If past greats played today

[Dawgpound_Hank]

IF the following athletes in their prime/at their best could step into a time machine and participate today, how would they fare? One has to also weigh in all the rule changes too, ie, QB's have it easier due to rule changes, however the speed of the game is mind-blowing compared to 40 years ago - especially on defense. So here we go...

1) Jim Brown

2) Dick Butkus

3) Walter Payton

4) Joe Montana

5) Jerry Rice

6) Lawrence Taylor

7) Rocky Marciano (not compared to today since heavyweight boxing is dead - compare to the late 80's/90's against Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis, etc

8) Muhammad Ali (same as above)

9) Wayne Gretzki

10) Michael Jordan

11) 1985 Chicago Bears

12) - 1995-96 Chicago Bulls

[MR. BMJ]

I think the 80's Lakers and Celtics would do well.

[therealj]

Originally Posted by MR. BMJ

I think the 80's Lakers and Celtics would do well.

Add those bad boys Pistons, the NBA is charmin soft now....they'd wipe the floor with these teams.

[Genetic Freak]

You bring up speed of the game which is something I think the great QBs of the past would struggle with today. Do I think they could adjust? Definitely, but it would not be all of the greats. Reading the defense and understanding how quickly zone coverage can close would be a learning curve.

[GBAGH]

1) Jim Brown would be just fine. 6'2" and 230 plus pounds of strength, speed, and balance. He would would be a hall of famer today like he was then. I have no doubts of that. He wouldn't be trucking defensive lineman anymore, but neither are any of the other backs.

2) Dick Butkus would still be Dick Butkus. He has the size to play the position today and he would still be crushing guys. He had 22 career interceptions, so I would think that he would be okay in playing pass coverage as well.

3) Walter Payton would still be awesome. He played in an era where the players are about the same size that they are today. He would have no problems doing everything that modern day half back is asked to do.

4) Joe Montana I wouldn't worry about. He was ahead of his time and he was an offensive Rainman. He read defenses and made audibles and read coverages with the best of them.

5) Jerry Rice would be better today than he was then if that is even imaginable. If Jerry played today with the way that the rules are, he would be running free through the secondary all day long. Its hard to believe that he would do better, but I believe that all other things being equal he would be better.

6) Lawrence Taylor was a freak of nature and an unstoppable force. His athleticism alone is probably above every other linebacker in the league right now. I think that he would probably get nailed with "random" drug testing and we might have another Josh Gordon scenario on our hands...an incredible talent that can't get on the field due to his love for partying.

7) Rocky Marciano would probably get stomped by the heavyweights in the 1990s. At 5'10 1/2 and having a wingspan less than his height, he would be at a disadvantage. I guess that he would probably have to fight light heavy and fight against much faster guys. My guess is that he would probably get beaten by the top fighters. I don't see him going 49-0.

8) Muhammad Ali had the kind of hand speed and ring awareness that you never see. He would punch from angles that you didn't know existed. He would beat your defense by waiting for you to go on offense. You would throw your punch, he would see it, he would throw his punch and land before you do. It was magic. I would think that he would be as competitive in the 1990s as he was then.

9) Wayne Gretzki would be small now, but he was small then. All other factors equal, I see him being just as prolific in scoring. You need to bring Marty McSorely too though to beat the dog sh*t out of the people that touch Gretzky LOL.

10) Michael Jordan was, is and would be the GOAT. With all this euro step business and non traveling calls I think he scores 40 a game instead of 30. His defense is still shut down. There is nothing that changes about Jordan. He is still awesome.

11) 1985 Chicago Bears would probably be fine on the defensive side of the ball. The problem would come on offense. Jim McMahon is about as cool as they come, but I don't think that there is any way that he could play in today's offenses. He just isn't as talented a thrower of the ball as you would need. You can't just manage the game anymore. You need to be able to whip that thing around and do things with it.

12) - 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, are you kidding me? Steve Kerr, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Luc Longley? They dominate today like they did then. Throw in Toni Kukoc coming off the bench and the magic of Ron Harper. They would still be the team to beat. The team was magical. Phil was a guru. They all played for a ring. You can't find a better team from top to bottom in the league today. Going back to what I said about Jordan earlier, the rules are different now. Guys like Jordan and Pippen would be doing all the stuff that Harden does and dropping 10 more points per game then they used to.