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Power Rankings: The greatest player in the history of every franchise
http://cover32.com/2014/03/25/power-...ery-franchise/
Every team has a GOAT. You know, the “greatest of all-time.” The best player to ever don the uniform. The first pick on every fan’s Mount Rushmore.
Whether a franchise has been around since the early years of the National Football League or was the most-recent addition via expansion, someone is atop their all-time roster. If they’ve played a game, one player has emerged as the best ever.
But that does mean that all GOATs are created equally. Far from it. Some are perennial Pro Bowl selections. Some are Hall of Fame inductees. And others are in the rarest of stratospheres, going down as one of the league’s iconic figures.
With that notion in mind, the editors at cover32 rated every team’s greatest all-time player, from No. 1 to 32, to determine which franchise has the best of the best. There’s two parts to the equation: First, selecting each team’s GOAT. Second, ranking those players.
Here’s how it shaped up:
***
1. Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) – Rice is not only the greatest 49er of all-time, which is saying something considering the fact that Joe Montana is in that conversation, but he’s the greatest player to ever wear an NFL uniform.
2. Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) – An argument can certainly be made that Brown was the best player in league history, given that he won eight rushing titles in nine seasons, was a nine-time Pro Bowler and earned eight first-team All-Pro honors.
3. Walter Payton (Chicago Bears) – Despite playing on some bad teams, when he was the only offensive weapon, “Sweetness” was able to amass enough yards to be the league’s all-time leading rusher at the time of his retirement.
4. Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) – Smith broke Payton’s record, to be the current holder of the all-time rushing mark. Plus, he was the driving force behind the Cowboys dynasty of the early 1990s, helping Dallas win three Super Bowls.
5. Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers) – If there’s a passing record in the NFL’s annals, it probably has Favre’s name next to it. Plus, he was a walking highlight reel, doing something on the field every week that made fans ooh and aah.
6. Lawrence Taylor (New York Giants) – LT revolutionized the outside linebacker position, turning it into a spot on the field that was reserved for elite pass rushers. Few defensive players have dominated games like Taylor did in the 1980s.
7. Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions) – Had he not walked away from the game after just 10 seasons, he’d likely hold every league rushing record. As it is, fans are simply left with memories of some of the most-electrifying runs in NFL history.
8. Jack Lambert (Pittsburgh Steelers) – The Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s on the back of their famed “Steel Curtain” defense. Lambert was the heart and soul of that unit, as the linebacker personified Pittsburgh’s toughness.
9. John Elway (Denver Broncos) – Elway retired as the winningest quarterback in NFL history, a stat that embodies his career. It wasn’t always pretty, but No. 7 got the job done, including leading Denver to five Super Bowls and two titles.
10. Johnny Unitas (Indianapolis Colts) – Johnny U. ushered in the modern passing game, plus he was the quarterback during the 1958 NFL Championship Game, which has been dubbed “the greatest game ever played.”
11. Deacon Jones (St. Louis Rams) – Before Jones came along, there wasn’t a way to measure how much havoc a defensive lineman could wreak on an offense. But because he was always harassing quarterbacks, the sack became a term and stat.
12. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) – Brady has led the Patriots to five Super Bowls and three championships, helping New England become the signature franchise of the 21st century. And he’s not done yet.
13. Steve Largent (Seattle Seahawks) – When he retired, Largent held the NFL’s all-time records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Plus, he had caught a pass in a then-record 177 consecutive games.
14. Anthony Munoz (Cincinnati Bengals) – Munoz is perhaps the greatest left tackle to ever play the game, a designation worthy of praise. But it says a lot about the Bengals that the best player in franchise history was an offensive lineman.
15. Howie Long (Oakland Raiders) – There are perhaps players that better personify the Raiders mystique (Jack Tatum, Ted Hendricks), but none of them were a better player than Long, one of the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history.
16. Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) – People like to knock Marino because he didn’t win a Super Bowl, which clearly is a giant omission on his résumé, but few quarterbacks in the history of the league could chuck it like No. 13.
17. Derrick Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs) – Thomas wasn’t a great all-around player, but the linebacker could do one thing exceptionally well; he could get after the quarterback, perhaps better than any NFL player ever, including Lawrence Taylor.
18. Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) – Lewis was a great player, a middle linebacker who was always around the ball, but his leadership skills perhaps eclipsed his abilities on the field. He helped will the Ravens to a pair of world championships.
19. Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) – In a day and age where teams still preferred to run the ball more than throw it, Kelly was chucking it all over the yard as the trigger man for Buffalo’s “K Gun” offense, a machine that took the Bills to four straight Super Bowls.
20. Darrell Green (Washington Redskins) – Green played 20 seasons at cornerback, which is an impressive feat. Being a Redskin for all of those years is even more amazing. There’s a reason he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
21. LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) – In 2006, LT rushed for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns, while also posting 508 receiving yards and five more scores. In the mid-2000s he was the games best offensive player. By a mile.
22. Dan Dierdorf (Arizona Cardinals) – Today, most people know Dierdorf for his work in the broadcast booth. They forget that he had a Hall-of-Fame career on the field, where he was a five-time All-Pro and a part of the 1970s All-Decade team.
23. Alan Page (Minnesota Vikings) – A cornerstone of the famed “Purple People Eaters” defense, Page was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, six-time All-Pro, a member of the 1970s All-Decade team and the 1971 NFL MVP.
24. Earl Campbell (Tennessee Titans) – In the late-1970s and early ’80s, “The Tyler Rose” was the most-feared player in the NFL. And he was a running back. No defensive player wanted to attempt to tackle Campbell in the open field.
25. Lee Roy Selmon (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Selmon was drafted No. 1 overall by the expansion Bucs. His first year, Tampa Bay went winless. Four years later, when Selmon was Defensive Player of the Year, they were in the NFC title game.
26. Joe Namath (New York Jets) – Namath is a legend more for his off-the-field swagger than the numbers he posted during an injury-riddled career. But guaranteeing a victory in Super Bowl III is part of NFL lore.
27. Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles) – Oddly, the greatest Eagles player of all-time isn’t all that revered in Philly, where the fans have a love-hate relationship with the quarterback who led them to five NFC title games and one Super Bowl.
28. Tommy Nobis (Atlanta Falcons) – The No. 1 overall pick in 1966, Nobis languished in anonymity on some bad Falcons teams. But his contemporaries knew how good he was on the field, electing him to five Pro Bowl teams.
29. Tony Boselli (Jacksonville Jaguars) – As the Jaguars inch toward their 20th anniversary, their former offensive tackle who was selected to be a part of the 1990s All-Decade team is still clearly the greatest player in franchise history.
30. Archie Manning (New Orleans Saints) – He’s still revered in New Orleans, despite the fact that he didn’t do much winning during his days as the Saints quarterback. His No. 8 was retired for a reason; he personifies the black and gold.
31. Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers) – It says a lot about today’s NFL that the greatest player in Panthers history was just released by the team. After 836 catches, 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns in Carolina, Smith is now a Raven.
32. Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) – Johnson has posted monster numbers during his 11 years in Houston, including back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons in which he led the NFL in receiving. Someday, he’ll be first into the Texans’ Ring of Fame.
http://cover32.com/2014/03/25/power-...ery-franchise/
Every team has a GOAT. You know, the “greatest of all-time.” The best player to ever don the uniform. The first pick on every fan’s Mount Rushmore.
Whether a franchise has been around since the early years of the National Football League or was the most-recent addition via expansion, someone is atop their all-time roster. If they’ve played a game, one player has emerged as the best ever.
But that does mean that all GOATs are created equally. Far from it. Some are perennial Pro Bowl selections. Some are Hall of Fame inductees. And others are in the rarest of stratospheres, going down as one of the league’s iconic figures.
With that notion in mind, the editors at cover32 rated every team’s greatest all-time player, from No. 1 to 32, to determine which franchise has the best of the best. There’s two parts to the equation: First, selecting each team’s GOAT. Second, ranking those players.
Here’s how it shaped up:
***
1. Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers) – Rice is not only the greatest 49er of all-time, which is saying something considering the fact that Joe Montana is in that conversation, but he’s the greatest player to ever wear an NFL uniform.
2. Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns) – An argument can certainly be made that Brown was the best player in league history, given that he won eight rushing titles in nine seasons, was a nine-time Pro Bowler and earned eight first-team All-Pro honors.
3. Walter Payton (Chicago Bears) – Despite playing on some bad teams, when he was the only offensive weapon, “Sweetness” was able to amass enough yards to be the league’s all-time leading rusher at the time of his retirement.
4. Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) – Smith broke Payton’s record, to be the current holder of the all-time rushing mark. Plus, he was the driving force behind the Cowboys dynasty of the early 1990s, helping Dallas win three Super Bowls.
5. Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers) – If there’s a passing record in the NFL’s annals, it probably has Favre’s name next to it. Plus, he was a walking highlight reel, doing something on the field every week that made fans ooh and aah.
6. Lawrence Taylor (New York Giants) – LT revolutionized the outside linebacker position, turning it into a spot on the field that was reserved for elite pass rushers. Few defensive players have dominated games like Taylor did in the 1980s.
7. Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions) – Had he not walked away from the game after just 10 seasons, he’d likely hold every league rushing record. As it is, fans are simply left with memories of some of the most-electrifying runs in NFL history.
8. Jack Lambert (Pittsburgh Steelers) – The Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s on the back of their famed “Steel Curtain” defense. Lambert was the heart and soul of that unit, as the linebacker personified Pittsburgh’s toughness.
9. John Elway (Denver Broncos) – Elway retired as the winningest quarterback in NFL history, a stat that embodies his career. It wasn’t always pretty, but No. 7 got the job done, including leading Denver to five Super Bowls and two titles.
10. Johnny Unitas (Indianapolis Colts) – Johnny U. ushered in the modern passing game, plus he was the quarterback during the 1958 NFL Championship Game, which has been dubbed “the greatest game ever played.”
11. Deacon Jones (St. Louis Rams) – Before Jones came along, there wasn’t a way to measure how much havoc a defensive lineman could wreak on an offense. But because he was always harassing quarterbacks, the sack became a term and stat.
12. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) – Brady has led the Patriots to five Super Bowls and three championships, helping New England become the signature franchise of the 21st century. And he’s not done yet.
13. Steve Largent (Seattle Seahawks) – When he retired, Largent held the NFL’s all-time records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Plus, he had caught a pass in a then-record 177 consecutive games.
14. Anthony Munoz (Cincinnati Bengals) – Munoz is perhaps the greatest left tackle to ever play the game, a designation worthy of praise. But it says a lot about the Bengals that the best player in franchise history was an offensive lineman.
15. Howie Long (Oakland Raiders) – There are perhaps players that better personify the Raiders mystique (Jack Tatum, Ted Hendricks), but none of them were a better player than Long, one of the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history.
16. Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) – People like to knock Marino because he didn’t win a Super Bowl, which clearly is a giant omission on his résumé, but few quarterbacks in the history of the league could chuck it like No. 13.
17. Derrick Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs) – Thomas wasn’t a great all-around player, but the linebacker could do one thing exceptionally well; he could get after the quarterback, perhaps better than any NFL player ever, including Lawrence Taylor.
18. Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) – Lewis was a great player, a middle linebacker who was always around the ball, but his leadership skills perhaps eclipsed his abilities on the field. He helped will the Ravens to a pair of world championships.
19. Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills) – In a day and age where teams still preferred to run the ball more than throw it, Kelly was chucking it all over the yard as the trigger man for Buffalo’s “K Gun” offense, a machine that took the Bills to four straight Super Bowls.
20. Darrell Green (Washington Redskins) – Green played 20 seasons at cornerback, which is an impressive feat. Being a Redskin for all of those years is even more amazing. There’s a reason he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
21. LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) – In 2006, LT rushed for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns, while also posting 508 receiving yards and five more scores. In the mid-2000s he was the games best offensive player. By a mile.
22. Dan Dierdorf (Arizona Cardinals) – Today, most people know Dierdorf for his work in the broadcast booth. They forget that he had a Hall-of-Fame career on the field, where he was a five-time All-Pro and a part of the 1970s All-Decade team.
23. Alan Page (Minnesota Vikings) – A cornerstone of the famed “Purple People Eaters” defense, Page was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, six-time All-Pro, a member of the 1970s All-Decade team and the 1971 NFL MVP.
24. Earl Campbell (Tennessee Titans) – In the late-1970s and early ’80s, “The Tyler Rose” was the most-feared player in the NFL. And he was a running back. No defensive player wanted to attempt to tackle Campbell in the open field.
25. Lee Roy Selmon (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Selmon was drafted No. 1 overall by the expansion Bucs. His first year, Tampa Bay went winless. Four years later, when Selmon was Defensive Player of the Year, they were in the NFC title game.
26. Joe Namath (New York Jets) – Namath is a legend more for his off-the-field swagger than the numbers he posted during an injury-riddled career. But guaranteeing a victory in Super Bowl III is part of NFL lore.
27. Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles) – Oddly, the greatest Eagles player of all-time isn’t all that revered in Philly, where the fans have a love-hate relationship with the quarterback who led them to five NFC title games and one Super Bowl.
28. Tommy Nobis (Atlanta Falcons) – The No. 1 overall pick in 1966, Nobis languished in anonymity on some bad Falcons teams. But his contemporaries knew how good he was on the field, electing him to five Pro Bowl teams.
29. Tony Boselli (Jacksonville Jaguars) – As the Jaguars inch toward their 20th anniversary, their former offensive tackle who was selected to be a part of the 1990s All-Decade team is still clearly the greatest player in franchise history.
30. Archie Manning (New Orleans Saints) – He’s still revered in New Orleans, despite the fact that he didn’t do much winning during his days as the Saints quarterback. His No. 8 was retired for a reason; he personifies the black and gold.
31. Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers) – It says a lot about today’s NFL that the greatest player in Panthers history was just released by the team. After 836 catches, 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns in Carolina, Smith is now a Raven.
32. Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) – Johnson has posted monster numbers during his 11 years in Houston, including back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons in which he led the NFL in receiving. Someday, he’ll be first into the Texans’ Ring of Fame.
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