Throwback Thursday: All-Time NFL/NFC Central, North and Western Conference Team

The Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions have been division buddies since the Vikings joined the NFL in 1961. They were members of the NFL's Western Conference, along with a few other teams from 1961-66. The AFL-NFL union put the four in the Central Division in 1967. That division grouping continued through the complete merger in 1970 all the way to division realignment following the 2001 season. The Vikings, Packers, Bears, and Lions have made up the NFC North Division since 2002. The NFL should simply fold before these four teams cease being together. Picking an All-Time Team from the Vikings, Packers, Bears, and Lions during their time together (1961-present) simply has to be done.

It should be noted that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were part of the NFC Central division fun from 1977-2001. A long time. Despite that long time it never felt right. A Florida team thrown in with teams from the northern Midwest? That's just silly. It's so silly that none of the terrific Buccaneers players are included here. Sorry.

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers

Running backs

Adrian Peterson
Walter Payton
Barry Sanders
Jim Taylor
I can't whittle this group any further. So why not pick a back from each team?

Receiver

Cris Carter
Randy Moss

Tight end

Charlie Sanders

Tackles

Forrest Gregg
Ron Yary

Guards

Randall McDaniel

Jerry Kramer

Center

Mick Tingelhoff

Defensive ends

Reggie White
Carl Eller

Defensive tackles

Alan Page

Dan Hampton

Linebackers

Dick Butkus

Ray Nitschke
Clay Matthews III
The division has had some of the best middle linebackers that the game has ever seen. Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Joe Schmidt, Mike Singletary. It was tempting to force three of them onto this team. Instead, Butkus was shifted to the outside. He could handle it. Rather than pushing Schmidt to the outside as well, Matthews makes it as the one true outside linebacker. 

Cornerbacks

Herb Adderley

Lem Barney

Safeties

Paul Krause
Charles Woodson

Kicker

Ryan Longwell

Punter

Don Chandler

Kick Returner
Devin Hester

Other than Hester, the specialists selection process was mostly a coin flip.