Best Football Players of All Time

gt2590 said:

I don't know if we're allowed to debate but:

1. As much as I love Barry, he's not #1. And OJ and Elway should be much higher.

2. Warner isn't in my Top 20.

3. No way Rice isn't #1 WR and T.O. isn't in my Top 20 either, but Cris Carter is definitely, along with Michael Irvin.

4. And if we're doing just in his prime, I'll take K1, Kellen Winslow over alot of those guys, especially Pihos. Sorry old-timer.

If we're not allowed to debate, just ignore my ramblings, or just do it anyway. :lol:

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Anthony K. said:

I will take a shot at it:

RB:

1. Jim Brown
2. Barry Sanders
3. Walter Payton
4. LaDainian Tomlinson
5. Earl Cambell
6. Gale Sayers
7. OJ Simpson
8. Marshall Faulk
9. Terrell Davis (look at his peak, it's sad he got injured, would have been an all time great)
10. Eric Dickerson

QB

1. Joe Montana
2. Joe Namath
3. Dan Marino
4. Brett Favre
5. Peyton Manning
6. Steve Young
7. Tom Brady
8. Johnny Unitas
9. Kurt Warner
10. John Elway

WR

1. Jerry Rice
2. Randy Moss
3.Don Hutson
4. Cris Carter
5. Steve Largent
6. Terrell Owens
7. Marvin Harrison
8. Paul Warfield
9. Art Monk
10. Lance Alworth

LB

1. Lawrence Taylor
2. Ray Nitschke
3. Derrick Thomas
4. Ray Lewis
5. Junior Seau
6. Jack Lambert
7. Roy Winston
8. Mike Singletary
9. Dick Butkus
10. Patrick Willis (I agree with you on him being here and think he ends up a top 2 LB of all time if he keeps his career trajectory)

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dfr52 said:

Offensive Specialists:

QB:

1. Graham
2. Montana
3. Baugh
4. Unitas
5. Aikman
6. Manning
7. Luckman
8. Elway
9. Young
10. Staubach

FB:

1. Nevers
2. Motley
3. Harris
4. Taylor
5. Brown
6. Perry
7. Hinkle
8. Riggins
9. Csonka
10. J.H. Johnson

RB:

1. Smith
2. Payton
3. Sanders
4. Van Buren
5. Dickerson
6. Martin
7. Faulk
8. Tomlinson
9. Bettis
10. Dorsett

WR:

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Alworth
4. Irvin
5. Harrison
6. Largent
7. Brown/Carter
8. Lavelli
9. Hirsch
10. Moss

TE:

1. Gonzalez
2. Mackey
3. Ditka
4. Sharpe
5. Casper
6. Winslow
7. Newsome
8. J. Smith
9. Witten
10. Gates

Click to expand...

pigskincardboard said:

Anthony K. said:

I will take a shot at it:

RB:

1. Jim Brown
2. Barry Sanders
3. Walter Payton
4. LaDainian Tomlinson
5. Earl Cambell
6. Gale Sayers
7. OJ Simpson
8. Marshall Faulk
9. Terrell Davis (look at his peak, it's sad he got injured, would have been an all time great)
10. Eric Dickerson

QB

1. Joe Montana
2. Joe Namath
3. Dan Marino
4. Brett Favre
5. Peyton Manning
6. Steve Young
7. Tom Brady
8. Johnny Unitas
9. Kurt Warner
10. John Elway

WR

1. Jerry Rice
2. Randy Moss
3.Don Hutson
4. Cris Carter
5. Steve Largent
6. Terrell Owens
7. Marvin Harrison
8. Paul Warfield
9. Art Monk
10. Lance Alworth

LB

1. Lawrence Taylor
2. Ray Nitschke
3. Derrick Thomas
4. Ray Lewis
5. Junior Seau
6. Jack Lambert
7. Roy Winston
8. Mike Singletary
9. Dick Butkus
10. Patrick Willis (I agree with you on him being here and think he ends up a top 2 LB of all time if he keeps his career trajectory)

Click to expand...

I should've specified that Mixing your linebackers is a sin! It's hard enough comparing a cover-2 mlb to a 4-3 or 3-4 mlb.

I don't think Art Monk belongs in the HOF, let alone a top-10 list.

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Anthony K. said:

pigskincardboard said:

[quote="Anthony K.":8mptsk54]I will take a shot at it:

RB:

1. Jim Brown
2. Barry Sanders
3. Walter Payton
4. LaDainian Tomlinson
5. Earl Cambell
6. Gale Sayers
7. OJ Simpson
8. Marshall Faulk
9. Terrell Davis (look at his peak, it's sad he got injured, would have been an all time great)
10. Eric Dickerson

QB

1. Joe Montana
2. Joe Namath
3. Dan Marino
4. Brett Favre
5. Peyton Manning
6. Steve Young
7. Tom Brady
8. Johnny Unitas
9. Kurt Warner
10. John Elway

WR

1. Jerry Rice
2. Randy Moss
3.Don Hutson
4. Cris Carter
5. Steve Largent
6. Terrell Owens
7. Marvin Harrison
8. Paul Warfield
9. Art Monk
10. Lance Alworth

LB

1. Lawrence Taylor
2. Ray Nitschke
3. Derrick Thomas
4. Ray Lewis
5. Junior Seau
6. Jack Lambert
7. Roy Winston
8. Mike Singletary
9. Dick Butkus
10. Patrick Willis (I agree with you on him being here and think he ends up a top 2 LB of all time if he keeps his career trajectory)

Click to expand...

I should've specified that Mixing your linebackers is a sin! It's hard enough comparing a cover-2 mlb to a 4-3 or 3-4 mlb.

I don't think Art Monk belongs in the HOF, let alone a top-10 list.

Click to expand...

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

Offensive Specialists:

QB:

1. Graham
2. Montana
3. Baugh
4. Unitas
5. Aikman
6. Manning
7. Luckman
8. Elway
9. Young
10. Staubach

FB:

1. Nevers
2. Motley
3. Harris
4. Taylor
5. Brown
6. Perry
7. Hinkle
8. Riggins
9. Csonka
10. J.H. Johnson

RB:

1. Smith
2. Payton
3. Sanders
4. Van Buren
5. Dickerson
6. Martin
7. Faulk
8. Tomlinson
9. Bettis
10. Dorsett

WR:

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Alworth
4. Irvin
5. Harrison
6. Largent
7. Brown/Carter
8. Lavelli
9. Hirsch
10. Moss

TE:

1. Gonzalez
2. Mackey
3. Ditka
4. Sharpe
5. Casper
6. Winslow
7. Newsome
8. J. Smith
9. Witten
10. Gates

Click to expand...

I like your fullback list as just a runningback list, hah. I don't know how you list all of those big ol' power runners without the inclusion of Bronko Nagurski. I love the inclusion of Steve Van Buren, too. I think I may end up canceling the auction I have going for his '48 Leaf because only a handful of people are watching it. It seems like the Eagles of the '40s get absolutely no love.

Click to expand...

dfr52 said:

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

Offensive Specialists:

QB:

1. Graham
2. Montana
3. Baugh
4. Unitas
5. Aikman
6. Manning
7. Luckman
8. Elway
9. Young
10. Staubach

FB:

1. Nevers
2. Motley
3. Harris
4. Taylor
5. Brown
6. Perry
7. Hinkle
8. Riggins
9. Csonka
10. J.H. Johnson

RB:

1. Smith
2. Payton
3. Sanders
4. Van Buren
5. Dickerson
6. Martin
7. Faulk
8. Tomlinson
9. Bettis
10. Dorsett

WR:

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Alworth
4. Irvin
5. Harrison
6. Largent
7. Brown/Carter
8. Lavelli
9. Hirsch
10. Moss

TE:

1. Gonzalez
2. Mackey
3. Ditka
4. Sharpe
5. Casper
6. Winslow
7. Newsome
8. J. Smith
9. Witten
10. Gates

Click to expand...

I like your fullback list as just a runningback list, hah. I don't know how you list all of those big ol' power runners without the inclusion of Bronko Nagurski. I love the inclusion of Steve Van Buren, too. I think I may end up canceling the auction I have going for his '48 Leaf because only a handful of people are watching it. It seems like the Eagles of the '40s get absolutely no love.

Click to expand...

I had him on my original list of offensive players but forgot too add him again as I was retyping it. He was number 6.

I agree, those 40's Eagles led by Van Buren were dominant. He also always showed up for the big games when the Eagles needed him the most. I have no clue why Van Buren has nearly been forgotten about by alot of collectors.

Putting the list together was really difficult. I hate comparing players across decades.

Click to expand...

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

Offensive Specialists:

QB:

1. Graham
2. Montana
3. Baugh
4. Unitas
5. Aikman
6. Manning
7. Luckman
8. Elway
9. Young
10. Staubach

FB:

1. Nevers
2. Motley
3. Harris
4. Taylor
5. Brown
6. Perry
7. Hinkle
8. Riggins
9. Csonka
10. J.H. Johnson

RB:

1. Smith
2. Payton
3. Sanders
4. Van Buren
5. Dickerson
6. Martin
7. Faulk
8. Tomlinson
9. Bettis
10. Dorsett

WR:

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Alworth
4. Irvin
5. Harrison
6. Largent
7. Brown/Carter
8. Lavelli
9. Hirsch
10. Moss

TE:

1. Gonzalez
2. Mackey
3. Ditka
4. Sharpe
5. Casper
6. Winslow
7. Newsome
8. J. Smith
9. Witten
10. Gates

Click to expand...

I like your fullback list as just a runningback list, hah. I don't know how you list all of those big ol' power runners without the inclusion of Bronko Nagurski. I love the inclusion of Steve Van Buren, too. I think I may end up canceling the auction I have going for his '48 Leaf because only a handful of people are watching it. It seems like the Eagles of the '40s get absolutely no love.

Click to expand...

I had him on my original list of offensive players but forgot too add him again as I was retyping it. He was number 6.

I agree, those 40's Eagles led by Van Buren were dominant. He also always showed up for the big games when the Eagles needed him the most. I have no clue why Van Buren has nearly been forgotten about by alot of collectors.

Putting the list together was really difficult. I hate comparing players across decades.

Click to expand...

It's tough to do when the position evolves, I guess. Running backs are generally the easiest to compare. It seems like a lot of the AAFC and AFL get left by the wayside too. Personally, I always forget the Chiefs eventhough Lanier, Buchanan and Bell -- Dawson, too -- should all be on these lists.

I definitely like seeing those early Browns sprinkled throughout your list though.

Click to expand...

dfr52 said:

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

Offensive Specialists:

QB:

1. Graham
2. Montana
3. Baugh
4. Unitas
5. Aikman
6. Manning
7. Luckman
8. Elway
9. Young
10. Staubach

FB:

1. Nevers
2. Motley
3. Harris
4. Taylor
5. Brown
6. Perry
7. Hinkle
8. Riggins
9. Csonka
10. J.H. Johnson

RB:

1. Smith
2. Payton
3. Sanders
4. Van Buren
5. Dickerson
6. Martin
7. Faulk
8. Tomlinson
9. Bettis
10. Dorsett

WR:

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Alworth
4. Irvin
5. Harrison
6. Largent
7. Brown/Carter
8. Lavelli
9. Hirsch
10. Moss

TE:

1. Gonzalez
2. Mackey
3. Ditka
4. Sharpe
5. Casper
6. Winslow
7. Newsome
8. J. Smith
9. Witten
10. Gates

Click to expand...

I like your fullback list as just a runningback list, hah. I don't know how you list all of those big ol' power runners without the inclusion of Bronko Nagurski. I love the inclusion of Steve Van Buren, too. I think I may end up canceling the auction I have going for his '48 Leaf because only a handful of people are watching it. It seems like the Eagles of the '40s get absolutely no love.

Click to expand...

I had him on my original list of offensive players but forgot too add him again as I was retyping it. He was number 6.

I agree, those 40's Eagles led by Van Buren were dominant. He also always showed up for the big games when the Eagles needed him the most. I have no clue why Van Buren has nearly been forgotten about by alot of collectors.

Putting the list together was really difficult. I hate comparing players across decades.

Click to expand...

It's tough to do when the position evolves, I guess. Running backs are generally the easiest to compare. It seems like a lot of the AAFC and AFL get left by the wayside too. Personally, I always forget the Chiefs eventhough Lanier, Buchanan and Bell -- Dawson, too -- should all be on these lists.

I definitely like seeing those early Browns sprinkled throughout your list though.

Click to expand...

Again I agree w/ you on the AAFC and AFL. Those Chiefs teams also featured Emmitt Thomas, Curley Culp, Jim Tyrer, and Ottis Taylor. Another Browns player not in the HOF from those AAFC teams would be Mac Speedie.

Click to expand...

Gellman said:

Anyone who didnt put Emmitt on their list of best RBs needs their head examined.

Click to expand...

pigskincardboard said:

Well, I'm selling a box worth of HOFers on eBay, so I figured I'd reminisce a little bit. After a bunch of goofy math where I tried to figure out what'd be the easiest to re-acquire, football finished first. It's weird that it's easier to find a Gale Sayers RC at a given price than it is to find a prospect card. Selling a box of prospects is asking for trouble it seems.

Anyways, let's hear your top-10s. It doesn't have to be a career, but rather a list of guys that were the best at the absolute peak of their career. That's how a guy like Corey Dillon could sneak into the top-10.

Runningback

1. Barry Sanders
2. Jim Brown
3. Walter Payton
4. Ladainian Tomlinson
5. Gale Sayers
6. Marion Motley
7. Eric Dickerson
8. Earl Campbell
9. O.J. Simpson
10. Steve Van Buren
10b. Marshall Faulk

Quarterback...

1. Joe Montana
2. Johnny Unitas
3. Otto Graham
4. Tom Brady
5. Peyton Manning
6. Fran Tarkenton
7. Dan Marino
8. John Elway
9. Bart Starr
10. Roger Staubach
10b. Kurt Warner -- this pains me so much because I hate Kurt Warner, but based on peak performance, he's definitely here.


Wide Receiver / End
1. Randy Moss
2. Jerry Rice
3. Terrell Owens
4. Don Hutson
5. Larry Fitzgerald
6. Marvin Harrison
7. Lance Alworth
8. Steve Largent
9. Paul Warfield
10. Pete Pihos - I guess this is more of just a best football player who happened to play end or wr.

Middle Linebacker

1. Dick Butkus
2. Jack Lambert
3. Ray Lewis
4. Joe Schdmit
5. Ray Nitschke
6. Brian Urlacher
7. Mike Singletary
8. Willie Lanier
9. Bill George
10. Nick Buoniconti
10b. Patrick Willis -- After this season, which should be his best, he should rank 3rd or so.

Click to expand...

Snyper said:

Gellman said:

Anyone who didnt put Emmitt on their list of best RBs needs their head examined.

Click to expand...

Agreed. First thing I noticed on that list too.

Que the same old song and dance of "anyone could have run behind that line.. blahblahblah"..

Danced this dance one too many times to bother anymore.

Emmitt wasn't the "best" as far as natural ability goes, but there is no arguing who the NFL's rushing king is at this very moment.

Click to expand...

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

pigskincardboard said:

dfr52 said:

pigskincardboard said:

[quote="dfr52":vw4yce68]Offensive Specialists:

QB:

1. Graham
2. Montana
3. Baugh
4. Unitas
5. Aikman
6. Manning
7. Luckman
8. Elway
9. Young
10. Staubach

FB:

1. Nevers
2. Motley
3. Harris
4. Taylor
5. Brown
6. Perry
7. Hinkle
8. Riggins
9. Csonka
10. J.H. Johnson

RB:

1. Smith
2. Payton
3. Sanders
4. Van Buren
5. Dickerson
6. Martin
7. Faulk
8. Tomlinson
9. Bettis
10. Dorsett

WR:

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Alworth
4. Irvin
5. Harrison
6. Largent
7. Brown/Carter
8. Lavelli
9. Hirsch
10. Moss

TE:

1. Gonzalez
2. Mackey
3. Ditka
4. Sharpe
5. Casper
6. Winslow
7. Newsome
8. J. Smith
9. Witten
10. Gates

Click to expand...

I like your fullback list as just a runningback list, hah. I don't know how you list all of those big ol' power runners without the inclusion of Bronko Nagurski. I love the inclusion of Steve Van Buren, too. I think I may end up canceling the auction I have going for his '48 Leaf because only a handful of people are watching it. It seems like the Eagles of the '40s get absolutely no love.

Click to expand...

I had him on my original list of offensive players but forgot too add him again as I was retyping it. He was number 6.

I agree, those 40's Eagles led by Van Buren were dominant. He also always showed up for the big games when the Eagles needed him the most. I have no clue why Van Buren has nearly been forgotten about by alot of collectors.

Putting the list together was really difficult. I hate comparing players across decades.

Click to expand...

It's tough to do when the position evolves, I guess. Running backs are generally the easiest to compare. It seems like a lot of the AAFC and AFL get left by the wayside too. Personally, I always forget the Chiefs eventhough Lanier, Buchanan and Bell -- Dawson, too -- should all be on these lists.

I definitely like seeing those early Browns sprinkled throughout your list though.

Click to expand...

Again I agree w/ you on the AAFC and AFL. Those Chiefs teams also featured Emmitt Thomas, Curley Culp, Jim Tyrer, and Ottis Taylor. Another Browns player not in the HOF from those AAFC teams would be Mac Speedie.

Click to expand...

dfr52 said:

Snyper said:

Gellman said:

Anyone who didnt put Emmitt on their list of best RBs needs their head examined.

Click to expand...

Agreed. First thing I noticed on that list too.

Que the same old song and dance of "anyone could have run behind that line.. blahblahblah"..

Danced this dance one too many times to bother anymore.

Emmitt wasn't the "best" as far as natural ability goes, but there is no arguing who the NFL's rushing king is at this very moment.

Click to expand...

Same here, and very well stated.

Click to expand...