If it looks like part seven of the list and smells like part seven of the list, by golly, it is part seven of the list. Today’s installment of The Grand List, or: the top 1000 players ever (or something like that) covers players 850-810. That’s 41 players, because why does it have to make sense. I hope you like special teams. ^[1]Also, major thanks to Mr. Tom Nawrocki for writing some beautiful words about players 846, 831, 829, and 813.

Previous articles in the series

The Grand List, part 1: Includes honorable/special mentions and players 1000-990.
The Grand List, part 2: Includes players 989-965.
The Grand List, part 3: Includes players 964-940.
The Grand List, part 4: Includes players 939-901.
The Grand List, part 5: Includes players 900-876.
The Grand List, part 6: Includes players 875-851.

Alright then, let’s get to it.

The List, Continued

850. Ed Danowski (1934-1941)
Quarterback
New York Giants

Danowski only had 1100 action plays in his NFL career, but he made them count. He doesn’t even qualify for leaderboards, but his +1552 total adjusted yards above average (VAL) would rank 74th in history if he did. Probably the most accurate passer of his era outside of Baugh, he led the league in completion rate twice and had a three-year run in which his Cmp%+ figures were 183, 200, and 199. ^[2]See the explanation of Cmp%+ under the heading “Explanation of the Advanced Passing table,” if you aren’t familiar. His Giants made it to four title games, winning two of them. In his first championship appearance, Danowski had a pick on defense and both a passing and rushing touchdown on offense as the Giants humbled the undefeated Bears. When New York beat Green Bay, Danowski threw for two scores and a 122.7 passer rating. [continue reading…]

It’s time for part six of the Grand List, the series in which I (very) slowly unveil my list of the top 1000 players in history. This is the portion of the list where I talk about a few quarterbacks who may have been better than they tend to get credit for, some big nasties in the middle of the offense, and a bunch of tight ends. Reminder: send all complaints to DeleteSansReading@gmail.com.

Previous articles in the series

The Grand List, part 1: Includes honorable/special mentions and players 1000-990.
The Grand List, part 2: Includes players 989-965.
The Grand List, part 3: Includes players 964-940.
The Grand List, part 4: Includes players 939-901.
The Grand List, part 5: Includes players 900-876.

LFG, pals.

The List, Continued

875. Carl Nicks (2008-2013)
Offensive Guard
New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Before a serious medical issue brought on by organizational ineptitude ruined his career, Nicks was one of the best offensive linemen in the league. At his peak, he was a huge guy who could really move. Adept in both pass protection and run blocking, Nicks did excelled both at keeping his Hall of Fame quarterback safe and at paving the way for a revolving door of unheralded running backs to pick up solid numbers on the ground. His teammate, Jahri Evans, was an all decade selection at the position, but Nicks was arguably even better, if only for a short time.

874. Antoine Bethea (2006-Present)
Safety
Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants

Bethea has been a steady defender for a long time, across several teams. He won a title and made a few Pro Bowls with the Colts as a free safety, but his natural fit was at strong safety. Though he has lacked consistency in coverage throughout his career, has had some good seasons in that area and has usually avoiding being a liability. His real talent lies in stopping the run and rushing the passer. He doesn’t blitz often, but when he gets the call, he produces pressure at a high rate. Bethea attacks the line of scrimmage and has been successful in creating run stops, and he is equally adept at making tackles in the open field. Although coverage is king in the modern game, it felt right to give a hat tip to a great run stopping safety.

873. Otto Schnellbacher (1948-1951)
Safety
New York Yankees, New York Giants

While playing with the AAFC’s New York Yankees, he also played for the NBA’s St. Louis Bombers and Providence Steamrollers. He eventually transitioned to football only and played with the Giants for two seasons after the AAFC-NFL merger. Tall, long, and possessing the requisite leaping ability you’d expect from a pro basketball player, Schnellbacher was a tremendous deep field safety. He led the AAFC in interceptions (11), yards (239) and touchdowns (1) in his first year as a pro. In his final year, he led the NFL in those same three categories (11, 194, 2). Paired with inner-circle teammate Emlen Tunnell, Schnellbacher helped perfect the umbrella defense that could shut down the mightiest passing attacks by neutralizing downfield passes. His range and brilliant ball skills enabled Tunnell to take more risks to force turnovers. [continue reading…]

It’s time for part five in my series The Grand List, or: the top 1000 players in history. This portion of the list covers players 900-876. There in an abundance of skill players and shooting star trench warriors, so strap in. As always, send complaints to DeleteSansReading@gmail.com.

Previous articles in the series

The Grand List, part 1: Includes honorable/special mentions and players 1000-990.
The Grand List, part 2: Includes players 989-965.
The Grand List, part 3: Includes players 964-940.
The Grand List, part 4: Includes players 939-901.

Let’s get down to business.

The List, Continued

900. Gerald Riggs (1982-1991)
Running Back
Atlanta Falcons, Washington

Riggs was a big bruiser who always seems to fall forward. He was tall for a running back (6’1″) but ran with superb pad level that allowed him to maintain leverage through contact. His prime came with the Falcons, where he averaged 1705 yards and 9 touchdowns per 16 games during his four year peak. Atlanta traded him to Washington after he lost his effectiveness as a lead runner. However, Riggs continued to excel in short yardage situations till the end of his career. In his final season, as part of one of the greatest teams in history, he scored 11 touchdowns on just 78 carries in the regular season. He then scored 2 touchdowns in each of Washington’s three playoff games, including the Super Bowl victory that would be the final game of his career.

899. Freeman McNeil (1981-1992)
Running Back
New York Jets

When people discuss McNeil today, it is usually with regard to his role in bringing unrestricted free agency to the NFL. While he played an important part in improving labor conditions in the league, it is his on field performance that lands him on this list. One of many players whose numbers suffer from a strike occurring in their prime, McNeil’s peak included both the 1982 and 1987 abbreviated seasons. He led all players in rushing yards and yards per carry in 1982. This began a seven year stretch in which he averaged 1622 scrimmage yards and 7 touchdowns per 16 games. While he didn’t break off a ton of long runs, he was effective at picking up yardage in chunks. Among backs with as many carries as McNeil, only eight can claim a higher rushing average than his 4.49. ^[1]That list comprises four HOFers, a guy who will join them when eligible, a guy who should, and two guys good enough to have already been inducted. That’s Jim Brown, Joe Perry, Barry Sanders, … Continue reading

898. Chuck Muncie (1976-1984)
Running Back
San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints

For the first eight years of his career, Muncie averaged 1312 yards and 11 touchdowns per 16 games. He wasn’t quite Lenny Moore, but a respectable 335 of those yards came through the air. During his athletic prime, he was stuck on some lackluster squads with inconsistent offenses, but a movie to sunny California saw him join a talented and efficient offense for the back half of his career. The primary difference that came with playing for a better offense was an increase in touchdowns. His skill didn’t increase, but his opportunity to run the ball closer to the end zone increased. Effective in limited postseason contests, Muncie averaged 107 yards per game in the playoffs. He was also useful on trick plays, completing 4 of 7 pass attempts for 126 yards and 4 scores.

897. James Brooks (1981-1992)
Running Back
Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brooks was a quick, slashing style runner with a strong burst and solid open field running ability. Over his six year peak, he put up 1432 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns per 16 games. Because he was a big play threat and a quality receiver, he was able to produce without taking too many touches. Using his shiftiness, Brooks was able to pick up 4.73 yards per carry, a figure that ranks fourth among all players with at least 1500 carries. Before assuming the lead back role, he was a pretty good kick and punt return man who twice led the league in all purpose yards.

896. Earnest Byner (1984-1997)
Running Back
Cleveland Browns, Washington, Baltimore Ravens

Byner was big, but not that big; fast, but not that fast; powerful, but not that powerful. He could catch and block, but you wouldn’t mistake him for Marshall Faulk. Byner was a steady, well-rounded back who produced for a long time and in widely different situations. His peak lasted about eight seasons, in which he averaged 1312 yards and 8 touchdowns per 16 games. He is most famous – or infamous, depending on your rooting interests – for The Fumble that preceded the Broncos winning the AFC Championship Game for the right to lose to Washington in the Super Bowl. However, had he not put up 187 yards and two touchdowns prior to that, the Browns wouldn’t have been in position to lose a close game in the first place. After moving on to D.C., Byner was finally able to reach a Super Bowl that eluded him in Cleveland. He had 73 yards and a touchdown on the biggest stage of his career. [continue reading…]

Welcome to part four in my series The Grand List, or: the top 1000 players in history. Today’s section of the list covers players 939-901. Here, you’ll find some underrated skill players, a few somewhat anonymous defenders who are fondly remembered only by fans of their team, and a few more current young bloods on their way to becoming full fledged legends. Don’t forget to send complaints to DeleteSansReading@gmail.com.

Previous articles in the series

The Grand List, part 1: Includes honorable/special mentions and players 1000-990.
The Grand List, part 2: Includes players 989-965.
The Grand List, part 3: Includes players 964-940.

Let’s have at it then.

The List, Continued

939. Anthony Carter (1983-1995)
Wide Receiver
Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders

Carter was a great deep threat, best known for his 1987 campaign, a season in which he had a remarkable 24.3 yards per catch in the regular season before exploding for 391 yards in the playoffs. The highlight of the season was a 227 yard outing against the heavily favored 49ers. San Francisco entered the game with the number three scoring defense and the league’s best DVOA against the pass. Carter shredded them. He had a short but high peak, and I believe he would have been a superstar on a team with a better quarterback or a more creative coach.

938. Derrick Henry (2016-Present)
Running Back
Tennessee Titans

Henry is a big, strong man who breaks arm tackles with ease, runs over defenders in the open field, and stiff arms tacklers into oblivion. His crowning achievement was the 2019 season, in which he captured a rushing title and led the league in rushing scores in the regular season before playing like a demigod in the playoffs. He moves far better than a man of his stature should, using his rare blend of speed and power to produce the second 99 yard touchdown run in NFL history. On that play, he outran defenders while manhandling others, demonstrating the range of his athletic capabilities.

937. Alvin Kamara (2017-Present)
Running Back
New Orleans Saints

Kamara possesses an uncanny combination of acceleration, power, and balance. His compact frame allows him to bounce off tackles as easily as he jukes them. He consistently generates yardage, even when he doesn’t break off huge plays, averaging over 99 yards from scrimmage per game in his young career. Kamara’s most valuable contribution comes in the passing game, where he has averaged just under 700 receiving yards per season.

936. Amani Toomer (1996-2008)
Wide Receiver
New York Giants

Toomer probably seems like an odd choice here. He never made a Pro Bowl or all pro team, and he didn’t produce a bevy of highlight reel type plays to trick us into thinking he was better than he actually was. Instead, he was kind of like the wide receiver version of The Eagles. That is to say he had a solid, steady career with several boring performances in a row. Tall and strong, Toomer was an excellent possession receiver who made boundary catches look mundane. His sure hands helped him haul in passes from the succession of mostly inaccurate passers he played with during his career. While two other receivers continue to get all the press, Toomer was New York’s leading receiver in their upset victory of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He was also a pretty good punt returner when called upon. [continue reading…]

This is the third piece in my series The Grand List, or: the top 1000 players in history. Part three covers players 964-940. We’re still in Hall of Pretty Good territory, and it won’t be until we’re in the 500s or so that every player we discuss will have a legitimate argument for Canton. ^[1]And we won’t see surefire GridFe HOFers till we reach the 200s. Today’s section includes some overlooked stars of yesterday, some active veterans, and a young guy who will likely finish his career in the top 200 if he stays healthy. As always, send complaints to DeleteSansReading@gmail.com.

Previous articles in the series

The Grand List, part 1: Includes honorable/special mentions and players 1000-990.
The Grand List, part 2: Includes players 989-965.

Now, on to the list.

The List, Continued

964. Wesley Walker (1977-1989)
Wide Receiver
New York Jets

Walker was a big play threat on some pretty offensive offenses. He averaged over 20 yards per catch in seven different seasons, but his best outing may have come in a year he didn’t. In 1982, he had a very good regular season and followed it with an excellent postseason, in which he picked up 104 yards per game and 19.6 yards per reception. Unfortunately, his best season came in a strike-year, and it rarely gets brought up. Walker did lead regular season receivers in yards (1169) and yards per catch (24.4) in 1978. That’s the year people mention, if they mention him at all. ^[2]Statistically, his top seasons were 1982, 1978, and 1986, when he posted TRY marks of 1649, 1482, and 1304, respectively.

963. Babe Parilli (1951-1969)
Quarterback, Punter
Boston Patriots, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Ottawa Rough Riders, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns

Parilli earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and one first team all pro nod. He also nabbed a GridFe Automatic Award for most valuable player for his 1964 campaign that saw him lead the league in yards and touchdowns on his way to a 10-3 record. Parilli didn’t have that many great seasons, but even a few great years at QB is enough to make a list like this. ^[3]Among quarterbacks with at least 1500 combined regular and postseason action plays, Parilli ranks 168th in Total Adjusted Yards above Average (VAL) with -991 and 146th in TAYP+ (99).

962. Joe Ferguson (1973-1995)
Quarterback
Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, San Antonio Texans

Ferguson wasn’t a highlight reel guy, and he wasn’t a stat padder. He was an understated steady hand who was perfectly suited to the hard-nose Buffalo and Detroit fanbases for which he played. His toughness was exemplified in a playoff loss to the high-flying Chargers, when he played the entire contest on a sprained ankle. During his peak, he did more than just hand the ball to the Juice. Ferguson did post seven seasons with an ANY/A+ of 100 or higher, including four over 115. ^[4]Of course, 100 is the average performance of qualifying quarterbacks. I use 115 as another benchmark, as it denotes a full standard deviation above average. Among qualifying quarterbacks, Ferguson … Continue reading

961. Brandon Williams (2013-Present)
Defensive Interior
Baltimore Ravens

At 6’1″ 335ish, Williams is a stout presence in the middle of the Baltimore defensive line. He isn’t a pass rusher; his career 101 pressures and 6.5 sacks come to just over one pressure per game and less than one sack per season. However, he is a particularly excellent run defender who can shed blocks to make run stops regularly. Williams also possesses the coveted nose tackle ability to absorb blocks and free up edge rushers and blitzers to make the plays that get all the attention.

960. Jeremy Shockey (2002-2011)
Tight End
New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers

Shockey makes the list primarily for his six years in New York, where he averaged 72 catches for 815 yards and 5 touchdowns per 16 games. While there, he also made four Pro Bowls and earned an all pro selection. A bloody terror after the catch, Shockey seemed to relish contact with defenders. His violent trucking of Mike Peterson on a tight end screen his rookie year was a thing of beauty. An added bonus to a fine playing career: he was on teams that defeated two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in the Super Bowl.

959. Linval Joseph (2010-Present)
Defensive Interior
Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants

Joseph entered the league with all the physical tools you could want from an interior defenders, but he was raw from a technique standpoint. He put in the work to develop his craft and become an elite run stopper and efficient pass rusher. A move to Minnesota saw him switch to his more natural position as a nose tackle. The role played to his strength (strength) and downplayed his weakness (lateral mobility) and allowed him to thrive. Sometimes it really is just about finding a square hole for the square peg.

958. Isaac Curtis (1973-1984)
Wide Receiver
Cincinnati Bengals

Curtis is perhaps most famous for having his name attached to a rule change to open up the passing game, but he also happened to be a fine wideout. With sprinter speed and a long stride, he was as graceful as a gazelle while burning secondaries to the tune of 19.9 yards per catch in his first four seasons (before injuries took a half step from him). His speed and success with Ken Anderson necessitated more physical coverage downfield and ultimately resulted in the eponymous regulation that helped pave the way for the shootouts we see today.

957. Ken Burrough (1970-1981)
Wide Receiver
Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints

Like many receivers of his era, Burrough’s stats take a hit from playing in the “dead ball era” of passing offense. During his three-year prime, he averaged 1071 yards and 9 touchdowns per 16 games while playing in one of the least friendly passing eras in history (1975-77) and catching passes from Dan Pastorini and the ghost of John Hadl. He was a tremendous deep threat, posting 17 yards per catch during his career, and 19.1 during his peak.

956. Roy Green (1979-1992)
Wide Receiver
St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles

Green was a versatile player who began his career splitting time at wideout and safety. He picked off four passes in his career, and he was solid on punt and kickoff returns, but it is his receiving that lands him on the list. There are only about a hundred receivers with two great receiving seasons, ^[5]Great, here, is defined as a season with at least 1400 SoftTRY. Green had seasons of 1660 and 1547. and Green easily makes that list. He was a deep threat in an era that started moving away from deep passing. In his best season, he picked up 1555 yards on just 78 catches. Since the 1978 rules changes, only Torry Holt has had a season with a higher average on as many receptions.

955. Fredd Young (1984-1990)
Linebacker
Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts

Young was a gifted athlete with incredible straight line speed and sideline-to-sideline quickness. He was on the small side for his role, but his athleticism mitigated that issue. An effective pass rusher, both on blitzes and from the edge role he played in nickel, Young put up solid sack numbers during his time in the Pacific Northwest. Speculatively, he would be exciting to see in a modern defense, with a greater emphasis on speed. In addition to his defensive prowess, he was one of the best special teams players of his generation, twice earning honors as the AFC’s top special teamer.

954. Boyd Dowler (1959-1971)
Wide Receiver
Green Bay Packers, Washington

Dowler was a big, strong target for Bart Starr and a vital part of the passing offense on five championship teams. He was a steady receiver (five seasons over 1000 TRY and another three over 900) with soft hands. Importantly for the Lombardi philosophy, he also happened to be an excellent blocker from the flanker position. Like teammates Max McGee and Ron Kramer, Dowler willingly sacrificed numbers for wins, helping build the lead with their receiving skills and eagerly blocking downfield as the Packers ran out the clock with big Jim Taylor.

953. Hugh Green (1981-1991)
Linebacker
Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Overshadowed by fellow rookies Lawrence Taylor and Rickey Jackson, Green helped define the prototype for the rushbacker position. He played a lot in coverage and was better than most rushbackers in that role. ^[6]It’s fair to say he was as good as anyone outside of Von Miller in that respect. Green began his career with two all pro nods and a Pro Bowl alternate selection before injuries started effecting his play. He rarely left the field, and he often played hurt, but he remained a threat as a rusher and dissuaded passers from his coverage. His heroic efforts in 1982 earned him a DPOY pick from Dr. Z.

952. Pierce Holt (1988-1995)
Defensive Line
San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons

Holt began his career on a high note, helping the 49ers win titles in his first two seasons. He was stout versus the run, but he was also an effective pass rusher, picking up a career-high 10.5 sacks in 1989. Moving inside to play tackle on passing downs, Holt had an appetite for disruption on opposing dropbacks. Like many 3-4 ends, numbers don’t tell the whole story. He was great at freeing up guys like Charles Haley and Tim Harris to put up big sack totals and get public acclaim.

951. Brian Orakpo (2009-2018)
Rushbacker
Washington, Tennessee Titans

Orakpo was a top flight pass rusher in Washington and Tennessee. He wasn’t great against the run, but that’s not really what teams paid him for. Because he was a 3-4 outside linebacker rather than an end, he had to drop back about 8-10 times per game. At first, he was pretty bad at it, but he put in the work necessary to improve his game. Orakpo finished his career with 66 sacks, 77 tackles for loss, and four Pro Bowl picks.

950. LaMarr Woodley (2007-2015)
Rushbacker
Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders

Like Orakpo, Woodley was a great pass rusher who was merely decent against the run. He had more help in Pittsburgh’s scheme, with the accompanying talent, but he also played well on his own merit. Woodley ranks ahead of Orakpo for his stellar postseason play, especially his six-sack trio of games en route to a Steelers Super Bowl win in 2008. He began his postseason career with two sacks in each of his first four games, and he followed that with one sack in the next three games. Injuries derailed a promising future.

949. Archie Manning (1971-1984)
Quarterback
New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings

Manning was a good quarterback stuck on some terrible teams. Saints fans remember him being a little better than he was, while everyone else probably underrates him a little. On tape, he was a fine quarterback who had to try too hard to make things happen with his surrounding talent. In 1978, for instance, he had great numbers with speedy tight end Henry Childs serving as his primary target. From a stylistic and talent standpoint, I often refer to him as Diet Staubach because he reminds me of Roger Staubach if the Dallas legend was about 15% worse at everything. He did sire some very talented children though. ^[7]Among qualifying quarterbacks, Manning ranks 194th in VAL (-1941) and 160th in TAYP+ (98).

948. Jim Zorn (1976-1987)
Quarterback
Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Zorn had the unfortunate role of field general for an expansion team, and his career surely would have looked different in a better situation. Counterfactuals aside, Zorn was an excellent scrambler, which came in handy behind his middling offensive line. For the first seven years of his career, he was usually good for about 200 rushing yards per season (242 per 16 games). His passing stats don’t look impressive at first glance, but he didn’t have much to work with outside of Steve Largent. Zorn had the respect of Dr. Z, who named him the NFL’s top quarterback in 1978. ^[8]Among qualifying quarterbacks, Zorn ranks 104th in VAL (546) and 97th in TAYP+ (102).

947. E.J. Holub (1961-1970)
Linebacker, Center
Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs

Holub was a gritty player who earned six all pro nods at linebacker before moving to the other side of the ball and starting at center in the winter of his career (where he earned another one). ^[9]As well as the more prestigious Dr. Z All-AFL team in 1969. He was excellent on defense and very good on offense, like 85% of Concrete Charlie. Holub managed to do this in an era fairly far removed from the one platoon system of years past.

946. George Kittle (2017-Present)
Tight End
San Francisco 49ers

The fact that Kittle ranks this highly after just three seasons as a pro speaks to how spectacular his play has been. He is one of the better run blockers among great receiving TEs, and he’s not bad in pass pro either. As a receiver, he is on Olympus. In his second season as a pro, he set the yardage record at the position and led the league in yards after the catch. The following year, he led all tight ends in YAC despite missing two games. ^[10]He ranked behind only Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler among all players. Kittle is good at getting open, and he is a nightmare after the catch. As a student of history, I don’t take grand claims lightly: Kittle has Rushmore potential.

945. Cecil Isbell (1938-1942)
Quarterback
Green Bay Packers

Isbell was a good quarterback with a beautiful deep ball, but he tends to be overrated by box score scouts. He played in an innovative offense with the most explosive offensive threat of his era (Don Hutson) and had his greatest success in a league weakened by the Second World War. And you can count the number of black defensive backs he faced on zero hands. Nonetheless, he was an exceptional passer, if only briefly. His numbers were incredible, and his tape generally impressed. Additionally, he was a great runner, averaging 450 yards and three touchdowns per 16 games. Want some sprinkles on that cupcake? He had nine interceptions as a defender, including six in 1942.

944. Frank Ryan (1958-1970)
Quarterback
Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Washington

Many seem to take a little credit away from Ryan because he played with Jim Brown. While Brown did help improve the team’s winning percentage (thus making the QB’s record look better), playing alongside a star running back who refused to block and didn’t take dumpoff passes any better than his backup wasn’t exactly boosting his numbers. In fact, Ryan set career marks for passing yards and touchdowns the year after Brown retired. That year, 1966, he ranked third among NFL quarterbacks in total adjusted yards above average and earned a GridFe Automatic Award. ^[11]Ryan had a TAY/P of 6.13 (TAYP+ of 115) and an era-adjusted VAL of 1040. Bart Starr was the most efficient quarterback: 7.34, 124, 1121. Don Meredith also had great numbers: 6.27, 116, 1047. Len … Continue reading He also led the league in touchdown passes (117) during his five-year prime from 1963-67 (that’s two years without Brown). ^[12]Among qualifying quarterbacks, Ryan ranks 65th in VAL (1792) and 63rd in TAYP+ (105).

943. Dana Stubblefield (1993-2003)
Defensive Interior
San Francisco 49ers, Washington, Oakland Raiders

Stubblefield is an interesting case because, throughout most of his career, he was an effective interior presence against the run. However, he didn’t really receive his due recognition until he put up gaudy numbers as a pass rusher. In 1997, he had 15 sacks from the defensive tackle spot, earning defensive player of the year honors in the process. Playing alongside Bryant Young, he was able to avoid a ton of double teams and focus on beating his man one on one. Stubblefield won most of those matchups in San Francisco before doing what big name free agents do when they move to the nation’s capital.

942. Jimmie Giles (1977-1989)
Tight End
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Houston Oilers

Giles did everything you could ask from the tight end position. He put up pretty good numbers, including 620 yards and 5 touchdowns per 16 games at his seven-year peak. That’s 732 TRY per year, which is great for a tight end who rarely played in a friendly scheme or with passers who had the full faith of their coaching staff. He was fast and great at breaking away from defenders once he caught the ball. Giles was also a solid blocker, though no one would confuse him for Hoby Brenner.

941. Jim Mutscheller (1954-1961)
Tight End
Baltimore Colts

It may be a technical misnomer to call Mutscheller a tight end, but that’s effectively the position he played. Despite sharing targets with two inner circle Hall of Famers, he managed to average 800 yards and 10 touchdowns per 16 games during his prime. Adjusting for era and passing environment, that’s 1076 TRY per year with four seasons over 1000 – excellent marks for a tight end (or proto-tight end). ^[13]For comparison, here are the best-five-year averages for some other notable tight ends: Rob Gronkowski – 1398 Antonio Gates – 1281 Todd Christensen – 1270 Pete Retzlaff – … Continue reading A scoring machine, Mutscheller hauled in a touchdown in nearly one out of every five catches.

940. Roy Jefferson (1965-1976)
Wide Receiver
Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore

Jefferson was the most talented offensive player on a bad Steelers team. His role as a player representative saw him clash with new head coach Chuck Noll, and Noll sent the stud receiver packing. This meant Jefferson missed out on the rebuild and a role on the Steel Curtain Dynasty, but he did see championship gold before Pittsburgh did. In his lone season in Baltimore, Jefferson put up great numbers (1192 TRY), including a score in a Divisional Round victory over the Bengals and two key first downs in the first post-merger Super Bowl. He moved on the Washington and helped them reach the Super Bowl, where he was probably the team’s best offensive performer against the juggernaut Dolphins. ^[14]He had 5 catches for 50 yards. All of them came on first and ten. Two of his catches moved the sticks. Two more gained seven yards, while another gained eight. That’s five successful plays from … Continue reading He finished his career having posted six seasons over 1000 TRY, including two over 1400.

 

This is the second installment of my Grand List, or: the top 1,000 pro football players in history. ^[1]Get it? Grand, like a thousand? Please validate me. The section will cover players 989-965. I’m not particularly interested in writing a treatise on each player. If you are interested in that sort of thing, I highly recommend Brad Oremland‘s series on the 125 best players ever. I’m quarantined and starting to lose my mind, so you’ll be lucky to get a full paragraph for anyone. Send complaints to DeleteSansReading@gmail.com.

Previous articles in the series

The Grand List, part 1: Includes honorable/special mentions and players 1000-990.

Without further clamor…

The List, Continued

989. Hunk Anderson (1922-1925)
Offensive Guard, Defensive Line
Chicago Bears, Cleveland Indians

The brevity of his career keeps him from ranking higher on this list. Anderson played just four years, but his blocking was so dominant that he was still chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s all decade team. Hunk wasn’t that big, but he was strong and played with a level of aggression few could match. His most important trait was probably his mind. He had a deep repertoire of blocking techniques that served him well on the field and in his subsequent role as a celebrated assistant coach and champion head coach.

988. Bill Walsh (1949-1954)
Center
Pittsburgh Steelers

No, not that Bill Walsh. This is the standout Steel City center. His career was brief, but his play was consistently good and effective. Walsh was the pivot man in a single wing offense, meaning his role required complex blocking responsibilities and often physically demanding assignments. He handled them with aplomb and even filled in on defense when called upon.

987. Jack Manders (1933-1940)
Kicker, Running Back (pre-modern)
Chicago Bears

Automatic Jack was one of the premier kickers of his generation and was a solid halfback. He was an excellent big game player, scoring 11 of Chicago’s 23 points in a 1933 title win over the Giants, as well as two touchdowns in the team’s 1937 loss to Washington. Manders was a two time champion who led the league in scoring twice and ranked in the top 5 five times.

986. Sam Koch (2006-Present)
Punter
Baltimore Ravens

Whether bailing out a lackluster offense or gaining a little more field for a great offense, Koch has been stellar at his job. The 2014 season was probably his best, when he boasted a 43.3 net and a +22 inside 20-touchback differential, but he has had several great years. For his career, he has five times as many punts inside the 20 than he has touchbacks, giving him one of the top ratios ever. He also has maintained consistently high gross and net punting averages despite playing outdoors in a cold weather city. If you want a cherry on top of that sundae, Koch is also one of the better placekick holders the game has seen.

985. William Henderson (1995-2006)
Fullback
Green Bay Packers

A career Packer, Henderson embodied the Midwest understated,. hardworking mentality. He earned Pro Bowl/all pro honors just once, but he was just as good in less celebrated seasons. An excellent lead blocker, he led the way for Dorsey Levens and Ahman Green to post incredible rushing seasons. He also excelled in pass pro while blocking for the notoriously unpredictable Brett Favre. What sets him apart from other great blocking fullbacks is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

984. Joe Guyon (1919-1927)
Running Back (pre-modern)
Canton Bulldogs, Oorang Indians, Cleveland Indians, New York Giants, Rock Island Independents, Kansas City Cowboys, Union Quakers of Philadelphia

A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one of Guyon’s main claims to fame is that defenders who had to tackle both him and a past-his-prime Jim Thorpe credited the former with being harder to handle. Some said Thorpe brought the fans to the gates while Guyon made the plays. Usually lined up as a wingback, he was a tough as nails runner who was even better at delivering crushing blocks. He was also an excellent defender who was  hard hitter and a playmaker, like an antediluvian Kenny Easley. Guyon started and ended on a high note, winning championships in his first and last years as a pro.

983. Al Mahrt (1913-1922)
Quarterback (pre-modern)
St. Mary’s Cadets/Dayton Gym-Cadets/Dayton Triangles

Mahrt was known by contemporaries as a gifted and natural tackler, capable of reeling in shifty runners in the open field or bringing down power backs head on. His hit on Joe Guyon in a 20-20 tie against Canton was the Bednarik-Gifford shot of its era. However, Mahrt’s primary accomplishment was his mastery of the forward pass. Writers described his arm as both strongest and most accurate of his day (or as accurate as you can be throwing around the old piece of cabbage they used to use). He was a three time champion player-coach prior to the NFL’s inception, and he earned one APFA all pro nod in the twilight of his career.

982. Rob Moore (1990-1999)
Wide Receivers
Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets

Moore’s inclusion on the list may come as a surprise, given the brevity of his true peak, but you’ll find as the list progresses that the good-but-not-great group of receivers to which he belongs is a large and tightly packed one. What sets him apart from some receivers with similar career numbers is the fact that he had one monster season (1997), in which he led the league with 1584 receiving yards and earned a first team all pro nod. He finished his career ranked 19th in receiving yards, but he has since fallen to 55th in the wake of the 21st Century Passing Explosion.

981. Bill Brown (1961-1974)
Running Back
Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears

Boom Boom Brown was a big, sturdy fullback who was especially adept at short yardage rushing and catching passes out of the backfield. He was a three-time all pro and a four-time Pro Bowler in his thirteen seasons in the Great White North. At the time of his retirement, Brown ranked 12th in both rushing yards and yards from scrimmage. His best season was a marvelous 1964 offensive that saw him pick up 866 yards on the ground and another 703 through the air (at an impressive 14.6 yards per reception), with 16 of Minnesota’s 37 offensive touchdowns.

980. Paul Lowe (1960-1969)
Running Back
Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs

Lowe was the AFL’s second leading rusher, with 4995 yards, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-AFL Team. He had a short and sweet career, with just five healthy seasons full of explosive, highlight reel type plays. Lowe was excellent in his first playoff game, gaining 165 yards and a touchdown on just 21 carries in a championship loss to the Oilers. He was also an exciting boom or bust passer on trick plays, completing less than half his passes but gaining 15.5 yards per attempt on 21 tries.

979. Wayne Millner (1936-1945)
End (pre-modern)
Boston/Washington

People who dive into the stats will often look at Millner’s receiving production and label him a bogus Hall of Fame selection. ^[2]I was once in this camp before doing more research. If you look at him solely as a receiver, then that makes sense (his 1937 championship performance notwithstanding). However, in an era when blocking was coveted, Millner was among the finest at the end position. He also happened to be superb defender. While not particularly large, he was strong. And fast – capable of chasing backs out wide or running down plays from behind. Two things hurt his legacy: WW2 and the Jerry Rice Problem. Millner missed three prime years in the Navy, and he missed out on postseason honors because he played the same position as a contemporary legend – Don Hutson. ^[3]Turn a few of his six All-NFL honorable mentions into first or second team nods, and his career starts looking much better.

978. Luke Johnsos (1929-1936)
End (pre-modern)
Chicago Bears

An accomplished coach after his playing career, the Professor used his natural understanding of the game to his advantage on the field. His smarts, combined with his height (6’2″ in an era that wasn’t common) and speed, made him a scary matchup for pre-modern secondaries. At one point, he was the official career leader in receptions and receiving yards. However, because his career began before the NFL kept official records, his achievements prior to 1932 are largely undocumented and unrecognized by the league he helped advance.

977. Red Badgro (1927-1936)
End (pre-modern)
New York Giants, New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers

Athletically sound with a relentless motor, the New York legend was a four-time all pro and major player on squads that won one title game and lost another. In the loss, Badgro became the first player to score a touchdown in an NFL championship game, a 29 yard aerial with his fire-red mane blowing in the wild winds of Wrigley Field. His title win came when his 8-5 crew began a Giants tradition of upsetting great teams in the season’s final game – this time against the undefeated Chicago Bears. Like Millner, Badgro was an excellent blocker and a skilled defenseman.

976. Dick Bass (1960-1969)
Running Back
Los Angeles Rams

Bass wasn’t big but could block well, both as a lead and in pass pro. More importantly, he was a playmaker on both offense and special teams. While he made the first of his three Pro Bowls in 1962, his 1961 season was his most interesting. As a little-used runner, he had the longest run of the season. He also had the league’s longest punt return – an ill-advised 90 yarder that looked like a great idea in hindsight. Oh, Bass led the league in kickoff return average, too, and managed to do so without even scoring a touchdown. Along with halfback Jon Arnett, he was a small glimmer of hope in a dismal era of offense for the Rams.

975. Larry Centers (1990-2003)
Fullback
Arizona/Phoenix Cardinals, Washington, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

Centers excelled as a traditional “lineman in the backfield” fullback and could have potentially made this list for his blocking. He didn’t have the size of a Moose Johnston or Lorenzo Neal but was a technician who used leverage and angles to stop defenders at the second level. While his blocking was great, his best trait was his top flight receiving. He was the rare fullback who was also his team’s third down back, and his ability to protect the QB or catch the ball would make him a coveted back in today’s game. Centers finished his career with 6797 receiving yards, including 634 per season from 1993-2001. ^[4]His receptions weren’t just empty checkdowns either. His 1995 outing saw him end the year with 355 DYAR, which is the sixth highest total by a running back in the Football Outsiders era … Continue reading

974. Doak Walker (1950-1955)
Running Back, Defensive Back, Kicker
Detroit Lions

After becoming a college superstar, Walker graduated to the pros and literally did it all. He starred on offense and defense, he kicked and punted, and he returned kicks and punts. ^[5]He also threw the ball, but he wasn’t particularly good at it. The golden boy played five healthy seasons and finished each of those years with a first team all pro selection. A guy who would be at home in a modern offense, Walker made the most of limited touches and put up big numbers as a receiving back. He led league in points scored in his first and last seasons.

973. Tony Richardson (1995-2010)
Fullback
Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings

Richardson was on the small side for a blocking fullback, but he attacked linebackers play after play for 242 games. He made up for his relative lack of size with superior speed and agility compared to his peers. Early in his career, he had a few solid seasons as a runner and receiver, even posting a thousand yard season. He followed that by lead blocking for Priest Holmes in one of the greatest stretches of running back play in history, blocking for a rookie Adrian Peterson, and blocking for a run-heavy attack for the Jets. ^[6]Richardson help a 31 year old Thomas Jones set a career mark in rushing yards.

972. Norb Sacksteder (1914-1925)
Running Back (pre-modern)
Dayton Triangles, Detroit Heralds, Detroit Tigers, Canton Bulldogs

A somewhat obscure name, Sacksteder was one of the first star offensive playmakers in pro football history. He was an excellent open field runner who combined top end speed with elite agility, like a precursor to Hugh McElhenny. Always a threat to score, historians estimate most of his touchdowns were longer than 50 yards. Though most of his accomplishments came before the NFL’s inaugural season, Sacksteder did play in the first-ever game between two NFL teams and was an excellent scatback for the 1922 champion Bulldogs.

971. Larry Craig (1939-1949)
Fullback (pre-modern)
Green Bay Packers

Craig was perhaps the finest blocking back of his era, clearing the way for names like Hinkle, Fritsch, and Canadeo. He only touched the ball 24 times on offense, and he actually scored more touchdowns on defense (one) than he did on offense (none). Powerfully composed, Craig did the dirty work in the Lambeau offense, swatting away hapless defenders like flies at a barbecue. His strength help make him a nightmare as a defensive end, able to put blockers on their heels seemingly at will. Craig’s play at end was a boon not just to the defensive line, but to the defense as a whole, as it meant moving Hutson to his more natural position as a defensive back.

970. Tony Canadeo (1941-1952)
Running Back (pre-modern)
Green Bay Packers

Canadeo was not much of a receiver, but he could run and pass well. He wasn’t that fast or that shifty, but he was sturdy and hard to tackle. This enabled him to excel in short yardage situations, as well as runs up the gut in general. As a passer, he had above average efficiency and was his team’s primary passer (and leading rusher) in 1943. That season, he trailed only legends Sid Luckman and Sammy Baugh in yards and touchdowns. Canadeo was also a solid defensive back who finished his career with 9 interceptions, as well as a contributor on special teams. He missed two years of his prime while serving in the Navy and the Army, which has to be taken into account when looking at his numbers and accolades.

969. Charley Trippi (1947-1955)
Running Back (pre-modern), Punter
Chicago Cardinals

Trippi was an explosive runner who put up consistently high rushing averages without breaking a ton of big plays. Instead, the three-time all pro just gained solid yardage seemingly every time he touched the football. Splitting carries in a committee backfield, he did post eye-popping totals, but he was always a headache for defenses when given the chance. He was a decent receiver early on before eschewing the role almost entirely. By his fifth season, began throwing the ball more than he caught it, though he wasn’t a very effective passer. Trippi was a decent punter and an excellent punt returner. With kickoff return duties as well, he led the league in all purpose yards in 1948 and 1949.

968. Father Lumpkin (1929-1937)
Fullback (pre-modern)
Portsmouth Spartans/Detroit Lions, Brooklyn Dodgers

Long before the pancake became part of the football vernacular, Father Lumpkin was putting grown men flat on their backs. At 6’2″ and 210 pounds, he was mighty figure in the early days of the league, barreling down on defenders with no helmet and a granite chin. As the designated lead blocker on most rushing plays, Lumpkin took his role seriously – he would bemoan any play that didn’t see him demolish multiple men at the second level. As a defensive fullback, he was an exceptional run defender who helped the Lions field one of the great defenses of any era in their first year in Detroit.

967. Whizzer White (1938-1941)
Running Back (pre-modern)
Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Pirates

White would probably be in the Hall of Fame had he decided to stick to sports. Rather than continuing as a running back, he opted to move on to a role that matters: after receiving two Bronze Stars as an intelligence officer in the Navy during WW2, he finished his law degree from Yale on his way to becoming an associate justice for the SCOTUS. As a player, White was a shifty runner who led the NFL in rushing yards twice and punt return yardage once (the lone season he returned punts). He was also a decent punter and a pretty good defensive back. ^[7]He was a terrible passer, so it’s not like the guy was perfect.

966. Ward Cuff (1937-1947)
Kicker, Running Back (pre-modern)
New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals, Green Bay Packers

Statistics from the era are archaic, but from the numbers we do have, as well as from contemporary accounts, Cuff was the best kicker of his day. He was also a very good slashing runner, usually boasting a high rushing average and leading the league twice in the metric. Cuff was equally adept as a receiver, though playing in the thirties and forties hurt his opportunities to show off his pass catching talents. He was a very good defensive back with a nose for the football. In 1938, he returned an interception 96 yards for a score, and in 1941, he returned four picks for a league high 152 yards.

965. Michael Vick (2001-2015)
Quarterback
Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers

A controversial selection, Vick was generally inaccurate as a passer, but he was capable of amazing plays with both arms and legs. Able to generate incredible torque and launch the ball with just a flick of his wrist, he could fit the ball into windows most quarterbacks wouldn’t even test. He is the fastest and most natural runner ever at the quarterback position. ^[8]Compared with someone like Robert Griffin, who had world class speed but was not a natural as a ball carrier. Vick missed two years of football because of his infamous role in a dogfighting ring, disappointing a fanbase and securing the eternal ire of many. He served his time and came back with a renewed love of the game, working under the tutelage of Andy Reid to produce his best season as a passer and earn a Bert Bell Award.

 

You may have heard that the NFL just celebrated its centennial season. To honor that, I decided to take on a project with the scope grand enough to match the occasion. Previously, I have undertaken large projects like the GridFe Hall of Fame and the Retro Awards project, ^[1]The latter of which was based off decades of prior research and thousands of hours of direct-focused research., and I wanted to build on what I’ve learned from those endeavors to create something everyone loves and hates at once: a big, fat list. In this case, the top 1,000 players in history.

This is my list. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It’s going to be a little different from others you have seen. There will be kickers, punters, blocking fullbacks, returners, and special teamers. You’ll see players from pro football’s Paleolithic era, antedating the NFL itself. With the exception of specialists, positional value won’t play much part here. Neither will fame – if I think an unheralded guy was better than the traditional favorite, I’m going against the grain.

Before we get into the list proper, I want to name a few honorable mentions and special mentions (listed by their offensive roles, when applicable).

Honorable Mentions

Quarterback: Jim McMahon had all the physical tools you could want, and he probably would have made the list had he been able to stay healthy. The Chicago defense deservedly gets the lion’s share of the credit, but the Bears were always a better team when McMahon was at the helm of the offense. Jack Kemp wasn’t exactly efficient, but he was a winner and was one of the best natural athletes to play the position. He had a cannon arm and was one of the best scramblers ever. Jeff Garcia was a gutsy player who dominated the CFL and thrived everywhere he went in the NFL. A classic West Coast passer with wheels, he was one of the more exciting quarterbacks to watch in recent memory.

Running Back: Keith Lincoln was a stout fullback with the speed to break big plays. He could pass, kick, and return as well, and his versatility was invaluable to the champion Chargers.

Fullbacks: Sam Gash and Mack Strong didn’t scare anyone with the ball in their hands, but they were two of the finest blocking fullbacks the game has ever seen. Gash didn’t start getting Pro Bowl attention till he switched teams, and Strong didn’t get love until Shaun Alexander became a household name, but both were incredible well before the public paid notice.

Wide Receivers: Hulking Dick Plasman was a pretty good receiver for his era, but it was his work as a defensive end that gets him the honorable mention. His claim to fame is being the last player to play without a helmet, but he was known by his peers for his temper and ability to disrupt the line of scrimmage. Alyn Beals didn’t generate a ton of yardage, but he was a touchdown machine. He led the AAFC in receiving touchdowns all four years of the league’s existence and is the all-time AAFC touchdown leader. Beals retired after the 1951 season because he could make more money running a liquor store.  Haven Moses was a dangerous big play threat for both the Bills and the Broncos. Diminutive Ernest Givins operated superbly in the run and shoot system, gaining separation with seeming ease and playing well in space with the ball in his hands. Julian Edelman reminds me of watching Scooby Doo as a child. The gang of meddling kids spent 80% of the episode running in circles, only to come up big in the end, thwarting the masked investor keen on lowering the price of real estate by dressing as a werewolf. Edelman rarely played a full 16 game schedule, and he surpassed 70 yards per game once in a season he played at least 12 games. Then January comes around, and he starts making crazy people on ESPN say he belongs in Canton. Jarvis Landry is an odd pick, given his actual production. However, his ability to gain separation and earn targets at a high rate on a wide variety of different routes is among the best in recent memory. He doesn’t choose the routes he gets to run, and he doesn’t choose whether he gets the target, but he almost always makes himself the best option for his quarterback.

Tackles: Len Grant had a short career, but he was good to great in each season. He would have likely made the list had he not been struck by lightning and killed at age 32.

Guards: Buckets Goldenberg may have been a better pure blocker than his more celebrated contemporary Walt Kiesling. Short and compact, he packed a punch in his man blocks.

Centers: Vince Banonis was a solid center and an excellent defensive tackle for the Chicago Cardinals. His career was interrupted by World War II, but he returned to newfound media acclaim and championship glory. Ed Flanagan was a terrific run blocker who anchored several solid lines for the Lions. Clyde Smith was arguably better at the position than Hall of Famer Alex Wojciechowicz, but his short career hurts him here.

Safety: Sean Taylor. What could have been. Taylor was one of the most gifted athletes ever to roam the secondary. He took a few years to put it all together and master the nuances of the role, but by age 23 he already looked like the future of the position. His life was tragically cut short before he reached the heights he seemed to be destined to achieve.

Kickers: Jeff Wilkins was a great long ball kicker and one of the all-time greats at placing onside kicks. Rob Bironas had a big leg and superb accuracy. He seemed to come up big in the biggest moments.

Punters: Rich Camarillo was successful wherever he went. His ability to mitigate return efforts contributed to his consistently excellent rankings in net yards per punt. Shane Lechler is the most decorated punter ever, and his big leg came in handy on those offensively impotent Oakland squads. His inability to limit returns or keep the ball out of the end zone keeps him off the main list. Mike Scifres had some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any punter. His placement on coffin corners was pure art, but his inability to avoid blocks was often disastrous.

Returners: George McAfee was a solid threat on offense and a pretty good defensive back. He also boasts the top punt return average in history (officially, but not actually). Travis Williams was a shooting star, not just in the brevity of his career but also in the explosiveness of his game. Terry Metcalf was more of a field position guy than a scorer, and his contributions on offense earn him an honorable mention over someone like Tamarick Vanover. Terry’s son, Eric, was a stud punt returner and effective slot receiver. Dave Meggett was a shifty scatback who was a good kickoff returner and a great punt returner. Brian Mitchell led the league in all purpose yards four times and still trails only Jerry Rice in career output. Desmond Howard broke punt returns in 1996, and he was effective in other years and for other teams as well. Dante Hall earned the nickname Human Joystick with his memorable returns that featured sharp cuts, abrupt stops, and uncanny acceleration.

Special Mentions

I thought I’d be a cheeky bastard and include these players in the proper list, but I realized that would be unfair to the more recent, better players. Still, with an eye to the past, I’d feel like the project was incomplete without mentioning these fellows.

In 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger accepted $500 to play a football game for the Allegheny Athletic Association. In doing so, he became the first professional football player (that we know of).

At a reported 250 pounds, Bob Shiring was a behemoth in his era. He was a crushing blocker at the pivot position, and he all but destroyed opposing strategies when lined up on the defensive front. Contemporary accounts inform us that Shiring commonly ragdolled any poor soul tasked with lining up against him.

Charles Follis was the first black professional football player on record, signing a contract with the Shelby Blues in 1904. He is also the subject of my favorite football article I have ever written.

Follis’s one-time teammate Peggy Parratt was a coveted player because of his ability to throw the ball. In 1906, Parratt threw the first forward pass in the history of professional football, starting a trend of pearl clutching and traditionalist hand-waving that continues over a century later.

While Parratt threw the first recorded professional pass, Knute Rockne and Massillon teammate Gus Dorais paved the way for using the pass as an integral part of an offensive game plan. The Dorais to Rockne connection was vital to the success of the Tigers.

The List Proper

Having given respects to the men who helped build the game, as well as those who narrowly missed the list, it is now time to get to the top thousand. I’ll cover the first eleven, a portion of the list populated entirely by specialists. This was the part of the list where I said “it’s my list, and I’ll cop out if I want to.” I wanted to recognize great special teams guys and return men, but I also didn’t feel like trying to do the mental gymnastics of explaining a guy who can barely earn playing time on offense or defense somehow outranks a regular starter who also contributed on special teams. Thus, the first eleven includes five special teamers and six returners. I can deal with it if you can.

1000. Bill Bates (1983-1997)
Dallas Cowboys

The beloved Cowboy was a decent safety and a good nickel linebacker early in his career, notching 12 interceptions and 16 sacks before turning 30. However, special teams is where he cemented his legend. Long after he ceded his starting role on defense, Bates continued to bring leadership by example, impressing coaches and teammates alike with his effort on the field and commitment in the film room. As a coverage guru, he was a consistent tackler, averaging almost a tackle per game over his 217 games. While he didn’t make many box score stuffing plays (1 forced fumble and 3 recoveries), Bates was instrumental in giving opponents worse field position.

999. Hank Bauer (1977-1982)
San Diego Chargers

Bauer’s career lasted just six seasons, but he managed to cram a ton of frenzied play into his brief time on the field. As a tough short yardage specialist on offense, he had years where he averaged 3.6 and 1.3 yards per carry while scoring 9 and 8 touchdowns. Nothing special. But on special teams, he was on another level. He wasn’t a playmaker, but he was a great blocker on return teams and an otherworldly tackler on coverage units. He finished his career with 147 special teams tackles, including an NFL record 51 in 1981. In his last season, Bauer averaged two coverage tackles per game, despite playing the last six games of the season with the broken neck that ultimately ended his career.

998. Ivory Sully (1979-1987)
Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions

Sully saw a lot of action as a member of the Rams’ deep squad of great defensive backs, often replacing a linebacker in Ray Malavasi’s innovative dollar defense. But he really made his mark as a special teamer. He didn’t have the consistently high tackle numbers of a guy like Bauer, but he arguably made big plays at a higher rate than any other specialist in history. Sully forced six fumbles, recovered four fumbles, blocked four punts, and blocked three kicks.

997. Michael Bates (1993-2003)
Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Washington, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets

Bates was a world-class athlete, earning a bronze medal in the 200 at the 1992 Olympics. He used his blazing speed to make an impact as both a returner and a special teams ace. Bates led the league in kickoff return average twice and finished his career with 9348 yards, good for 7th all time. His five scoring returns put him 9th on the kickoff touchdown list. However, he was even better as a specialist. Despite bouncing around from team to team, he was a productive tackler wherever he went, and he was a top notch playmaker as well. Prior to injury, he posted 9 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries, and 4 blocked kicks in 136 games.

996. Steve Tasker (1985-1997)
Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers

Tasker is the consensus pick for the greatest core special teams player of all time. His legend is such that he was even a Hall of Fame semifinalist purely for special teams play. While I wouldn’t go as far as to induct a player with 909 career yards from scrimmage and a forced/recovered fumble tally that matched Jared Allen‘s 2006 season, I do think it’s fair to recognize him as the best at his role. Early in his career, he was a playmaking machine. He posted 74 of his 111 career tackles, forced all five of his fumbles and notched all six of his kick blocks before turning 30. Until last year, his seven Pro Bowl selections were the most ever for a special teamer. ^[2]And by ever, I mean since it became an option in 1984. Last year, Patriots standout Matthew Slater earned his eighth Pro Bowl nod. Slater is in the Bill Bates mold, holding his own as a coverage … Continue reading

995. Billy Johnson (1974-1988)
Houston Oilers, Atlanta Falcons, Montreal Alouettes, Washington

The next two players were tough to separate, and I switched them back and forth a few times. White Shoes was a top notch punt returner and a pretty good kickoff returner. He led the league in punt return average twice and finished his career with a solid 11.8 yard average and 6 touchdowns. With slow and steady offensive production and a solid kick returning role early in his career, Johnson amassed 10785 all purpose yards. But it was his big play threat on punts that landed him on the NFL’s All-Century Team.

994. Rick Upchurch (1975-1983)
Denver Broncos

White Shoes got the honor of making the official centennial team, but Upchurch bests him on this list. As direct contemporaries, the Broncos standout boasted the superior punt return and kickoff return average, in addition to two more punt return touchdowns on fewer tries. Relative to the rest of the league, Upchurch created more value at his peak while posting just one below average season in his career. I’m not giving much consideration to offensive and defensive production in this installment, but it is worth mentioning that Upchurch also contributed more consistently on offense.

993. Josh Cribbs (2005-2014)
Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts

An effective gadget player on offense, as well as a solid gunner on coverage teams, Cribbs really made his name as a return man. He was good – sometimes very good – fielding punts, but he is one of the very best of all time at returning kickoffs. His 2007 campaign may be the greatest the game has ever seen, and he surrounded that consistently excellent seasons. In terms of return efficiency, he was well above average over the third most kickoff returns of any player in history. Cribbs also boasts the record for career kickoff return scores, with eight.

992. Cordarrelle Patterson (2013-present)
Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears

With league efforts to legislate kickoff returns out of existence, Patterson has managed to fly under the radar as one of the all time great kickoff returners. Were he to play in an era that featured more returns, he would probably get the credit he has earned. He has played seven seasons, and his kickoff average ranks have been: 1, 6, 1, 1, DNQ, 3, and 2. The year he didn’t qualify, he missed the league minimum by one return and was nearly a full yard higher than the official leader. His 29.9 yard average ranks second in history in career average, just above Lynn Chandnois (29.6) and below Gale Sayers (30.6). The former returned 92 kicks, while the latter returned 91. Patterson has returned 204 and counting. He didn’t do much to pad his résumé on offense, but he has bolstered his value as a standout special teamer.

991. Mel Gray (1984-1997)
Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Express

In 2014, Chase published articles on the best kickoff returners and best punt returners in history. Gray came out as the top kickoff returner and the fifteenth ranked punt returner. ^[3]I disagree with using a 15 yard touchdown bonus for kickoff returns. If we use the 20 yard bonus from ANY/A as the standard, then we should probably make a kickoff return touchdown worth about 45 … Continue reading He wasn’t the terrifying big play threat that some others were, though he did score six touchdowns on kickoffs and another three on punts. What made Gray great was his ability to generate positive field position for his teams, year after year, without ever having a down year. Despite playing during a low point for league-wide kick return success, Gray’s raw numbers are among the best ever. Once you account for era, he’s clearly at the top of the pack.

990. Devin Hester (2006-2016)
Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens

There have been many good – even great – return men throughout history. Few have ever managed to strike fear in opposing squads to such an extent that they actually gameplanned around a returner. ^[4]Jack Christiansen on punts and Gale Sayers on kickoffs come to mind, but it’s not a long list. Hester didn’t just score return touchdowns at an unprecedented rate, he actually scared punters and kickoff specialists into kicking away from him and often making unforced errors. Like Gray, he was one of the few who excelled at both kickoffs and punts. Hester made an immediate impact, helping his inept offense with five return scores as a rookie and another six in his second season. He finished his career as the punt return touchdown king, and he threw in a ninth place rank in kickoff scores for good measure. Gale Sayers and Deion Sanders agree: Hester is the greatest, most explosive returner ever to play.

 

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. You can follow him on Twitter @bradoremland.

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This week, the NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 15 new members of the PFHOF, the 2020 Centennial Hall of Fame Class. There is a backlog of qualified candidates, so the Centennial class was a good idea. The selection committee included many qualified and knowledgeable voters: coaches Bill Belichick and John Madden; Hall of Fame players with excellent coaching or executive credentials, Dick LeBeau and Ozzie Newsome; executives Gil Brandt, Joel Bussert, Carl Peterson, Bill Polian, and Ron Wolf; historians Joe Horrigan and Chris Willis; and journalists Jarrett Bell, John Clayton, Frank Cooney, John Czarnecki, Rick Gosselin, Elliot Harrison, Ira Kaufman, Jeff Legwold, John McClain, Gary Myers, Sal Paolantonio, Dan Pompei, Charean Williams, and Barry Wilner. I wish they had more people directly involved with the league, and fewer journalists, but I understand why they shaped the committee the way they did, and it was essentially a good panel.

The results of the voting, unfortunately, do not reflect that.

The selections included:

• Two head coaches: Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson.
• Three contributors: Steve Sabol, Paul Tagliabue, and George Young.
• 10 players: WR Harold Carmichael, OT Jim Covert, S Bobby Dillon, S Cliff Harris, S Donnie Shell, OT Winston Hill, DT Alex Karras, T Duke Slater, WR Mac Speedie, and DE Ed Sprinkle.

Let’s start with the good: [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. You can follow him on Twitter @bradoremland.

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Yesterday, I began looking at the greatest dynasties in pro football history were represented on the NFL 100 team. Today, we pick back up with the top 13 dynasties.

t9. Decatur Staleys/Chicago Bears, 1920-27
73-17-16 (.811), 1 championship, 0 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: George Halas
Other HOFers: Ed Healey, George Trafton

Not a dynasty. They rate well by my system, but the system wasn’t designed for the 1920s. These were the first eight years of the NFL’s existence — actually in 1920 the league was called the APFA: American Professional Football Association. Teams not only played variable numbers of games, they regularly played against teams who weren’t even in the league. In 1921, the Louisville Brecks, Muncie Flyers, New York Brickley Giants, and Tonawanda Kardex combined to go 0-7, getting outscored by a total of 172-0.

Only four of the 12 NFL teams in 1927 were still in the league five years later. The Bears, Giants, and Packers combined to outscore their opponents 459-161 that season. In this environment, it was easy for real teams to pad their records, but the Bears only won one championship. Furthermore, ties weren’t counted towards winning percentage, so when the Bears went 6-1-4 in 1924, that counted as an .857 record, worth three dynasty points. I’m sorry, but there’s no way going 6-1-4, with two draws each against the Racine Legion and the Rock Island Independents, should earn as many dynasty points as the 2010 Patriots or the 2011 Packers.

I include this team for the sake of completeness, but subjectively, it wouldn’t make my top 30, to say nothing of tied for 9th.

t9. Green Bay Packers, 1936-43
65-19-3 (.774), 2 championships, 3 title appearances
20 dynasty points
NFL 100 Members: Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson
Other HOFers: Arnie Herber, Clarke Hinkle

Like the Joe Gibbs Dynasty in Washington, this team would actually benefit from a longer period than eight years: they were NFL champions in 1944. At a time when everyone played both offense and defense, the Packers had two great QBs (Cecil Isbell and Herber), a fullback who retired as the league’s all-time leading rusher (Hinkle), two very good linemen (Buckets Goldenberg and Bill Lee), a Hall of Fame coach (Lambeau), and Don Hutson.

Hutson was more than revolutionary; he was an anomaly. It is an understatement to say that he shattered records. Around the same time, Sammy Baugh redefined ideas about what passers could do, but Hutson was so outstanding that no one even thought to replicate what he was doing. In an 11-year career, he led the NFL in receptions eight times, in receiving yards seven times, and in receiving touchdowns nine times. He was also an excellent defensive player, with 30 interceptions in the six seasons the stat was kept. He led the league in 1940 and led in INT return yards in 1943. He was also a pretty good kicker, with nearly 200 extra points made. Like his contemporary Baugh, there’s a compelling argument that he is the greatest football player who ever lived.

Hinkle was an NFL 100 finalist as a linebacker. He was a terrific all-around player (#106) and a worthy NFL 100 finalist, but I don’t think there’s any single position at which he felt like he should be a finalist. I suppose linebacker was the best fit. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. You can follow him on Twitter @bradoremland.

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Like many of you, I’ve been following the release of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team with interest. American football is a team sport, and great players, by definition, are those who make their teams better. I was curious how the NFL 100 team relates to the greatest dynasties in pro football history, and what follows is an examination of that subject.

This will be very similar to an article I wrote last year, Top 30 NFL Dynasties and the Hall of Fame. If you’ve read that, you can skip this introduction on how I rate and define dynasties. The usual definition of a “dynasty” is something to the effect of a succession of rulers. To me, sports dynasties are measuring sticks. If you wanted to win a World Series in the 1940s, you had to beat the Yankees. In today’s NFL, someone has to beat the Patriots. And so on. And to be the measuring stick, to establish a legacy that might merit that word, dynasty, you have to sustain greatness: you need a series of great teams — a succession of rulers. [continue reading…]

Adam Steele is back for another guest post. You can view all of Adam’s posts here. As always, we thank him for contributing.

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When Does ANY/A Get It Wrong?

In Chase’s review of week one passing stats, I commented that the league’s passing efficiency was inflated by ANY/A in comparison to expected points added (EPA). Today’s post takes a deeper dive into the discrepancy between ANY/A and EPA and which quarterbacks look better in each metric.

While ANY/A is a good metric for quick and dirty analysis, it ignores a number of important variables for accurately measuring a quarterback’s passing efficiency. These variables include: first downs, failed completions, air yard / YAC splits, dropped passes, fumbles, the context of interceptions, and garbage time adjustments. My metric of choice to solve these issues is ESPN’s model of expected points (the primary component of Total QBR). I prefer ESPN’s version in particular because it attempts to isolate the quarterback’s share of credit for every play; the EPA numbers found at Pro Football Reference and Advanced Football Analytics hold the quarterback fully responsible for his team’s pass plays, which, in my opinion, is not much better than just using ANY/A.

In order to compare EPA to ANY/A, I divided pass EPA by dropbacks then converted EPA/A into an index stat using the same formula for ANY/A+. For those not familiar, index stats are scaled so a score of 100 is average and 15 points represents one standard deviation above or below that average. EPA data goes back to 2006 which gives us 439 qualifying seasons to compare. As you would suspect, these two variables are closely correlated (R^2 of 0.74) in the aggregate, but there will be many individual outliers. In the graph below, the X-Axis shows the ANY/A+ for each quarterback, while the Y-Axis shows the EPA/Attempt+ for that quarterback. [continue reading…]

Adam Steele is back for another guest post. You can view all of Adam’s posts here. As always, we thank him for contributing.

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Last year I introduced a metric called Surplus Yards to measure the percentage of yards a QB gains from long passing plays. If you haven’t read that post I strongly encourage you to do so before continuing.

Here is a table showing every 40+ yard completion from the 2018 regular season, listed from longest completion. As you can see, Ben Roethlisberger had a 97-yard completion, a 78-yard completion, two 75-yard completions, and so on. Roethlisberger had 15 completions last year of 40+ yards, second-most in the NFL: [continue reading…]

This marks the end of my series on all-time division teams. As I have advertised at a shamelessly attention seeking level, I wrote this while under the influence of narcotics following back surgery. While I’m sure the series would have been better had I written while more cognizant of my surroundings, the idea of trying to sleepwalk my way through a historical piece piqued my interest. The idea of accidentally forgetting obvious players or saying things I would normally filter when thinking rationally amuses me, and I can’t pass up the opportunity to embarrass myself and my children after me. Once again, these are the rules Chase and I have agreed on:

1. I write everything before my painkiller prescription runs out,
2. I write it completely off the top of my head and don’t do any research,
3. I don’t have to proofread this when I finish it, and
4. Chase doesn’t edit my nonsense out of the article (so we can maximize my odds of getting owned online).^[1]Roster construction is as follows: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 T, 2 G, 1 C, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 OLB, 2 MLB/ILB, 3 CB, 2 S, 1 K, 1 P, 1 HC
5. I maintain modern division designations. If a player played for the Seahawks when the team was in the AFC West, I am counting him in the NFC West. I spent five minutes staring at the corner of my phone because I didn’t remember it being that shape, so I’m sure as hell not spending time putting Aeneas Williams in the NFC East.

Previous articles:

AFC North
AFC East
AFC West
AFC South
NFC North
NFC East
NFC West

Without further ado, here’s the NFC South: [continue reading…]

Friend of the program Bryan Frye is back for another guest series. As regular readers know, Bryan operates his own fantastic site, http://www.thegridfe.com. You can view all of Bryan’s guest posts here, and follow him on twitter @LaverneusDingle.

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This is post seven in an eight part series, so you know how this goes by now. I copy and paste some rules about the article to follow, then I write that article. Here are the rules:

1. I write everything before my painkiller prescription runs out,
2. I write it completely off the top of my head and don’t do any research,
3. I don’t have to proofread this when I finish it, and
4. Chase doesn’t edit my nonsense out of the article (so my inane asides and non sequiturs are our shared burden now). ^[1]Roster construction is as follows: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 T, 2 G, 1 C, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 OLB, 2 MLB/ILB, 3 CB, 2 S, 1 K, 1 P, 1 HC
5. I maintain modern division designations. If a player played for the Seahawks when the team was in the AFC West, I am counting him in the NFC West. I have neither the time nor the inclination to make this 100% perfect.

Here’s the article about the NFC West.

Offense

Quarterback – Joe Montana

Sure, Steve Young was more efficient. Kurt Warner and Norm Van Brocklin led record setting offenses. But Montana was Montana, and that’s all I really have to say about that.

Running Backs – Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the final article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest professional football players of all time. You can find the rest of the series below:

Greatest Football Players: 111-125
Greatest Football Players: 101-110
Greatest Football Players: 91-100
Greatest Football Players: 81-90
Greatest Football Players: 71-80
Greatest Football Players: 61-70
Greatest Football Players: 51-60
Greatest Football Players: 41-50
Greatest Football Players: 31-40
Greatest Football Players: 21-30
Greatest Football Players: 11-20

If you haven’t read those yet, I hope you’ll start there. Each post can be read independently, but they’re intended as a series, and skipping to the end undercuts the historical excellence of the players you’re reading about. I’m confident you’ll enjoy this article more if you read the rest of the series first.

This series is nearly 100,000 words. If you’ve enjoyed it, please credit the three sportswriters whose work has influenced me most: the late Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated‘s legendary Dr. Z, the greatest football writer who ever lived; Bill James, best known for popularizing baseball analytics (and indirectly football analytics as well) but also an immensely underrated writer; and Dave Heeren, unknown compared to Zimmerman and James, but his TENDEX system and Basketball Abstract were the foundation for all subsequent statistical analysis of basketball; his work captured my imagination and made me aspire to better understand the sports I loved. All three have my deepest admiration and gratitude.

And now, the ten greatest football players of all time. [continue reading…]

Friend of the program Bryan Frye is back for another guest series. As regular readers know, Bryan operates his own fantastic site, http://www.thegridfe.com. You can view all of Bryan’s guest posts here, and follow him on twitter @LaverneusDingle.

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As you know by now, I’m making all-time division teams while Chase is off on his honeymoon. I’ll spare you a verbose introduction and just lay out the rules:

1. I write everything before my painkiller prescription runs out,
2. I write it completely off the top of my head and don’t do any research,
3. I don’t have to proofread this when I finish it, and
4. Chase doesn’t edit my nonsense out of the article (so my inane asides and non sequiturs are our shared burden now). ^[1]Roster construction is as follows: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 T, 2 G, 1 C, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 OLB, 2 MLB/ILB, 3 CB, 2 S, 1 K, 1 P, 1 HC
5. I maintain modern division designations. If a player played for the Seahawks when the team was in the AFC West, I am counting him in the NFC West. I have neither the time nor the inclination to make this 100% perfect.

Without further ado, here’s the NFC East.

Offense

Quarterback – Roger Staubach

Sammy Baugh was a better player, but it’s hard to find a better pure quarterback than Captain America himself. Baugh (along with Troy Aikman, Drew Brees, and Kurt Warner) is the most accurate pure passer I have witnessed. But Staubach was in a league of his own as a leader. Not many guys come into a locker room as a rookie with instant credibility because of their military service. Even more impressive is that he backed it up with his play on the field and his actions off the field. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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Those of you who’ve been following me on Twitter (@bradoremland) may have seen the extension to this series that I began in response to reader feedback. I asked followers what they were most interested in beyond the Greatest Players of All Time series itself, and the response was a Just-Missed List, players 126-160, the 35 players I’m most apprehensive about leaving off the top 125 greatest players of all time.

As we approach the conclusion of the main series next week, the All-Time Top 10, here’s that list. It’s presented in no particular order, and since it’s adapted from Twitter, each entry is 280 characters or fewer.

Dave Casper
OAK 1974-80; HOU 1980-83; MIN 1983; RAID 1984
378 rec, 5216 yds, 52 TD
3 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 5 PB, All-1970s, All-Century

Maybe the best blocking TE ever, great hands, lots of TDs. Ghost in Ghost to the Post, recovered the Holy Roller. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the eleventh article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

Greatest Football Players: 111-125
Greatest Football Players: 101-110
Greatest Football Players: 91-100
Greatest Football Players: 81-90
Greatest Football Players: 71-80
Greatest Football Players: 61-70
Greatest Football Players: 51-60
Greatest Football Players: 41-50
Greatest Football Players: 31-40
Greatest Football Players: 21-30

If you haven’t read those yet, especially the article introducing the series (111-125), I hope you’ll start there. Each post can be read independently, but they’re intended as a series, and skipping to the end undercuts the historical excellence of the players you’re reading about. It’s more meaningful, more impressive, and (I believe) ultimately more satisfying when you see how many dominant, mesmerizing, and exceptional players ranked below this. I’m confident you’ll enjoy this article more if you read the rest of the series first.

Best Players of All Time: 11-20

20. Ray Lewis
Inside Linebacker
Baltimore Ravens, 1996-2012
41.5 sacks; 31 INT, 503 yards, 3 TD; 19 FF, 20 FR, 3 yards
2 DPOY, 4 consensus All-Pro, 10 AP All-Pro, 13 Pro Bowls, 2000s All-Decade Team

In his 1997 All-Pro column, Paul Zimmerman (Sports Illustrated‘s peerless Dr. Z) identified Ray Lewis as “a human tackling machine, always around the ball.” In his 1998 All-Pro column, Zimmerman called Lewis “The Incredible Tackling Machine.” In his 1999 All-Pro column, “a guided missile, a tackling machine.” Ray Lewis could really tackle.

Several times in this series I’ve mentioned a problem for some of the players with great longevity: fans, especially younger fans, remember them as average to above-average older players rather than as the dynamic, game-changing monsters they were in their primes. Lewis is one of the players most afflicted, because in the second half of his career, announcers fawned over everything he did — and sometimes didn’t do. Lewis would assist on a tackle, and the announcer would declare, “Tackle made by, guess who, Ray Lewis,” implying that Lewis made all the tackles. One of his teammates would make a tackle, and Lewis would dive onto the pile, prompting the announcer to burble, “Ray Lewis with another tackle!” If Lewis wasn’t in on the play, the announcer wouldn’t mention the tackler at all. When aging legends get hyped this way, ^[1]Here’s an example: Week 13, 2010, Ravens at Steelers. With 3:46 remaining in the third quarter, Brandon McKinney and Lewis combined on a tackle. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth went into a … Continue reading it’s easy to dismiss them as overrated, with praise that exceeds their play. In the second half of his career, Lewis was overrated, though still a good player. In the first half of his career, he was — have you got this yet? — a tackling machine.

Lewis was instinctive and good at reading offenses, fast and decisive, and a big hitter. He had a non-stop motor, which is an underrated quality — less spectacular than speed, strength, or agility — but allowed Lewis to make plays his peers wouldn’t get to. He covered the field, sideline to sideline, as well as anyone. Lewis was an effective blitzer, with twelve seasons of 2 or more sacks, and he was exceptional in pass coverage, actually underrated in this aspect of his game. Lewis intercepted more than 30 passes, one of only half a dozen LBs to do so, and his 503 INT return yards are the second-most of any LB (Derrick Brooks, 530). As a point of comparison, Champ Bailey had 464 INT return yards. Lewis was a good pass defender and a good returner. Rodney Harrison and Ray Lewis are the only players since 1982, when sacks became an official statistic, with at least 30 sacks and 30 interceptions.

Lewis was the captain of consistently excellent defensive units, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV. He played on nine teams that ranked among the NFL’s top three in fewest points allowed and/or fewest yards allowed. The 2001 Baltimore Ravens ranked 4th in scoring defense and 2nd in total defense. The 2003 Ravens ranked 6th and 3rd. In between, the 2002 Ravens’ defense ranked 19th in scoring and 22nd in yardage. Ray Lewis was injured in 2002, missing 11 games.

Lewis had a complete game, strong everywhere you want an inside linebacker to be strong. His best seasons were the Marvin Lewis years, 1996-2001. Ray Lewis led the NFL in tackles in 1997, 1999, and 2001, but never in his final 11 seasons. A shoulder injury cost him most of the 2002 season, and following his 2003 Defensive Player of the Year effort, Lewis was a very good player rather than a great one. If you remember Ray Lewis mostly from the mid-2000s on, you didn’t see him in the seasons that made him a legend: a block-shedding dynamo, a wizard in pass coverage, and a hard-hitting, play-making, league-leading tackling machine. [continue reading…]

Adam Steele is back for another guest post. You can view all of Adam’s posts here. As always, we thank him for contributing.

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It’s been a few years since I updated my Marginal Air Yards metric, so that’s what today’s post will do. I decided to make this a purely style based statistic rather than trying to combine style with efficiency. As such, here is the updated formula:

mAir = (completed air yards / completions – league average) * completions

Said simply, Marginal Air Yards represents the total depth of a passer’s completions compared to league average. A quarterback who averages 7.0 AirY/C on 300 completions in a league that averages 6.5 AirY/C will be credited with +150 mAir (i.e., 0.5 x 150). [continue reading…]

If you’ve been following along, you know I am giving Chase a little break while he is honeymooning. I wrote this while recovering from surgery and in the middle of a series on each division’s all-time team.

In case you’re not privy to the rules and regulations of the game, these are the stipulations Chase conceded to for my series:

1. I write everything before my painkiller prescription runs out,
2. I write it completely off the top of my head and don’t do any research,
3. I don’t have to proofread this when I finish it, and
4. Chase doesn’t edit my nonsense out of the article (because let’s keep it organic, man). ^[1]Roster construction is as follows: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 T, 2 G, 1 C, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 OLB, 2 MLB/ILB, 3 CB, 2 S, 1 K, 1 P, 1 HC
5. I maintain modern division designations. If a player played for the Seahawks when the team was in the AFC West, I am counting him in the NFC West. I have neither the time nor the inclination to make this 100% perfect.

These rules are to keep me from having to do much work and to increase the chances that I write something stupid, which amuses me. I can’t wait to look back on this series when I am more coherent and realize how supremely I have played myself.

Without further ado, here’s the NFC North. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the tenth article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90
71-80
61-70
51-60
41-50
31-40

I would prefer to write about the players in exclusively positive terms, but since this series is organized as a ranking, some of the comments will highlight weaknesses by way of explaining why the player isn’t even higher. I try to anticipate arguments that a player should be ranked higher or lower, and tailor the summaries accordingly, but please don’t misinterpret these justifications as disrespect for the player’s accomplishments. At this point in the series, we’re considering the very best players in the history of professional football.

Best Players of All Time: 21-30

30. Alan Page
Defensive Tackle
Minnesota Vikings, 1967-78; Chicago Bears, 1978-81
23 FR, 86 yards, 2 TD; 2 INT, 42 yards, TD
1 MVP, 2 DPOY, 4 consensus All-Pro, 8 AP All-Pro, 9 Pro Bowls, 1970s All-Decade Team

The greatest pass rushing defensive tackle of all time, Alan Page retired before sacks became an official statistic, but historian John Turney credits him with 148.5, the most ever at his position. Page was an undersized DT for most his career, despite his 6′ 4″ height. Page lost more and more weight over time, coming into the league at 278 but playing his best seasons around 250 lbs. He was famously down to 225 by the time he played with Chicago, but he remained an effective player. Turney credits him with 40 sacks during 58 games with Chicago, and Page was All-NFC as late as 1980. He had 3.5 sacks in his final game.

Although he had many good seasons, Page’s prime was the early 1970s. In 1970, he personally recorded eight takeaways: 1 interception, 7 fumble recoveries, 104 defensive return yards, and a touchdown. In 1971, he was the consensus Defensive Player of the Year, and the Associated Press named him NFL MVP. He was incredibly impactful at a position not normally expected to produce impact players. MVP awards were for quarterbacks and running backs. Lawrence Taylor and Page are the only defensive players to win that award. Two years later, Page was again DPOY.

He was the keystone of Minnesota’s defensive dynasty, variously known as the Purple Gang (after a 1920s Detroit mob) and the Purple People Eaters (after the Sheb Wooley song), with both names originally referring to the defensive line (of Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, Jim Marshall, and Page) but popularly extended to the entire defensive unit. Eller, Page, and safety Paul Krause are all enshrined in the Hall of Fame. From 1969-76, the Vikings ranked in the top three in fewest points allowed seven out of the eight years, including three straight seasons leading the NFL (1969-71). The 1969-76 Vikings went 87-24-1 (.781) — about 12.5 wins per season in 16-game seasons — and reached the Super Bowl four times in eight years. The Cowboys or Vikings represented the NFC in nine out of 10 Super Bowls from 1969-78.

Page was an unusual football player, but specifically, he was an unusual defensive tackle. He moved around on the line, upsetting blocking schemes with his unpredictability. Page is very intelligent, and he guessed a lot as a player: where to line up, where the ball was going, when the snap was coming. He anticipated the snap as well as anyone at that time, and he was incredibly quick for his size, often blowing past offensive linemen before they’d gotten out of their stances. He wasn’t huge, he wasn’t a space eater, and he didn’t have great power. As time went on, he became increasingly devoted to distance running, which led to his weight loss. Page completed his first marathon in 1979, three years before he retired from the NFL, and went on to run many more. He compensated for his lack of size with quickness that linemen couldn’t match, with endurance that allowed him to go hard on every play, and with intelligence that facilitated blowups in the offensive backfield. Despite his light weight, Page also had good height and long arms which he used to beat blockers, intimidate quarterbacks and deflect passes, and block 28 kicks in his career. He was perhaps the best kick blocker ever. Twenty-eight.

Page attended law school during the offseason and became a judge on the Minnesota Supreme Court following his retirement as a player. He’s a remarkable man, a true pillar of his community, and I’m sure Page is more proud of what he’s accomplished off the field than on it. But in this series, I don’t want Page’s legal career, or his uncommon decency as a human being, to overshadow his excellence as a football player. Aaron Donald is the perhaps the best player in football today, but I think it’s premature and even disrespectful to suggest that he has already overtaken Page as the greatest pass-rushing DT in history. Donald has 59.5 sacks, only 40% of Page’s total. I don’t think he needs to get to 149 before we pass the crown, but surely he should get at least halfway there before we rank him ahead of Page. Donald has been brilliant in every season of his five-year career, but it’s not obvious to me that he has played better than Page did in his five best years, and Page had a lot of other good seasons, too. Part of what made Page so impressive is that he was so good for so long, winning postseason honors in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. Make no mistake, Aaron Donald is coming for everyone ranked ahead of him. But by the same token, make no mistake: Alan Page was a truly excellent player for many years, a terror to opposing linemen and quarterbacks, and the standout on some of the greatest defensive teams of all time. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the ninth article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90
71-80
61-70
51-60
41-50

If you haven’t read those yet, especially the article introducing the series (111-125), I hope you’ll start there.

Best Players of All Time: 31-40

40. Tony Gonzalez
Tight End
Kansas City Chiefs, 1997-2008; Atlanta Falcons, 2009-13
1,325 receptions, 15,127 yards, 111 TD
5 consensus All-Pro, 10 AP All-Pro, 14 Pro Bowls, 2000s All-Decade Team

Tony Gonzalez holds the all-time record for receiving first downs (864). In fact, he leads everyone except Larry Fitzgerald and Jerry Rice by more than 100. That’s the official record, which excludes the first five years of Rice’s career; I estimate that Rice produced 1,092 first downs. But if the top of a leaderboard is you and Jerry Rice, that’s pretty impressive. Especially if you’re a tight end.

Gonzalez played well throughout a long career, but those first downs aren’t reflective of slow-and-steady compiling. At various times in his career, he ranked 2nd, 3rd, and tied for 5th in receiving first downs (2008, 2004, 2000). Jason Witten‘s career-high first downs is 56; Antonio Gates topped out at 61. Gonzalez had more than 61 first downs in a season four times. While we’re at it, Witten’s career-best receiving yardage was 1,145, in 2007. Gates gained 1,157 in his best season. Gonzalez had two 1,200-yard receiving seasons. Gates has a few more TDs (116-111), but Gonzalez leads Witten (68) by almost two-thirds.

I don’t think anyone would claim that Gonzalez was as explosive as Gates, or as sound a blocker as Witten. But he was explosive, and at 250 lbs., he could block players wide receivers couldn’t. Gonzalez ran crisp routes, and unquestionably had the best hands of any tight end in history. I’ve never seen a player, including wide receivers, better at catching the ball away from his body. Gonzalez used his height (6′ 4½”), wingspan, and leaping ability to beat defenders. A college basketball player, he boxed out defensive backs like a rebounder and outleapt them for the pass. His catches didn’t always make it onto the highlight shows, but catching the ball two feet away from your body, and holding on when the defender hits you, is an uncommon skill; Gonzalez was the best at it.

Gonzalez, like Mike Ditka and Kellen Winslow, transformed the tight end position. He was a matchup problem for defenses. Linebackers couldn’t cover Gonzalez. He was too fast, too good a route-runner and receiver. Cornerbacks weren’t big enough to stop him from catching passes, even if they had him covered. And once he got the ball, they couldn’t tackle him without help. Safeties had trouble staying with him in coverage, trouble dealing with his size. And if you put a free safety on him, that left somebody else one-on-one. Gonzalez broke Shannon Sharpe‘s career record for receiving yards by a tight end by 50%. He almost doubled Sharpe’s first down and TD totals, both of which had been records.

Gonzalez was the best tight end in the NFL for at least four years before the rule changes that created the modern passing game. He stayed remarkably healthy over a long career, appearing in 270 games and missing only two. He gained over 600 receiving yards in 16 of his 17 seasons, the exception being his rookie year. He gained over 800 yards in 13 seasons. And he retired when he was still one of the best tight ends in the league, a legitimate All-Pro contender in his final season. Gonzalez was a great athlete, with a tight end’s size but a wide receiver’s ball skills, and he played at a high level for a decade and a half. He is tied for the most Pro Bowls of any player in history, and — for whatever this is worth — I named him All-Pro seven times. In my 16 years naming an All-Pro team (2002-17), that’s two more selections for Gonzalez than anyone else at any position — even though the timeframe excludes three seasons he was a consensus All-Pro. From 2005 onward, I named two tight ends each season, but two-TE formations became pretty common as fullbacks were phased out of the offense. Naming only one TE each year probably undersells what players like Greg Olsen and Zach Ertz, neither of whom has ever been an Associated Press first-team All-Pro, are accomplishing. [continue reading…]

Welcome to part four of the series on each division’s all-time team. Chase is off gallivanting with his bride, so you’re still stuck with me. As you may recall, I wrote this while recovering from surgery and am under the influence of narcotics and, of course, though that would be the perfect time to write about the sort of esoteric historical silliness only I (and Chase’s faithful readers) seem to think about. I take very little responsibility for any of this, but this is a reminder of the rules I have established for this series:

1. I write everything before my painkiller prescription runs out,
2. I write it completely off the top of my head and don’t do any research,
3. I don’t have to proofread this when I finish it, and
4. Chase doesn’t edit my nonsense out of the article (so my inane asides and non sequiturs are our shared burden now). ^[1]Roster construction is as follows: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 T, 2 G, 1 C, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 OLB, 2 MLB/ILB, 3 CB, 2 S, 1 K, 1 P, 1 HC.
5. I maintain modern division designations. If a player played for the Seahawks when the team was in the AFC West, I am counting him in the NFC West. I have neither the time nor the inclination to make this 100% perfect.

Without further ado, here’s the AFC South

Offense

Quarterback – Peyton Manning [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the eighth article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90
71-80
61-70
51-60

If you haven’t read those yet, especially the article introducing the series (111-125), I hope you’ll start there. At this point, we’re counting down the very greatest players of all time, the inner circle of the inner circle, the top 50 players in the history of professional football.

Best Players of All Time: 41-50

50. Rob Gronkowski
Tight End
New England Patriots, 2010-18
521 receptions, 7,861 yards, 79 TD
3 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP All-Pro, 5 Pro Bowls

Rob Gronkowski probably had the greatest peak of any TE in history. Gronk was a record-setting receiver, but also one of the finest blocking TEs in recent memory. In this era of specialization, his ability to excel at both blocking and receiving allowed the Patriots to do unique things with their offense. In the all-time 53-man roster that inspired this series, I based my offensive philosophy partly around the 2010-12 Patriots with Aaron Hernandez and Gronkowski.

You all know about Rob Gronkowski, but this entry is a good opportunity to point out that recent and active players have fewer honors listed than older players. Gronkowski will certainly be chosen to the 2010s All-Decade Team, and perhaps the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, but he hasn’t been eligible for any previous All-Decade or All-Time honors. A similar problem afflicts most of the recent players. It’s also substantially harder to win recognition in a 32-team league than it was in the ’50s and ’60s, when the leagues ranged from 8-16 teams. Contemporary players benefit from the expansion of Pro Bowl rosters and sometimes from the decline in football savviness among All-Pro voters, who tend to overrate “name” players and artificially boost the profile of established stars, but those factors don’t really help a player like Gronkowski, who [1] doesn’t really have borderline Pro Bowl seasons; he has excellent seasons and lost-to-injury seasons, and [2] plays a position at which postseason honors are determined mostly by statistics.

Gronkowski’s statistics are excellent: his four 1,000-yard seasons are tied for the most of any TE, and his five years of double-digit TDs are the most of any TE. But Gronk’s excellence extended beyond the stat sheet, to blocking — a distinction that set him apart from most contemporary Pro Bowl TEs, who tend to be reluctant and/or ineffective blockers. Tony Gonzalez played at a high level for forty-eight years or something, and in my opinion that makes him the greatest tight end of all time, but I believe Rob Gronkowski had the greatest prime of any tight end ever to play. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the seventh article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90
71-80
61-70

If you haven’t read those yet, especially the article introducing the series (111-125), I hope you’ll start there.

Best Players of All Time: 51-60

60. Paul Warfield
Wide Receiver
Cleveland Browns, 1964-69, 1976-77; Miami Dolphins, 1970-74
427 receptions, 8,565 yards, 85 TD
1 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP All-Pro, 8 Pro Bowls

Paul Warfield is unique: a Hall of Fame wide receiver who played his whole career on run-oriented offenses. In each of his first 11 seasons, Warfield teamed with an All-Pro running back: Jim Brown, then Leroy Kelly, then Larry Csonka. In Warfield’s 13 NFL seasons, his teams’ running backs made 15 Pro Bowls. His teams were consistently successful; Warfield reached four NFL Championship Games with the Browns and three Super Bowls with the Dolphins, winning titles with both (1964, 1972, and 1973).

The combination of great running backs and successful teams meant that Warfield’s teams consistently ran more often than they threw, which limited his statistical production. At the same time, the threat he presented to defenses opened up running lanes. Warfield never caught more than 50 passes after his rookie year, and his career-high was 1,067 yards. But he led the league in receiving TDs twice, and he made eight Pro Bowls. His best season was probably 1971: he ranked second in receiving yards (996), led the league in TDs, played in the Super Bowl, and was a consensus All-Pro.

Warfield was distinguished by his athleticism. He was fast and explosive, a champion long jumper, but also graceful and precise. He was also intelligent and studious, a surgical route-runner. He timed his jumps perfectly, which is critical for downfield receivers, since defenders often arrive before the ball does.

Warfield was a game-changing deep threat, who averaged 20.1 yards per reception and scored on 20% of his receptions. Downfield threats dictate coverage, spread the defense vertically, and create opportunities for the team even when they’re not targeted. The late ’60s through the mid ’70s were the golden age of the downfield terrors: Lance Alworth, Cliff Branch, Isaac Curtis, Gary Garrison, John Gilliam, Mel Gray, Bullet Bob Hayes, Harold Jackson, Charlie Joiner, Homer Jones, Don Maynard, Haven Moses, Drew Pearson, Gene Washington, Warren Wells… Paul Warfield was the greatest deep receiver of that era, and to my way of thinking, that makes him the greatest deep threat of all time. Warfield’s career totals are very good, but they don’t do justice to the most dangerous receiver of his era.

Warfield is one of only six Modern-Era receivers to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot, joining Raymond Berry, Lance Alworth, Steve Largent, Jerry Rice, and Randy Moss. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the sixth article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90
71-80

Best Players of All Time: 61-70

70. Jack Lambert
Middle Linebacker
Pittsburgh Steelers, 1974-84
17 FR, 107 yards; 28 INT, 243 yards
2 DPOY, 5 consensus All-Pro, 7 AP All-Pro, 9 Pro Bowls, DROY, 1970s All-Decade Team, 1980s All-Decade Team, 75th Anniversary Team

Beyond any real question, the most intimidating linebacker of his era. At 6-foot-4½, he loomed over opponents with a toothless scowl. The Steelers’ PR department marketed him as “Count Dracula in cleats.” He was nicknamed Madman Jack, he was compared to Darth Vader. Fear of Jack Lambert was practically its own industry.

Lambert was a ruthless tackler, but he was first and foremost a playmaker. At just 220 lbs., he was undersized for a linebacker, but also unusually quick. With the exception of 1984, when he suffered a career-ending injury halfway through the season, Lambert had at least one interception every year of his career, retiring with 28 INTs, top-10 all-time among LBs. He had a genius for diagnosing plays, adjusting the defensive calls, and anticipating the path of the ball.

Teammate Andy Russell, himself a 7-time Pro Bowl linebacker, divined Lambert’s legacy: “Tough, raw-boned, intense. That’s the way he’ll be remembered, but . . . Jack’s a whole lot more. The range he has … His first step is never wrong, his techniques have always been perfect. His greatness has nothing to do with his popular image.” Another linebacking teammate, Hall of Famer Jack Ham, said that what set Lambert apart was his ability to play the pass. The image of the blood-hunting, toothless madman overshadows the savvy of an undersized, cerebral leader who ranks among the finest coverage men ever to play his position. Lambert had relentless drive and toughness, and a natural ability to lead by example, but intelligence and even finesse separated him from other big hitters and hard workers. [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the fifth article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90

If you haven’t read those yet, especially the one introducing the series (111-125), I hope you’ll start there.

80. Darrelle Revis
Cornerback
New York Jets, 2007-12, 2015-16; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2013; New England Patriots, 2014; Kansas City Chiefs, 2017
29 INT, 466 yards, 3 TD; 4 FF, 12 FR, 28 yards; 2 sacks
1 DPOY, 3 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP All-Pro, 7 Pro Bowls

“Revis Island” is a dumb nickname for a player. Saying that opposing receivers were stranded on Revis Island, however, was great: it’s an evocative metaphor, one of the few ways to communicate what Revis did to the most outstanding WRs in football. His 2009 season was the best I’ve ever seen from a defensive back. Andre Johnson, 4 catches for 35 yards. Randy Moss, 4 for 24 and 5 for 34. Carolina’s Steve Smith, 1 for 5 yards. Roddy White, 4 for 33. Reggie Wayne, 3 for 33. Revis had a career-high 6 interceptions that season, and his 31 pass deflections are the single-season record, by far, though the stat has only been recorded since 1999. In the 20 seasons the stat has been kept, there have only been 10 individual seasons with at least 25 PD:

1. Darrelle Revis, 2009 — 31
t2. Sheldon Brown, 2005 — 27
t2. Troy Vincent, 2001 — 27
t4. David Amerson, 2015 — 26
t4. Marcus Peters, 2015 — 26
t4. Darius Slay, 2017 — 26
t7. Donnie Abraham, 1999 — 25
t7. Brandon Carr, 2010 — 25
t7. Deltha O’Neal, 2001 — 25
t7. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 2009 — 25

Revis is all alone. In subsequent seasons, his stats were extremely modest, because opponents rarely threw to his side of the field, but his effect on the team was monumental. The 2009 Jets only allowed 8 pass TDs all season, with an opponents’ passer rating of 58.8, the lowest allowed by any team in the illegal contact era. Quarterbacked by Mark Sanchez, the Jets made back-to-back AFC Championship Games on the strength of their defense, but in particular on the strength of Revis. I’ve never seen a more impactful defender. He almost single-handedly made the Jets a great defense.

Everyone knows about his excellence in coverage, but Revis also played the run well, took on blockers, and didn’t shy away from contact. I remember a game in 2014 in which Revis knocked down a pulling tackle. Early in the second quarter, on a run to the left, Revis took out Colts LT Anthony Castonzo. Revis was listed at 5-11, 198 lbs, Castonzo at 6-7, 311. Revis blew up the running lane, knocked Castonzo on his butt, and the play went for a 3-yard loss. [continue reading…]

This is the third of an eight part installment covering my opinion of each NFL division’s all-time team. When I go through the divisions, I tend to spell “NEWS” in order to keep my thoughts straight. That means today’s post concerns the AFC West (and by that I mean all teams currently in the AFC West, regardless of where those teams were at other points in history). I am writing this series while recovering from back surgery and taking several narcotics. I don’t know how this impacts most people, but I’ve never even had a beer, so my world is effectively a chimerical fever dream right now. It’s precisely because of this I thought it would be fun to try to write a guest series while Chase takes a break.

A quick reminder of the series rules before jumping into the content:

1. I write everything before my painkiller prescription runs out,
2. I write it completely off the top of my head and don’t do any research,
3. I don’t have to proofread this when I finish it, and
4. Chase doesn’t edit my nonsense out of the article (so parts may read like a Raider Joe rant). ^[1]Roster construction is as follows: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 T, 2 G, 1 C, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 OLB, 2 MLB/ILB, 3 CB, 2 S, 1 K, 1 P, 1 HC.

AFC North
AFC East

Without further ado, here’s the AFC West:

Offense

Quarterback – John Elway [continue reading…]

Brad Oremland is a longtime commenter and a fellow football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the fourth article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100

It’s been a couple weeks since I introduced this series, so I’d like to remind readers of the disclaimers from the introduction: making this list at any point is a much higher standard than the Hall of Fame, and indicates that I have extraordinary regard for that player. I would like to write about the players in exclusively positive terms, but since this series is organized as a ranking, some of the comments will highlight weaknesses by way of explaining why the player isn’t even higher. Please don’t misinterpret these explanations as disrespect for the player’s accomplishments.

Best Players of All Time: 81-90

90. Warren Moon
Quarterback
Houston Oilers, 1984-93; Minnesota Vikings, 1994-96; Seattle Seahawks, 1997-98; Kansas City Chiefs, 1999-2000
49,325 yards, 291 TD, 233 INT, 80.9 rating
1 OPOY, 1 AP All-Pro, 9 Pro Bowls

Warren Moon’s statistics are excellent for when he played. He retired as the third-leading passer in NFL history, fourth in touchdowns. He made nine Pro Bowls, led the NFL in passing yards twice, and had back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons twice, for two different teams — the first player to do so. Moon won Offensive Player of the Year in 1990; compared to Associated Press MVP Joe Montana, Moon was ahead in completions, completion percentage, yards, yards per attempt, net yards per attempt, yards per completion, touchdowns, TD percentage, fewer interceptions, INT percentage, passer rating, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total yards, and total touchdowns. And Moon wasn’t throwing to Jerry Rice. The statistical gulf between them is enormous; one is forced to conclude that Montana was more valuable either because he played on a better team or because of prejudice against Moon.

Moon was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2006, the first undrafted quarterback elected to Canton. He was a successful college player, the MVP of the 1978 Rose Bowl, but was initially prevented from playing in the NFL. He spent six years in the Canadian Football League, winning five straight championships with the Edmonton Eskimos, before joining the Oilers in 1984. When he finally reached the NFL, Moon joined a team that had gone a combined 3-22 the previous two seasons. It took a few years to complete the turnaround — this was before modern free agency — but the Oilers made seven straight playoff appearances from 1987-93. Then Moon went to Minnesota, and the Oilers dropped from 12-4 to 2-14, from 4th in scoring (368) to dead last (226). After seven consecutive playoff seasons with Moon, they missed the playoffs for the next five years.

The Vikings were glad to have him. Moon made the next two Pro Bowls, passed for back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons — at the time, only Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, and Moon himself had ever done so — and facilitated Cris Carter’s single-season receptions record. Moon got hurt in ’96, then went to Seattle and made the Pro Bowl there, too. In February 1998, at age 41, Moon was named Pro Bowl MVP.

Here you’ve got a guy with a 23-year professional career, who could still play at a high level in his 40s. He passed the eye test, ran well and threw maybe the most perfect spiral in history. He has an impressive big-game résumé: Rose Bowl MVP, five Grey Cups, and a higher passer rating in the NFL playoffs (84.9) than in the regular season (80.9). He was the critical player for a team that made seven consecutive postseason appearances, and the team disintegrated without him. Moon didn’t play for the Cowboys or 49ers, but what more do you want from him? [continue reading…]