Walter Payton, you are my favorite Chicago Bears player I have never seen play. Whenever I think of the greatest running backs in NFL history, you come to mind first. Sure, Emmitt Smith may have more rushing yards than you and eclipsed your all-time NFL rushing record. Yes, I think Smith is an all-time great. But Smith is so overrated. He had Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and a consistent offensive line to get him those numbers and to distract away from the passing game. You did not have a Hall of Fame quarterback or receiver that took focus off of you. Teams knew you were going to get the ball and were better prepared to stop you. The fact that you put up such superb numbers when defenses knew you were coming after them is phenomenal. In today's NFL, we would do anything to have another dynamic running back like you who could do anything no matter what the defenses were planning against you. We need you back in today's NFL. Walter, you were taken from all of us way too soon. You were a class act on and off the field. You did not deserve to succumb to this liver disease. Bears fans like myself wish you were still around today. What would you have thought of the mess this team has become? How would you have liked the Bears selecting Trubisky? What would have your thoughts on Jay Cutler have been? What kind of advice would you have given to the 2006 Bears heading into Super Bowl XLI? Maybe you would've signed a one-game contract just to get the Super Bowl touchdown Mike Ditka did not give to you. Would you have been at Draft Town in Chicago to announce the Bears second round picks in 2015 and 2016 as many other NFL alumni had done with their respective teams? Would the NFL Man of The Year Award still have been named after you? Those are all questions we wonder about as Bears fans. 18 Years ago, on November 1st,1999, the NFL World lost a legendary man way too soon. Walter, we sure wish you were still around in our lives today.