Manhattan Buckeye wrote:
"Your saying that the Pats would destroy 72' Miami and I said congrats,"
LOL I'm saying the 2009 Ohio St. team would destroy the 1972 Miami team! With a few exceptions (maybe Morris, maybe Csonka) there isn't a single Dolphin that would play in the NFL today. What is their average lineman giving up in weight, 40, 50 lbs?
I said it in the other thread, but here's what to consider, particularly as it relates to the 1972 team.
- Pretty much every NFL player understated their weight intentionally at the time
- A player from 1972 playing today would be able to devote his entire life to football and conditioning rather than needing to take jobs during the offseason
- A player from today playing in 1972 would actually use training camp to get into shape since the offseason couldn't do that
- A player from today playing in 1972 would have to deal with the following:
1) Inability to open hands and extend arms to pass protect
2) Receivers being chucked 25 and 30 yards down the field
3) Crackback blocking
4) Head slaps
- A player from 1972 playing today would be able to have the following:
1) Water breaks
2) Modern nutrition
3) Modern conditioning
The assertion that "the worst modern players would destroy the best of 30 years ago" is both incredibly disrespectful and beyond idiotic. For one thing, it doesn't follow anything resembling logic.
Why? Because if it did, it would inherently make true the statement that the players of today would destroy those of 10 years ago, who themselves would destroy those of 10 years previous (20 years ago), who themselves would destroy those of 10 years previous (30 years ago), and so on. This is ENTIRELY based on the idea that the players playing the game have continuously been evolving and developing into the pinnacle of sport history.
But this collapses for a good reason: it's illogical. It inherently states that a player from Year X will be rendered obsolete by Year X + 10 because so many improved players have entered the league. Barring that, it assumes that the player will simply be relegated to bench duty for the same reason. But how many times has this actually happened?
The ONLY times in sports history where this has actually happened is in the infancy of a league or in the case of unique circumstances that cast talent across many strata (which usually has coincided with the infancy of a league). If what you say is in fact true, there would be no such thing as a player with a solid 20-year career because the natural evolution would push him out the door long before that (particularly in a salary cap league that inherently favors youth over higher-priced experience). There would be no such thing as a 14-year veteran having a terrific year since the rest of the league would have evolved and surpassed what his maximum abilities are.
Since this has never happened in over 100 years of professional sports with the exception of "the very beginning", you have no case and no leg to stand on.