Thread: Payton vs Brown

Originally Posted by BossK

Interesting article from Big Lead Sports, hopefully not been posted before:

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011...ces=topbuttons

"I just think that the debate is closer than people think. Brown would be #2 in my subjective book after weighing the objective factors, just ahead of Barry and Emmitt and Marshall. Brown was power and speed and force and machismo. Walter was the sweetest footwork you’ve ever seen, extreme balance and the ability to spin off a hit, and grace, but most of all, determination and character. He played through bad teams, and when you take teammates and schedule and all that stuff, is close to Brown’s equal. Then he went on and played at a really high level for years after Brown had walked away to pursue other things. Payton will always be the sweetest to me."

It's hard to argue against Walter Payton. Payton was the most complete offensive weapon in the history of the NFL, and I don't think there's any question of that. He played four years longer than did Jim Brown, who apparently got bored with football and he decided to go try his mojo out in Hollywood. The thing that went in Brown's favor was that the time he played, he was actually bigger than many of the linebackers he would run at, so he would simply run them over, or, if all else fails, drag them a few yards before he would fall to the turf.

Contrary to that, Payton was only like 5'10" and 200 lbs soak and wet. By the time he was playing for the Bears, linebackers were much bigger than most running backs outside of Earl Campbell. Payton's workout regimen consisted of hardcore cardiovascular exercises, most notably his running that hill in suburban Chicago (can't think of the neighborhood's name), and of course, weight training. Payton was a more complete player than Brown because he could return kicks and punts, could convert a passing play when called upon to do so, could serve as a receiver, and of course, was a spectacular classical running back. Jim Brown had his Ernie Green and Paul Warfield on offense to make it easier to open the offense for him. Walter Payton, prior to 1984, had little help on offense, and even on that 1985 team, was leaned on very heavily for the team's successes. There was never a player like Walter Payton, and there never will be one again.