NFL 100 All-Time Team: Defensive Backs and Special Teamers

The reveal of the NFL 100 All-Time Team continued last night with the defensive backs and special teamers. These episodes have been fun and Bill Belichick is the highlight. He's clearly enjoying talking about these players and talking with the players that join the show. It's fun to see. I can listen to Belichick and Ed Reed talk football for as long as they talk football. Here are the 19 players and 1 coach that were revealed last night.

Cornerbacks
1. Deion Sanders
2. Dick "Night Train" Lane
3. Mike Haynes
4. Willie Brown
5. Mel Blount
6. Rod Woodson
7. Darrell Green

I have no issues with those 7 corners. Charles Woodson and Darrelle Revis were my pre-reveal picks over Willie Brown and Darrell Green but that's probably a recency bias on my part. My appreciation of Green came much later than he deserved. Despite my immediate appreciation of Brown while he was playing I've grown quite sick of seeing him return that interception against the Vikings. It was sickening to see it live and thanks to the magic of NFL Films I get to see it for as long as I live.

Safeties
1. Emlen Tunnell
2. Larry Wilson
3. Ken Houston
4. Ed Reed
5. Jack Christiansen
6. Ronnie Lott

As with the corners I have no issues with the safeties. As a Vikings homer, I wouldn't have been disappointed if Paul Krause had made the final cut. His 81 career interceptions is an NFL record that may never be touched. He was a terrific athlete and an interception machine but he was little threat to put a ball carrier on the ground. He's one of the best safeties to ever play but he isn't one of the six best safeties to ever play. Ed Reed most certainly is. He's the best safety that I've ever seen. He's one of the best football players I've ever seen. He also has the best bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And now for the special teamers:

Kickers
1. Adam Vinatieri
2. Jan Stenerud

Punters
1. Ray Guy
2. Shane Lechcler

Returners
1. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
2. Devin Hester

I'd have three kickers and Justin Tucker would be the third. Ray Guy is a given but I'm not so sure Shane Lechler. All he did was boom his kicks. I'm sure that was what the Raiders expected him to do but there's a whole host of punters that can do that if their team allowed it. If Lechler ever placed a punt I never saw it. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson was the first player that I ever saw dance and put on a show after a score. And he seemed to dance and put on a show weekly. Devin Hester scared the hell out of me every time the Vikings had to punt to him.

Joe Gibbs was added to the list of ten coaches that will lead this team.

1. Paul Brown

2. Bill Belichick

3. Chuck Noll
4. Joe Gibbs

The offensive linemen and tight ends will be revealed next week.