LE - Deacon Jones-Considered to be one of the greatest defensive ends of all time. Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him. He teamed with tackle Merlin Olsen to give Los Angeles a perennial All-Pro left side of the defensive line. The so-called "Fearsome Foursome" Rams defensive line of Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, Olsen and Jones is considered one of the best of all time. Jones won unanimous all-league honors six straight years from 1965 through 1970. He was also in seven straight Pro Bowls, from 1965 to 1971, and was selected to an eighth in 1973. In 1967, Jones unofficially amassed 26 sacks in 14 games DT - Art Donovan - He became one of the stars in an outstanding defense and was selected to five straight Pro Bowls for 1954 to 1958. The Colts won back to back championships in 1958 and 1959. He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. DT - Joe Klecko - Anchored the Jets defensive line known as the "New York Sack Exchange", along with Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam. The New York Jets have honored the first player in professional football history to be selected to the Pro Bowl at three different positions (DE, NT and DT) by retiring his #73 jersey. RE - Lee Roy Selmon-In 1976, Selmon was the first player picked in the NFL draft, the first ever pick for the then-brand new expansion team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first year, he was the team's Rookie of the Year and MVP. Selmon went to six straight Pro Bowls and was named NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1979. A back injury made his 1984 season his last, and the Bucs retired his number, 63, in 1986. LOLB - Clay Matthews - Played for the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons. He played 19 seasons and 278 games in the NFL (third most in NFL history). Matthews was drafted by the Browns out of USC with the 12th pick in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft. Clay was a four time Pro Bowler for Cleveland. MLB - Ray Nitschke- he played fifteen seasons, from 1958 to 1972, and was named the greatest linebacker in NFL history in 1969, over many other greats, including Dick Butkus. He was the anchor of a defense that helped win five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls in the 1960s. He was the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship game. He was an All-Pro three consecutive seasons (1964-66), and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. ROLB - Ted Hendricks- The seemingly indestructible Hendricks played in 215 straight regular-season games. He also participated in eight Pro Bowl games, seven AFC championships and four Super Bowls (V with the Colts, XI, XV and XVIII with the Raiders). Ted was named All-Pro as a Colt in 1971, as a Packer in 1974, and as a Raider in 1980 and 1982. He also earned second-team All-Pro accolades five other times. Hendricks was at his best over nine seasons with the Raiders. The Raiders gave him the freedom to roam the line, blitz on impulse, read the play and react. Nobody could key on him. Hendricks could disrupt the other team's offense like few others. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990, his second year of eligibility. CB - Darrell Green- He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game. Fondly nicknamed as The Ageless Wonder by his peers for his remarkable ability to maintain a high level of play well into the twilight of his career. Amongst his honors are: Most consecutive seasons with an interception (19) Oldest NFL cornerback (42 years old) 4-time NFL Fastest Man [1] 1991 Fastest Athlete Selected as one of the top 70 Redskins Named as a cornerback on the 1990's NFL All-Decade Team 7 Pro Bowl selections ('84,'86,'87,'90,'91,'96,'97) Redskins franchise record for most career interceptions (54) Redskins franchise record for most game starts (258) and games played (295) FS - John Lynch - With over 1,000 tackles, Lynch is known throughout the NFL as a ferocious hitter, often punishing wide receivers who crossed the middle of the field trying to catch footballs. Lynch has developed the role of the free safety into one that plays run support well, but can also cover wide receivers. He remains a vocal leader on the football field. SS - Donnie Shell- Retired as the NFL strong safety career leader in interceptions with 51. He started 11 straight years for the Steelers and was selected to the Steelers All-Time Team and and to the NFL Silver Anniversary Super Bowl Team. CB - Ty Law- 5 Time Pro Bowler and 3 time Super Bowl Champion. Law's dominant physical play against some of the game's best receivers prompted the NFL to change rules regarding contact after the 2003 season. These changes are sometimes referred to as the "Ty Law Rule." In the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, Law intercepted 3 passes from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, assisting his team to a 24-14 win and their second Super Bowl appearance in 3 years, where they defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29. Law signed with the Jets in 2005 and went on to have a great season amassing a career-high 10 interceptions and was the only Jet voted into the Pro Bowl P - Sean Landeta - Known as one of the greatest punters in NFL history, Landeta has consistently averaged roughly 43 yards per attempt K - Adam Vinatieri - Quite possibly the most clutch kicker in the history of the NFL. He will be known by his 2 Super Bowl winning kicks but his most impressive kick may have been a 40+ yarder to tie the game vs. Oakland in the 2001 Divisional Playoffs known as the "Snow Game". With his impressive professional resumé, many football analysts and purists believe that Vinatieri will eventually land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a realm typically unfriendly to placekickers (only one pure placekicker, Jan Stenerud, is currently enshrined). Backups RB Curtis Martin G Conrad Dobler OLB Carl Banks
I said I would post interesting stuff on select players. Here I go. Big Daddy Lipscomb (owned by Wolfe Tone) scouting report- Height: 6'6" Weight: 285-305 Speed: Excellent. Notes: Not much of a pass rusher. Didn't come off the ball well. Colts coach Weeb Ewbank tried for years to get him to drive off his back foot. Big Daddy often just stood up....Outstanding tackler. When he got you, you stayed got. Led the Colts in tackles one year, unusual for a defensive tackle....Known to pile on. Broke teammate Gino Marchetti's leg in the '58 championship game that way....Had a reputation as a cheap-shot artist when he was with the Rams but played it pretty straight later in his career. Sometimes used rough stuff to intimidate opponents- especially rookies. Liked to drop in on piles knees first....Great headslap. Wadded his hands and forearms with tape and used them as weapons. Hit Browns guard Jim Ray Smith once, and Smith's knees buckled. The Browns ran the film of the play over and over again for laughs. Signed as a free agent in '53 out of the Marines. Three teams wanted him. Went with the Rams when PR director Pete Rozelle flew to San Francisco, where Big Daddy was playing in a basketball game....Didn't do much in L.A. Fell asleep in meetings, had money and women troubles. Showed inconsistent efforts. The team finally waived him....Picked up by the Colts in '56, and Ewbank made him a project. The coach talked him up to the press and is responsible for much of the Big Daddy mystique....Made two Pro Bowls and two all-league teams in five seasons with Colts but consistently graded lower than other linemen. Wasn't even Baltimore's best tackle: Art Donovan was....Wore out his welcome with his Colts teammates with his style of laying back and making tackles....Crashed white teammate L.G. Dupre's party and a fight broke out....The Colts traded him and OG Buzz Nutter to Pittsburgh in '61 for WR Jimmy Orr, DT Joe Lewis and Dick Campbell....Played well for the Steelers. Was unstoppable in the '63 Pro Bowl: 11 tackles, two forced fumbles, one pass batted down. Summary: Good player. Great on occasion. Let him make a play early and you'd have your hands full all day. Stick him hard on the first series of each half and you'd probably be OK. Instead of charging hard, Big Daddy usually just floated until he diagnosed the play and then ran it down, so you had to stay with your block on him. Weeb Ewbank: "He would accept blocks. But he was strong and wouldn't give an inch. He'd hold his ground and stay in his lane. A lot of guys would get irritated with him because they'd be in there flushing the guy out and Big Daddy would make the tackle. I used to say that although we had a four-man front, we played one of the first three-man lines (because Big Daddy dogged it so much)." Art Donovan: "On the defensive line he was nothing more than an overgrown kid, and men have a way of handling overgrown kids." Lions guard Harley Sewell: "The last game I played against him was in the '63 Pro Bowl, and he whipped my hind end. He did whatever he wanted to. He really made me look bad. I got traded the next year. I always blamed that on Big Daddy. That was the first time in my life I was completely overcome and couldn't do anything about it."
Yeh he was quite the personality, I cannot imagine seeing him lineup across the line back in the day with that size, the O-linemen must have been fearful
SI's NFL All-Century Team Posted: Wednesday October 06, 1999 03:30 PM By Paul Zimmerman My alltime NFL team isn't designed to take the field; it's merely a compilation of my choices for the finest players at each position. There are multiple listings at some positions because I simply couldn't choose between players or because different eras demanded completely different skills. Why the odd number of roster spots, 41? Well, I had a good round number -- 40 -- but then I remembered I'd left off the greatest wedge buster I've ever seen, 254-pound tackle Henry Schmidt. If this team were designed to take the field, I'd send my 41 guys out against your 45 and take my chances. To make my selections, I used a roomful of game programs and play-by-play charts, the by-product of 56 years of grading and annotating player performances. How many games? I'd estimate close to 2,000. By way of the magic of two satellite-dish outlets and three VCRs, all dutifully pulling their weight on Sunday afternoons, I've seen well over 100 games in their entirety in each of the last five years or so. You want to know how Cleveland's Chuck Noll did against the Giants' Bill Albright? Leo Nomellini of the 49ers against the Packers' trapping guards? It's all in the charts. OFFENSIVE BACKFIELD You can't select one quarterback to span all eras. In 1978, the year before Joe Montana came into the league, the rules were changed to open up the passing game. Receivers couldn't be bumped once they got five yards downfield, and offensive holding rules were liberalized. Montana, perfectly suited to Bill Walsh's offense, is my top quarterback of the last 20 years. John Unitas, playing in his relentless, teeth-gritting style, under the old rules (which made things tougher on quarterbacks), is my No. 1 of the pre-'78 days. Running back was the toughest position to narrow down. Jim Brown was the perfect combination of grace, power and speed. He rewrote all NFL rushing records. Hugh McElhenny, the King, could turn a short pass into a crazy-legged, broken-field adventure. My pure fullback? Marion Motley was a rumbling force and the finest pass-blocking back I've ever seen. But on fourth-and-short there's no player I'd rather give the ball to than Earl Campbell. QUARTERBACK Pre-1978 rules: John Unitas (Colts, Chargers) 1956-73 Post-1978 rules: Joe Montana (49ers, Chiefs) 1979-94 RUNNING BACK Tailback: Jim Brown (Browns) 1957-65 Third down: Hugh McElhenny (49ers, Vikings, Giants, Lions) 1952-64 Fullback: Marion Motley (Browns, Steelers) 1946-55 Short yardage: Earl Campbell (Oilers, Saints) 1978-85 RECEIVERS The only player on my squad that I never saw play in the flesh was Don Hutson. So I spent two days in the Packers' film room. I'd never forgotten a story told to me by a Green Bay fan who swore he saw Hutson snatch a ball with one hand -- with the palm turned down. I never saw that play in the films, but what I did see was remarkable enough to make sure he got on this team. Hutson had speed and the same hunger for the long ball that Lance Alworth, my other deep receiver, had, plus the precision timing of my possession wideout, Raymond Berry, plus the toughness of my all-around performer, Jerry Rice. Dave Casper was a converted tackle who blocked like one. No tight end fought off as much traffic to catch the ball. WIDE RECEIVER Deep: Lance Alworth (Chargers, Cowboys) 1962-72 Deep: Don Hutson (Packers) 1935-45 Possession: Raymond Berry (Colts) 1955-67 All-around: Jerry Rice (49ers) 1985-present TIGHT END Dave Casper (Raiders, Oilers, Vikings) 1974-84 TRENCHES Art Shell, John Hannah and Jim Parker were the ultimate power linemen. Forrest Gregg and Ron Mix were the first of the light-footed pass blockers. Dwight Stephenson was pure lightning. Defensively, Reggie White combined power at the point with a relentless pass rush. Deacon Jones and Rich Jackson, whose career was cut short by injury, were also nonstop pass rushers and were sturdy against the run. I couldn't break the tie among Joe Greene, Bob Lilly and Merlin Olsen. Greene combined great quickness with power, and Lilly was the most technically sound. Olsen was the greatest bull-rush tackle ever. OFFENSIVE TACKLE Power: Art Shell (Raiders) 1968-82 Speed: Forrest Gregg (Packers, Cowboys) 1956, '58-71 Speed: Ron Mix (Chargers, Raiders) 1960-69, '71 OFFENSIVE GUARD John Hannah (Patriots) 1973-85 Jim Parker (Colts) 1957-67 CENTER Dwight Stephenson (Dolphins) 1980-87 DEFENSIVE END Power: Reggie White (Eagles, Packers) 1985-98 Rush: Deacon Jones (Rams, Chargers, Redskins) 1961-74 Rush: Rich Jackson (Raiders, Broncos, Browns) 1966-72 DEFENSIVE TACKLE Power: Merlin Olsen (Rams) 1962-76 Speed: Joe Greene (Steelers) 1969-81 All-around: Bob Lilly (Cowboys) 1961-74 LINEBACKERS No outside 'backer manhandled tight ends the way Dave Wilcox did; he was impossible for a tight end to hook. Jack Ham, blessed with phenomenal instincts, was the finest in coverage. You can't compare Ham with Lawrence Taylor, though, who had almost no cover responsibilities but created a new position -- the rush linebacker. Ted Hendricks? An all-around star. In the middle, Dick Butkus and Willie Lanier were run stuffers supreme and better in coverage than they got credit for. OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Strongside: Dave Wilcox (49ers) 1964-74 Weakside: Jack Ham (Steelers) 1971-82 Rush: Lawrence Taylor (Giants) 1981-93 All-around: Ted Hendricks (Colts, Packers, Raiders) 1969-83 MIDDLE LINEBACKER Dick Butkus (Bears) 1965-73 Willie Lanier (Chiefs) 1967-77 SECONDARY Willie Brown and Dick (Night Train) Lane were masters of the smothering, bump-and-run style, physical corners who liked to rough up receivers. Jimmy Johnson and Deion Sanders will be remembered as pure downfield cover guys, so feared that they often went entire games without being tested deep. Free safety also encompasses yet another set of techniques. Willie Wood was a narrow choice over the Cardinals' Larry Wilson as a deep patroller with tremendous instincts. Cliff Harris is my other choice because of his killer style. "An obstructionist," Raiders owner Al Davis calls this type of player. At strong safety Ken Houston had the perfect combination of range and hitting ability, and he was uncanny at sniffing out the run. CORNERBACK Open-field: Jimmy Johnson (49ers) 1961-76 Open-field: Deion Sanders (Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys) 1989-present Bump-and-run: Dick (Night Train) Lane (Rams, Cardinals, Lions) 1952-65 Bump-and-run: Willie Brown (Broncos, Raiders)1963-78 SAFETY Strong safety: Ken Houston (Oilers, Redskins) 1967-80 Free safety: Cliff Harris (Cowboys) 1970-79 Free safety: Willie Wood (Packers) 1960-71 SPECIALISTS Kicker: Morten Andersen (Saints, Falcons) 1982-present Punter: Tommy Davis (49ers) 1959-69 Kick returner: Gale Sayers (Bears) 1965-71 Punt returner: Darrien Gordon (Chargers, Broncos, Raiders) 1993-present Wedge buster: Henry Schmidt (49ers, Chargers, Bills, Jets) 1959-66 COACHES The Packers were in a state of collapse before Vince Lombardi arrived in 1959, and their fortunes plummeted after he left in 1969. He was famous for his motivational ploys, but let's not forget his innovations: the run-to-daylight approach, going deep on third-and-short. A terrific football mind lurked behind the emotional fireworks. Bill Walsh is my offensive coordinator. His passing attack changed the game in the modern era. As for a defensive coordinator, Bud Carson's cerebral style produced the most dominating defense I've ever seen: the Steelers' from 1972 through '77. Issue date: August 30, 1999
The Sporting News' Top 100 Players (from a couple years ago) 1. Jim Brown 2. Jerry Rice 3. Joe Montana 4. Lawrence Taylor 5. Johnny Unitas 6. Don Hutson 7. Otto Graham 8. Walter Payton 9. Dick Butkus 10. Bob Lilly 11. Sammy Baugh 12. Barry Sanders 13. Deacon Jones 14. Joe Greene 15. Gino Marchetti 16. John Elway 17. Anthony Munoz 18. Ray Nitschke 19. Night Train Lane 20. John Hannah 21. Gale Sayers 22. Reggie White 23. Ronnie Lott 24. Jim Parker 25. Merlin Olsen 26. O.J. Simpson 27. Dan Marino 28. Forrest Gregg 29. Roger Staubach 30. Jack Lambert 31. Lance Alworth 32. Marion Motley 33. Earl Campbell 34. Alan Page 35. Bronko Nagurski 36. Mel Blount 37. Deion Sanders 38. Eric Dickerson 39. Sid Luckman 40. Raymond Berry 41. Bart Starr 42. Willie Lanier 43. Larry Wilson 44. Terry Bradshaw 45. Herb Adderley 46. Steve Largent 47. Jack Ham 48. John Mackey 49. Bill George 50. Willie Brown 51. Randy White 52. Bobby Layne 53. Tony Dorsett 54. Chuck Bednarik 55. Art Shell 56. Mike Singletary 57. Roosevelt Brown 58. Bruce Smith 59. Fran Tarkenton 60. Paul Warfield 61. Ken Houston 62. Gene Upshaw 63. Steve Young 64. Ted Hendricks 65. Joe Schmidt 66. Bobby Bell 67. Buck Buchanan 68. Emmitt Smith 69. Willie Davis 70. Emlen Tunnell 71. Lenny Moore 72. Marcus Allen 73. Kellen Winslow 74. Mel Hein 75. Mike Webster 76. Sam Huff 77. Steve Van Buren 78. Jim Otto 79. Larry Little 80. Red Grange 81. Darrell Green 82. Brett Favre 83. Franco Harris 84. Dwight Stephenson 85. Charley Taylor 86. Jack Christiansen 87. Rod Woodson 88. Jim Thorpe 89. Elroy Hirsch 90. Mike Ditka 91. Art Monk 92. Dan Fouts 93. Mike Haynes 94. Fred Biletnikoff 95. Troy Aikman 96. Joe Namath 97. Lem Barney 98. George Blanda 99. Lou Groza 100. Charlie Joiner
If everyone can just give me the stadium where they would like their team's home games to take place that would be great. No luck in getting some one to create some for us (I thought it would be difficult anyway) I'll take Cleveland's Municipal Stadium
I like what Murrell did. I will also use an historic stadium. I'll take Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. (The Mall of America is now in its place.) I love snow, plus it's the scene of my QB's most famous play.
It makes perfect sense for us to use historic stadiums. If you want to go with a current one, that would be good, too. Here are some interesting old ones, you guys may want to use one of these- *Metropolitan Stadium (Vikings) War Memorial Stadium (Bills)- ancient, nasty stadium with nasty fans Kezar Stadium (49ers)- nasty fans and plenty of sea gulls Municipal Stadium (Chiefs) *Municipal Stadium (Browns)- The Mistake by the Lake RFK Stadium (Redskins)- may have had the best atmosphere (Pat Summerall said it was his favorite stadium) Shea Stadium (Jets) Mile High Stadium (Broncos) Jeppesen Stadium (Oilers)- smelled like a septic tank and was infested with mosquitoes Franklin Field (Eagles) Wrigley Field (Bears) Tulane Stadium (Saints)- hosted Super Bowl 9 Orange Bowl (Dolphins) Tiger Stadium (Lions) Yankee Stadium (Giants) *already taken
Kezar Stadium (49ers)- nasty fans and plenty of sea gulls, I like San Fran, some good Irish pubs there, I guess my Shamrocks are moving to the Bay Area 11. Sammy Baugh 19. Night Train Lane 22. Reggie White 35. Bronko Nagurski 55. Art Shell 56. Mike Singletary 82. Brett Favre 95. Troy Aikman I ended up with 8, still happy with that number
The Warriors select Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs) - With a sea of red in the stands it is still considered the best home field advantage in the NFL
John Elway gets to return home. This is another great home-field advantage stadium. Mile High Stadium
