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re: How would the best football teams from decades ago do today?
Posted on 5/1/25 at 6:31 pm to captdalton
Posted on 5/1/25 at 6:31 pm to captdalton
It’s not like the 80’s or 90’s defenses weren’t running press coverage, the Achilles heel of modern offenses dependent on timing.
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Posted on 5/1/25 at 6:44 pm to Lizardman2
quote:
The size and athleticism across the board is astronomically different today.
Just out of curiosity, I googled some of the best players of previous years to see how little they really were.
Lawrence Taylor: 6’3” and 237 pounds
Jerry Rice: 6’2” and 200 pounds
Joe Montana: 6’2” and 200 pounds
Jim Brown: 6’2” and 232 pounds
Walter Payton: 5’10” and 200 pounds
Reggie White: 6’5” and 300 pounds
Tony Gonzalez: 6’5” and 247 pounds
Anthony Munoz: 6’6” and 278 pounds
Deacon Jones: 6’6” and 272 pounds
Jack Lambert: 6’4” and 220 pounds
Bruce Smith: 6’4” and 262 pounds
Mike Singletary: 5’11” and 230 pounds
Joe Greene: 6’4” and 274 pounds
John Hannah: 6’2” and 265 pounds
Ozzie Newsome: 6’2” and 230 pounds
Steve Wisniewski: 6’4” and 305 pounds
I don’t think any of these guys would be too small or unathletic to play today. In fact, they look just about the same size as the current best players at their given positions. With current training and nutrition I am sure some of the offensive linemen would be bigger. But a lot of offensive linemen today are too big to be as agile as some of those old pulling guards of the 70’s. I think the idea that players today are so much bigger and more athletic is a myth at least since the 1970s.
Posted on 5/1/25 at 7:15 pm to UFFan
quote:
I think that people greatly underestimate how much football has improved over the years.
I think people overestimate how much football has improved over the years. Especially on offense. Here is the first team NFL Pro Bowl team from 35 years ago versus last year. Can you really say that the team from 35 years ago can’t compare to the current players?
1990 / 2024
QB: Joe Montana, Warren Moon /Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy
RB: Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders/Raheem Mostert, Christian McCaffery
WR: Jerry Rice, Andre Rison/Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb
TE: Keith Jackson, Rodney Holman/George Kittle, Travis Kelce
C: Kent Hull/Jason Kelce
G: Bruce Matthews, Steve Wisniewski/Quenton Nelson, Chris Lindstrom
T: Jim Lachey, Anthony Munoz/Laremy Tunsil, Trent Williams
DE: Reggie White, Bruce Smith/Myles Garret, Montez Sweat
DT: Jerome Brown, Refrigerator Perry/Quinnen Williams, Aaron Donald
ILB: Pepper Johnson, John Offerdahl/Roquan Smith, Fred Warner
OLB: Derrick Thomas, Charles Haley/Micah Parsons, Danielle Hunter
CB: Rod Woodson, Darrell Green/Patrick Surtain, Sauce Gardner
S: Joey Browner, Mark Carrier/Justin Simmons, Budda Baker
I would take the team from 35 years ago.
Posted on 5/1/25 at 7:20 pm to captdalton
quote:
Jack Lambert: 6’4” and 220 pounds
I’d love to see these dudes look across the line and see this mean toothless man staring them down….
Posted on 5/1/25 at 7:59 pm to JayAg
Which would be cool if each school's Engineering college designed their players.
Posted on 5/1/25 at 8:02 pm to MtVernon
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Which would be cool if each school's Engineering college designed their players.
I don’t think any player of any era would want to see Earl Campbell coming at them full bore…..
Posted on 5/1/25 at 10:43 pm to UFFan
quote:
How would the best football teams from decades ago do today?
i dunno, but one thing's for sure. Today's best football teams would be curled up in a corner crying for their safe spaces were they transported back to when they played real football.
This post was edited on 5/1/25 at 10:44 pm
Posted on 5/1/25 at 11:16 pm to bamabaseballsec
I wish football would lose the weight and go back to the sizes of the mid to late 70s.
None of them had big guts and had much better endurance.
None of them had big guts and had much better endurance.
Posted on 5/1/25 at 11:26 pm to captdalton
None of the players of today have the endurance of the players of that era.
Posted on 5/1/25 at 11:32 pm to UFFan
quote:
How would the best football teams from decades ago do today?
How would the best football fans from a decades ago do today?
Posted on 5/1/25 at 11:33 pm to captdalton
They are bigger today but that doesn't necessarily make them physically stronger and faster or better.
Football players have physically peaked decades ago and now we have a bunch of fatasses on our teams.
Football players have physically peaked decades ago and now we have a bunch of fatasses on our teams.
Posted on 5/1/25 at 11:36 pm to dchog
quote:
Football players have physically peaked decades ago and now we have a bunch of fatasses on our teams.
Does this apply only to Arkansas and some other lesser teams?
Posted on 5/2/25 at 12:41 am to UFFan
I think it would depend on the rules. If you used 1995 rules, Nebraska would clean up.
Posted on 5/2/25 at 12:44 am to redeye
Posted on 5/2/25 at 12:57 am to UFFan
The average size of player in the trenches has increased. Linebackers are faster...todays teams would win easy
Posted on 5/2/25 at 12:58 am to Clark14
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I don’t think any player of any era would want to see Earl Campbell coming at them full bore…..
He is 232 at 5 11'...
Rocket Sanders is 10 pounds heavier. He wouldnt be special.
Posted on 5/2/25 at 1:01 am to captdalton
quote:
bigger and more athletic is a myth at least since the 1970s.
The average Oline weight in 1975 according to google was 255....Today its 315.
Posted on 5/2/25 at 1:26 am to UFFan
I guarantee you the players today could not go without water in the summer heat like the old school guys were forced to do.
Brutal.
Brutal.
Posted on 5/2/25 at 7:48 am to UFFan
Given the same training, strength and conditioning programs, and nutrition they would do just fine.
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