25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

[Discipline of Steel]

I like the throwback feel of this article. No current players mentioned although I can think of at least one that should be on this list. I can see moving Earl Campbell and Jim Otto up the ranks quite a bit. Is LT really that tough, or was he just that good? Id move him down. Of course, Lambert #1

[url="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/579488-power-ranking-the-25-toughest-nfl-players-of-all-time#page/27"]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5794 ... me#page/27[/url]

#25 Steve Young
#24 Larry Csonka
#23 Jim Marshall
#22 Walter Payton
#21 Sam Huff
#20 Walt Garrison
#19 Earl Campbell
#18 Johnny Unitas
#17 Jim Otto
#16 Jack Youngblood
#15 Dick Lane
#14 Bronko Nagurski
#13 Gino Marchetti
#12 Jack Lambert
#11 Ronnie Lott
#10 Jim Brown
#9 Hardy Brown
#8Jack Tatum
#7 Deacon Jones
#6 Ray Lewis
#5 Ray Nitschke
#4 Lawrence Taylor
#3 Chuck Bednarik
#2 Joe Greene
#1 Dick Butkus

[plainnasty]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Steve Young?

[DukieBoy]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Steve Young?

X2

And then there is Ernie Stautner.


“Ernie Stautner comes in the huddle, and his thumb is broken back against his wrist. There's a tear near the break, and his bone is sticking out. He has a compound fracture of the thumb. He takes his thumb in his hand and wrenches it down into his fist. Doesn't show it to anybody. Doesn't say anything.
So he stayed there for the rest of the series, and then we came off, and I'm watching him because I'm the only guy who saw that he had a compound fracture. I saw the bone. So I'm figuring now he's going to ask for the doctor, and he may have to go to the hospital because this thing could get infected, and he says, “Give me some tape.” So they throw him some tape and he just starts taping this huge ball. He makes this big fist. Then we go back in. He plays the entire game. Never misses a down. I'm just astounded, and he's using this hand that is broken as a club. He's beating people with it. After the game, we go into the locker room and he says, “Hey Doc, I think I got a problem.” —Andy Russell, linebacker

[url="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/88750-heart-of-a-champion-the-40-toughest-players-in-nfl-history"]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8875 ... fl-history[/url]

[Discipline of Steel]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Steve Young?

X2

And then there is Ernie Stautner.


“Ernie Stautner comes in the huddle, and his thumb is broken back against his wrist. There's a tear near the break, and his bone is sticking out. He has a compound fracture of the thumb. He takes his thumb in his hand and wrenches it down into his fist. Doesn't show it to anybody. Doesn't say anything.
So he stayed there for the rest of the series, and then we came off, and I'm watching him because I'm the only guy who saw that he had a compound fracture. I saw the bone. So I'm figuring now he's going to ask for the doctor, and he may have to go to the hospital because this thing could get infected, and he says, “Give me some tape.” So they throw him some tape and he just starts taping this huge ball. He makes this big fist. Then we go back in. He plays the entire game. Never misses a down. I'm just astounded, and he's using this hand that is broken as a club. He's beating people with it. After the game, we go into the locker room and he says, “Hey Doc, I think I got a problem.” —Andy Russell, linebacker

[url="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/88750-heart-of-a-champion-the-40-toughest-players-in-nfl-history"]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8875 ... fl-history[/url]

:P Thats frickin hilarious! The term 'Gladiator' comes to mind.

[Shoe]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Steve Young?

X2

And then there is Ernie Stautner.


“Ernie Stautner comes in the huddle, and his thumb is broken back against his wrist. There's a tear near the break, and his bone is sticking out. He has a compound fracture of the thumb. He takes his thumb in his hand and wrenches it down into his fist. Doesn't show it to anybody. Doesn't say anything.
So he stayed there for the rest of the series, and then we came off, and I'm watching him because I'm the only guy who saw that he had a compound fracture. I saw the bone. So I'm figuring now he's going to ask for the doctor, and he may have to go to the hospital because this thing could get infected, and he says, “Give me some tape.” So they throw him some tape and he just starts taping this huge ball. He makes this big fist. Then we go back in. He plays the entire game. Never misses a down. I'm just astounded, and he's using this hand that is broken as a club. He's beating people with it. After the game, we go into the locker room and he says, “Hey Doc, I think I got a problem.” —Andy Russell, linebacker

[url="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/88750-heart-of-a-champion-the-40-toughest-players-in-nfl-history"]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8875 ... fl-history[/url]

Awesome quote.
No surprise Stautner not recognized. He's the only guy to ever have his number retired by this franchise, and he still can't make NFLN's Top 10 list.

[Crash]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Ray Lewis? The same guy who was whining to teammates about phantom double teams when the Steelers were kicking his as$ on National TV?

[Ozey74]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Ray Lewis? The same guy who was whining to teammates about phantom double teams when the Steelers were kicking his as$ on National TV?

That raised my eyebrow's. Greg Lloyd was tougher than Ray Lewis.

[Djfan]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Mel Blount and/or Mike Webster should have been there.

[Crash]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Hollywood Henderson in his book told a story how Ernie Stautner had back surgery and days later was bench pressing weights and popping his stitches.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

And Stautner just looks tough.

[Discipline of Steel]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time


Jim Otto looks tough too

[flippy]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

How many QBs can play with a broken nose?

How bout Bettis who took an absolute beating throughout his career and almost never missed a game?

[Discipline of Steel]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

How many QBs can play with a broken nose?

How bout Bettis who took an absolute beating throughout his career and almost never missed a game?

Come to think of it, yeah what about Ben? He has proven his 'softie' critics wrong this year, for sure! Brett Favre comes to mind also as a QB who should replace Steve Young on the list. Lets face it, he may have sexted his schlong to a pretty face but it does not diminish his consecutive games streak.

[Mel Blount's G]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

Hines Ward for sure


Jack Tatum wasn't "tough". He passed up interception opportunities just to injure players. And yes. That was his intent. To hurt them. If you don't believe me, read his autobiography "They Call Me Assassin". I don't see how that made him "tough" at all.

Bradshaw was tough too. Again, read Tatum's book. They couldn't knock Terry out of games. He played with concussions

[Shawn]

Re: 25 Toughest NFL Players of All Time

I have a feeling Harrison and Ward might creep on that list after retirement.