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NFL Top 100 Players


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Eh, they were in the SB in '80, played the wildcard in '81, and then declined for a couple of years in the first half of the decade. The second half they were tough.

 

i guess i'm speaking a different language.

 

Perhaps this will help:

 

Lawrence Taylor Sacks by Qb

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=2133

 

Randall Cunningham=14

 

Jaworski= 11

 

Lomax=9

 

Theisman=8

 

 

So,as I said in response to Rice had the Rams and Saints, LT had the Eagles.

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I guess my beef with the list is that all positions are not created equal.

 

If you look at football as a physical Chess match, here's how I would rank the importance of the players.

 


  1.  
  2. QB (e.g, Montana, Unitas, Marino) is the most important position on the team; just like a dominant pitcher, or a dominant goalie, a great QB can win a game against virtually any opponent, regardless of how good their defense might be.
  3. The pass rusher who can stop the QB (e.g., Lawrence Taylor, Deacon Jones, Reggie White) is the most important player on the defense
  4. The lineman who can protect the QB from the defender and dominate the line of scrimmage (e.g., Munoz) is the 3rd most important position on the team.
  5. The cornerback who can take half the field from a QB (Deion Sanders, Night Train Lane, Emlen Tunnell is the 4th most important.
  6. The running back who can move the chains in any weather, protect the ball, protect the lead, and support the QB (Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk) is the 5th most important player.
  7. The defender that can protect the middle of the field, and stop the run and the short-intermediate pass (linebackers like Dick Butkus, Ray Lewis, safeties like Ronnie Lott)is the 6th most important.
  8. The wide receiver that stretches the defense and open up the run is the 7th most important

 

Again, all of this is highly subjective, to be sure. But to me it makes no sense that Jerry Rice would be #1, and a weapon like Jeff Feagles (or any pure kicker, for that matter) doesn't even break the Top #100.

 

So to me, the greatest player of all time is an argument between Joe Montana or Johnny Unitas. Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Anthony Munoz, or even a Deion Sanders deserves to be considered in the top 5. Jerry Rice, by virtue of his dominance of the position, deserves to be in the Top 5 / Top 10 category.

 

But to give the #1 rank to ANY wide receiver just doesn't fit into how you build a winning team, or create a dynasty, unless you subscribe to the Al Davis / Matt Millen GM School.

 

An easy question: would anyone on this message board draft Jerry Rice ahead of Dan Marino? If not, this list is flawed.

 

the dog would agree that the list is flawed, as is any list trying to rank players...these type of lists that look over time are exceptionally flawed, because the game itself changes and evolves. cover corners have become a very intrical part of the game in recent times, increasing their value more so than in the early years. oddly enough, the dog would argue that deion sanders should defintely be in the top 5 if you are going to try and make a list at all. not only did he shut down half a field in the passing game, but he also was the only player in recent years that impacted all 3 phases of the game, and teams were forced to plan and account for him in each aspect.

 

the dog would disagree with the order of importance above. the o-line takes precedent over any position, and remains the one constant year in and year out that separates the top teams from those at the bottom. not that you can name one o-lineman as number 1 on a list like this, but you can have the greatest QB that ever lived on your team, with a garbage o-line, that player is now neutralized (see Tom Brady in the 2007 Super Bowl, not that it was a result of poor o-line as much as it was dominant defense, but Brady, arguably the best or second best QB in the league, was completly neutralized). after the o-line, then the dog would place emphasis on d-line and d-backs. qb next. should rice be number 1, who knows? he is as good a pick as anyone, but it is entirely too difficult to assess.

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the dog would agree that the list is flawed, as is any list trying to rank players...these type of lists that look over time are exceptionally flawed, because the game itself changes and evolves. cover corners have become a very intrical part of the game in recent times, increasing their value more so than in the early years. oddly enough, the dog would argue that deion sanders should defintely be in the top 5 if you are going to try and make a list at all. not only did he shut down half a field in the passing game, but he also was the only player in recent years that impacted all 3 phases of the game, and teams were forced to plan and account for him in each aspect.

 

the dog would disagree with the order of importance above. the o-line takes precedent over any position, and remains the one constant year in and year out that separates the top teams from those at the bottom. not that you can name one o-lineman as number 1 on a list like this, but you can have the greatest QB that ever lived on your team, with a garbage o-line, that player is now neutralized (see Tom Brady in the 2007 Super Bowl, not that it was a result of poor o-line as much as it was dominant defense, but Brady, arguably the best or second best QB in the league, was completly neutralized). after the o-line, then the dog would place emphasis on d-line and d-backs. qb next. should rice be number 1, who knows? he is as good a pick as anyone, but it is entirely too difficult to assess.

 

I agree that the offensive line is very important, but I'll hold to my argument that a great QB is the cornerstone of any franchise.

 

For example, take a look at the Packers and the Bears.....I think during Favre's run with the Packers, the Bears had close to 20 different starting QBs.

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I agree that the offensive line is very important, but I'll hold to my argument that a great QB is the cornerstone of any franchise.

 

For example, take a look at the Packers and the Bears.....I think during Favre's run with the Packers, the Bears had close to 20 different starting QBs.

 

you know, the dog finds it interesting that depending on how you put it, it works both ways. if you are looking to build a team from scratch, you do in fact take the QB as the cornerstone of the franchise. but if you have a franchise with a dominant o-line, the QB becomes less of a factor...so really, in the end, both are true...

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you know, the dog finds it interesting that depending on how you put it, it works both ways. if you are looking to build a team from scratch, you do in fact take the QB as the cornerstone of the franchise. but if you have a franchise with a dominant o-line, the QB becomes less of a factor...so really, in the end, both are true...

That's comparing five players to one though; on an individual level, the QB is, IMO, more of a factor than any specific o-lineman.

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That's comparing five players to one though; on an individual level, the QB is, IMO, more of a factor than any specific o-lineman.

 

and the dog doesn't disagree. but without an o-line, the QB is a non factor. again, see david carr. world of potential, but stuck in houston with no line in front of him at all, a young QB with a huge upside was battered into submission and now is destined to be a back-up the rest of his career. then you take guys like phil simms, trent dilfer, jim mcmahon etc...and you surround them with great o-lines that produce very strong run games and additionally give them the nastiest defenses, and they win consistently and win super bowls....o-line is the most important group of players on the field. without a good o-line, a great QB can be reduced to average play in a heart beat.

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[/b]

 

and the dog doesn't disagree. but without an o-line, the QB is a non factor. again, see david carr. world of potential, but stuck in houston with no line in front of him at all, a young QB with a huge upside was battered into submission and now is destined to be a back-up the rest of his career. then you take guys like phil simms, trent dilfer, jim mcmahon etc...and you surround them with great o-lines that produce very strong run games and additionally give them the nastiest defenses, and they win consistently and win super bowls....o-line is the most important group of players on the field. without a good o-line, a great QB can be reduced to average play in a heart beat.

Key word here: group. You are comparing one player to five. By this logic, there should be five lineman on the list for every quarterback.
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you know, the dog finds it interesting that depending on how you put it, it works both ways. if you are looking to build a team from scratch, you do in fact take the QB as the cornerstone of the franchise. but if you have a franchise with a dominant o-line, the QB becomes less of a factor...so really, in the end, both are true...

 

If you draft a great QB, you want to protect him. Not that this has anything to do with the topic of this thread but when I'm building a team, I go QB first.

 

Without a doubt, a great offensive line will create a great team.

 

Lombardi's Packers created a dynasty built around guys like Forrest Gregg and Jerry Kramer.

 

The Dallas Cowboys of the 1990's had the best offensive line in football.....one of the reasons they are so bad right now (even before Romo went down) can be traced directly to their issues on the offensive line.

 

Brian Baldinger was talking about this the other day on the NFL Network.....he compiled some stats that included pass protection (I think it was sacks per passing play) and rushing yards per attempt, and the top of the list included all the best teams in the league. The Giants ranked #1, with the Ravens, Steelers, and a few others close behind.

 

 

Still, having said all that, to build, or rebuild a franchise, you go with QB first....look at what's going on in St Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland with Bradford, Stafford, and McCoy.

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Key word here: group. You are comparing one player to five. By this logic, there should be five lineman on the list for every quarterback.

 

the dog is agreeing. not looking at this in the scope of the rankings. just responding to what joe ordered as the level of importance by position.

 

joe - 100% if you are building up a losing franchise from scratch, you typically have to take a QB as the potential cornerstone of a franchise. just saying that the QB you select won't get far in his career without an o-line.

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the dog is agreeing. not looking at this in the scope of the rankings. just responding to what joe ordered as the level of importance by position.

 

joe - 100% if you are building up a losing franchise from scratch, you typically have to take a QB as the potential cornerstone of a franchise. just saying that the QB you select won't get far in his career without an o-line.

My mistake, I read it wrong earlier. I thought you had typed "and the dog doesn't agree.", not "and the dog doesn't disagree."
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the dog is agreeing. not looking at this in the scope of the rankings. just responding to what joe ordered as the level of importance by position.

 

joe - 100% if you are building up a losing franchise from scratch, you typically have to take a QB as the potential cornerstone of a franchise. just saying that the QB you select won't get far in his career without an o-line.

 

I agree.....that's why alot of times, you'll see teams go 1/2 in the draft or free agency with a QB/LT combination.

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