at which position is it easiest to become an all-time great?

[The15thunter]

another week, another topic that crept into my mind.

which position do you guys thing it's easiest to reach a high level and become an all-time great at that position, or just an all-time great period? i have a few thoughts, but i don't want the thread to turn into reactions just to my ideas, so i'll wait, but i'm very intrigued by this idea.

[Other Guy]

QB or RB. They get the the ball the most, thus they get the most attention. There are more RB's and QB's in the Hall of Fame than any other position, by far.

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/positions.aspx

[iAM-IncReDiBLe-]

I agree with the above poster. With the way the NFL is today it is much easier for a QB to put up big numbers which makes it easier to get into the hall of fame.

[wwharton]

That's one way to look at it. The other is that at RB and especially QB, you have the most eyes on you expecting immediate results. In that sense I would say it's the HARDEST to become an all time great. If we know for a fact that you have HOF talent, then yes QB and RB is the quickest way to get there, but not the easiest.

I'm not really sure what would be though... and we're talking about all time great rather than Hall of Fame which puts WR higher on the list imo (since it seems the all time great WRs have a harder time getting into the Hall). DE? You only have to think about getting to the QB... more time to perfect all the possible ways to get to the QB. Any other position that simple? Even on the o line you have to react to the defense coming at you.

[bkrich83]

Running back. Because they rely on natural instinct more than anything else, they can come in and make an impact right away. Although their shelf life is shorter.

It's difficult to come in and play QB, nevermind become great. I think it's the hardest.

[Other Guy]

wwharton, your post has me thinking about it a little more. I guess playing a glamour position just makes it easier to be recognized if you are one of the greats. That would get you the fame, which is why there are so many QB/RBs in the hall of FAME.

I don't know if it's any easier at any position vs. any other position. You're either that good at what you do or you're not.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by Other Guy

wwharton, your post has me thinking about it a little more. I guess playing a glamour position just makes it easier to be recognized if you are one of the greats. That would get you the fame, which is why there are so many QB/RBs in the hall of FAME. I don't know if it's any easier at any position vs. any other position. You're either that good at what you do or you're not.

That's pretty much the short answer, lol.

BK, I hear you... especially since lots of RBs can come in and be successful right away. I guess I can soften my stance against them. But considering the shelf life compared to other positions, they get a knock down since not too many are crowned all time greats in short careers. I also think playing a position not quite in the spot light is the "easiest" way to succeed. You have time to grow into a position and when you "get it" that's when the light will shine on you. At RB, if you don't get it right away, it'll be hard to change people's perception if you struggle through growing pains.

[Cebby]

Running back by far

Given a great OL any starting caliber running back can be a HOFer.

Quarterback would be number 2 with an asterisks. If you are a quarterback for a great franchise you're damn near a lock. Quarterbacks get a disproportional amount of credit for wins and especially playoff success. That said, they receive similar amounts of blame for failure which is why I give it an *.

The biggest thing that RBs, QBs, and WRs have over other positions are recordable, consistent stats.

I'd rank them:

RB




QB


WR

LB
DB



DL

*scroll down several pages*

OL

*LOL*

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