Defensive Line
1. Doug Atkins
2. Buck Buchanan
3. John Randle
4. Bruce Smith
5. Reggie White
6. Bill Hewitt
7. Gino Marchetti
8. Joe Greene
9. Deacon Jones
10. Merlin Olsen
11. Bob Lilly
12. Randy White
13. LeRoy Selmon
14. Alan Page
There's equal representation of ends and tackles. It should be noted that there's no significance in the order in which the players are revealed. That's clear here as Doug Atkins is perhaps the biggest surprise of the group. I was expecting that J.J. Watt would be one of the seven defensive ends. Howie Long? Michael Strahan? I'd have Carl Eller over Atkins but that's probably showing too much Vikings bias. Atkins is a Hall of Famer and was a disruptive player for most of his career. His 6'8" size was unique for that time. Actually, it's unique for any time. I remember Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton speaking to the difficulties of playing against him. I just don't see Atkins as one of the seven best defensive ends of the NFL's 100 seasons.
Rumor has it that Gino Marchetti and Deacon Jones were the only unanimous choices. It's stunning that Reggie White and/or Bruce Smith weren't as well.
Speaking of stunning, the clip shown during the program of Reggie White lifting and throwing Larry Allen was stunning.
My biggest concern for this group heading into the reveal and during the program was Alan Page's presence on it. I felt that he was no-brainer. I hoped that John Randle would make it and knew that Page would. How could anyone keep the first defensive player to take home the league's MVP award off of such a list? Well, I was nervous when 13 defensive linemen had been revealed and no Page. I felt like the NFL Network, NFL Films, and everyone involved were pointing their bony, pointy fingers at me and saying "not today Viking-boy!" All was right when Alan Page was revealed.
I always think of my father when players from the great University of San Francisco football teams are mentioned. So it was great to see Gino Marchetti take his much deserved place on this All-Time Team. My father was a USF student in the early 1950s when the Dons fielded one of the most talented football teams in college football history. Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson, Bob St. Clair, and Dick Stanfel have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Burl Toler might've joined them in Canton if an injury in a college all-star game had ended his playing career. He did make a mark on the NFL as an official. Pete Rozelle worked as a student publicist in the USF Athletic Department. My father had classes and spoken often with Matson. Some of my best times with my father were spent talking about those wonderful Dons football teams.
Linebackers
1. Ray Lewis
2. Derrick Brooks
3. Junio Seau
4. Dick Butkus
5. Bobby Bell
6. Willie Lanier
7. Lawrence Taylor
8. Joe Schmidt
9. Chuck Bednarik
10. Ted Hendricks
11. Jack Ham
12. Jack Lambert
The late 1960s Kansas City Chiefs sure had a fun defense. Buck Buchanan, Willie Lanier, and Bobby Bell made this All-Time Team. Curley Culp, Jim Lynch, Johnny Robinson, Emmitt Thomas. Those Chiefs teams were as loaded as any of the great defenses that get most of the attention. As a Vikings fan, Bell is the player that got away in the NFL-AFL signing wars. I've often thought about how nicely Bobby Bell would've fit behind Jim Marshall, Alan Page, Gary Larsen, and Carl Eller. The Vikings had decent linebackers backing up that line. Bell was a great linebacker.
I've often felt that Joe Schmidt was an overlooked and underrated player. It's silly to think of a Hall of Famer in that way but he's often a middle linebacker afterthought behind Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Bill George, etc. It's great to see him take his much-deserved place on this team.
The banter between Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor during the program was fun. Actually, the banter between Taylor and everyone (especially Joe Greene) was hilarious.
Chuck Noll was added to the list that will be ten coaches that will lead this team.
1. Paul Brown
2. Bill Belichick
3. Chuck Noll
It looks like the defensive position groups don't warrant their own show like the offensive skill positions do. That's no surprise. Next week, the defensive backs will share the hour with the special teamers. Last week, the running backs had their own show. I'm certain that the receivers will get their own show. Each of the 10 quarterbacks will probably get an hour. 20 quarterbacks that didn't make the cut will probably get their own half hour shows. Last night, there was an hour to jam in 26 defensive players. It felt rushed. The last two Steelers linebackers were tossed out at the very end. Jack Ham and Jack Lambert deserved more attention than that. Especially with Joe Greene on the set. This is wonderful football programming but the rushed nature of last night's show was a problem. Especially compared to last week's more leisurely reveal of the running backs.
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