thesurfshop19
Footballguy
The most interesting argument for me is the one that most people in here automatically dismiss, and that's Hutson vs. Rice. Of course I've argued this point for years on these boards and if you ever dare to put someone else in Rice's caliber you "don't know football" or something like that.
Imagine Jerry Rice today. Then imagine that football in 40 years will have players playing more games (23 to 25, to make the percentage increase comparable) in a season with even more mainstream pass-heavy offenses, including rule changes to make the passing game easier. Do you think that Jerry Rice's records will stand for 40 years?
That's how long some of Hutson's aggregate records stood. Heck, he still holds the records for most seasons leading the league in receptions, TDs, and receiving yards, although you could argue it was easier to lead the league in those categories back when he was the Babe Ruth of his position.
Another similarity to Babe Ruth is how Hutson played offense and defense, as he played safety and picked off 30 passes in 6 seasons playing that position.
I personally can't separate the two. Rice's peak was never more dominant than Hutson's, and his marginal lead over the #2 guy in career categories isn't more than Hutson's marginal lead over the #2 guy at the time of his retirement. Rice did have several extra "good to very good" years past his peak that Hutson didn't, but you could argue that Hutson's defense cancels that out.
In the end, you basically do have a Babe Ruth vs. modern player (maybe not Bonds anymore, but you get the picture) argument, but because SportsCenter and fantasy football have made the numbers themselves so important (regardless of context), most people, including those on this board, won't hear it.
I'm sure I'm "bashing" Rice somehow by saying that exactly one other player was at least as dominant as he was, given how sensitive Rice fans have been in the past.
More on Hutson here and here .
Edit to add:
At time of Hutson's retirement, he had 488 receptions, 39% higher than the 2nd-place player with 298. At the same time, Hutson held the record for yards per catch, meaning his career receiving yard lead was more than 39% above the 2nd place player. And he's to this day still #7 in receiving TDs with 99, as that record stood until Steve Largent broke it.
Imagine Jerry Rice today. Then imagine that football in 40 years will have players playing more games (23 to 25, to make the percentage increase comparable) in a season with even more mainstream pass-heavy offenses, including rule changes to make the passing game easier. Do you think that Jerry Rice's records will stand for 40 years?
That's how long some of Hutson's aggregate records stood. Heck, he still holds the records for most seasons leading the league in receptions, TDs, and receiving yards, although you could argue it was easier to lead the league in those categories back when he was the Babe Ruth of his position.
Another similarity to Babe Ruth is how Hutson played offense and defense, as he played safety and picked off 30 passes in 6 seasons playing that position.
I personally can't separate the two. Rice's peak was never more dominant than Hutson's, and his marginal lead over the #2 guy in career categories isn't more than Hutson's marginal lead over the #2 guy at the time of his retirement. Rice did have several extra "good to very good" years past his peak that Hutson didn't, but you could argue that Hutson's defense cancels that out.
In the end, you basically do have a Babe Ruth vs. modern player (maybe not Bonds anymore, but you get the picture) argument, but because SportsCenter and fantasy football have made the numbers themselves so important (regardless of context), most people, including those on this board, won't hear it.
I'm sure I'm "bashing" Rice somehow by saying that exactly one other player was at least as dominant as he was, given how sensitive Rice fans have been in the past.
More on Hutson here and here .
Edit to add:
At time of Hutson's retirement, he had 488 receptions, 39% higher than the 2nd-place player with 298. At the same time, Hutson held the record for yards per catch, meaning his career receiving yard lead was more than 39% above the 2nd place player. And he's to this day still #7 in receiving TDs with 99, as that record stood until Steve Largent broke it.
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