Here's another attempt to pass the slow time of the NFL offseason with a little trip down memory lane for each team. For some teams it's a short trip. Here is my look at the best player in each of the NFL's 32 team's history.
Minnesota Vikings
Alan Page, defensive tackle
-This spot might one day be taken by Adrian Peterson. Or, for the very optimistic, Teddy Brdgewater. For now, it's Alan Page. He was the first defensive player to be named Most Valuable Player. He could take over games like few defensive players that I've ever seen.
Green Bay Packers
Don Hutson, receiver
-Huston may be keeping the spot warm for Aaron Rodgers. You can't go wrong picking Don Hutson as the best Packer of all time. His statistics match this era far more than his. He changed the way that the game could be played.
Chicago Bears
Walter Payton, running back
-You could pick any one of several players from the Bears long, rich history. Luckman, Nagurski, Turner, Butkus, Sayers. Payton gets the nod.
Detroit Lions
Dutch Clark, quarterback
-Barry Sanders certainly deserves the pick here but I'm kinda partial to Clark. He might be the least known and least appreciated member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame class. He could do it all on the football field.
San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Rice, receiver
-He's in the discussion for greatest player ever.
Seattle Seahawks
Walter Jones, tackle
-A few years down the road the discussion over the greatest Seahawks player will center around current players and Walter Jones. Maybe Steve Largent too. Until then, it's Walter Jones.
Arizona Cardinals
Charley Trippi, back
-Larry Fritzgerald is tempting. So is Ollie Matson and Paddy Driscoll. The Cardinals are the NFL's oldest team with continuous operations dating back to the 19th century. They also might have the most sad history. Three different cities in three different states. A lot of losses. I picked a great player from the team that won the franchise's only legitimate championship.
St. Louis Rams
Deacon Jones, defensive end
-You can't go wrong with Jones, Merlin Olsen, Marshall Faulk, or Eric Dickerson. Jones gets the nod for making the "sack" a thing.
New York Giants
Lawrence Taylor, linebacker
-Taylor simply changed the way that the game could be played on the defensive side of the ball.
Dallas Cowboys
Roger Staubach, quarterback
-Maybe it's because passing statistics are in a whole other orbit these days but I think that we tend to forget how good Staubach was. As an itty-bitty Vikings fan this guy killed me. There might not have been a better quarterback playing from behind late in the game.
Philadelphia Eagles
Reggie White, defensive end
-I wanted to pick Steve Van Buren. The Eagles won two NFL titles with him leading the way. Or Chuck Bednarik. That guy screamed football. In the end, I had to go with one of the best defensive ends to ever play the game. It's unfortunate for the Eagles and their fans that White spent nearly as many years with other teams.
Washington Redskins
Sammy Baugh, quarterback
-No offense to Darrell Green, Sam Huff, Russ Grimm, and other Redskins greats but there's really no debate here.
New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees, quarterback
-You could go with Hall of Famers Willie Roaf and Rickey Jackson but this current leader is the pick.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lee Roy Selmon, defensive end
-Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks had each other as well as other great players around them. For most of his career Selmon had little talent around him and he was still great.
Carolina Panthers
Steve Smith, receiver
-Due to the Panthers short history and Smith's talents this is an easy choice.
Atlanta Falcons
Claude Humphrey, defensive end
-Deion Sanders is a possibility as his first five years in the league were with the Falcons but Humphrey is the pick. He was a pass rushing force.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Greene, defensive tackle
-The Steelers might have the most talent to choose from over the last 40 years. Greene was the heart of those great Steelers defenses of the 1970s.
Cleveland Browns
Jim Brown, running back
-The only surprise with this pick is that it wasn't an easy choice. Otto Graham gets some consideration.
Baltimore Ravens
Jonathan Ogden, tackle
-I always have difficulty dealing with the Ravens history. Technically, they are an expansion team. In reality, they have more relation to the Browns history than the current Browns. And the Ravens personnel people that scouted Ogden were Browns personnel people. That commentary aside, picking the best Ravens player is a difficult choice between Ogden, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed. It's a tossup and Ogden wins.
Cincinnati Bengals
Anthony Munoz, tackle
-This is an easy choice.
Oakland Raiders
Art Shell, tackle
-Shell was one of the best tackles to play the game.
Denver Broncos
John Elway, quarterback
-Another easy choice.
Kansas City Chiefs
Bobby Bell, linebacker
-The Chiefs defenses of the late 1960s were excellent. Five players from those defenses are in the Hall of Fame. Johnny Robinson should be the sixth. Bell might have been the best of the bunch.
New England Patriots
Tom Brady, quarterback
-Pretty easy choice here.
New York Jets
Joe Namath, quarterback
-Few quarterbacks have had the arm talent of Namath. He changed the NFL. On the field and off.
Miami Dolphins
Dan Marino, quarterback
-It's tough to pass on players that won a couple of Super Bowls in the 1970s. Marino was the sort of football player that forces you to pass on players that won a couple of Super Bowls.
Buffalo Bills
Bruce Smith, defensive end
-Picking Smith over Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas is difficult.
Indianapolis Colts
Lenny Moore, running back
-This was the most difficult choice of all. Tomorrow or later today the choice is John Unitas or Peyton Manning. Maybe Gino Marchetti on another day. Moore was one of the most versatile backs to play the game. If he had played only running back he'd be in the Hall of Fame. If he had played only receiver he'd be in the Hall of Fame. He's in the Hall of Fame for playing a lot of both.
Tennessee Titans
Earl Campbell, running back
-So a player that was never a Titan and never played in Tennessee is the greatest player in the history of the Tennessee Titans. Yep.
Houston Texans
J.J. Watt, defensive end
-The second active player on this list. The Texans' short history and Watt's tremendous football talent make this choice automatic.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Fred Taylor, running back
Another team with a short history. Taylor was one of the best, and most underrated, backs of his era.
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