Walter Payton is standing the test of time.
When the Sun-Times published a “50 Best Bears of All Time” list in 2010, Payton was the choice for No. 1, but it wasn’t a landslide. It wasn’t like picking Michael Jordan as the best Bull of all time.
Sid Luckman won four NFL titles and was the mastermind behind one of the league’s early dynasties. Dick Butkus made such an impact as an instinctive, ferocious player that he is still considered by many to be the best linebacker in NFL history nearly 50 years after he retired. Gale Sayers still is in a class by himself as a runner — we haven’t seen anybody quite like him.