Throwback Thursday: All Time Team

As a lead up to last Saturday's Hall of Fame announcements, NFL Network presented a Pro Football Hall of Fame All Time Team. This was voted on by the fans. I think that I might have even voted. Since this was decided by the fans it is dominated by Super Bowl era players. Too often and promoted by too many, the NFL seems to have started in 1966. People forget way too easy. Anyway, enough crying about history. Here's who the fans say are the best from the best that the Hall has to offer:

QB: Joe Montana
RB:  Jim Brown
        Walter Payton
WR: Jerry Rice
        Michael Irvin
TE:   Mike Ditka
OL:  Dan Dierdorf
        Bruce Matthews
        Anthony Munoz
        Jim Otto
        Gene Upshaw
K:    George Blanda

DT:  Joe Greene
        Merlin Olsen
DE:  Reggie White
        Howie Long
LB:  Dick Butkus
        Lawrence Taylor
        Jack Lambert
CB:  Deion Sanders
        Darrell Green
S:     Ronnie Lott
        Rod Woodson

Coach: Vince Lombardi

This actually turned out better than I expected. Keeping your choices to only Hall of Famers actually makes it hard to hack up. Still, there are some that border on the ridiculous. Michael Irvin was a fantastic receiver but there are at least five receivers, maybe more, that I'd consider before I even consider Irvin. Don Hutson teams with Rice on my team and there's really no debate. I like Raymond Berry, Lance Alworth, Elroy Hirsch and now Cris Carter over Irvin. Deacon Jones, Gino Marchetti and Bruce Smith would all play opposite Reggie White at defensive end for me. Howie Long was terrific but I think that Jones, Marchetti and Smith impacted the game on par with the incredible White. Offensive line is difficult to debate. Picking any Hall of Fame offensive lineman has legitimate arguments to be part of an all time team. Personally, my line would include Jim Parker, Art Shell, Larry Allen, Randall McDaniel and Chuck Bednarik/Bill Wills/Bulldog Turner. I also like Jack Ham at linebacker over his Pittsburgh Steelers team mate Lambert. Jan Stenerud would get my nod over Blanda at kicker. I don't know how you exclude the one kicker in the Hall of Fame that is there for his kicking. Blanda made it to the Hall for his passing, kicking and for the fact that he played in an incredible four decades. One last personal choice would be Alan Page at defensive tackle. That position is tough to sift through. You can't go wrong with Greene, Page, Olsen or Bob Lilly.