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Author	Topic: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (Top Five)
DarthIntegral Title: Manager -SWC -Arena -Forum Feud Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 3/10 5:22pm Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	Darth Dark Helmet posted: darth_gersh posted: E. Smith should be in top 10 players of all time. Holds several records. Same goes to Brett Farve. Not Smith, even with the record, I'd still put him no higher then 3rd best RB, maybe 4th behind Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and possibly Jim Brown. Wait. Are you trying to say that Jim Brown is only possibly the 3rd best RB of all time? My friend, Jim Brown is the greatest running back of all time. And while I'll put Payton and Sanders ahead of Emmit, I'll also put OJ ahead of him, and possible a few others. -----signature----- halibut gave me 15 respect points I think he's just trying to bribe his way towards victory in Forum Feud Sey's big brother "Faith will bring a way to the impossible"
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Armenian_Jedi Registered: Mar '03	Date Posted: 3/10 5:40pm Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	yeah I didn't notice the "possibly" part when I QFT'd that post. top 5 RB's IMO: 5. Eric Dickerson 4. Ladainian Tomlinson 3. Walter Payton 2. Barry Sanders 1. Jim Brown -----signature----- 4-8-15-16-23-42 ~Member of One Mic~ Brandon Webb Cy Young watch: W-L: 19-6 IP: 192.0 H: 174 K: 160 BB: 51 ERA: 3.19 DBacks: 71-68 1st in NL West
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yankee8255 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 3/11 12:30am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	No way Dickerson. Great talent, but I wouldn't want him on my team, period. Too selfish, too many fumbles. I'd put Smith behind Brown and Payton for sure, but it's a tough call for me with respect Sanders. Sanders could break a big play at any time, but Smith was great at getting the 1-2 tough years you needed for a crucuial first down. As I said before, to me, Smith is way too low. I wouldn't put him in the top 20 overall, but certainly ahead of Dickerson. -----signature----- A perfect world: a house in the Hamptons with two solaria and a horse named Prickely Pete, Dr. van Nostrand as my primary care physician, the O-OT legally available on DVD in a quality worthy of its greatness and Luke the undisputed hero of Star Wars
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tom Registered: Mar '04	Date Posted: 3/11 1:32am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	i just want too say dick butkus ftw. the only footage that's as amazing and fun too watch from nfl history as dick butkus footage is jim brown footage and maybe gale sayers footage. the guy was an absolute beast.
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darth_gersh Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 3/11 6:26am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	E. Smith was a way better blocker than B. Sanders. Sanders was horrible as a blocker and wasted many of 3rd downs because of it. In fact the Lions lost a playoff game because of his blocking. E. Smith was a way better all around player than Sanders. Sanders was a way better pure runner but lacked in many other areas of the game. Plus Sanders didn't have any heart, he quit the game because his team sucked and he quit on his team mates. Emmitt Smith never quit on anyone. -----signature----- Bring on the Wookiee! "All things truly wicked start from innocence". Ernest Hemingway Save the Great White Sharks! Crash's site soon to be up http://sharkconservationsociety.org I'm a Map Geek!
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yankee8255 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 3/11 7:29am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	darth_gersh posted: E. Smith was a way better blocker than B. Sanders. Sanders was horrible as a blocker and wasted many of 3rd downs because of it. In fact the Lions lost a playoff game because of his blocking. E. Smith was a way better all around player than Sanders. Sanders was a way better pure runner but lacked in many other areas of the game. Plus Sanders didn't have any heart, he quit the game because his team sucked and he quit on his team mates. Emmitt Smith never quit on anyone. Thank you, Gersh, for backing me up on Smith, who has gotten lambasted in here for weeks. (Though I don't agree about your comments regarding Sanders lack of heart.) -----signature----- A perfect world: a house in the Hamptons with two solaria and a horse named Prickely Pete, Dr. van Nostrand as my primary care physician, the O-OT legally available on DVD in a quality worthy of its greatness and Luke the undisputed hero of Star Wars
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Darth Dark Helmet Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 3/11 12:21pm Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	Barry Sanders retired after 10 or 11 season in the NFL. The great majority of RBs don't last that long. I think the average career for a RB is 3-4 years. But if they do play longer, 10-11 is about the time when their bodies really start to break down, and they start to lose a step. Sanders knew that, knew that with his style of running, losing a step could lead to a serious injury. Also, because of his style, his body hadn't been through as much punishment as other backs, so he could retire now, at his peak, and live a fairly pain free life, unlike others RBs who spend the rest of their lives with hip, leg and back problems. Look at Earl Campbell, I don't think he can even walk anymore. So I don't fault Sanders at all for walking away when he did. And I stand by my top three. I put it: 1. Payton 2. Sanders 3. Brown They are all very close though. -----signature----- When dealing with genocide, you must ask yourself, "What would Hitler do?" And then, you know, do the opposite.
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Onoto Title: Risk Host Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 3/11 1:16pm Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	1. Jim Brown 2. Who cares? Jim Brown is the greatest ever, and that's all there is to say. Not that stats are everything, but the man averaged 5.2 yards a carry in an age where they didn't have short-yardage backs. In terms of talent and sheer domination, the only comparable players are Herschel Walker and Adrian Peterson, but neither of those guys have surpassed him. In fact, I don't think it's possible. -----signature----- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=29007905&brd=10264&replies=0 - I am currently hosting the C&G version of the classic wargame Risk. Stop by and see what's going on!
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Django211 Registered: Mar '99	Date Posted: 3/11 1:54pm Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	Herschel Walker?! In his entire NFL career he rushed for over 1000 yds only twice. His biggest legacy is being the focal point of a terrible trade that help build Dallas into one of the premiere teams of the 90s. When you talk about domination Walker's name should never come up.
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yankee8255 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 3/12 12:27am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	If we were talking colege, Walker is at the top of the list. If we're talking NFL, in the giant heep in the middle of the pack. -----signature----- A perfect world: a house in the Hamptons with two solaria and a horse named Prickely Pete, Dr. van Nostrand as my primary care physician, the O-OT legally available on DVD in a quality worthy of its greatness and Luke the undisputed hero of Star Wars
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DarthIntegral Title: Manager -SWC -Arena -Forum Feud Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 3/12 4:33am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	Onoto posted: 1. Jim Brown 2. Who cares? Best. Greatest. Running Backs. List. Ever. -----signature----- halibut gave me 15 respect points I think he's just trying to bribe his way towards victory in Forum Feud Sey's big brother "Faith will bring a way to the impossible"
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yankee8255 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 3/12 4:40am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	DarthIntegral posted: Onoto posted: 1. Jim Brown 2. Who cares? Best. Greatest. Running Backs. List. Ever. QFT. Anyone who even thinks of putting someone else ahead of Brown is on crack. -----signature----- A perfect world: a house in the Hamptons with two solaria and a horse named Prickely Pete, Dr. van Nostrand as my primary care physician, the O-OT legally available on DVD in a quality worthy of its greatness and Luke the undisputed hero of Star Wars
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RX_Sith Title: Monopoly host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 3/12 6:30am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 5-1)
	Alright. Here are the Top Five players. 5. Johnny Unitas - "As long as the Colts have Unitas, they could put nine or 10 girls on the field and still win." 49ers coach Jack Christiansen, 1967, The Sporting New The distinctive stoop shoulders were sandwiched by crew-cut hair and black, high-top shoes. You couldn't help but pick Johnny Unitas out of a football crowd. And you couldn't help but admire his extraordinary ability to pick apart defenses with commanding, unwavering confidence. He never backed down from anybody over 18 NFL seasons, building an unsurpassed reputation for toughness while gaining status as one of the most fabled stars in league history. Johnny U. was a master craftsman, an unlikely looking athlete who overcame physical limitations with impressive intangibles. He wasn't fast, but he knew when and how to run. His arm was not as strong as some, but he threw with remarkable touch and timing. Most of all, Unitas had courage, coolness under fire and the ability to lead, a quality Baltimore teammate John Mackey acknowledged when he said, "It's like being in the huddle with God." The no-nonsense Unitas was a pocket passer who was peerless when it came to standing in against the rush and delivering the ball at the last instant before contact. He also was a play-calling genius who could mentally dissect a defense, make the perfect audible and get the ball to the right player. He was in complete command when a game was on the line and was masterful at driving his team against the clock, an ability that vaulted him into prominence when he led the Colts to their classic overtime victory over the New York Giants in the 1958 title game. Unitas was the most decorated passer in history when he retired in 1973 after one season in San Diego. He left with then-record totals of 2,830 completions, 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns, but he'll always be remembered for the 47 straight games in which he threw at least one TD pass -- a still-standing record. Johnny U., a 10-time Pro Bowl choice, played on four NFL championship teams and one Super Bowl loser. 4. Lawrence Taylor - "When God created a running back, he created Walter Payton. When he created an outside linebacker, he created Lawrence Taylor." Longtime NFL assistant coach Johnny Roland Hall of Famers shook their heads in disbelief, opponents eyed him with nervous anticipation and fans marveled at the way he threw big, tough players around like rag dolls. When Lawrence Taylor stepped onto the field, everybody noticed. The riveting eyes, imposing glare and intimidating, perfectly sculpted body were merely appetizers for the savage rage he would unleash on every play. Taylor's reputation was such that he could disrupt a game plan without moving one of the well-defined muscles on his 6-3, 237-pound frame. New York Giants opponents would look for him out of the corners of their eyes, listen for him and sense his presence. Linemen forgot counts, quarterbacks dropped snaps and blockers jumped offside. When LT did go into action, he could dominate capable linemen, chase down ballcarriers on both sides of the field and fight through triple-team blocks to record one of his patented quarterback takedowns. Taylor jumped into the NFL spotlight quickly, earning NFL defensive player of the year honors as a rookie in 1981. By his second season, he already had become the standard by which future linebackers would be judged. He made pass rushing a function of the position and literally changed the way defense was played, prompting former Raiders coach John Madden to call him "the most dominant defensive player I've ever seen." His search-and-destroy abilities were fueled by an anger that might someday be matched but never surpassed. He produced sacks in double digits for seven consecutive seasons (1984-1990), including 20 1/2 in 1986, when the Giants advanced to their first Super Bowl title and Taylor was named NFL Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He is the only defensive player to win the award. With Taylor as a driving force, the Giants also won the Super Bowl after the 1990 season and reached the playoffs seven times in his 13 seasons. He finished his career in 1993 with 10 Pro Bowl citations and 132 1/2 sacks. 3. Joe Montana - "I just hope now they'll stop saying, He's right up there with the best. He's the greatest big-game player I've seen, period." former 49ers center Randy Cross, after Super Bowl XXIII, 1989 His gunslinger name fit the calm, calculating manner in which he shot down opposing defenses. It was part of the Joe Montana charisma, a mystique that permeated the NFL for 15 successful seasons. He was Joe Cool, the man who revived a franchise, carved out a Super Bowl legacy and built a reputation as the greatest pressure quarterback of all time. Montana was a football surgeon, an artist who could carve up a defense with patience and relentless precision. His arm strength and speed were only slightly above average, but his quick feet and quicker mind were perfect matches for San Francisco and coach Bill Walshs complicated short-passing offense. He seemed to have a sixth sense that allowed him to evade rushers and could throw on the run with uncanny, mistake-free accuracy. Montana, who piled up big yardage, high completion percentages and victories while throwing to Jerry Rice and a host of other talented receivers in the 1980s, might have combined all aspects of quarterback play better than anyone in history. He was a great passer (40,551 yards in his career, 5,772 in postseason play), a dangerous scrambler (1,676 yards, 20 touchdowns), a masterful play-caller and an unquestioned leader. While assembling a 92.3 career passer rating (second to Steve Young on the NFL list), Montana took the postseason-starved 49ers to four Super Bowls, won them all and claimed a record three MVPs. The image of Montana, executing a near-perfect drive in the final moments of a big game, will forever be etched in the fabric of NFL history. He led 31 fourth-quarter comeback victories, including playoffs, and his late-game heroics lifted teammates to higher performance levels. When the eight-time Pro Bowl selection left San Francisco after an almost two-year layoff with elbow problems, he came back and led Kansas City to the AFC championship game before retiring after the 1994 season. 2. Jerry Rice - "If you put (the ball) out there anywhere near him, he'll adjust at full speed and get it. With him, you can concentrate on the rest of the play; the throw is the easiest part." Former 49ers quarterback Jeff Kemp, 1986, The Sporting News Its hard not to notice Jerry Rice. He's an eye-catching combination of size, speed and agility -- the long-armed No. 80 who reaches over the top of defenders to make a catch or blows past them with graceful explosiveness. He's a marked man, the player every defensive game plan has been designed to stop for 14 NFL seasons. But no secondary has been able to accomplish that feat against "the best receiver in football history." Rice doesnt just beat defensive backs, he destroys them. Hes fearless over the middle, sure-handed in a crowd and fluid in patterns with an extra gear that gives him separation from swift cornerbacks. Rice is not a sprinter, but he has what former San Francisco teammate Ronnie Lott calls "game speed," the ability to explode into the open when it matters most -- on Sundays. And he has big, soft hands that pluck passes effortlessly. A workaholic who is obsessive about running routes with absolute precision, Rice also is known for his grueling offseason workout routine. Its no coincidence that Rice's chiseled 196-pound body has been durable, whether he's operating as equal parts possession receiver, gamebreaker and blocker. Or that his quiet intelligence has been a perfect fit for the sophisticated 49ers offense and quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young. It all revolves around a sterling work ethic. The numbers are hard to fathom. As he enters the 1999 season, Rice owns virtually every major receiving record, regular or postseason. His 17,612 receiving yards are 3,608 ahead of his nearest challenger; his 1,139 catches are 199 ahead; he has 164 receiving touchdowns, 12 1,000-yard seasons, season highs of 1,848 yards and 122 catches. "He is not a normal human being," former teammate Randy Cross once said. Rice, a 12-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl MVP, also has been a member of three 49ers championship teams. 1. Jim Brown - "He told me, Make sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts. He lived by that philosophy and I always followed that advice." John Mackey, 1999 He came, he saw, he conquered. And then, like a thief in the night, he disappeared from professional football with every rushing record known to man. Many have been re-established, but the legend of Jim Brown remains as powerful as the body-scattering runs that lifted him to prominence as the Cleveland Browns ultimate offensive weapon from 1957 to 65. He was, simply, the greatest pure runner in the history of the NFL. Brown was a physical masterpiece, a gift from the football gods. His 18-inch neck, wide shoulders and 45-inch chest tapered down to a 32-inch waist and massive thighs that carried him around the field with the grace and power of a jaguar. Brown ran with head high, nostrils flaring, legs pumping and powerful arms swatting away tacklers like flies. He was an amazing combination of power and speed who could juke past slower defenders or run over linebackers and defensive backs. A multisport star at Syracuse, he stormed through the NFL as a 1957 rookie, running for 942 yards and posting the first of eight rushing championships he would claim over a nine-year career. His yearly rushing totals would become the standard for future runners to aspire: 1,527, 1,329, 1,257, 1,408, 1,863, 1,446 and 1,544. The beauty of Brown was that everybody knew he was going to get the ball, and the opposing team still couldnt stop him. The nine-time Pro Bowl choice was equally intimidating off the field, where his menacing glares, in-your-face attitude and outspoken views often were interpreted as resentful and rebellious. He played the game without emotion, the same way he delivered the shocking 1965 news that he would retire, at age 29, while filming a movie in London. He left at the top of his game, the proud owner of one championship ring (1964) and 20 NFL records that included rushing yards (12,312), yards per carry (5.2) and rushing touchdowns (106). Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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yankee8255 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 3/12 6:53am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	That looks about right. Love the quote about Unitas. -----signature----- A perfect world: a house in the Hamptons with two solaria and a horse named Prickely Pete, Dr. van Nostrand as my primary care physician, the O-OT legally available on DVD in a quality worthy of its greatness and Luke the undisputed hero of Star Wars
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Shrapnel Registered: Apr '05	Date Posted: 3/12 10:05am Subject: RE: The Sporting News Top 100 Greatest NFL Players (#s 10-6)
	Montana to Rice, what a team! -----signature----- In confusion, there is opportunity
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