NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - 2010 Offseason

[Al B. Sure!]

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LT had more receptions than Marshall Faulk ever had.

Faulk dropped too many balls.

1 year. Yeah LT deserves a lot of credit for being the 2nd best receiving RB since Faulk's heyday (Tiki Barber was a better receiving RB than LT though!)... but he really only had one year where he was as much a WR as an RB, compared to Faulk who was putting up #2 receiver or elite tight end numbers for years!

If a tight end had the receiving numbers of Marshall Faulk, he would be a hall of fame contender (I know, not 16 games for Ditka but still)...

Marshall Faulk: 6875 receiving yards
Kellen Winslow Sr: 6741
Mike Ditka: 5812

I'm sorry but you have an RB who has hauled in more receiving yards than Kellen Winslow Sr, AND ran for 12,279...

How is Marshall Faulk not in the conversation? Definitely in the top 10 of all time and better than LT.

[Al B. Sure!]

That guy was simply amazing to watch. Saw him in person, in his prime, back when the Bears played at Wrigley. (Yes, I'm that old.)

Gayle was born too soon, as his medical issues could be dealt with much more effectively even a decade later. Shame his career was so short.

I'm hesitant to include Gale Sayers in the conversation because of his shortened career. I understand that that wasn't a problem for the Hall of Fame committee and Sayers, from my understanding, was unlike anybody on the field in the late 60's. Still, yes I know this is a stretch but a guy like Bo Jackson was crazy explosive and injuries prevented him from ever reaching his potential. That doesn't mean Bo gets any extra credit.

Not saying Sayers wasn't one of the greatest of all time, but you can't call him the greatest for what could have been.

[Al B. Sure!]

[Exerting great willpower not to get sucked into the annual "best RB in history" thread... came oh so close... but so far, so good.]

Well if Ben wants to stop being a delusional fanboy and admit that LT is good but not Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith or Walter Payton good... then, we can talk about something else.

How about greatest QB in history? I have a pick that is sure to be controversial... greatest QB in history was Steve Young.

Seriously. Somebody want to prove me wrong?

[-Jrabbit]

I never claimed Sayers to be the best, ABS, and I won't join the battle.
Just saying he was absolutely electric to watch.

[ColdWizard]

That guy was simply amazing to watch. Saw him in person, in his prime, back when the Bears played at Wrigley. (Yes, I'm that old.)

Gayle was born too soon, as his medical issues could be dealt with much more effectively even a decade later. Shame his career was so short.

I'm somewhat younger so never saw him play and judged him only on his stats. With the advent of youtube and years of being browbeaten by my elders, I have changed my opinion quite a bit. Was he more exciting to watch than Barry Sanders? Not having seen Sayers prevents me from offering an (unbiased) opinion so I like asking others.

[-Jrabbit]

Sayers and Sanders had similar speed and elusiveness, but they were stylistically different, and Sayers had much better hands (both in terms or receiving and returning kicks). Sanders had a habit of hesitating, even giving ground, which created a lot of lost yardage. Sayers was more a north-south runner. They shared that ability for sudden change of direction in the open field. Sanders was better at bouncing off tackles, with his low center of gravity.

Comparing people based on stats, especially across different decades, is IMHO a fool's game.

[Lord Avalon]

Sanders had a habit of hesitating, even giving ground, which created a lot of lost yardage.

There was a reason for that: the Lions' OL was pretty crappy, so would-be tacklers often got into the backfield. While it might have been generally better to just lower his head and go forward, Sanders was always looking for something bigger, and while he often lost a couple yards, sometimes he'd fake people out of their jocks and make something out of nothing.

I wonder what his yardage total would have been if he had been behind a line like the Cowboys had. With a lot fewer losses, probably would have been #1. And if a better OL translated into actually winning a playoff game now and again, maybe he would have played longer, too.

[-Jrabbit]

LA, I agree, and this was not intended as a dis on Barry. I have extra respect for RBs on teams with bad O-lines and/or no other offensive weapons. Guys like Sanders and (for the pre-Ditka part of his career) Payton managed to put up consistently huge numbers with a bullseye on their jerseys.

AFAIK, Sanders has never really come clean about his sudden retirement. I always assumed it was frustration with the Lions organization. I remember how shocked I was that he didn't stick around to be the first to top Payton's yardage mark.

[Lord Avalon]

I think Sanders did explain why, though it wasn't till years later. He was frustrated with the Lions organization: letting OT Lomas Brown leave was one example, IIRC. Also the inability to build a team that would have playoff success: except for one win, when the Lions did make the playoffs (generally every other year), it was one-and-done. He was healthy, so what was the point in continuing to play? He didn't care about getting the most rushing yards and, also in honor to Payton, wouldn't keep playing just to beat that record.

[-Jrabbit]

Props to him, then. I love it when a great player leaves their sport on their own terms. Jim Brown is another example. Guys who hang around for a few more mediocre years, to chase a record, get 3,000 hits, etc., can be pretty sad.

[Lord Avalon]

Of course, it would have been better for the Lions if he had retired before the draft, rather than before training camp.

[ColdWizard]

Comparing people based on stats, especially across different decades, is IMHO a fool's game.

I've learned that as I've gotten older.

LA, I agree, and this was not intended as a dis on Barry. I have extra respect for RBs on teams with bad O-lines and/or no other offensive weapons. Guys like Sanders and (for the pre-Ditka part of his career) Payton managed to put up consistently huge numbers with a bullseye on their jerseys.

AFAIK, Sanders has never really come clean about his sudden retirement. I always assumed it was frustration with the Lions organization. I remember how shocked I was that he didn't stick around to be the first to top Payton's yardage mark.

I have his book. It's been a while since I read it but from what I remember he basically lost his love for the game as Lord Avalon has said. He did like that they finally gave him a fullback though

[SlowwHand]

Of course, it would have been better for the Lions if he had retired before the draft, rather than before training camp.

Maybe that's when he decided, this is enough. After another draft that wasn't going to help. I doubt that he felt like he owed them anything. They got all that he had to offer.

[Guynemer]

Yeah. I know a lot of fans were bitter at him for the way he left, but come the **** on. Like it's his fault they have sucked for my entire lifespan, as well as a couple decades before that.

[Al B. Sure!]

Props to him, then. I love it when a great player leaves their sport on their own terms. Jim Brown is another example. Guys who hang around for a few more mediocre years, to chase a record, get 3,000 hits, etc., can be pretty sad.

Tiki Barber

(although the giants won the super bowl the very next year so...)