Posted on 09/14/2005 2:23:26 PM PDT by One Proud Son
QUARTERBACKS: (1) Johnny Unitas (2) Dan Marino (3) Joe Montana RUNNING BACKS: (1) Jim Brown (2) Walter Payton (3) Barry Sanders WIDE RECEIVERS: (1) Jerry Rice (2) Don Maynard (3) Randy Moss DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: (1) Joe Greene (2) Howie Long (3) Randy White LINEBACKERS: (1) Dick Butkus (2) Jack Lambert (3) Mike Singletary DEFENSIVE BACKS: (1) Ronnie Lott (2) Paul Krause (3) Ken Houston
Could you cover him? Could anyone you know cover him?
Bradshaw had what Joe Namath had -- charisma.
"Otto Graham's record as a winner is unparalleled in Professional Football. That is the mark of a great quarterback."
No, that is the mark of a great team. The quarterback doesn't have to be the leader. (cough, cough, Baltimore Ravens, cough)
"There was contact on every play," he said. "You got the stuffing beat out of you, not like this pantywaist stuff today." - Chuck Bednarik
He's better.
Not more talented...just better.
I really didn't want to chime in on this, but I can't help it. Tom Cruise IS a homo. He had an affair with a Mexican porn star, who revealed it to the tabloids. Cruise sued him for defamation. Later the suit was dropped. The point being: lawsuits like that are publicity stunts that try to take the air out of the "rumours" in the tabloids. Everyone knows that truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Which is why Cruise had no case against his lover. His lover told the truth. I mean I guess he could always come back and say that he's still not a homo, but at that point I'm not sure what the definition is....
"...How could you leave off LT for linebacker?..."
He was out snorting a rail.
But just realize something here. If you look at all the other defensive players on the Giants in the late 1970s and early 1980s, you won't find very many of them who got noticeably better after LT showed up in 1981. Harry Carson was one of the top linebackers in the league before LT got there, and Brad Van Pelt didn't suddenly get better at his left outside linebacker position just because LT started playing on the right side.
"...I would put Sweetness number 1 for durability, and considering the fact for most of his career he didn't have decent offensive lines to work with. Scary to think what he could have done with a decent OL...."
Yur're right. Had he had a decent O line, Emmitt Smith may never have broken his record. I still blame Mike Ditka for not allowing Peyton an oppurtunity to score a td in Super Bowl 20. He should have had the one the Fridge got and maybe the one Jim McMahon got.
Joe Montana #1
No question
There are a lot of great men that don't get that sort of recognition for being great men.
But feel free to explain how being good at football ranks even close to the sacrifice Davy Crockett made at the Alamo.
Unless Campbell did something similar that I'm not aware of, it is an insult to the word "hero"
I don't mean to take anything from Campbell's accomplishments. I'm sure he's a person worth emulating. However, being good at a sport and being a swell guy does not, IMO, put one in the same category as Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, et al.
I've met Jerry Kramer a couple of times in Green Bay when I've traveled up for games. Great guy, always friendly. Took photos with us and signed my original copy of "Instant Replay".
That's your subjective opinion. The point is that the Giants' defense got noticeably better with the arrival of LT. Let's look at the record: Taylor was named first-team All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons. He was selected to play in 10 Pro Bowls and in 1994 was named to the NFLs 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Starting in Taylors first season, the Giants began a 10-season streak in which they made the playoffs six times and won two Super Bowls. This was quite an improvment over the previous ten years during the 1970s. LT was the difference maker in a team sport. Carson and Van Pelt became more productive because LT was attracting double and triple teams.
Point well taken.
He's better.
Not more talented...just better.
Please display his stats. and compare them to Marino's!??!
Sorry...stats don't capture everything my friend.
If you believe Marino is better...so be it.
As far as I'm concerned...it's not even a contest.
I've heard many stories from people who've met Jerry Kramer and not one of them was what I would call a Keyshawn/Randy Moss/Ray Lewis moment.
OK, so he didn't die at the Alamo, didn't lead a military campaign against Santa Anna, and he wasn't considered the Founding Father of Texas. But a Earl Campbell's life story is quite remarkable and highlights so many of the great things about what it means to be an American. He was one of eleven kids whose parents raised their children to appreciate the values of faith, honesty, integrity, and hard work. His father worked on a rose farm by day and at a nearby K-Mart store by night.
Earl's father died suddenly at a young age, and the family endured quite a lot of hardship as they struggled to make ends meet. All eleven kids matured at a young age, and they all pitched in to help the family survive. Many of them worked in a flower shop that his mother opened after her husband died (the origin of Earl's nickname "The Tyler Rose"). Earl attended segregated schools as a kid and became a great high school athlete despite the difficulties and outright animosity he faced at the time ths school was being desegregated.
In later years you'd never hear him complain about growing up in that environment, though.
After his retirement from football, Campbell started a business selling his trademark sausages, ribs, and barbecue sauce. He's also served as an "ambassador" of sorts for his alma mater, the University of Texas. A rags-to-riches story that exemplifies everything that is great about America.
Here's an interesting quote that I found from an interview a few years ago:
"It's sad that we can't let a team pray before a game as a unit or say a prayer before a basketball game. But we have to encourage our kids to be Christian people and to get up and go to church. I heard one guy who said his son couldn't kneel and say, "Thank you, Lord," after a touchdown because the referee would throw a penalty on him. There is something wrong in our legislature and government when we take prayer away from kids while we want them to know there is a Christ, the Devil and things you can't do. When we had prayer in the schools, we didn't have so much trouble with kids. I was thinking this morning as I was driving to work and telling God that I thanked him so much for my wife and my kids and for them being in choir rehearsal and prayer meeting, because that is where it all starts. Until our government gets prayer back in schools, I think we are going to lose our kids."
Is Earl Campbell a hero? You bet your @ss he is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.