[kotixblack]

Are you aware that in the 60's 70's & early 80's...they put weight limits on the positions like O/D Line. It common for players to be fined for being over weight. As late as the 80's...players did not have the work out regiment that they have today. Physical conditioning, & weight lifting became a major part of the NFL in the late 80's, and early 90's. I don't think that you can take anything away from Deacon Jones, Joe Greene, Fred Dean, Reggie White, and others because they were a little lighter. I think that if they played in this era...they would still be dominant, and in the Hall of Fame. Imagine if they lifted weights, had the technology available, and took the supplements that players take today...how dominant would they be. They say bigger faster, and stronger (players of today). Bigger - they are allowed to weigh more, and are better conditioned athletes today. Faster - Timing technology has improoved...remember Darryl Green, Deon Sanders, Cliff Branch, & Tony Dorsette...just to name a few. Were they slow? Stronger - Yes, todays athlete are stronger. They lift more weights. What about the heart factor? If you go by that bigger, faster, & stronger stuff...there would be no room for the Walter Paytons, Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, & Jerry Rices' of the world. None of them fall under the catagory of bigger, faster, and stronger. I will give you a side by side comparison, and you tell me. Walter Payton -V- Larry Johnson, Barry Sanders -V- Brando Jacobs, Jerry Rice -V- Vincent Jackson, Emmit Smith -V- Rashard Mendenhall. I once went to a NFL try out...and the selection of the lower teer players came down to how high they could jump, how tall they were, how much they weighed, in comparison to how fast their 40 time was, and how many reps they could do of 200lbs. They didn't take in to account the players hitting ability, football smarts, heart, or ability on the field. It came down to the numbers. If you have a WR who is 6'4" benches 200lbs. 20 times, and runs a 4.0 fourty...he gets the job over Jerry Rice (before the HOF Stats).