Would Lambert be a HOF in today's NFL

Before every single person on this message board jumps on me like a pack of coyotes on a rabbit please hear me out. I like all of you am a huge steeler fan and a Lambert Fan.
When Lambert played the players he went up against were much different. Slower, smaller, and many did not even lift. Today's NfL is filled of super fast and strong players and O not to mention the rules which HANDCUFF these great athletes from making solid exciting hits which we all love to see. So in todays NFL with the new rules and these different players would Jack Lambert still be a Hall of Famer

 

well he would have been lifting and training just like the guys of today but still have that nasty on field attitude so yes. remember they may be bigger and faster now but the rules protect these guys alot more, so it's all relative. could these guys play in the league back then with the spearing, head slaps and all the things that were legal when he played is the question.

 

Am i hearing all of Lambert's opponents in the league during his time of play were all little people with bony arms and without 5 hour energy. You just might have made case for that HOF thingie.

 

Well first off... Lambert was pretty much a middle linebacker in a Tampa 2 Style defense.

Lambert finished with quite a few INT's for a Middle Linebacker in that system. More than a guy like Urlacher, or Derrick Brooks... both HOF caliber guys. Ray Lewis only has 3 more Int's than Lambert.

Plus it is hard to compare that era today.

 

No doubt, HOF'er period.

 

I do miss watching that football era. Players actually hitting and playing grid iron tough football. Coaches and players actually saying how they truly feel on interviews and not being hung by the media. That was TRUE football

 

I don't think he had the frame to put on the weight needed today.

 

He would've never made it through OTA's... Nor would Ben! Guy was a damn warrior

 

First off, it is IMPOSSIBLE to compare players from 40 years ago, to players from now, for multiple reasons...

Rule changes, cultural changes, nutritional changes, in what they were fed at school, etc.. etc.. etc... ad nauseum...

Bottom line, do I think Jack Lambert would still be a Hall of Famer, if he played the game today?...

ABSOLUTLEY...

Because, as much as I loved his intimidation of his foes, he was successfull, because he had a great instinct for the football, during the game, born from his hours of studying the game, and identifying tendencies in his opponents...

Someone`s signature here, says it perfectly...

Everyone thought he was a monster, but, he killed you with his precision...

Or something like that...

Basically he had pure football instincts, and could stuff the run, or drop back, and intercept a pass...

Those qualities would get him in the Hall of Fame, no matter when he played the game...
Intimidating opponents, was just a bonus/luxury, that he could take advantage of, during the era he played!

And I loved watching him do it!!!

GO STEELERS!!!

 

I totally agree with what Andy Russell said. The other Steel Curtain guys talked about how Lambert watched a lot of film and was actually really smart and he always knew what the offense was doing for the most part. However, Lambert said Ham was the best ever at his position and said that he saw him do things on film that no one had ever done. The Curtain was nothing fancy. That was the beauty of it. Dwight White talked about how all the cowgirls "innovation" and how they would shift at the line and stuff like that was all just smoke and mirrors and he said they always knew what they were gonna do because they had to get set right before the snap and in that fraction of a second Noll's players could pick up on what was coming. That's really awesome.

 

This, this, this!!!!!

 

Yes, his skill set was great for any era.

 

Yeah, he would make the hall no matter what era he played.

Oh, and I met him, he had the frame for then, today, whenever. In fact, it was his frame with that wasp like back that I've never forgotten.

 

I also met him and had lunch next to him many times at a small diner next to Three Rivers Staduim. He did have the frame and one of the best all time middle linebackers. Saw him in a game when he made 9 or 10 solo tackles in row. He was a tackling machine along with being great in space. Very few linebackers could do both as good as him.

He would definetly made the hall in either era..

 

Ok, I stand corrected.

 

NFL Network did a Top 10 show a few years ago about the "Most Feared Tacklers" and Jack was pretty high on the list if I remember correctly.

 

Lambert would probably get ejected from every other game in todays NFL

 

OR, he would adjust his style of play, as Harrison, reluctantly, finally, did, after multiple fines, and a suspension..

 

And the 16 game regular season was longer for ray than it was when JL played; as well as ray played about 4 years longer than jack, so 3 picks more seems pretty anemic in comparison, one thing jack would have been a leader in today's NFL, and that would be FINES....

 

Exactly, but I think that he is smart enough that he would have adjusted the way that JH has had to. There is no doubt in my mind though that he could get into the heads of Flacco and Brady the same way he did with the likes of Staughbach and Elway. A HOF'er in this day and age no doubt about it to me. I just wish they didn't water down the sport so much to gear away from that aggressiveness.

 

But he probably would have paid more in fines than Harrison!

 

Can you imagine throwing Cliff Harris down in the SB in this day and age? Automatic ejection, 250,000 fine and possible prosecution demanded from the nanny society throwing tantrums about bullying.