GOAT WR

Hutson practically invented the position of wide receiver.

 

I'll throw a name out: does Steve Largent go on a top-10 list?

 

Rice is No. 1; Hutson is No. 2...

Raymond Berry
Lance Alworth
Michael Irvin
Terrell Owens
Marvin Harrison
Randy Moss
Calvin Johnson
Steve Largent

Honorable mention: Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Fred Biletnikoff, James Lofton, Cris Carter, Art Monk...

 

Andre Rison was on a Hall of Fame pace before his late wife burned his house down.
He was really never the same player after that fire.

 

He was already a loon long before that. But yes, a very, very good receiver.

 

Herman Moore is another one who was a beast for about five years and then faded really quickly...

 

Charlie Joiner is another one...

 

That's easy for you to say.

 

Forgot Charley Taylor, Tom Fears and Don Maynard.


Like I said, I don't like lists, especially across eras, because the game changes so much and you get to a point where the difference between some of these guys is so small.

 

I saw a top 10 WR list on one of the sites (probably CBS) a couple years ago and it was all-time, not just Super Bowl era and there was no Hutson, no Berry and no Alworth. As I was reading it, I muttered "Are you fucking serious?" and as I scrolled to the comments, the first comment was "Are you fucking serious?"

 

The whole different eras thing is more striking in the NFL than the other pro sports, I think, to the point that these lists are asinine. You mean to tell me that Hutson or Berry or Alworth were 1/10th the athlete of guys like Moss, Owens and Irvin? If we're picking teams of players in their primes, I'm picking the latter three every time. NFL players are, across the board, bigger, stronger, faster, jump higher and study film more than guys of the pre-80s. For their time, those guys were great. Bring them back to their prime today, and I'd lay even odds that they aren't even in the league.

 

I've done this before, but here goes again.

That's not a fair statement. You say, well, if you plunked Calvin Johnson down in 1942 he'd dominate and Hutson today would be buried. But the Calvin Johnson of 1942 wouldn't have had a year-round workout program (or any weightlifting at all, for that matter), protein shakes and diet supplements, personal trainers, better medical procedures to avoid and recover from injuries. Hell, back then, coaches wouldn't even let their players drink water during practice or games. He wouldn't have had sophisticated offenses and checkdowns and hot routes nor would he or his quarterback have much protection from blockers (back then, blockers could not extend their arms or open their hands and defenders were allowed to head slap, among other things) or officials (defenders could hit receivers all the way down the field, and pass interference and roughing the passer were condoned in many cases).

If Johnson had been born in 1915 instead of 1985, he likely would have weighed 180 or 190 instead of 230 and been markedly slower and weaker. Let Hutson be born in 1983 instead of 1913 and he very well could have been 220 instead of 180, with greatly increased strength and a much faster 40 time. Put that guy in a top NFL offense today and how good would he be?

There's no way to tell, but to dismiss Hutson and others who dominated their eras from the discussion of greatest players of all time is ludicrous. Compare players to their era and the great ones rise to the top.