All-Time Favorites Team

While I'm sitting and waiting for the Minnesota Vikings to sign their 15 draft picks and sign Dalvin Cook and Anthony Harris to contract extensions, my mind wanders to other football things. Perhaps inspired by Michael MacCambridge's terrific FMIA column, while Peter King vacations, I was thinking about some of my favorite football players over the years. In that FMIA column, MacCambridge named some of his favorite interviews. Some of those he named are among my favorite players. That led me to thinking of a team of my favorite players. I've posted a team of my favorite players before. I've probably done it a few times. I'm doing it again. When I do this, I eliminate Vikings players from contention. Otherwise, it becomes an All-Time Vikings team. So, here's an All-Time Team of some of my favorite players.

Offense

WR	Raymond Berry
TE	John Mackey
OT	Jonathan Ogden
OG	John Hannah
C	Mel Hein
OG	Jerry Kramer
OT	Jim Parker
WR	Larry Fitzgerald
QB	Johnny Unitas
RB	Dutch Clark
FB	Jim Brown

Defense

DE	Gino Marchetti
DT	Bob Lilly
DT	Aaron Donald
DE	Reggie White
LB	Lawrence Taylor
LB	Willie Lanier
LB	Bobby Bell
CB	Dick "Night Train" Lane
CB	Mike Haynes
S	Ed Reed
S	Emlen Tunnell

***

It's tough to leave Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, and Deacon Jones off this team. Among others. But I was feeling more Dutch Clark, Raymond Berry, and Reggie White. 

Partly for his long Hall of Fame wait and mostly for his books, I've always been a fan of Jerry Kramer. I was in Canton for his much-deserved induction. Hearing and seeing him in person cemented his place as one of my favorites. 

If I had been born about a decade earlier, I believe that I would've been a Baltimore Colts. Five of the above 22 players played for the great Colts teams of the late 1950s. 

Raymond Berry

John Mackey

Jim Parker

Johnny Unitas

Gino Marchetti

Lenny Moore and Art Donovan could've made it seven. Those were some fun teams. If I had become a Colts fans, that move to Indianapolis would've been so painful. Even from California. 

Even thought they took care of the Vikings in Super Bowl IV, the late 1960s Chiefs are another team that has been a favorite of mine. Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell are on this team. Otis Taylor, Buck Buchanan, Curley Culp, Johnny Robinson, Emmitt Thomas. Those Chiefs team were loaded with talent and favorites. 

More favorites that deserve mention

Clarke Hinkle

Bronko Nagurski

Don Hutson

Bill Dudley

Ace Parker

Bill Willis

Bulldog Turner

Ollie Matson

Elroy Hirsch

Lance Alworth

Dave Robinson

Joe Schmidt

Gale Sayers

Kellen Winslow

Earl Campbell

Barry Sanders

Kenny Easley

Ronnie Lott

Deion Sanders

Junior Seau

Dan Marino

Peyton Manning

Joe Montana

Steve Young

Tom Brady

LaDanian Tomlinson

Julio Jones

Steve Smith

so many favorites