re: Was Troy Aikman overrated?

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it is not fair to compare QB stats of that era to the modern "don't hit the QB or the receivers" era?

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Teams tried to knock QB's out of games. Aikman had to retire because of the number of concussions he had while playing.

One of Aikman's concussion hits on YouTube

Another Aikman concussion on YouTube These announcers never even mention how hard his head hits the turf and concrete under it. It took the sport years to figure out slamming a guy's head on to padded concrete did as much harm as helmet to helmet contact.

Make no mistake about intent here. Defenders were trying to knock skill position guys out of games. In 2007 LSU's defense knocked the starting QB's out of their 1st three or four games. It's just the way the game was played.

A lot of safeties used to not be able to cover any WR's. They just timed their diving hits to coincide with the ball getting there.

Safety of the 90'a: Steve Atwater 6'3" 230lbs. See the 2nd play on his highlights and a few more on YouTube. No penalties were called because those hits were legal. Look at those big ole shoulder pads. He came to hit, not cover WR's.



Modern safety Tyrann Mathieu 5'9" 190 lbs.