Originally posted by Yarzin
I wouldnt hold Jim Brown's decision to retire against him or any other player who wants a better quality of life in their later years.
I definitely would not hold it against them personally. I can understand the decision for personal or health reasons.

But I WILL definitely hold it against someone who retires early when the discussion is greatest all time players.

Part of being a great player is durability. Whether that is a matter of pure physical durability or psychological, they are both the same.

Jim Brown decided, for a variety of reasons (some of them are outright looney, like his desire to be a movie star for christ sakes), to retire after 9 years. That is totally his right of course. But it certainly SHOULD have a negative effect on where he ranks in any list of all time great players.

If you want to talk about things like who had the greatest season as a RB or who was the most dominant RB when they played, or something like that, then yeah, its going to be Jim Brown every time for RBs.

But if you want to talk about all time best players, you are talking about a CAREER. When you talk about careers, longevity is hugely important.

Also, being able to maintain a level of top quality play even when you are older and cannot just physically dominate other players is a major sign of greatness. Most great players in any sport develop NEW skills and tactics when they get older, and have to learn to play smarter.

Look at Michael Jordan. The Michael Jordan who won the last 3 titles played much differently than the Jordan who won the first three. The early Jordan was all about dominating in the paint, driving the lane, jumping OVER people, and just doing crazy shit. The Jordan of the later years had a better jump shot and 3 point shot, outsmarted defenders, etc.