My NFL Top 10 Lists

Who are the ten best in NFL history? Here are my answers for skill positions and team defense.  

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It’s a game you can play, too. So put on your thinking cap and play along with me.

What makes lists interesting is that excellence is in the eye of the beholder, and we aren’t all the same. Each of us has a distinctive way of measuring greatness.

Another issue is that we know what we know, and that often means what we have seen firsthand. I was born in 1980, which means I never had an opportunity to see guys like Otto Graham and Sammy Baugh play. Yes, I’ve watched highlights of countless old school players, and I’ve done a fair amount of research, too, but I also know what I’ve witnessed personally since the day I started following NFL ball. Yes, I know how great Bart Starr was ‘back in the day’ because every Green Bay Packers fan talks about Starr as though he’s a deity. But, as you’ll see, he didn’t make my Top 10 QB list.

For example, Frank Gore is one of my all-time favorite players. And while Gore has played almost twice as long as ‘old schoolers,’ like Jim Brown and Earl Campbell, I don’t think anybody with solid football knowledge would argue that Gore is a better RB than either of those players, Brown especially. I certainly don’t.

I’m sure some of you will disagree with my lists and the order on each list. That’s ok. Lists are meant to be challenged, debated, and picked apart by sports enthusiasts, just like you.

NOTE: All the lists, except one, are lists of players. The last is my take on the ten best defenses in NFL history.

My Top 10 Skill Position Players

Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers
John Elway
Tom Brady
Joe Montana
Steve Young
Dan Marino
Johnny Unitas
Roger Staubach
Brett Favre
Drew Brees

 

 

Running Backs

Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
Walter Payton
Adrian Peterson
Eric Dickerson
Emmitt Smith
Earl Campbell
LaDanian Tomlinson
Marshall Faulk
O.J. Simpson

 

Wide Receivers

Jerry Rice
Terrell Owens
Randy Moss
Calvin Johnson
Michael Irvin
Cris Carter
Larry Fitzgerald
Marvin Harrison
Steve Largent
Lance Alworth

 

Tight Ends

Tony Gonzalez
Shannon Sharpe
Rob Gronkowski
Kellen Winslow
Antonio Gates
Ozzie Newsome
John Mackey
Jason Witten
Mike Ditka
David Casper

 

 

My Top 10 Defenses

Chicago Bears (1985)

Baltimore Ravens (2000)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1976)
Seattle Seahawks (2012)
Philadelphia Eagles (1991)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002)
New York Giants (1986)
Miami Dolphins (1973)
Minnesota Vikings (1969)
San Francisco 49ers (1984)