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re: Could an nfl team from the 70's
Posted on 1/18/26 at 4:44 pm to WHATDOINO
Posted on 1/18/26 at 4:44 pm to WHATDOINO
They did run that fast. Some of Texas’ best athletes come from that era. That’s just not even looking up strength and speed records for your own states. We had faster players on some 60’s and 70’s teams than we did in the 2010’s. DBs faster than most.
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Posted on 1/18/26 at 6:46 pm to Lsu2B
How much time would the NFL team have to prepare for the college team?
This is important because modern offenses would seem so complex and perplexing to NFL defenses for the early seventies. In the late seventies you did have some interesting offenses (Air Coryell, Shula's Miami teams).
Also, check out the size of offensive lineman in the seventies they probably averaged 6'4, 270-280 lbs. They might get overpowered by a good defensive front. Remember John Hill, starting center for the Saints in the late seventies? He weighed all of 250 lbs.
This is important because modern offenses would seem so complex and perplexing to NFL defenses for the early seventies. In the late seventies you did have some interesting offenses (Air Coryell, Shula's Miami teams).
Also, check out the size of offensive lineman in the seventies they probably averaged 6'4, 270-280 lbs. They might get overpowered by a good defensive front. Remember John Hill, starting center for the Saints in the late seventies? He weighed all of 250 lbs.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 6:52 pm to Lsu2B
Jack Youngblood’s played the Super Bowl with broken leg. Now if they have a cough they sit out. No way. 70’s smoke, drank and were bar room brawlers. Put them in Pittsburgh with the weather and college wouldn’t come out at half time.
This post was edited on 1/18/26 at 7:29 pm
Posted on 1/18/26 at 6:54 pm to WhiskeyThief
He would run over everybody and do it twice. Ran like man possessed.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 6:58 pm to 756
Mean Joe Green, LC Greenwood, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, Mike Webster, Donnie Shell would destroy them.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 7:02 pm to BigUglies10
I can't believe this is actually a discussion. We're talking about men who played with broken bones for Pennies vs kids more concerned about posting on tik tok. Imagine a current college linebacker trying to tackle an earl campbell or Walter Payton.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 7:06 pm to rebsfan10
They’re saying there was better OL than Upshaw, Shell, Hannah, or Slater? LOL
This post was edited on 1/18/26 at 7:29 pm
Posted on 1/18/26 at 7:41 pm to rebsfan10
Earl Campbell would break their neck - imagine Whit Weeks tackling him.
This post was edited on 1/18/26 at 7:43 pm
Posted on 1/18/26 at 8:50 pm to BigUglies10
The 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers had 10 Hall Of Famers on their team alone! 5 on defense and 5 on offence. If they played by 1970's rules than after a few bad hits. College players would quit playing to save themselves from being killed or hurt too bad to play football ever again. Do you think a Jack Lambert , Mean Joe Greene or Jack Tatum would not still tackle a QB that is sliding. Not knowing that you can't hit a QB sliding. Those old NFL players played hurt and were tough. How many old NFL players had brain trauma from playing? If they played by modern rules than college may have a better chance but how many of these old Hall of Famers defensive guys will get frustrated after the 3 or 4th flag on them. And if a ref tried to throw them out on targeting than they most likely would just head butt the ref! Also, even today they don't have targeting in the NFL.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 9:02 pm to Lsu2B
Depends. Do they get to play with the 70's rules or today's rules. It would make a difference.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 9:19 pm to Lsu2B
(no message)
This post was edited on 1/18/26 at 9:38 pm
Posted on 1/18/26 at 9:22 pm to Lsu2B
Might as well ask if a pre integration team could beat a modern team…and the answer is of course.
Posted on 1/18/26 at 10:03 pm to JayAg
Just for reference, and this is not a dig to my LSU friends, go back and watch the regular season and national championship games between Alabama and LSU in 2011.
I promise you guys, you’ll be shocked at the level of physicality during the entirety of those two games and now. The NFL talent on the field those two games is unbelievable.
There’s no way of convincing me that a 60s-70s team could have beaten either of those two teams. Physically the older teams would have held up for a bit, but no freaking way they are withstanding players like Upshaw, Rueben Randle, Reid, Blue, Richardson, CJ Mosley, Mingo, Beckham Jr, Landry, Barron, Mathieu, Spencer Ware, Eddie Lacy, Dre Kirkpatrick, Hightower, etc etc. And I’m only naming the “skill”/“star” players.
Hell, that fullback for LSU, Copeland (I think his name was), would demolish those undersized lbs
All of those guys I mentioned were immediate starters in the NFL and had long successful careers.
OLs and DLs were incredible too. And I’m not even mentioning the advancement of the skill set for place kickers, punters, and ST units.
Either one of those two teams would have dominated a 60s-70s NFL team, and by any set of rules.
If you disagree, go watch the 2011/2012 championship game. Takes a quick YouTube search.
The killer instincts and physicality of both teams is astonishing and the lack of “targeting” or “unnecessary roughness” penalties, will make you feel like you’re watching a game from before the 80s.
Now, a 2025 college team may get smoked by an old NFL team. But I consider modern year 2000-ish +
I promise you guys, you’ll be shocked at the level of physicality during the entirety of those two games and now. The NFL talent on the field those two games is unbelievable.
There’s no way of convincing me that a 60s-70s team could have beaten either of those two teams. Physically the older teams would have held up for a bit, but no freaking way they are withstanding players like Upshaw, Rueben Randle, Reid, Blue, Richardson, CJ Mosley, Mingo, Beckham Jr, Landry, Barron, Mathieu, Spencer Ware, Eddie Lacy, Dre Kirkpatrick, Hightower, etc etc. And I’m only naming the “skill”/“star” players.
Hell, that fullback for LSU, Copeland (I think his name was), would demolish those undersized lbs
All of those guys I mentioned were immediate starters in the NFL and had long successful careers.
OLs and DLs were incredible too. And I’m not even mentioning the advancement of the skill set for place kickers, punters, and ST units.
Either one of those two teams would have dominated a 60s-70s NFL team, and by any set of rules.
If you disagree, go watch the 2011/2012 championship game. Takes a quick YouTube search.
The killer instincts and physicality of both teams is astonishing and the lack of “targeting” or “unnecessary roughness” penalties, will make you feel like you’re watching a game from before the 80s.
Now, a 2025 college team may get smoked by an old NFL team. But I consider modern year 2000-ish +
This post was edited on 1/19/26 at 4:25 am
Posted on 1/19/26 at 12:06 am to EasternShoreTider
quote:
All of those guys I mentioned were immediate starters in the NFL and had long successful careers.
Yes, 2011 Bama and LSU had multiple players that started in the NFL, but the NFL teams each had 22 NFL starters. When you think of football think of match-ups. It's not all about physical metrics; what kind of a football player you are is more important. Jamarcus Russell threw a football through the goal posts from his knees at midfield. A lot of good it did him. And the NFL teams had quality football players at every position. No college team can match up with an NFL team across the board, and it's a team sport. An NFL team would expose every one of those weaknesses.
Posted on 1/19/26 at 4:18 am to EulerRules
Certainly no question at all that a current NFL team could beat a current college team (or really any college team in the history of the sport).
But this topic is about teams from two completely different eras…
When looking at matchups, just take the 1970 Cleveland Browns for example. They went 7-7, so I feel that’s fair - not the best and not the worse that year.
Review their starting roster, players skill sets, and most importantly height/weight. If you think they’d beat a 2011 bama/lsu when comparing the rosters, then idk what to tell you.
I don’t care if the 70s players were “meaner”, there were some pretty bad dudes on the bama/lsu Dline in 2011. The 1970s Browns wouldn’t be able to block them all game given the glaring size and speed differences. And that’s only one aspect, not even mentioning the differences between speed and twitch of the WR and defensive back groups from that era and the 2011 teams I referenced.
I’m just trying to prove the point that a specific modern day college team could hypothetically beat a single NFL team from the 70s. Would the college team win the Super Bowl, highly doubtful, but I guarantee you the college teams I discussed could beat a middle of the road to poor nfl team from 1970 for the reasons above.
Oh and Jamarcus Russell is a bad comparison considering he wasn’t on the lsu roster in 2011. But that’s besides the point.
But this topic is about teams from two completely different eras…
When looking at matchups, just take the 1970 Cleveland Browns for example. They went 7-7, so I feel that’s fair - not the best and not the worse that year.
Review their starting roster, players skill sets, and most importantly height/weight. If you think they’d beat a 2011 bama/lsu when comparing the rosters, then idk what to tell you.
I don’t care if the 70s players were “meaner”, there were some pretty bad dudes on the bama/lsu Dline in 2011. The 1970s Browns wouldn’t be able to block them all game given the glaring size and speed differences. And that’s only one aspect, not even mentioning the differences between speed and twitch of the WR and defensive back groups from that era and the 2011 teams I referenced.
I’m just trying to prove the point that a specific modern day college team could hypothetically beat a single NFL team from the 70s. Would the college team win the Super Bowl, highly doubtful, but I guarantee you the college teams I discussed could beat a middle of the road to poor nfl team from 1970 for the reasons above.
Oh and Jamarcus Russell is a bad comparison considering he wasn’t on the lsu roster in 2011. But that’s besides the point.
This post was edited on 1/19/26 at 4:37 am
Posted on 1/19/26 at 8:35 am to Lsu2B
quote:
Could an nfl team from the 70's beat a modern college team
Like anybody could know that Napoleon....
Posted on 1/19/26 at 8:56 am to Draconian Sanctions
If they played by the NFL rules in the 70s a college quarterback, running backs and receivers might last for two series.
Posted on 1/19/26 at 9:09 am to Lsu2B
It's a good question, and I don't know why so many people are dismissing the question. It doesn't matter how much grit or toughness #64 had. He wouldn't have stood a fricking chance.
This post was edited on 1/19/26 at 9:12 am
Posted on 1/19/26 at 9:15 am to Violent Hip Swivel
quote:
It's a good question, and I don't know why so many people are dismissing the question. It doesn't matter how much grit or toughness #64 had. He wouldn't have stood a fricking chance.
I disagree. The men back then were built different, and Brown would truck anyone on the planet today just as he did back then.
This post was edited on 1/19/26 at 9:19 am
Posted on 1/19/26 at 9:40 am to Lsu2B
The rule sets would matter.
I'm also curious regarding the speed of the game... the fastest NFL players of the 70s can keep up, but I'm not sure if a regular NFL defensive backfield is keeping pace with modern WRs.
I found this posted from a thread back in 2015; if true, I think the OL might have some issues dealing with a modern DL:
Does a 255lb guard stop a 300lb DT that can run a 4.9 40? Or a 280 DE that can run a 4.6?
I think an NFL team from the 90s beats any CFB team, but I think if you pit the best CFB teams (2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 2021 UGA, for example) against a regular 70s era NFL team (especially early 70s,), I think the CFB team wins. A regular cfb team vs a regular NFL 70s era team, though, and I think the NFL Team wins.
I also think the 2011 Alabama and LSU teams would win, as those defenses were bigger, stronger, and faster than anything those NFL offenses faced. Yes, a star RB from the NFL would be hard to stop, but at the same time they're probably getting hit in the backfield every single play; not to mention the DBs can play up as they are faster than most of the WRs of the era.
I'm also curious regarding the speed of the game... the fastest NFL players of the 70s can keep up, but I'm not sure if a regular NFL defensive backfield is keeping pace with modern WRs.
I found this posted from a thread back in 2015; if true, I think the OL might have some issues dealing with a modern DL:
quote:
In the 1920s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-0, 211 pounds.
In the 1930s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-1, 220 pounds.
In the 1940s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-1, 221 pounds.
In the 1950s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-2, 234 pounds.
In the 1960s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-3, 251 pounds.
In the 1970s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-3, 255 pounds.
In the 1980s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-4, 272 pounds.
In the 1990s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-4, 300 pounds.
In the 2000s, the average offensive lineman was 6-foot-4, 313 pounds.
In 2011, the average offensive lineman is 6-foot-5, 310 pounds.
Does a 255lb guard stop a 300lb DT that can run a 4.9 40? Or a 280 DE that can run a 4.6?
I think an NFL team from the 90s beats any CFB team, but I think if you pit the best CFB teams (2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 2021 UGA, for example) against a regular 70s era NFL team (especially early 70s,), I think the CFB team wins. A regular cfb team vs a regular NFL 70s era team, though, and I think the NFL Team wins.
I also think the 2011 Alabama and LSU teams would win, as those defenses were bigger, stronger, and faster than anything those NFL offenses faced. Yes, a star RB from the NFL would be hard to stop, but at the same time they're probably getting hit in the backfield every single play; not to mention the DBs can play up as they are faster than most of the WRs of the era.
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