MHS75 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Would Sestak be as dominant today as he was during the AFL Championship years? Who would you prefer to have: Dareaus or Sestak? Just wondering... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I feel very confident in saying that the overwhelming majority of players in all sports now are superior to generations past. They are bigger, faster and stronger. The training, nutrition, game planning, etc... are light years ahead of where they were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I believe his playing weight was about 80 lbs less than Dareus. And a good chance he wasnt as quick still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montanafan Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Tom Sestak was an animal line, Bills all pro guard Billy Shaw used to say that Sestak was the best lineman he ever faced. Like Dareus he had the benefit of playing with some other all pro like lineman like Jim Dunaway at the other tackle spot, and Ron McDole and Tom Day at ends, and linebackers Harry Jacobs, John Tracey and Mike Stratton. They had a formidable front seven with all pros George Saimes and Butch Byrd in the defensive backfield. It was an awesome defense. Sestak had years of spectacular play. Hard to judge until Dareus career is through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Sestak had years of spectacular play. Hard to judge until Dareus career is through. to judge who had the better career, sure -- but i think the OP was getting at if sestak lined up in the spot dareus is in today, which would be more effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I feel very confident in saying that the overwhelming majority of players in all sports now are superior to generations past. They are bigger, faster and stronger. The training, nutrition, game planning, etc... are light years ahead of where they were. But, w/all that, it still doesn't make the game "better." IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I feel very confident in saying that the overwhelming majority of players in all sports now are superior to generations past. They are bigger, faster and stronger. The training, nutrition, game planning, etc... are light years ahead of where they were. Agreed. But whenever I read or hear or say that same thing myself, I add that if Sestak were around today he would have been the beneficiary of all those things, too, and be bigger, stronger, faster, more access to film, etc. In Sestak's particular case, he would likely be extraordinary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 But, w/all that, it still doesn't make the game "better." IMO. I don't necessarily disagree. The point was just if guys from past generations played now they wouldn't be close to the guys now. Michael Jordan is by miles my favorite athlete of all-time and he isn't as gifted as LeBron. Same goes for Magic, he LeBron sans the athleticism. Agreed. But whenever I read or hear or say that same thing myself, I add that if Sestak were around today he would have been the beneficiary of all those things, too, and be bigger, stronger, faster, more access to film, etc. In Sestak's particular case, he would likely be extraordinary. Agreed, he was a freak athlete. It's the Wilt Chamberlin argument. Wilt was great and would have been today. He just wouldn't have been AS dominant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Agreed. But whenever I read or hear or say that same thing myself, I add that if Sestak were around today he would have been the beneficiary of all those things, too, and be bigger, stronger, faster, more access to film, etc. In Sestak's particular case, he would likely be extraordinary. he would almost certainly have to bounce outside though at the very least- when i checked earlier, as i was curious, the given weight was 260-something. to compare him to a guy thats probably in the 330s-340s is tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Sestak was great in his day, he was not known as a speed guy. Not sure he would make much of an impact in today's NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 He palyed at about 260 pounds which was a good size for those days. My son's HIGH SCHOOL offensive line averaged 285. Different times. And we'll never know..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Sestak was great in his day, he was not known as a speed guy. Not sure he would make much of an impact in today's NFL. and that would be the other half of my comment that hed have to move outside. it would be interesting to see if a guy like that would be able to add enough speed and size, or if some random dude we didnt otherwise know about would have the underdeveloped frame for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I think there's also a lot more emphasis on finding the best athletes now because it's so much more high profile and profitable. If you're talented, you will almost certainly be identified and developed. He'd be competing aginst the best of the best, not just the best who happen to find there way into football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I feel very confident in saying that the overwhelming majority of players in all sports now are superior to generations past. They are bigger, faster and stronger. The training, nutrition, game planning, etc... are light years ahead of where they were. I agree, he would be lucky to be average today. But it is unfair to compare any athlete from that far back to today's. How would Jim Thorpe do at the Olympics! But he was as good as there was back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I agree, he would be lucky to be average today. But it is unfair to compare any athlete from that far back to today's. How would Jim Thorpe do at the Olympics! But he was as good as there was back then. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowery4 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I remember an article in the Courier back in the late 60s talking about 2 offensive linemen (1Bills and 1 Jets) who were over 300lbs, today that is a standard. It is truly a different game, I don't doubt that TS would be a great run stuffing MLB or DE maybe (kind of Spikes like but thinking about it I doubt he had the speed to be on the outside) but he would be way undersized on the interior. He could have been good going into the 70s but by the late 80s and beyond the game had changed and would have left him behind (and I say this respecting that D as the best Bills D ever). BTW I didn't see Greybeards response, I would have agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norton20 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) Tom Sestak was a tremendous player. The size and speed ratios today are so different from what they were in the 60's and 70's that comparisons are unfair. It's like inflation. You could buy a house for under $20,000 in the 60's. It's $150,000 now. Same house, just different circumstances. Training and nutrition have changed tremendously too. For the era he played in, Sestak was one of the top 2 or 3 tackles in both the NFL and AFL. I am not sure Dareus is there yet but I sure like the direction he is headed if he stays healthy and motivated. Edited December 27, 2014 by norton20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I feel very confident in saying that the overwhelming majority of players in all sports now are superior to generations past. They are bigger, faster and stronger. The training, nutrition, game planning, etc... are light years ahead of where they were. With no disrespect toward you, which I am not worried about as much as I am disrespecting former players or current players: I believe football players in the past were much more gifted athletically then they are today en masse. they did it all without the advancements in technology, health, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 With no disrespect toward you, which I am not worried about as much as I am disrespecting former players or current players: I believe football players in the past were much more gifted athletically then they are today en masse. they did it all without the advancements in technology, health, etc. Again, with all due respect (which of course means someone may be about to be disrespected), the players of the past may indeed have been tougher, but I don't see any way they could be considered bigger, faster, stronger, quicker or basically more athletically gifted. If you're a stud, you will find yourself on the field these days. Think of baseball before the Negro Leagues were recognized. Football didn't atract the best of the best, just those who found football. Certainly the advances in training and nutrition would have helped to level the playing field to some degree, but I believe it's more than that. These guys are giants today and they run like the wind! Hard to believe this could evlove so quickly, but where there's money there's HGH. Ooops, did I type that out loud? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts