Quote Originally Posted by Patler View Post
Even as recent as then, officiating wasn't as nit-picky as now on late hits or the type of tackle made. Continuing after the whistle to finish a tackle was tolerated if not excessively late or excessively rough. What was done to get a guy to the ground wasn't scrutinized except for face mask grabbing. The "horse-collar" tackle was OK until 2005. Illegal contact rules in pass coverage were more lax than today. If rules and enforcement had been the same then as now, I think he would have gotten a lot of penalties.
True - unless he would have been able to modify his style. I'm not sure if he could have, but perhaps he could. He'd have had to learn how to hit in the particular way this is acceptable now.

But he still coulda blown up Marshawn Lynch.