The best players I've ever seen. Top 100 by NFL Network has been a fun thing to watch the past few years. First they did all time, then, of 2011. Well, I'm 29, so lets do the ones I remember, circa 1990 and onward. I will factor in prior to 1990 accomplishments to some extent, but in general, I'm talking about the best players my eyes have laid eyes upon, so Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, Dan Marino, even Joe Montana will not be on this list.
1. Reggie WhiteThis is probably because of my prejudice as a Packers fan, but Reggie White is the single greatest NFL Player I've ever seen play. There are a couple ways I view this. The first is because in the 80s and 90s he did things that no player has ever done in history at his position. You know all those famous Reggie White moves? The club, the swim, the bull rush... etc? Who does that now? Dwight Freeney? James Harrison? Julius Peppers? Ndamakong Suh? Maybe each has a weapon at their disposal, but not all three. And most people would agree without question that today's athletes are better than those of 20 years ago. So why don't you see anyone rock a Left Tackle back and club him to the ground with his forearm anymore? I'll tell you why, because Reggie White is out of the NFL (and dead, unfortunately, but that's a different story). The other reason why he is the greatest is because of when he did these things. On 3rd down, in the 4th quarter, with the other team driving, he got these sacks (198 1/2 to be exact) not just in garbage time or on 1st and 10 in the first quarter. The crowd would change "Reggie, Reggie, Reggie!" and he would come through. Everyone knew he was coming, but no one could stop him. Oh, and on a side note, he played EVERY DOWN. Later on his career he took some downs off, but for the most part he stuffed the run just as well as he rushed the passer. Just ask my #5 player.
2. Jerry Rice.Most people have this man #1, and for good reason. He is the greatest WR, and maybe offensive player of all time. Famous for his conditioning and hard offseason work he put in every year in the Bay Area, he was so good for so long that you almost took it for granted, especially towards the end of his career when he played for the Raiders (and briefly the Seahawks). He won 3 Super Bowls, and played in another with the Raiders in 2002. He has pretty much every career receiving record, as well as single season records. In the strike shortened season of 1987 he had 22 TD receptions in 12 GAMES a record that stood until Randy Moss had 23 in the Patriots video game season of 2007. footnote - Interesting that Reggie White had 21 sacks in that same 12 game season. Absolutely ridiculous. A class act and a competitor, and one of the greatest of all time.
3. Ray LewisOne thing is for sure. The Ravens #52 is the greatest murder suspect of all time. Seriously though, this guy is unbelievable. Middle Linebacker is a hallowed position in the NFL. Butkus, Nitschke, Bednarik, Huff, Lambert... (I'm sure I'm missing a few...) but Ray Lewis is right up there with those guys. He is an all time great, and a rarity in today's game, he has played his whole career for one team. He is the Baltimore Ravens. He was the 2nd player they ever drafted on their team (behind Jonathan Ogden, another future hall of famer who may be on this list). He is a 12 time probowler, 2 time Defensive POY, Super Bowl Champion & MVP, and a true leader of men. He, and the defense he was part of, was so good in 2000 that he has influenced a decade of misconception about the NFL. There is a school of thought out there that if you have an excellent defense, and an ok QB/offense, you can win a Super Bowl like the '00 Ravens (or to a lesser extent '02 Bucs.) Well that school of thought is wrong for one reason. No other team has Ray Lewis. Don't bother trying to copy that formula, because it won't work, because you don't have Ray Lewis.
4. Brett FavreToo low for the greatest QB I've ever seen? Am I prejudiced once again by my Packers fandom? Maybe on both counts. Is it unfair to say that if they would have beaten the Cowboys in 1994 or 1995, or beaten Denver Super Bowl XXXII, not lost the 4th & 26 game, or beaten the Giants in January of '08, or the Saints in January of '10 that Favre might be #1, not on this list, but on all? Maybe a little. Those teams were either young, or suspect defensively, or just got beaten by the better team at the time. But for all of Favre's greatness, which trust me, goes on and on, there is always this wonder if there could have been more. Which is absurd for a guy who won 3 MVPs, won a Super Bowl, went to 6 NFC Championship games, and holds most career passing records, plus the famous consecutive starts streak, which cannot be overstated. NFL Players don't play 18 seasons in a row without missing a game. Brett Favre did. And he was unbelievable in doing it. One of the things I will always remember about him is how he elevated the play of the offensive players around him. Look at Sidney Rice. He has been average at best every year except the year he played with Favre, when he was one of the best 5 WRs in the league. Need I say more?
5. Barry SandersThe best running back I've ever seen. The position has been devalued in some ways over the years with the prominence of the passing game, and the short careers running backs tend to have. But Barry Sanders was a dynamic, explosive, game breaking player, on average teams for a decade. He retired as the 2nd leading rusher of all time, and left me breathless on more than one occasion. Do I really need to go on about his ankle breaking, defender embarrassing runs, which often followed 1 or 2 yard losses? We know the story. This guy was the greatest pure running back of the modern era, but he unfortunately played for the Detroit Lions during the Wayne Fontes era. Oh well, he is the highest player on this list without a Super Bowl, and his game defied logic and understanding.
6. Peyton ManningI may have put Brady here before this season, but this 2-14 season by the Colts cemented in my mind what I have pretty much known most of the past decade. Much like the 90s/mid 00s Packers, the Indianapolis Colts are 100% about their quarterback. So much so that without him they can barely win a game without him. When Manning is on the field the Colts are a feared opponent, explosive, efficient, and tough at the same time. They have been a perennial playoff team, with one man at the helm. He is famous for calling most of his own plays, checking constantly, and seemingly waving around like a frantic spaz at the line of scrimmage. But he is the general as John Gruden would say, directing his troops into battle. Without him the team is lost. I am anxious to see one of the greatest to ever line up play again soon. Who this will be with is going to be the most fascinating story of the offseason (hint: Arizona/Minnesota/Miami and dark horse San Francisco).
7. Tom BradyBrady is one of the great stories of all time. Most other players on this list were 1st round picks, and highly touted prospects. Even Rice, who went to Mississippi Valley State was 16th overall. Favre, a second round pick, was drafted 32nd, and Wolf gave up a first rounder for him when he became GM for the Packers. Everyone knows how everyone passed on Brady, all the way to pick 199 in the 6th round in '00. He has kept that chip on his shouder, worked hard, and has a great working relationship with the great coach Bill Belichick. This has led to 3 Super Bowl championships, the only undefeated regular season since 1972, and unanimous MVP honors in 2010. In contrast to Manning, people like to point out that the season that Brady was injured the Patriots still went 11-5. The Patriots have a great system and throughout the 00s had loads of talent, but that does not diminish the greatness of Brady.
8. Marshall FaulkIs this a little high? Maybe. But honestly, think about it. Do you remember a better overall offensive weapon in your lifetime? He had 4 straight 2000 yd seasons, 1 with the Colts, during Peyton Manning's rookie season, and 3 straight with the Rams & the greatest show on turf. He was the best player on some of the best offenses of all time, went to 2 Super Bowls, won one, was a rookie of the year, and a two time NFL MVP. In his first season with the Rams, the unbelievable 1999 year, he became the 2nd player in NFL history to have over 1000 yards receiving and rushing in the same year. Wow. He pretty much made fantasy football fun if you were lucky enough to draft him for 8 or 9 years (ok, maybe that's not a real reason, but damn!) and is a hall of famer.
9. Walter JonesIt's about time for an offensive lineman. I cannot go on and on about how great an O lineman is like I can other positions, but let me tell you, for about 4-5 years in the mid 00s he was considered a top 3 player in the game by those who know (John Madden referred to him as the NFL's best player in 2004, and the Sporting News ranked him #1 overall in 2006). He started 180 straight games for Seattle at Left Tackle starting in his rookie year, and excelled. He was a 9 time Pro Bowler, 7 time All Pro, and along with Steve Hutchinson paved the way for Shaun Alexander's great run from 2003-2005, culminating with the 1880 yard, 28 TD season in '05. That team also went to Super Bowl XL against the Steelers. The fact that Jones received this kind of recognition for that long in Seattle says something. Greatness gets noticed, and Walter Jones was great.
10. Randy MossRandy Moss is so hard to judge from a historical point of view for a few reasons. First of all, this is his first year out of the league. Second, he was known for being moody, and not necessarily (ahem) going all out on every play. Third, he played in the more passing oriented era, when so many other receivers (ie. Marvin Harrision, Terrell Owens) were putting up huge numbers as well. But I know what I see, and Randy Moss was one of the best 10 football players I've ever seen. He affected each game he suited up in more than any WR I've seen. Just him lining up caused defenses to change their entire game plan to figure out how to cover him. It didn't matter though. From the moment he burst on the scene in 1998 he made huge play after huge play. His run from 98-03 was absurd. It didn't matter who the Vikings lined up at QB, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Brad Johnson, Daunte Culpepper or Gus Frerrote, Moss put up numbers and made that offense dynamic. He has been on the 2 greatest offenses of all time, the '98 Vikings, and the '07 Patriots. Coincidence? I don't think so. When Moss is "right" he is one of the greatest offensive weapons of all time.
So... Can I come up with a top 20 or 50 or 100? Maybe, but the next 5 or 6 are difficult. Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, Jonathan Ogden, LaDanian Tomlinson, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Brian Urlacher, Willie Roaf, Steve Young, Terrell Owens, Warren Sapp, and John Elway are some of the ones that come to mind right away.
Obviously we have been privileged to see so many good QBs. Obviously Joe Montana & Dan Marine are 2 of the greatest ever. I haven't mentioned Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, or Eli Manning, or such mainstays as Chad Pennington, Vinny Testaverde, Jim Kelly, Rich Gannon, Steve McNair, Michael Vick, or Philip Rivers.
And what about WRs? Cris Carter and Tim Brown are having a hard time making the HOF. Andre Reed was the best WR on 4 Super Bowl (losing) teams, and probably has no chance of making it. Marvin Harrison has the most receptions in a single season of all time. Hines Ward has the most receptions in Steelers' history. Donald Driver has passed all of James Lofton/Sterling Sharpe's records. And what about TEs? Tony Gonzales? Unbelievable. and it has gotten better in recent years. Antonio Gates followed in his footsteps, and then Jimmy Graham & Rob Gronkowski both just passed the single season record for receiving yards in a season.
Greatness is very difficult to judge, and the more the NFL leans towards protecting receivers, and especially QBs, the more difficult it is going to be to judge people against history. But the point of this post is this: I know when I see greatness, and this is how I see it. Argue with me if you like, I'm sure there are other good opinions out there.
