[Quickkickonthird]

I don't assume that yesterdays athletes are always better! I also don't assume that today's athletes are always better. I do think lots of people that write and talk about sports assume that today's athletes are better but they are not using common sense when they think that! Take the Shot Put it's a test of human power and strength, the world record in the Shot Put was set almost 25 years ago! Its the same for the high jump, discus, an hammer throw and the list goes on and on. Common sense tells me that if today's athletes can't break those world records then it is stupid to assume they are better for some mystical reason. Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor are athletes that transcend time! IMO the greatest QB in the NFL history played during the White/Taylor period of the NFL and that is Joe Montana. We all know that Montana won 4 Super Bowls but also has that stats from a time when the QB was not protected so much. In today's game you can't hit the QB in the head or below the knees or in the knees. or helmet to helmet IMO there is only a handful of QBs in the NFL that could have been successful QB's in Joe Montana's NFL! Guys like Tony Romo wouldn't even make a NFL team. Bill Belichick described Bert Jones as the best pure passer he ever saw. Jones's career was ended on a Neck injury. Helmet to helmet hits will do that too you!

You make an outstanding point about L. Taylor and R. White. Im sure a case could be made that both were the best that ever played their positions. Taylor was one of those very rare players that changed the game. Chipping was basically started because of Taylor. I also like Belichick's comment on Bert Jones. I dont know if he was the best "pure" passer I ever saw but he was a heckuv a good one. One of my all time favorites, Mean Joe Green, was also among these type players. He was doubled practically every play. Pass rushing back then was easier on the D Line due to the Off Line having to keep their hands in to their bodies.

Just for discussion purposes, Taylor is #1 on my list of greatest players of all time. It is close between him and Deon Sanders. Sanders was, hands down, the best cover corner to ever play. Anthony Munoz is also on the list. He was simply overwhelming.