I’ve followed a lot of NFL football but only since 1972 so I can’t vouche for before then. I am confident is saying since 1972 there has only been one other defensive player close to AD and that’s LT. In my mind that’s non-debatable and idiotic to challenge but that’s in my mind.
Reggie White comes to mind…
Bruce Smith doesn’t even as he has the all-time sack record at 200 even because he was just super good, but didn’t “change the game”
LT was lightning fast and strong (coke can do that I guess). He changed how OL, blocking schemes and whole offenses worked
Reggie White was a 6’5” 300lb DE (mostly, at the end he was moved inside to DT) whose size and ridiculous strength again changed how teams drafted, blocked and ran their offense
AD is lightning fast and crazy strong. The difference is that AD is mostly on the inside at the 3T and has changed the way teams draft, block and run their offenses, but NO ONE IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME has had more personnel dedicated to stopping just him. How many triple teams have we seen other HoF defenders face? Did LT, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Jack Youngblood, Merlin Olsen ever face a quadruple team?
AD has and this is in an age of analytics and computing power dedicated to finding the most efficient offensive schemes and plays.
It’s facts like this… that he’s changing the game while also being the most opposed… most personnel thrown at him, most schemed against, most changes in how opponents draft (LT is close in this regard). Before AD, how many teams really cared if the center and OGs had nifty feet AND could anchor? Many NFL OGs we’re college Tackles who didn’t have the feet to play outside (that’s still the case for most teams including the Rams). But going against, a team could have a both nimble and anchoring OG and double AD or they could triple team him…and still get beaten
That’s why AD is the greatest defender ever. He’s playing at this level against more opposition than any other defender in history. And his 20
Sack season may be one of the greatest seasons by any defender ever.
In many ways I see watching each Rams game both as a chance to see our Rams win, but maybe more importantly, to witness history as each defensive snap, we are watching arguably the greatest defender ever do it at a higher level than anyone ever has. I feel if one respects the NFL, one almost has to watch every Rams game just to pay respects to ADs greatness.
