Best football players you've ever seen (32 minimum games watched)

[Patler]

I don't remember the context, but even Nietschke stated that Butkus was better, or at least hit harder.

A player or coach comment I recall, don't remember who it was from, was that you could never stop Butkus from making a play, you could only hope to delay him in making it.

[Patler]

Butkus played the game differently than anyone I have ever seen. There have been a lot of physical tacklers, guys like Jack Tatum, Chuck Cecil and others who could blow up ball carriers regularly. At times, you see someone run over a blocker to make a tackle, but mostly you see them play off blockers to make the play, and some are exceptional at it. Butkus simply took a straight line to where he wanted to go, lowered his shoulder and ran over anyone in his way, even his own teammates at times. He hit blockers as hard as I have seen anyone hit ball carriers, and he did it play after play after play. He caused more violent collisions in every game he played than anyone I have seen, usually several on any running play. He abused opponents, in an almost sadistic fashion. I hated watching him play the Packers for concern about who he might injure.

For his time, he was huge, fast and quick. He had a knack for stepping over players on the ground, and on the rare occasions when he did get tripped up, he could pop up running like a much smaller man. Looked like a man playing against boys, kind of like the game when the Vikings had the idea of using a TE to block Reggie White on a couple passing plays, and White through him away like a sack of dirty laundry. The difference was that Butkus would lower his shoulder and knock O-linemen on their asses on his way to the ball carrier. Didn't matter who the blockers was.

[texaspackerbacker]

Butkis may have made an art of it more than any of those others, but back in the days, those who could did when it came to really lowering the boom on opponents. Nitschke absolutely was like that too and Jimmy Taylor on offense - fuck running around a DB, he'd take aim and plant the guy. Ronnie Lott was right there with the best (which is to say dirtiest by today's standards) too. Ask Stingley about that.

There's a quote from Butkis in the Wikipedia about him: "I never tried to actually hurt anybody - unless it was like a regular season game or something". Those were the days ......

[George Cumby]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nluXKFKxBuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-AJNnXVqiU

[Patler]

Butkis may have made an art of it more than any of those others, but back in the days, those who could did when it came to really lowering the boom on opponents. Nitschke absolutely was like that too and Jimmy Taylor on offense - fuck running around a DB, he'd take aim and plant the guy. Ronnie Lott was right there with the best (which is to say dirtiest by today's standards) too. Ask Stingley about that.

There's a quote from Butkis in the Wikipedia about him: "I never tried to actually hurt anybody - unless it was like a regular season game or something". Those were the days ......

I think you are confusing Ronnie Lott and Jack Tatum. Tatum is the one who crippled Stingley......in a preseason game.

[texaspackerbacker]

I stand corrected ...... but Lott was touch and dirty too.

[Patler]

Interesting, because I don't recall Lott being a dirty player at all, just very, very good anywhere in the d-backfield. Never felt that way about him. Always kind of liked him as a player.

I always thought of Lott as a physical player, but not in a dirty way, not at all like Tatum, who epitomized the brutality of the game in the '70s, when you could still layout receivers who failed to make a catch. Tatum did at every opportunity. I think the game had already begun changing by the time Lott came around in the '80s.

Wasn't Lott the player most of the scouting staff wanted when Starr ignored his staff and drafted Rich Campbell?

[KYPack]

Interesting, because I don't recall Lott being a dirty player at all, just very, very good anywhere in the d-backfield. Never felt that way about him. Always kind of liked him as a player.

I always thought of Lott as a physical player, but not in a dirty way, not at all like Tatum, who epitomized the brutality of the game in the '70s, when you could still layout receivers who failed to make a catch. Tatum did at every opportunity. I think the game had already begun changing by the time Lott came around in the '80s.

Wasn't Lott the player most of the scouting staff wanted when Starr ignored his staff and drafted Rich Campbell?

Starr was far in over his head when it came to draft selection and personnel evaluation. Starr's scouts wanted the Pack to draft Ronnie Lott with their number one pick. Most prominently Dick Corrick (the personnel head guy) had Lott flown into GB for a dinner prior to the draft. Lott knocked the interview out of the park bc he was Ronnie Lott. The morning of the draft, Starr told his scouts and coaches he had made the decision to go with Rich Campbell. Evidently, Hawg Hanner convinced Starr to go with Campbell instead of HOFER Lott. I have also heard other stories about this, but they all fall in line with Bart going with his gut and taking the advice of the last person he talked to instead of his personnel dudes.

I loved Bart but he was a so so coach and a horrible GM.

[George Cumby]

If Bart has picked Lott, it raises some fun ‘what if’ questions. Iirc those early 80’s defenses had some good players.

[Bretsky]

Starr was far in over his head when it came to draft selection and personnel evaluation. Starr's scouts wanted the Pack to draft Ronnie Lott with their number one pick. Most prominently Dick Corrick (the personnel head guy) had Lott flown into GB for a dinner prior to the draft. Lott knocked the interview out of the park bc he was Ronnie Lott. The morning of the draft, Starr told his scouts and coaches he had made the decision to go with Rich Campbell. Evidently, Hawg Hanner convinced Starr to go with Campbell instead of HOFER Lott. I have also heard other stories about this, but they all fall in line with Bart going with his gut and taking the advice of the last person he talked to instead of his personnel dudes.

I loved Bart but he was a so so coach and a horrible GM.

EXACTLY what I heard over the years as well. Starr wanted Cambell and all his scouts wanted Lott. And our scouts wanted Joe Montana too; we also ignored that one and I think we took at DL instead....Charles Johnson ? Unsure of the name but it would not surprise me if that is it

[HarveyWallbangers]

My Top 20

Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Walter Payton, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, Rob Gronkowski, Anthony Munoz, Reggie White, Randy White, Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Ronnie Lott

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

My Top 20

Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Walter Payton, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, Rob Gronkowski, Anthony Munoz, Reggie White, Randy White, Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Ronnie Lott

I guess it depends what attributes you value. Me, I would put Favre over Rodgers in terms of excitement, an attribute often overlooked yet very important to the game of football.

[RashanGary]

My Top 20

Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Walter Payton, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, Rob Gronkowski, Anthony Munoz, Reggie White, Randy White, Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Ronnie Lott

Faulk over Barry sanders.... Hmmm. And I'm a football guy but too young to see randy white. Shocked I never heard of him.

[RashanGary]

Cool to hear about the players from the 70s and 80s. Butkis is a guy I wish I could seen play. Definitely changes the list when some of you guys have seen Walter Payton, Jim Brown, Butkis, and others.

[RashanGary]

I shoulda put Montana on my list, but I was so young. I just remember the 49ers winning. I remember Lott and Montana being their most hyped players. For whatever reason rice just quietly broke every record and wasn't as big of a name as lott and Joe cool