the official **** the vikings thread

[Sparky]

yeah i wish i could find good footage of those old guys on youtube but the most you get is like 2 minute clips or some lame melodramatic fluff piece on espn.

AP is without a doubt the greatest I've seen. I like Eddie George a lot as a kid, but doesn't come close

[FRED HALE SR.]

Originally Posted by Sparky

yeah i wish i could find good footage of those old guys on youtube but the most you get is like 2 minute clips or some lame melodramatic fluff piece on espn.

AP is without a doubt the greatest I've seen. I like Eddie George a lot as a kid, but doesn't come close

I think the only way to get extended good footage of those guys is to buy the old nfl films. I tend to dislike the ball fluffing videos myself. I'd compare AP'S running style to BO JACKSON, hard to bring down and by you in a heartbeat if you miss the angle.

[Bloozcrooz]

Taking nothing away from the greats before Peterson, but I think with the way the game has evolved Peterson is more impressive. The schemes, and substitutions, and just overall athletes themselves are on a different level in todays NFL. Deffenses are faster, bigger, and stronger than they were back then and the science of game planning only adds to the complexity and difficulty rb's see today. At the end of the day you still have to execute the fundamentals, but I would venture to say that some of the greats of yesterday might not find it as easy to run through the Ray Lewis's and other stars of todays NFL.

[FRED HALE SR.]

Originally Posted by Bloozcrooz

Taking nothing away from the greats before Peterson, but I think with the way the game has evolved Peterson is more impressive. The schemes, and substitutions, and just overall athletes themselves are on a different level in todays NFL. Deffenses are faster, bigger, and stronger than they were back then and the science of game planning only adds to the complexity and difficulty rb's see today. At the end of the day you still have to execute the fundamentals, but I would venture to say that some of the greats of yesterday might not find it as easy to run through the Ray Lewis's and other stars of todays NFL.

I'll take my chances with the Bears 46 defense of 1985 and a tandem of the Juice and Brown.

[Bloozcrooz]

Originally Posted by FRED HALE SR.

I'll take my chances with the Bears 46 defense of 1985 and a tandem of the Juice and Brown.

Again not taking anything from the greats before him. Obviously the 85 Bears remains one the best deffenses of all time and I'm not disputing that. But that was a team at a time when one team usually was dominant every year over the rest of their conference and sometimes the entirety of the NFL as a whole. Before free agency came along some teams benifitted more than others building teams and remained at the top year in and year out. I think the league today has a more "its anybodys super bowl" feel to it and the amount of talent out there is spread more evenly. On any given Sunday a nobody team may suprise what some would consider the elite. Of course this was some what true back then as well but on a much smaller scale than today imo. There were a lot more Jacksonville Jaguar like teams back then than today to me. The Patriots I think are the only ones in todays modern era who people really never count of contention but other than that its anybodys ring. Again this is just my opinion.

[FRED HALE SR.]

Originally Posted by Bloozcrooz

Again not taking anything from the greats before him. Obviously the 85 Bears remains one the best deffenses of all time and I'm not disputing that. But that was a team at a time when one team usually was dominant every year over the rest of their conference and sometimes the entirety of the NFL as a whole. Before free agency came along some teams benifitted more than others building teams and remained at the top year in and year out. I think the league today has a more "its anybodys super bowl" feel to it and the amount of talent out there is spread more evenly. On any given Sunday a nobody team may suprise what some would consider the elite. Of course this was some what true back then as well but on a much smaller scale than today imo. There were a lot more Jacksonville Jaguar like teams back then than today to me. The Patriots I think are the only ones in todays modern era who people really never count of contention but other than that its anybodys ring. Again this is just my opinion.

I'd agree that there is more semblance of parity then there has ever been in the NFL in todays age. But that doesn't mean the top tier players are necessarily that much better then the greats of past generations. I don't buy that anybody in the current NFL was in better shape coming to the NFL then say Herschel Walker was coming out of Georgia. Guys have been running 40's slightly faster then back then, but what is the real difference between a guy running a 4.25 40 and guy running a 4.3 40. Even strength and agility tests from the combines from past eras rank very closely with the newer guys coming into the league. I'd say if these guys were blowing away and shattering combine totals from past eras the way Usain Bolt is blowing away guys 100 meters records then something could be said, but its not exactly happening that way. I will say I think strength and conditioning equipment has really evolved into something on a much higher scale which helps. I do think AP is gonna shatter some records, just that I think its too early to call him the best at this moment in time.

[Bloozcrooz]

Originally Posted by FRED HALE SR.

I'd agree that there is more semblance of parity then there has ever been in the NFL in todays age. But that doesn't mean the top tier players are necessarily that much better then the greats of past generations. I don't buy that anybody in the current NFL was in better shape coming to the NFL then say Herschel Walker was coming out of Georgia. Guys have been running 40's slightly faster then back then, but what is the real difference between a guy running a 4.25 40 and guy running a 4.3 40. Even strength and agility tests from the combines from past eras rank very closely with the newer guys coming into the league. I'd say if these guys were blowing away and shattering combine totals from past eras the way Usain Bolt is blowing away guys 100 meters records then something could be said, but its not exactly happening that way. I will say I think strength and conditioning equipment has really evolved into something on a much higher scale which helps. I do think AP is gonna shatter some records, just that I think its too early to call him the best at this moment in time.

No he is not achieved the title "best ever" yet but the potential is there. To answer your what is the differnce between a 4.25 in the 40 and a 4.3 in the 40. I think the difference between the two is a missed tackle,touchdown, and just flat out creating space between the opposer on both sides of the ball.

[Bloozcrooz]

Chris Johnson who runs the 40 in 4.24 seconds broke one tonight for 94 yards in 10.7 seconds, and it wasn't a straight line run. In honor of the kids lost in the CT incident he had signed all the names of the kids lost on his shoes. Say what you will but I myself like Chris Johnson.

[Forward To Death]

The players today are better. They're trained brtter, they are faster, stronger, quicker, and much more intelligent in a football sense, because the schemes are more complex.

For example, DEs are running 4.4 40s now, and they can have 35 inch verticals, so they can create pressure and block passes (see JJ Watt and Brian Robison).

Seriously, OL even run 4.6 40s, and there are way more WRs hitting 4.25-4.3, and these guys are 6'4 and 6'5. The tall receivers back in the day were running the 40 in 4.5 or 4.6.

FBs are able to run, catch and block. TE's are freak athletes, and more and more dual threat QBs are emerging. The league has evolved at an insane rate, and I'd say the worst teams today could destroy the Dolphins or Bears teams that everyone claims are the best.

With that said, I don't see any point really conparing eras, and I'd still consider the Dolphins or Bears the two best teams ever.

[Bloozcrooz]

Heres Chris Johnsons run I talked about earlier...dont blink.