It makes for interesting conversation when a former NFL player of note doesn't just praise the players of today and becomes critical.
I have no issue with it. It's a good thing in the sense you're getting honest commentary from from former athletes, where before they often came across as making excuses for players regardless. Present day players are particularly sensitive to such criticism, especially when it comes from figures who are viewed as iconic in their sport.
I've heard this expression many times in such instances: "They forgot how difficult it is to play this game."
While I defend Marshall Faulk's right to make his recent statements basically dismissing Matthew Stafford's 5,000-yard passing season in 2011, he couldn't have been more wrong.
He made it sound like any QB could do it. Absurd. It has only been done five times in NFL history, and Stafford was only one of three QBs to accomplish it this season.
And that Stafford was merely a product of Calvin Johnson. If that's the case, then I guess Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky were merely products of Calvin Johnson when he had a similar season statistically in 2008 and the Lions were 0-16 rather than 10-6.
All-time great wide receiver Cris Carter made similar-style comments about Johnson early this past season. They were just as ill-conceived and equally not compelling.
Ex-All Pro defensive tackle Warren Sapp also criticized Nadamukong Suh recently, but there seemed to be more merit to it, and thought behind it.
Stafford and Johnson were brilliant this season, while Suh wasn't nearly as effective as his first season in his second, and had other well-documented issues, as well.
But what interests people about former greats such as Faulk, Carter and Sapp is their actual opinion. Not cushioning it because they are in the so-called fraternity of players. If they are doing that, I'm fine with it. If they are just stirring the hornet's nest to get attention, that's another issue.