Jim Brown, is he the greatest or overrated?

[STULAAKE]

in my lifetime Walter was the greatest I've ever seen...don't want to do a disservice to JB, but I never saw him play...

[JavaBuc]

I saw Walter play.  I think Barry Sanders was better.   

[sma2680]

There is no doubt in my mind if Jim Brown came about in today's game, with all the changes in strength training and nutrition, he still would have been the best player in the league. 

[ryan24]

it's not an embarrassment but rather an observation from watching many many highlights of his, and unless you are old as dirt you probably never watched him play live yourself to be so sure about it.

Dude, I am quite sure 4Bucs knows what he is talking about, and I am sure he watched him play...

well my mistake then because I did not know we had any 70 year olds posting on here, because my dad watched him play too and he is 75.

If you are in your mid fifties you could have seen him play. Brown was in another galaxy as far as playing vs. the players he played against. Basically the Babe Ruth of RB's.

Brown dominated his era, no doubt. But I have to ask how many 300 lb d-lineman did he run against? Were there any 250+ lb linebackers at that time? Greatest ever, i don't agree. LT is making quite a claim to put himself up there.

[watson]

I saw Walter play. I think Barry Sanders was better.

Java,
I liked Barry too, but the biggest difference for me was that Walter didn't take as many negative yard plays as Barry did.  Barry was fun to watch, but Walter was fun to watch run the ball and he had good hands too.

no doubt Jim Brown was one of the great ones in history, but based on the talent level and size of players the past 20+ years I will take Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, or Emmitt Smith over him.

[12thbuc]

Emmitt Smith is my pick for greatest runner of all time.

[ryan24]

This argument always is heard in just about every sport. "greatest" means so many different things to different people. Athletes continue to get better as the years go by. Based on the competition he played against, Jim Brown was the best RB in history.

How he would do vs. today's competition is almost irrelevant.

[Uncle Stan]

Ryan,

Very well said.

I am one of those older than dirt (81). Saw him play in that old miserable stadium on the shores of Lake Erie. Cold?  You don't know what cold is without suffering thru a game in that awful cold and Lake Erie wind filled concrete piece of garbage.

In his era, there was no one even close. Talk about pounding the rock-he broke it. He was very difficult to bring down. Not that it didn't happen, but I don't remember him ever being taken down one on one-he was too strong. He never quit.

[Rusty]

And Unc, he was dishing out the punishment on every play. he was and still is a mean SOB. I love that guy.

I guess it depends on the era you grew up in, because in boxing my dad is locked in on Rocky Marciano - period but I am more of a Sugar Ray Leonard or Oscar De La Hoya guy having grown up in the 80's. all are terrific champions but each one fought against & defeated whatever fighters were available & active during their respective eras(some were great ones and some were tomato cans).

[PoorRichard]

just spent about 10 minutes watching highlights of Jim Brown on the NFL Network and they were dubbing him greatest of all time, but is that really accurate? because in the highlights I saw a bunch of undersized or smallish looking players making many sloppy & lazy tackles as if they weren't trying hard, but I have a feeling that several of today's players would have turned his lights out & stopped him on alot of those runs.

Thats kind of the point...to be considered the 'greatest' you have to play ahead of your time.

[ABuccs Fan]

Brown dominated his era, no doubt. But I have to ask how many 300 lb d-lineman did he run against? Were there any 250+ lb linebackers at that time? Greatest ever, i don't agree. LT is making quite a claim to put himself up there.

Tomlinson = Greatest RB ever.

I'd like someone that is knowledgable on the subject to tell me what the avg size of the d-lineman and backers were during Brown's era. To my recollection, there were no 300+ Warren Sapps will cat like quickness playing back then. There were no Ray Lewis's..... 250+ that covered sideline to sideline.

I read somewhere that Jack Lambert, in his prime, was about 220 lbs. He wouldn't even make an NFL roster today at that weight..... maybe at safety.