Tom Brady voted 2nd best player in NFL history.

[primetime]

Great shot at a list, interesting however that you didn't find room for anyone from the 5 championship teams of the Lombardi era.

Given the changing eras add spots for the FB which was a significant position and the slot receiver in the current era.

I would also see a place for Gino Marchetti from the Colts, Dave Robinson Packers, Mel Blount Steelers, B Sanders of the Lions.


Jim Brown and Tom Brady are the best players I have seen in my life (going back to watching football since the late 50's.

I'm younger, so the older players are based on hearsay from my father (big OJ fan, football wise at least) and reputation. I know there are a lot of players who enjoy good reputations who were basically just solid members of fantastic teams (many of the Steelers come to mind, I always forget which of the Jacks was the really phenomenal one and which was merely good but gets overrated by history)

 

[Tony2046]

If I had to do a team... (* means active)

QB: T.Brady*, J.Montana, J.Unitas
RB: J.Brown, O.Simpson, L.Tomlinson
OT: A.Munoz, W.Jones, J.Ogden
OG: J.Hannah, G.Upshaw, L.Allen
C: M.Webster, J.Otto
TE: R.Gronkowski*, T.Gonzalez, M.Ditka
WR: J.Rice, D.Hutson, R.Moss, C. Johnson*, M.Harrison

DE: R.White, D.Jones, B.Smith, J.Watt*
DT: M.Olsen, J.Greene, A.Page, T.Washington
LB: L.Taylor, R.Lewis, M.Singletary, D.Butkus, J.Seau, S.Huff
CB: D.Sanders, D.Revis*, D.Lane, R.Woodson
S: E.Reed, R.Lott, L.Wilson

K: A.Vinatieri*
P: R.Guy
RS: D.Hester*, G.Sayers
ST: S.Tasker, M.Slater*

I would take Barry Sanders over LT.

Nice list btw.

 

[Biffins]

If #1 isn't Jerry Rice, the poll isn't worth the bandwidth it would take to look at it.

Come on. That's nonsense. Why should Jerry Rice be considered greatest football player of all time by default just because he was the greatest WR. Or Jim Brown number 2 just because he was the greatest RB. Frankly the way the importance of RB has fallen away in the league seems to damage Brown's credentials. Rob Gronkowski may be head and shoulders better than any TE in the league and got unanimously voted in 50/50 for 1st team All-Pro but he's still just a TE. Similarly with J.J. Watt at DE.

Whether you like it or not. QBs matter more. There's a reason they are paid the most. Even today, tell me how many teams in NFL you know who have competent QBs. Maybe 12? 15 at most. This is such a demanding position that you can't find more than 15 good players at this position in the world. Look at Moss going to Raiders or DeMarco Murray going to Eagles. Those players don't take their success with them. Look at Manning going to Broncos. It instantly made the team a contender and he took them to the Superbowl. Good QBs matter more than anything else.

If someone declares a G or LB as the All-World super G or LB in the world far above and beyond his peers, that's great but that person can't be considered the best player in the league. It's why any team that pays top QB type money ($20m per year) to positions other than QB (like Megatron or Suh or Haynesworth or others) are doomed to failure. No other position is worth as much.

And that's why the top 3 or even top 5 players in the league, today as well as all-time, must be QBs.

 

[shmessy]

Any "Greatest Athlete" list that does not include Bo Jackson is a fraud.

It's not a "Greatest Athlete" poll.

It still is a silly popularity contest. Jim Brown not in the top 4 - - and behind Peyton Manning????? Lame.

The fact that Brett Favre was #1 Football Player of All Time in the 2009 poll makes this all the more laughable.

 

[MitchKumstein]

I would take Barry Sanders over LT.

Nice list btw.

I was going to say the exact sane thing

 

[RobertWeathers]

I was going to say the exact sane thing

Gotta go with the GoAT of LBs and maybe defensive players over Barry.

 

[Tony2046]

Gotta go with the GoAT of LBs and maybe defensive players over Barry.

We were responding to Primetime's dream team list.

 

[RobertWeathers]

If I had to do a team... (* means active)

QB: T.Brady*, J.Montana, J.Unitas
RB: J.Brown, O.Simpson, L.Tomlinson
OT: A.Munoz, W.Jones, J.Ogden
OG: J.Hannah, G.Upshaw, L.Allen
C: M.Webster, D. Stevenson, J.Otto
TE: R.Gronkowski*, T.Gonzalez, M.Ditka
WR: J.Rice, D.Hutson, R.Moss, C. Johnson*, M.Harrison

DE: R.White, D.Jones, B.Smith, J.Watt*
DT: M.Olsen, J.Greene, A.Page, T.Washington
LB: L.Taylor, R.Lewis, D.Butkus, M.Singletary, J.Seau, S.Huff
CB: D.Sanders, M Blount, R.Woodson, D.Revis*, D.Lane,
S: E.Reed, R.Lott, L.Wilson

K: A.Vinatieri*
P: R.Guy
RS: D.Hester*, G.Sayers
ST: S.Tasker, M.Slater*

Excellent list. My minimal swap outs in bold

 

[primetime]

I would take Barry Sanders over LT.

Nice list btw.

Good point. Barry should be over Tomlinson. Totally slipped my mind. Knew I was forgetting someone important at RB, but couldn't figure out who. Roaf vs. Ogden was questionable too, ultimately you could take any of the three (or even four, with Pace) tackles of Ogden, Roaf, and Jones. The last decade was really a phenomenal period for tackles.

 

[Tony2046]

It's not a "Greatest Athlete" poll.

It still is a silly popularity contest. Jim Brown not in the top 4 - - and behind Peyton Manning????? Lame.

The fact that Brett Favre was #1 Football Player of All Time in the 2009 poll makes this all the more laughable.

But it does give you a general consensus regarding Brady's Legacy. But yes it's a popularity contest.

 

[RobertWeathers]

We were responding to Primetime's dream team list.

Oh duh.Wrong LT

 

[shmessy]

But it does give you a general consensus regarding Brady's Legacy. But yes it's a popularity contest.

Yeah, at #2 now he's ALMOST as highly regarded as Brett Favre was in 2009.........

 

[Tony2046]

Good point. Barry should be over Tomlinson. Totally slipped my mind. Knew I was forgetting someone important at RB, but couldn't figure out who.

haha. To be honest I could not have come up with a "dream team" list as fast as you did. So I wouldn't worry too much about your memory. haha

 

[Tony2046]

Oh duh.Wrong LT

Hey Pal! Get with the program.

 

[Jim Colclough fan]

Late 1970's - early '80's it was Bird. Mid '80's to mid 90's it was Jordan. For the next 10 years it was Tiger Woods. Overlapping Woods was Brady, but the public was too enamored with Woods. So the public appreciation for Brady took a few years.

Brady will go down as the NFL's greatest player after he retires. He will hold that honor for a long, long time!

 

[Nikolai]

Oh duh.Wrong LT

I've refused to call LaClassian by the name "LT", so I do a double take too, sometimes.

I thought, before I clicked the thread, that Brady came second to Jim Brown in the poll. One more ring should put the Montana-Brady comp to rest.

 

[ausbacker]

Brady > everyone.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

I would take Barry Sanders over LT.

Nice list btw.

I'd Take Water Payton and Emmett Smith over Lady T also

 

[Tony2046]

I've refused to call LaClassian by the name "LT", so I do a double take too, sometimes.

I thought, before I clicked the thread, that Brady came second to Jim Brown in the poll. One more ring should put the Montana-Brady comp to rest.

Yeah I got lazy and just went with LT instead writing writing out ladainian Tomlinson, then click on the red line for spell checker, then correct, then finish the sentence etc........

But you're right. LT belongs to Taylor.

 

[Tony2046]

I'd Take Water Payton and Emmett Smith over Lady T also

I was never sold on Emmit. Great player but he benefited from being on a stacked team with a monster O line for most of his career. Put Barry behind that O line and he would have had the first 2500+ season.

Walter Payton absolutely.