My NFL All-Century Team: Defense

Here’s my tribute to what I believe are the greatest defensive pro football players of all time.

As part of the NFL’s 100th anniversary, a team of 26 committee members selected the NFL All-Time team. I think the committee did an admirable job overall, and I agreed with roughly 80% of the selections. For the sake of debate, here are my defensive picks.

Defensive Ends

Robustelli tackling Johnny Unitas (photo, NY Times)

I agree with six of the seven chosen players. Who’s out on my list? It’s Lee Roy Selmon. He was undoubtedly a great player, and I believe his place in Canton is warranted. But he had a short career–only nine seasons. Others were just as good–many better–and they played longer. In his place, I’ve chosen Andy Robustelli 1951-1964. He was named All-NFL seven times and was the 1962 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Overall, my top three DEs are David “Deacon” Jones, Reggie White, and Gino Marchetti. They are followed by Bruce Smith, Andy Robustelli, Doug Atkins, and Bill Hewitt.

Defensive Tackles

Courtesy: eBay

Again, I can’t go with the full list chosen by the selection committee. I dropped two–John Randle and Buck Buchanan. Yes, both were great players and worthy of their place in the NFL Hall of Fame. But I believe two players were slightly better–Leo Nomellini 1946-1963 and Ernie Stautner 1951-1964.

A ten-time pro-bowl selection, Leo “The Lion” played four seasons in the AAFC and 14 seasons in the NFL. Stautner played in nine pro bowls.

My top three are Bob Lilly, Merlin Olsen, and Joe Greene. They are followed by Alan Page, Randy White, Leo Nomellini, and Ernie Stautner.

Outside Linebackers

I’ve selected five players at this position with one replacement from the committee’s roster. I give Derrick Thomas 1989-1999 a slight edge over Derrick Brooks 1995-2008. Even though Brooks played in more Pro Bowls (11 to 9), I believe Thomas had at least three or four more seasons left if his career if he had lived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXwWTSZXsgg

My top three are Lawrence Taylor, Jack Ham, and Bobby Bell. Ted Hendricks and Derrick Thomas follow them.

Middle Linebackers

Over the years, this position has been blessed with phenomenal players! With so many great ones, I needed to pick eight for my squad. I agree with the seven players that the committee selected, but I did notice what I consider to be a glaring omission–Ray Nitschke 1958-1972–who was a member of both the 50th-anniversary team and the 75th-anniversary team, as well as being a five-time NFL champion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIsBqhKHtjU

My top three are Dick Butkus, Willie Lanier, and Ray Nitschke. They are followed by Chuck Bednarik, Ray Lewis, Jack Lambert, Junior Seau, and Joe Schmidt.

Cornerbacks

Again, I agree with the seven players the committee picked, but–man!–they blew it by not including Herb Adderly 1961-1972, a player who was also left off the 75th-anniversary team. The late Steve Sabol of NFL Films, who viewed footage of every player, was adamant that Adderly belonged on that team. I agree! I’m adding Mr. Adderly, a six-time NFL champion to my top 100.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Mjqm3tOTM

My top three are Mel Blount, Willie Brown, and Herb Adderly. They are followed by Deion Sanders, Dick “Night Train” Lane, Mike Haynes, Rod Woodson, and Darrell Green.

Safeties

The committee chose six players, but I’m going with five. I dropped Jack Christiansen because he had a relatively short career (eight years) compared to others.