sideline. Today I see players run out of bounds without contact and it is kind of sickening.
Who is the best NFL player(s) in your opinion.
The NFL is 100 years old this season.
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On defense I would say Lawrence Taylor or Ray Lewis.
There was only one LT. Others may follow but none will compare.
I think it's probably Tom Brady. I know people are tired of the Patriots, and Brady benefits from a great system, but he really is that good. He always has been.
I like you less now.. LOL
Oh, I take no pleasure in my assessment. As a Dodger fan, I was also forced to admit that Barry Bonds was the best player of his generation and one of the all-time greats.
I love great defensive backs and would have to go with three that were all Raiders. Willie Brown, Lester Hayes, and Mike Hanes...Brown and Hanes are in the Football Hall of Fame. Lester isn't and that is a crime. His states are worthy of a bust in the hall.
Offensive players would be Jim Brown, Marcus Allen, and Eric Dickerson all running back and all in the HOF.
I'll stop now. LOL
I'm always tempted say to Eric. He was so big and strong, and yet quick and versatile. He was a friend of the family when he was with the Rams, so I might be biased.
I watched the Lions and the Cardinals today...Larry Fitzgerald at 36 years old is still a marvel...One of the greatest receivers of all time. A world class wide receiver and later in his career switching to a slot receiver....
Had a touchdown catch today to go with 7 other catches I believe.
The Raiders probably had the best defensive secondary at the time. But I'll put Kenny Houston with them and I'm not even a Redskins fan.
I don't know, but Lester Hayes had a pretty strong rep for "stickum" all over him. Maybe that is a ding against him?
Barry Sanders.
Yep!
What Barry sanders accomplished with no offensive line makes him far better than Peyton or Smith.
And a bad team. Both Smith and Payton played on good teams most of their careers. SB champion teams.
It's not even close IMO on that alone.
After Ditka came in 1982 (I think it was) the Bears got good. For over half of Paytons career (his peak years) he played on teams that were mediocre at best. The Bears never had a top shelf QB until McMahon arrived in 1982, halfway through Payton's career. Sanders was great, but I dont think he was quite Walter Payton.
You're biased for your man, understandable. Love me some Payton and no doubt sweetness is up there but you can't even compare the two in their era's. The Lions have sucked for over 60 years. Certainly ALL of Barry's years. Not true for Walter. The Bears were very good for much of his career.
I bet if you could ask Walter and asked Emmitt they would both agree Barry could have had ALL of the NFL rushing records had he wanted to. He more or less left in the prime of his career. Certainly he had several more years in him. Lots of speculation as to the real reasons why but i think it was because he was tired of the Lions doing little to nothing to support him. He said as much in his autobiography.
Had he played for the Cowboys or even the Bears during his time he would own ALL the rushing records.
No doubt in my mind.
From 1989 until 1998, which is all ten years of Barry Sanders career , the Lions were 78 wins and 82 loses. Sanders retired after his 10th season.
They were basically a 500 team during Sanders time there.
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From 1975 until 1983, the first nine years of Walter Payton's career, the Bears record was 61 wins and 70 losses. (The totals dont add up to an average of 16 games per season because there was an NFL players strike during the 1982 season).
If anything the Bears were a little worse during Payton's first nine years than the Lions were during Sanders 10 years.
It is true that during the last 4 years of Paytons career, 1984-87, the Bears were one of the best teams in pro football, with a record of 50 and 13 (and one tie).
Tell me something i don't know John. You're basically saying the same thing i am as far as Walter being on a better team.
Give Barry three years on one of the best teams in the NFL, roughly equivalent to what Walter got percentage wise, and he would own ALL the rushing records.
Do you honestly have any serious doubts about that possibility? I bet Walter wouldn't.
Sid Luckman, Chicago Bears. "Master of the T-Formation". Under George Halas, revolutionized Pro Football by making it primarily a passing offense game.
(Yes, I am that old).
Enoch, Recalling that in 1940 Luckman led the Bears to route the Washington Redskins 73-0 to win the title.
73-0.
Not subtle.
Dick Butkus and Tom Brady
I saw Butkus play in what I think was his last season. I think '74 on a trip back home during a pre-season game.
He really couldn't run by then and had visible trouble walking. He controlled the line of scrimmage.
Which leads me to Randy White. Played at Maryland and was drafted number 2 overall. Landry wanted him to play linebacker. He played defensive tackle at Maryland and wanted nothing to do with linebacking. On top of that he held out of training camp. This put him straight in Landry's dog house.
In one game, Bob Lilly, right side defensive tackle got injured. White went straight to Landry and told him it was time for him to play.
Landry put him in, almost expecting him to fail, the rest was history.
On offense? Since I was paying attention to the Cowboys at the time, I have to say Tony Dorsett. Heck, the guy played part of a season with a broken bone in his back and I think still made 1,000 yards.
Though I would have to give Chuck Foreman, a Frederick, MD athlete a runner up for toughness.
Leonard Ray Dawson (born June 20, 1935) is a former American football quarterback and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . He played 19 seasons for three professional teams, the last 14 seasons with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs , and played college football at Purdue University .
Dawson led the Texans/Chiefs to three American Football League Championships ( 1962 , 1966 , 1969 ), and a victory in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings , for which he won the game's MVP award . Dawson retired from professional football after the 1975 season, [1] and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. He is former sports director at KMBC-TV in Kansas City and former color analyst for the Chiefs Radio Network. Dawson owned the Chiefs single season passing touchdown record which he set in 1964 with 30 touchdowns. The record stood until November 11, 2018 when Patrick Mahomes threw his 31st touchdown of the 2018 season.
Lenny was a quarterback and a great one at that.
Emmitt Smith, thank you very much.
Emmitt Smith was a poor mans Barry Sanders!
Emmitt was fortunate to be on a team that was not afraid to pay for a winning combinations of players. Sanders played on a team that was a write-off for the Fords. They had NO desire to follow such a template. But don't believe me ..... look at the results.
Switch their teams and Emmitt wouldn't even be top five and Barry may be GOAT. Certainly GOAT running back.
Walter Payton.
There is no discussion.
Sweetness was great but not as sweet as Sanders. And experts agree.
You can make a statistical argument for Sanders and he was more elusive than Payton.
However, as an all around football player it is Payton , with ease.
He is one of the best blockers ever to play the running back position. He threw 8 touchdown passes in his career from the running back position. He played QB for a game when Jim McMahon was injured. It was said that Payton could punt the ball farther and higher than the teams punter, whoever it was.
He is the best all around football player ever.
Rudy Ruettiger
So are we going by stats or?????
Blocked by the NFL.
Damn pikers!
Okay, how about these highlights?
If you don't have time to watch all ten minutes at least watch the last half. No one made tacklers miss better. Barry was amazing!
TOM BRADY
( GO PATS ! )
and
Larry Csonka (Dolphins Perfect Season)
It does pain me to say this but Brady is the GOAT.
I think he's made a deal with the Teufel ....