5 "Toughest" NFL Players All Time Article

Interesting and mildly entertaining article about one writer's pick of the 5 toughest NFL players over the years. Mean Joe is #4. The others are debatable but the writer makes some valid points as to who he chose, why and why other notorious players were deemed dirty and not tough and thus not included.

5. Johnny U
4. Mean Joe
3. Dick Butkus
2. Jim Brown
1. "Surprise" - try and guess!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nf...0a68c211a4d1d11f0f6&ocid=winp2fptaskbar&ei=34

 

If they are going Qb ....No freaking way is Favre tougher than Ben, or Bradshaw. Also How is Ward not on here??? Name a Wrs tougher.

 

Welker…..

 

Not as tough as Ward. I honestly can't think of one Wr tougher than Ward. I've been racking my brain since I said it.

 

Outside of us Yinzers, Ward is viewed by many (probably the writer too) as a dirty player rather than a tough player as we all saw and feel. I would put Ward and Pete Rose (aside from off field activities) on the same toughness scale in different arenas. Pete was a gamer and so was Ward. Players you loved to hate but could pack a "legal" punch.

Edit - not implying that any of us hated Hines, but probably most outside fans did but respected his intensity and perennial smile.

 

You are more than likely correct. It's not dirty IMO if it's within the framework of the rules. Also how many cheap shots have We seen Ward take from others . I will never ever forget seeing Ray Lewis leave a fumble, and step out of bounds because He looked up , and saw Ward coming. LoL ....That $hit is priceless.
Hell Rod Woodson will say the hardest He's ever been hit was by Hines Ward. That also was priceless.

 

He didn’t block as well but, going over the middle? Ward is one of my all time favorites but, ya gotta give Welker his props

 

Come on, how tough can he have been, he was playing with deflated ba.......err..........pigskins.

 

it's not a legitimate list if Larry Wilson isn't on there. Wilson played strong safety with two broken arms.

 

Andy Russell said the toughest player he ever saw was Ernie Stautner. During Russell's rookie year he saw Stautner make a tackle in which Stautner suffered a compound fracture of his thumb. Andy said the bone was sticking out sideways from Stautner's thumb and the blood was gushing out as Ernie went to the sideline. Russell said he felt bad for Stautner knowing now that he would have to have season ending surgery. Instead Stautner went to the sideline and waved the trainer away and growled "Give me some tape!" Stautner then proceeded to tape his own thumb and re-enter the game 2 plays later. Russell said Stautner didn't miss a game the rest of the year and waited until the season was over to have his thumb fixed.

 

Ward made the NFL change the rules on blocking. He is the toughest wide receiver I've ever seen. So Ward forced a change on the offensive side and Mel Blount forced a change on the defensive side. That says world about both players ability

 

This 100% IMO
Probably is a reason they are both My favorite players.

 

The article is worthless without mentioning Jack Youngblood.

He played through the 1979 playoffs, including Super Bowl XIV, with a fractured fibula in his left leg.

 

Moments like that make you realize how much of a wimp you are when the hang nail hurts. lol There are probably stories galore that have never been told, but just read Jim Otto's page on Wiki...reading the injury list for both his career and life after...he is one tough SOB. An in 15 years never missed a start..220 consecutive games. Unreal.

Otto's body was punished greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 74 operations, including 28 on his knee (nine of them during his playing career) and multiple joint replacements. His joints became riddled with arthritis, and he developed debilitating back and neck problems.[2] In his book, "The Pain of Glory" Otto described near-death experiences from medical procedures, including fighting off three life-threatening infections due to complications from his artificial joints. During one six-month stretch, he was without a right knee joint because he had to wait for an infection to heal before another artificial knee could be implanted. Otto eventually had to have his right leg amputated on August 1, 2007.[3] Despite his maladies, Otto says he has no regrets and wouldn't change a thing even if given the opportunity to do it over again. He discussed his sports injuries as well as the concussions issue in a 2013 Frontline interview for "League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis".[4]

 

Thought for sure I'd see Jack Lambert name mentioned in this thread.

 

Sam Huff, Mike Curtis, Ray Nitsche, Tommy Nobis. But I realize nothing occurred in the world before 1970.

 

I was just watching SB 11, Raiders and Vikes. Curt Gowdy gave the names on the Vikes D line, Page, Eller in HOF, Marshall should be, and Sutherland had a combined 47 years in the NFL..so most of those guys went back to the 60's as well. Not saying they were the toughest, but you have to respect the commitment to the grind for that long, without the dome, the football I grew up with.

 

No Gregg LLoyd on this list?

 

Any “toughest guy in the NFL list” that doesn’t include Jack Lambert is a sham in my book! Agree with Mean Joe though.

Brett Favre at the top of the list? PUHLEAZE!!!

Ronnie Lott anyone? The dude wanted his finger cut off so he could go back into a game. That’s psycho tough right there!

 

I don't know how Deacon Jones and Deebo don't make this list. To put Farve number 1 is just ludicris.

 

This.


Hell... Larry Wilson, for me, is the toughest SOB to ever play Safety. How many Safeties could not just play like that in coverage but also blitzes and run support?!

 

The writer who came up with this list is delusional and biased on how he defines "tough". Maybe Favre gets the Lou Gehrig Ironman award but not the toughest NFL player ever award. At least Mean Joe made the cut.

 

Ronnie Lott.

 

A missed digit is a helluva lot different than breaking two arms. Need both to work properly to play any position; much less safety. Add in the eras played and it is a wonder that Wilson escaped the NFL without any form of nerve damage.