I'll take Bradshaw over Brady any day.

I was surprised to read recently that even with all the rules changes to benefit the passing offenses, TDs per game have remained the same. Points per game are up but that is largely due to kickers being so much better in this era. The reason the rule changes have been made it that although the defensive players are getting bigger stronger and faster (and defenses more complicated) the field has stayed the same size. Without rule changes severely hampering defenses passing offenses would be non-existent. So as D players are getting better and D strategy get more complex and the rules change to keep offenses scoring the game has changed dramatically since the 70s. Passers have to read defenses quicker, and throw more accurately. So while passers of both eras had to have skills to be successful in that era, the skills required don't necessarily translate across eras forward or backward.

 

Bradshaw didn't always get to play 16 games seasons either though. However, I still don't think his numbers would have measured up to those though. I've heard that Lynn Swann averaged less than 3 yard per catch in his career. BUT he made catches when they really counted and that's what really matters.

 

3 yards per catch??? Swann averaged over 16 YPC for his career.

 

Yea. I can't remember Lynn ever catching a 3 yarder. He was always down field. The sideline swing pass was almost non existent back then as far as I recall.

 

But what I'm saying is that if Brady played in Bradshaws era his rating would be a lot closer to Bradshaws 70.9 passing rating. And still think he would not of survived that era cause he would of been injured with the beating he would of taken back then. That's how much the rules have changed in protecting the quarterbacks along with defensive backs being so aggressive with receivers and the way safeties were allowed to hit receivers.

 

This thread reminds me of a joke:

Q: How many Pittsburghers does it take to change a light bulb?








A: Three, one to change the bulb, and two to reminisce about how great the old light bulb was.

 

I would pay large sums of money to witness what Lambert would have done to Brady back in those days with the way the rules were so many years ago.

 

Hey now. Don't rip on the old light bulbs. They were so much brighter than these gas ones of today.

 

just ask yourself this question. how many qbs playing today could have played then?

 

Not true. The media portrayed him as such. His teammates knew (and have publicly said) otherwise.

 

Given that when he played. Bradshaw didn't have a headset in his helmet, plays listed on his wristband, refs protecting him, DVD players and tablets to review game tape and opponents, or--not to mention--an offensive coordinator...I'd bet he'd do just fine.

 

Greatest pass ever. Period. (I wish better video were available.)

[video=youtube;xN5XRPmgGdo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN5XRPmgGdo[/video]

 

Amen to that!

 

I said that I heard that once. Not that I believed it.

 

Pretty much every one of them. They are bigger, faster, and more complete athletes. Guys get the ball out so fast now they'd shred defenses. That's what I say anyway. There is no way to prove it one way or the other though. There's always gonna be these "back in my day" arguments. They exist in the NBA as well. They exist in baseball. They exist even in the video game culture that I am steeped in. I even see the mentality in churches all the time.

 

I agree with this. The offenses of today would pick apart the smaller, slower Ds of the past. The level of sophistication of today's offenses, the substitutions, the reads would have the old Ds wondering if they were playing against teams from outer space.

If you doubt this, I ask you this: it's 1980 and some grey beard wants to argue that Paul Browns teams of the '40s and early '50s were better than the Super Steeelers. What's the response? Probably sneers of derision, Come on old man, those puny guys running single wings wouldn't stand a chance. Yup, and it's that way now.