Throwback Thursday: Dr. Z's All-Time All-Pro Team: Offense

With the NFL 100 All-Time Team reveals in full swing I couldn't help thinking about Dr. Z's thoughts on the best to ever play in the league.

This Flicker was originally posted on July 2, 2016

Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB) website dedicated this week to longtime football writer Paul Zimmerman. Known, often affectionately, as Dr. Z. Zimmerman has done as much as anyone, probably more than anyone, in the last fifty years to advance football writing and the general understanding of football. His mock drafts that appeared in Sports Illustrated were a godsend to me in the 1970s. His 1971 book A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football is a must-read for any football fan. As, of course, is his follow-up 1984 book The New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football. He brought football analysis to football fans as well as his peers in the media at a time when both groups really needed it. As part of this week of Dr. Z, the MMQB presented his All-Time All-Pro team. It's a very interesting read. He listens to no one. Answers to no one. His team is based solely on what he sees on the field. Here's Dr. Z's All-Time All-Pro Team: offense.

Wide Receiver
Don Hutson
Raymond Berry
Jerry Rice
Lance Alworth

Tight End 
Dave Casper

This is an interesting pick as Casper rarely gets much attention on all-time teams. Despite his being an all-time great. John Mackey, Mike Ditka, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, and Rob Gronkowski get far more attention. As a Minnesota Vikings fan looking toward Super Bowl XI, Casper was probably the Raiders offensive player that worried me most. He caught a touchdown and gained 70 yards but nearly every Raiders offensive player hurt the Vikings that day. Casper was a fantastic football player. That being said, Gronkowski will soon run away with everyone's all-time all-pro tight end pick. If he hasn't already.

Tackle
Art Shell
Forrest Gregg
Ron Mix

Guard
John Hannah
Jim Parker

I've always considered Parker as a tackle first, then guard. He played both positions. Played them both exceedingly well. All-Time great well. Zimmerman called Parker "the greatest pass blocking guard who ever lived."

Center
Dwight Stephenson

One thing that should be mentioned about Zimmerman is that he was a college offensive lineman. He also played on the line at the semi-professional level. He understood the offensive line. He could talk with coaches, as an equal, about the offensive line. And he was quite passionate about the offensive line.

Quarterback
John Unitas
Joe Montana

Running Back
Jim Brown
Hugh McElhenny
Marion Motley
Earl Campbell

It's great to see McElhenny listed among Zimmerman's running backs. His runs were a gas like Barry Sanders runs were a gas about forty years later.

Dr. Z's  reasoning behind his choices that accompany this All-Time All-Pro team can be found on the MMQB website. It is well worth the read.