Greatest NFL players

[legend]

I haven't followed the game for that long (about ten years) but I'm going to have a stab at the greatest players I have ever seen play the game.

1. John Elway
2. Joe Montana
3. Lawrence Taylor
4. Johnny Unitas
5. Jim Brown
6. Barry Sanders
7. Roger Staubach
8. Jerry Rice
9. Eric Dickerson
10. Bart Starr
11. Charles Haley
12. Emmitt Smith
13. Marshall Faulk
14. John Riggins
15. Terry Bradshaw
16. Mike Singletary
17. Joe Namath
18. Tony Dorsett
19. Ed "too tall" Jones
20. Lynn Swann

and Franco Harris :lol:

 

[Paullyboy]

to that list i would add

Dan Marino
James Lofton
and maybe John Stallworth

Of course there are many more that deserve it but the list would be close to endless and my knowledge of past NFL players is not that great either

 

[chileman]

I actually got to shake Joe Montanas hand when he was out here with Toyota doing a promotion of some sought.....the hand that threw so many awesome TD's!

 

[legend]

My prized possession in life is my autographed John Elway jersey. I managed to get one of the old orange jerseys. Very rare indeed.

 

[Blade]

My prized possession in life is my autographed John Elway jersey. I managed to get one of the old orange jerseys. Very rare indeed.

Where from legend?

When they were down under several years back?

Lucky bastard!

 

[Blade]

BTW, I'd definitely consider the names below also:

Terrell Davis (anyone remember CM's great post?)
Jerry Rice
Dan Marino
Anthony Munoz
Herb Adderley (from very little I saw)
Reggie White
Deion Sanders
Walter Payton (mid eighties Bears)
Deacon Jones
Eric Dickerson

Legend, I'm surprised that you remember seeing some of the players on your list play. How old are you?

 

[BuffaloRules]

I think this list needs some Buffalo players;

Bruce Smith
Thurman Thomas
Andre Reed
OJ Simpson

Also - former 49ers player Ronnie Lott is generally considered to be the best Safety to ever play the game......

 

[legend]

Good call on Rockin Ronnie Lott. It's hard to remember them all.

Blade, I'm 31 on Sunday but I have a fair few NFL videos including the 15 greatest comebacks of all time. Sensational video with Elway and Montana both getting a run.

I thought about TD but being a Denver fan, I thought people would think I was being biased but he was a pleasure to watch.

I know Marino was good but because he never won a superbowl I consider him to be more of a stats man that a great player. He was a pocket passer whereas Elway and Montana could scramble their way out of trouble. There are plenty more I think were sensational players:

Tom Nalen
Dermonti Dawson
Greg Lloyd
Reggie White
Gary Zimmerman
Derrick Thomas (RIP)
Troy Aikman
Ken Norton jnr
Larry Csonka
Darrel Green
Jim Kelly
Steve Atwater (one of my personal faves)

Neil O'Donnell. :lol:

 

[Blade]

Blade, I'm 31 on Sunday but I have a fair few NFL videos including the 15 greatest comebacks of all time. Sensational video with Elway and Montana both getting a run.

Happy B'day for Sunday mate, with many more in return!

I'll hunt that video down you mentioned. I'd never heard of it until your post

I thought about TD but being a Denver fan, I thought people would think I was being biased but he was a pleasure to watch.

Don't let the biased feeling effect your decision in this instance mate. TD was a class act. I think you'd find very few NFL folks who'd argue against us both on this ocassion.

I know Marino was good but because he never won a superbowl I consider him to be more of a stats man that a great player. He was a pocket passer whereas Elway and Montana could scramble their way out of trouble.

To qoute from a site: He came, he saw, he conquered. And then, like a thief in the night, he disappeared from professional football with every rushing record known to man. Many have been re-established, but the legend of Jim Brown remains as powerful as the body-scattering runs that lifted him to prominence as the Cleveland Browns ultimate offensive weapon from 1957 to 65. He was, simply, the greatest pure runner in the history of the NFL.

Brown was a physical masterpiece, a gift from the football gods. His 18-inch neck, wide shoulders and 45-inch chest tapered down to a 32-inch waist and massive thighs that carried him around the field with the grace and power of a jaguar. Brown ran with head high, nostrils flaring, legs pumping and powerful arms swatting away tacklers like flies. He was an amazing combination of power and speed who could juke past slower defenders or run over linebackers and defensive backs.

A multisport star at Syracuse, he stormed through the NFL as a 1957 rookie, running for 942 yards and posting the first of eight rushing championships he would claim over a nine-year career. His yearly rushing totals would become the standard for future runners to aspire: 1,527, 1,329, 1,257, 1,408, 1,863, 1,446 and 1,544. The beauty of Brown was that everybody knew he was going to get the ball, and the opposing team still couldnt stop him.

The nine-time Pro Bowl choice was equally intimidating off the field, where his menacing glares, in-your-face attitude and outspoken views often were interpreted as resentful and rebellious. He played the game without emotion, the same way he delivered the shocking 1965 news that he would retire, at age 29, while filming a movie in London. He left at the top of his game, the proud owner of one championship ring (1964) and 20 NFL records that included rushing yards (12,312), yards per carry (5.2) and rushing touchdowns (106).


Frrom: NFL's 100 Greatest Players Of All Time I stumbled upon the site back at the LWOS days when Outlaw use to post NFL quiz threads.

Check it out mate. It breaks down every player from 1-100 in great detail. It's a rippa!

 

[Blade]

BTW legend,

For some reason the BACK and NEXT bottons on the bottom of the URL don't seem to be working. Just go to the Address URL bar on your browser up top and type in whatever number you wish to view from 1-100.

 

[legend]

Thansk for the birthday wishes mate.

At present I have the NFL's 15 greatest comebacks of all time hosted by Paul Maguire, NFL's top 100 tackles, Denver Broncos Superbowl video 1997 season and the Packers 1996 season.

A mate I used to live with had heaps of NFL videos including NFL rocks (superb video) the Dallas Cowboys Superbowl videos from the early 90's and a few others I can't recall.

Every Monday morning we used to get up before dawn and watch the Fox game of the week. Pat Summerall used to give the greatest intros to the big game and made it part of a great viewing spectacle. Then on Tuesdays I uesd to go and watch the Monday night football matches with Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorff and Frank Gifford. Then that comedian took over and he was quite funny and now we have the gret man himself, John Madden.

 

[Trojan Horse]

I know Marino was good but because he never won a superbowl I consider him to be more of a stats man that a great player. He was a pocket passer whereas Elway and Montana could scramble their way out of trouble.

To qoute from a site: He came, he saw, he conquered. And then, like a thief in the night, he disappeared from professional football with every rushing record known to man. Many have been re-established, but the legend of Jim Brown remains as powerful as the body-scattering runs that lifted him to prominence as the Cleveland Browns ultimate offensive weapon from 1957 to 65. He was, simply, the greatest pure runner in the history of the NFL.

Brown was a physical masterpiece, a gift from the football gods. His 18-inch neck, wide shoulders and 45-inch chest tapered down to a 32-inch waist and massive thighs that carried him around the field with the grace and power of a jaguar. Brown ran with head high, nostrils flaring, legs pumping and powerful arms swatting away tacklers like flies. He was an amazing combination of power and speed who could juke past slower defenders or run over linebackers and defensive backs.

A multisport star at Syracuse, he stormed through the NFL as a 1957 rookie, running for 942 yards and posting the first of eight rushing championships he would claim over a nine-year career. His yearly rushing totals would become the standard for future runners to aspire: 1,527, 1,329, 1,257, 1,408, 1,863, 1,446 and 1,544. The beauty of Brown was that everybody knew he was going to get the ball, and the opposing team still couldnt stop him.

The nine-time Pro Bowl choice was equally intimidating off the field, where his menacing glares, in-your-face attitude and outspoken views often were interpreted as resentful and rebellious. He played the game without emotion, the same way he delivered the shocking 1965 news that he would retire, at age 29, while filming a movie in London. He left at the top of his game, the proud owner of one championship ring (1964) and 20 NFL records that included rushing yards (12,312), yards per carry (5.2) and rushing touchdowns (106).

Blade, what's your reply above -- about Jim Brown -- got anything to do with Marino, Elway or Montana?

[[Totally lost and confused]]

 

[Blade]

I hear ya' Horse.

My bad; I pasted the wrong players details.

Here's what I meant to post -

It all starts with what former Miami coach Don Shula called "the quickest arm I've ever seen." It also is strong, a deadly combination that has allowed Dan Marino to light up scoreboards for 16 seasons as the most prolific passer in NFL history. With one flick of his powerful right wrist, he can deliver a needle-threading rocket, drop a feathery floater between defenders or lay a 70-yard bomb on the fingertips of a full-stride sprinter. When it comes to throwing a football, nobody has ever done it better.

It's hard to argue against Marino as the best pure passer ever. His size (6-4, 228 pounds) gives him field vision and allows him to withstand constant punishment; his brash, almost cocky, personality gives him a competitive edge; his quick release allows him to wait longer for receivers and compensate for lack of mobility; and his arm strength enables him to make throws other quarterbacks can only dream about.

The poise and confidence have been there from the start, when Marino emerged from the University of Pittsburgh as the sixth quarterback selected in the 1983 draft. It has not been uncommon over the years to see him screaming at receivers and linemen about broken patterns and missed blocks. He's fiery, tough and desperate to win, characteristics that have earned him distinction as one of the game's most dangerous comeback quarterbacks.

The air show started in 1984 when Marino posted the most incredible passing season in history -- 5,084 yards, a .642 completion percentage and 48 touchdowns -- and led the Dolphins to the only Super Bowl of his career, a loss to San Francisco. The absence of a championship on his resume has been a gnawing frustration for Marino, but it has been more reflective of the talent surrounding him. Still, the nine-time Pro Bowl selection entered 1999 as the career leader in every major passing category, including yards (58,913), completions (4,763) and touchdowns (408). His teams have reached the playoffs eight times, the AFC championship game on three occasions.

 

[CanadianSteve]

You guys have listed a lot of great players. There's so many, it's probably better to do it by position.

Jim Brown was truly one of the great running backs. One player I didn't see listed was Gale Sayers of the Bears. The best running back I've ever seen, his career was cut short by injuries so his stats don't measure up to the usual list of all-time great RB's. But Jim Brown said in his book that Sayers was the one all other runners wish they could run like. If you ever get a chance to see an old NFL video with Sayers highlights, you'll see what I mean.


Legend, you posted Neil O'Donnell at the end of a list, as a joke I assume. I hope you didn't have the same intent with Franco Harris in your first post. Franco was a truly great big back, one of the mainstays of the Steelers' dynasty of the 70s.

http://www.nospam47.com/nfl/100/21.html

 

[kurt faulk]

I know Marino was good but because he never won a superbowl I consider him to be more of a stats man that a great player. He was a pocket passer whereas Elway and Montana could scramble their way out of trouble.

that's pretty weak legend. marino was a great player but just never had a team good enough to win the superbowl.

montana was qb for one of the most dominant teams in nfl history. he didn't do much with the chiefs.

elway didn't win anything until terrell davis came on the scene. no davis, no superbowls.

and to suggest scrambling qbs are better than pocket passers is way off the mark. the ability to run your way out of trouble is just another asset for a qb, it doesn't automatically make you better than a qb who can't scramble.

.

 

[legend]

Kurt, we'll have to agree to disagree. Elway always had less to work with until Davis came along but ask any NFL fan who they think was the better overal lplayer, and nine out of ten will say Elway.

Elway has produced some superb comebacks in his career and to me that made him the greatest, not just his two superbowls.

CS, I know Franco was an excellent player. I remember seeing a video on the greatest ever plays in the NFL and the immaculate reception was named the best. I remember the guy from the Cowboys whinging about being clipped by Franco and the umpire not picking it up. I just thought it was funny hearing this guy whinge about Franco when Franco was having a bludge and just dawling down the field and ends up catching the ball for the best play of all time.

 

[kurt faulk]

.

legend

i have no problem with you saying elway or montana are better than marino. they would be ahead of him on my list.

my beef was your notion that marino wasn't a great player because he never won a superbowl. many great players have never won a superbowl, it doesn't mean they're still not great players.

.

 

[CanadianSteve]

CS, I know Franco was an excellent player. I remember seeing a video on the greatest ever plays in the NFL and the immaculate reception was named the best. I remember the guy from the Cowboys whinging about being clipped by Franco and the umpire not picking it up. I just thought it was funny hearing this guy whinge about Franco when Franco was having a bludge and just dawling down the field and ends up catching the ball for the best play of all time.

The Immaculate Reception was against the Raiders, not Cowboys. Franco was pass blocking for Bradshaw, then took off downfield as the ball was batted toward him. he made a catch at his shoetops and ran into the end zone. The controversy was that the Raiders claimed the ball had caromed off Steeler John "Frenchy" Fuqua into Franco's hands. It was hard to tell because Fuqua was hit by Raider Jack Tatum as the ball arrived, causing it to carom back to Franco - did it touch Tatum or Fuqua? In those days it was illegal for a pass to touch 2 receivers from the same team, but there was no use of television replays by officials then. Now, any deflection can be caught by anyone.

I always thought the play was correctly ruled a catch because a) I was a Steeler fan and b) Tatum caused the ball to be deflected backwards, whether Fuqua's hand touched it or not.

I remember going crazy in my living room watching that play. The Steelers lost the AFC final to Miami the following week, and lost in the playoffs to Oakland the next year, but after that they were on their way to 4 SB's in the next 6 years.

 

[legend]

Why was I thinking Cowboys? Not sure but it was funny hearing that guy have a whinge about Franco Harris.

Bradshaw was one of my favourites because of his pure athletic ability as a QB. When I first saw the Cannonball Run I never knew who he was because nobody knew much about the NFL in Australia in those days.

I noticed Doug Flutie is still plying his trade in the NFL. Man, that guy must be 45 at least!

 

[CanadianSteve]

I just read an article about Flutie - I think he's 40 going on 41. He said he still works out in the off-season the same as he always has. He said he's been able to keep going because he's never stopped.

It talked about how he started his career in a competing league called the USFL, and most of his young teammates don't even remember the USFL. Only one other player, a punter named Sean Landeta, is still active from the USFL. Jim Kelly and Herschel Walker were other big names who played in that league in the early 80s.

Flutie also played 8 years in the CFL. I saw him play live for the Toronto Argonauts, where he won 2 Grey Cups in his last 2 years in the CFL, before he went to Buffalo. He really is an amazing athlete who's had an incredible career.