I Used To Think Peyton Manning Was The GOAT........

Discussion in 'New York Jets' started by The Dark Knight, Feb 7, 2018.

  1. The Dark Knight

    The Dark Knight Well-Known Member

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    But, today I was watching highlights and film from the 1968 Jets season and it got me to think: Quarterbacks from THIS generation would not have survived a single Half in those days. Maybe not a drive.

    Peyton, Brady, Rodgers, etc would not have stood a chance. Namath was getting crushed literally on half of his passing attempts. Still throwing perfect rockets down the field too. So I looked at other footage at that time and it happened every game. In the AFL and NFL.

    You saw what happens to Brady any time he is slightly pressured: he becomes terrible. Just like every other QB. But in those days it was standard practice. So how can you fairly judge a Joe Namath and a Johnny Unitas with a Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers? Even Joe Montana took brutal hits on a regular basis.

    You can also reverse it and say Namath threw for 4,000 yards in those conditions, imagine what he could have done with the rules today?

    I have always loved Peyton Manning and considered him the best, but in reality it is ridiculous to claim someone is the greatest of all time. I wanted to make this thread to also ask the old timers on this board how do they watch the NFL these days? It's so different. How do you evaluate QB's?

    Side Note: The Raiders were some dirty bastards back then. That 68 AFL Title game was one for the ages!
     
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  2. NYJetsO12

    NYJetsO12 Well-Known Member

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    Yep Namath and Montana would be in several SB today easy

    I think Montana is not really tied with Brady from what you pointed out

    With his many SB Joe M is the GOAT
     
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  3. NY Jets68

    NY Jets68 Well-Known Member

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    The NFL has, in general, become pussified. I understand the rule changes to protect players health, but FFS, in the SB just about every single incompletion to Gronk he came up flailing his hands and about screaming for a flag. Dude, have some freakin' dignity. And it's not just Gronk, most WR do this bit of theatrics. It's pathetic.

    And I don't want to even get into the prissy dancing around in the end zone after a TD.
    "Act like you've been there before."
     
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  4. jonnyd

    jonnyd 2007 TGG.com Funniest Poster Award Winner

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    The rules have been pussified no doubt but the players are wayyy fater, bigger and stronger so I not sure Joe Namath would do as well as the OP says. Comparing eras is ridiculous
     
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  5. Since1969

    Since1969 Well-Known Member

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    Case in point. Look at this hit Ben Davidson of the Oakland Raiders put on Namath in 1967. [​IMG]
     
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  6. forevercursed

    forevercursed Well-Known Member

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    That's why all this GOAT stuff is utter BS. Stat comparisons are not the gospel, and neither are championships really. The position and game of football have changed so much.

    The greatest QB I've ever seen is Marino. To me he was better than Brady. And why would I lie I hated Marino too.

    Can you imagine back in the day throwing a pass, getting chased down well after the throw and getting clubbed in the head, and likely concussed. Oh yea then you have to get up and call your own play, not look at your stupid wrist guide.

    If the Oakland Raiders of the 60's and 70's reanimated in their prime and took on Brady they would brutalize him. All of that quick timing stuff and pick plays they do would be broken up and spit on. And then Tatum would kill another one of their receivers.
     
  7. TwoHeadedMonster

    TwoHeadedMonster Well-Known Member

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    It's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

    I think Unitas had single games where he got hit more than Brady has in 18 years of NFL football.
     
  8. The Dark Knight

    The Dark Knight Well-Known Member

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    Yep. Can't be compared. Saying that though, you would assume Namath would be bigger, faster, stronger too. Just can't be properly done.

    I was just trying to say that I have been in so many Manning vs. Brady Greatest Of All Time arguments, but it is ridiculous to say. If people do want to compare quarterbacks, it should be generation to generation. People saying Brady is the GOAT have driven me nuts the past few years. Then watching old highlights today, it made me even more upset! I gained a new respect for Namath and older QB's though. Not sure why all that clicked today, but it did.
     
  9. NY Jets68

    NY Jets68 Well-Known Member

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    Gee, I wonder if Joe went on social media and whined like a bitch about it...

    "...when Namath was asked after the game how his cheekbone had been broken, he said, ''I had a tough steak at the pregame meal.''
     
  10. Peebag

    Peebag Well-Known Member

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    Unitas got hit in a game against the Bears in the early 60's where he received something like 20+ plus stitches to his face. he did not come out of the game and led his team to the win in the last few minutes.

    Dudes back then were tough.
     
  11. Cidusii

    Cidusii Well-Known Member

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    Greatest of the Decade (GOTD)? Greatest of the Generation (GOTG)? Doesn't quite roll off the tongue like GOAT haha.

    I agree that it's way too hard to compare across generations.
     
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  12. forevercursed

    forevercursed Well-Known Member

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    Namath is misunderstood nowadays. He had the quickest release in NFL history. His arm was among the best ever with some saying the best ever. His knee issues were severe. The pain he suffered with throughout his career was no joke. He played in incredible pain. He was operated on right after college and was given maybe 4 years.

    When he did get on the field for some of those wretched post 1970 Jets teams he had to try to do it all by himself. The talent was fading, drops plentiful, the team was in decay.

    If Namath played in todays league he would have the advantages of modern surgical methods to make his knees good as new. He'd have an OC to lighten his load calling plays. If he got hit or if his receivers got hit over the middle it's a personal foul. He wouldn't have to deal with the Shea winds or atrocious turf.

    He would absolutely feast in todays game

    You put him behind the Patriots line and in that scheme, there is nothing Brady does that he wouldn't be able to do. Except he'd have a better arm.
     
  13. forevercursed

    forevercursed Well-Known Member

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    Now it's the concussion protocol tent

    People were tougher back then. And coaches were real tough SOB's. Buddy Ryan grew up in the dust bowl during the depression and then killed people in Korea. If you're celebrating a touchdown or a sack down 45-7 then you're getting the Gilbride treatment
     
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  14. Brady has taken his fair share of hits as it pertains to the modern game which is much more polished & toned down.The thing I’d give him the most credit for is durability. That said he gets pampered by the refs.Pass rushers are forced to hold back in obvious passing situations fearing a penalty.

    Additionally the offensive system has gotten the ball out of his hands very quickly. Such an offense had not yet been conceived nor would it have succeeded w. The freedom defenders had in the 60’s & 70’s to be physical w receiving options

    Namath,Unitas,Tarkenton,Lamonica,Dawson..all tough as nails & very distinct unique styles of play. Everyone of them could have won big in today’s game & gone toe to toe w Brady. I know he catches flack for the lack of hardware but I think Jim Kelly & those early 90s Bills teams would have given the Patriots fits;Might’ve even blown them out
     
    #14 KurtTheJetsFan, Feb 7, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 7, 2018
  15. statjeff22

    statjeff22 2008 Green Guy "Most Knowledgeable" Award Winner

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    Don’t forget also that back then receivers got mugged on every play, so getting 4000 yards was monumentally more difficult than doing it today.

    Impossible to compare eras, but there’s no doubt that the gunslingers of the 60s get downgraded because of the style of the game then - a 40 yard interception was genuinely viewed as the same as a punt, and people just didn’t call 4 yard slant plays that padded the completion percentage very often.

    Namath is also a special case because of the injuries - he was amazingly talented, but handicapped from the time he came to the NFL. It’s like Sandy Koufax - how good would everyone think he was if he had had Tommy John surgery and come back for another 5 years? With modern surgery Namath could have been a lot more like Rodgers than we can possibly imagine.
     
  16. TwoHeadedMonster

    TwoHeadedMonster Well-Known Member

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    What's the story about Landry's B-17 taking flak with all engines out over enemy territory--the whole crew had their chutes on and were lined up ready to jump, but he sat there feathering the fuel mixture until they finally fired back up....

    That's just how I remember the story off the top of my head. I try to picture how a guy like that would feel about TD dances and all the theatrics trying to get refs to throw a flag after every incomplete pass.....
     
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  17. ColoradoContrails

    ColoradoContrails Well-Known Member

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    People also overlook the fact that today there's a 16 game season, back then it was 10. Do a basic extrapolation (I know, I know, not necessarily the most accurate method, but for simplicity's sake): 4000/10 = 400 yards per game...now 400 X 6 extra games + 2400...4000 + 2400 = 6400 yards. Has Brady or Manning done that?

    Do the same thing with RBs. Jim Brown - who I believe was the BEST RB ever - accumulated his yardage in 10 games and retired after 10 years. No RB comes close to him when you look at those factors.
     
  18. forevercursed

    forevercursed Well-Known Member

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    It can be argued Brown was the greatest NFL player of all time

    He was a force of nature. His final NFL season at 29, if you pro rate over 16 games would've been

    1,764 rushing yards, 19td, 5.3ypc, 38 receptions 374 receiving yards 4td's
     
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  19. ColoradoContrails

    ColoradoContrails Well-Known Member

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    I agree. In a way he was like the Babe Ruth of football, taking the game to another level. Not quite Ruthian, but close.
     
  20. Zach

    Zach Well-Known Member

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    Remember. Mel Blount rule was not enforced during that era either. [That came in the late 70's.]

    Brady in that era might not survive the training camp. And he would have looked like a total shit, I might have to add.


    Lyle Alzado might have a career day with Brady as the opposing QB. Along with Howie Long.

    And nothing comes to or through the middle of the field - that part of the field is owned by this LB named Ted Hendricks.

    Last, but not the least: good luck throwing deep. Lester Hayes might just pick it off for him.
     
    #20 Zach, Feb 8, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2018

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