Greatest NFL Footballers Ever Part1

[littlelleyton]

just to try and get this clear this is a poll for the NFL.
please enjoy and discuss to your hearts content. i expect that now there is no reason what so ever to crash other threads in the future.....
i understand that this is a list of many that could be put on here but i challenge you to vote on this and discuss these players and if you feel like there should be more than start the thread yourself.


who do you consider to be the all time greatest NFL player?

Walter Payton (Bears)
Walter Payton held the NFL's all-time rushing record for almost two decades. He broke Jim Brown's mark in 1984 and when he retired after the 1987 season, he had extended the record to 16,726 yards
16,726 yards signified 9½ miles he ran for in 13 seasons
492 receptions for 4,538 yards, giving him him a total of 21,803 combined net yards. He also scored 125 touchdowns, 110 of which were rushing. He was voted MVP in 1977 and again in 1985
He was named All-Pro seven times and played in the Pro Bowl nine times. He held the single-game rushing record of 275 yards (Corey Dillon rushed for 278 in 2001) and has rushed for 100 yards in a game 77 times. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season ten times. He was also named to the NFL's Seventy-Fifth Anniversary


Terry Bradshaw (Steelers)
Terry Bradshaw was selected No. 1 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970 NFL Draft.
Bradshaw's finest season came in 1978, when he completed 207-of-368 passes for 2,915 yards and a league-leading 28 touchdowns.
Terry Bradshaw completed 2,025-of-3,901 passes for 27,989 yards and 212 touchdowns. He also rushed 444 times for 2,257 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Selected to Play in Three Pro Bowls
Led the Pittsburgh Steelers to Eight AFC Central Championships
Led the Steelers to Four Super Bowl Titles in a Six-Year Span
Named the Super Bowl MVP in both Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV
Named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press (1978)
Named AFC Player of the Year (1978)
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1989

Jerry Rice (49ers, Raiders, Seahawks,Broncos)
many consider the greatest wide receiver in the history of the National Football League Playing for the San Francisco 49ers, he set a host of NFL records, including those for career touchdowns, receptions, and reception yardage.
totals of 1,549 catches for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns -- all league records
Just signed up with the Broncos for his 21st season at 42 years of age.

Franco Harris (Steelers, Seahawks)
Franco Harris is known as one of the NFL's greatest running backs, but he is probably best known for one spectacular play... the Immaculate Reception!
His best season came in 1975 when he rushed for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games.
NFL Career Totals:
Rushed 2,949 times for 12,120 yards and 91 touchdowns, and caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Sporting News and UPI Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News and United Press International (1972)
Fourth Rookie in NFL History to Rush for 1,000 Yards
Named All-Pro (1977)
Named All-AFC (1972,75,76,77)
Selected to Nine Pro Bowls
Played in Five AFC Championships
Won Four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
Super Bowl MVP (IX)
Rushed for 1,000 Yards in a Season Eight Times
Rushed for 100 yards in a Game 47 Times


Joe Montana (49ers, Chiefs)
Joe Montana orchestrated a 92-yard game-winning drive in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXIII
Passing - 3,409 Completions on 5,391 Attempts for 40,551 Yards and 273 Touchdowns
Rushing - 457 Carries for 1,676 Yards and 20 Touchdowns
Two-Time NFL MVP (1989-90)
Won Four Super Bowls (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV)
Only player Named Super Bowl MVP Three Times (XVI, XIX, XXIV)
All-NFL Three Times
All-NFC Five Times
Selected to Eight Pro Bowls
Orchestrated 31 Fourth Quarter Comebacks
Led NFL in Passing 5 Times (1981,84,85,87,89)
Set NFL record with six 300-yard passing performances in the post-season
Set career playoff record for attempts, completions, touchdowns, and yards gained passing
Became just the fifth quarterback to pass for more than 40,000 yards in a career
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2000)


Joe Namath (Jets, Rams)
Joe Namath's best season came in 1967 when he completed 258 passes for 4,007 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Passing - 1,886 Completions on 3,762 Attempts for 27,663 Yards and 173 Touchdowns
Rushing - 71 Carries for 140 Yards and 7 Touchdowns
Named American Football League Rookie of the Year (1965)
First professional quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season (1967)
Named the AFL's Most Valuable Player (1968)
Elected to Four AFL All-Star Games
Selected to One AFC-NFC Pro Bowl
Named MVP of Super Bowl III
Led the NFL in Passing Three Times
Received the Hickock Belt for Professional Athlete of the Year
Received the George Halas Award for Most Courageous Athlete
Named Dodge Man of the Year
Served as an analyst for NBC Sports and ABC's Monday Night Football.
Named to AFL All-Time Team
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1985)

Bart Starr (Packers)
The Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award was created to honor the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.
Passing - 1,808 Completions on 3,149 Attempts for 24,718 Yards and 152 Touchdowns
Rushing - 247 Carries for 1,308 Yards and 15 Touchdowns
Named NFL MVP (1966)
Won Six Western Division Titles
Won Five NFL Championships
Won Two Super Bowl Victories (I,II)
Named MVP of Super Bowls I and II
Led the NFL in passing in 1962, 1964 and 1966
Named to the Pro Bowl Four Times
Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers (1975-83)
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1977)

Dick Butkus (Bears)
First-round draft pick, 1965. . .Exceptional defensive star with speed, quickness, instinct, strength. . .Great leader, tremendous competitor, adept at forcing fumbles. . .Had 22 lifetime interceptions, 27 fumble recoveries. . .Serious knee injury ended brilliant career. . .All-NFL six years. . .In eight straight Pro Bowls. . .Born December 9, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois.
Named All-NFL Six Times
Played in Eight Straight Pro Bowls
Named NFL Defensive Player of the Year Twice
Selected to 75th Anniversary All Time Team
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1979)



O.J. Simpson
The Buffalo Bills selected O.J. Simpson No. 1 overall in the 1969 NFL Draft.
O.J. Simpson's greatest season came in 1973 when he rushed for 2,003 yards. He was the first running back to surpass the 2,000-yard mark and the only one to do it in a 14-game season.
Rushing - 2,404 Carries for 11,236 Yards and 61 Touchdowns
Receiving - 203 Receptions for 2,142 Yards and 14 Touchdowns
NFL Most Valuable Player (1973)
First player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season (1973)
Unanimous All-Pro
Won Four NFL Rushing Titles (1972,73,75,76)
Named All-Pro Five Straight Years (1972-76)
Named to Six Pro Bowls
Pro Bowl Player of the Game (1973)
Inducted into the Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame (1991


Randy White (Cowboys)
Randy White was drafted No.2 overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1975 NFL Draft
Randy White's best season was probably in 1978 when he recorded 123 tackles and 16 sacks.
Selected for the Pro Bowl Nine Times
Named All-Pro Eight Times
Named Super Bowl Co-MVP (XII)
NFC Defensive Player of the Year (1978)
NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year (1982)
Won One Super Bowl Title (XII)
Won three NFC Titles
Won Five Division Titles
Inducted into the Dallas Cowboy's Ring of Honor (1994)
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1994

 

[Jonnyf]

at this current moment i like Randy Moss from The Minnessota Vikings (my cousins lived in MIN for 18 months b4 coming back to Scotland) so im converted to Min teams

 

[Yours!05]

just to try and get this clear this is a poll for the NFL.
please enjoy and discuss to your hearts content. i expect that now there is no reason what so ever to crash other threads in the future.....

Graceful sidestep... Props to you littlelleyton.

 

[littlelleyton]

side stepp maybe, but people continue to post of the other football thread......you just cant win can you???

 

[loopy]

Tough choice, as a niner fan I love Rice and Montana but also huge payton fan so I can't decide. There's so many great ones.

 

[donnyz89]

bradshaw? butkus? who are these people?!?! jk, but they are not the best NFL baller of all time. GREATEST PLAYER of all time has to be Jerry Rice, i mean, consistancy, records, performance, biggame performance, durability, you cant ask for a better player period.

 

[Capt. Willie]

You got Payton, Harris and OJ (my hero as a kid) but you left out the greatest runningback of all time, JIM BROWN. In fact Jim Brown was probably the greatest lacrosse player of all-time also.

 

[Capt. Willie]

Hey JonnyF and littlelleyton, ever go to (or watch) a "Claymores" game?....although I think they went the way of the London Monarchs.

 

[Muse]

Gotta say Rice. Not to take anything away from the other players, but when you think of Jerry Rice, you think of the best WR who's ever played the position. ever. How many other players can you say are the best who ever played their position? You could make a case for Montana, and from an intangables standpoint, you might be right, but QB's like Marino, and when it's all said and done, Peyton Manning, will probably have better stats, so that clouds the debate about QB's. No such argument with Rice. He's obviousially the best to ever play the game.

 

[Phil]

side stepp maybe, but people continue to post of the other football thread......you just cant win can you???

Hey, littlelleyton - Nice list, and it's nice of you to create a thread for us neanderthal Americans and segregate that from your previous thread on "The Beautiful Game". But, you know, the gears are in motion, and I'll continue to post in the original thread.

No hard feelings...my first post there was a JOKE...really. I KNEW some Euros would step up and berate me, just for having the "GALL" to mention "Football" as an American game, but again, it was done toungue-in-cheek all the way. You obviously don't see it that way and, well, you know...you say something thast you think is humerous and it doesn't always go down that way with everyone.

But we are a VERY diverse species, and because of that, I figure that Football and Football can exist in the same thread. Why wouldn't you think that is the case?

 

[GOOOOOGA]

Gale Sayers

7 year career, only the first 5 went longer than 2 games. Averaged 5.0 yd/carry, if he stayed healthy, played 16 games a season, he'd get aroun 1500 yd per season and, over 12 years, would amass around 18,000 yd. Emmitt Smith got 18,000 after 15 seasons. 4-time probowler (3time probowl mvp), 22 TDs as a rookie, he was also a helluva kick returner, averaging 31 yd per return and 6 returns for TDs in 3 seasons.

a devastating knee injury ended his career.

if you havn't seen it, watch the original "Brian's Song"- the story of the friendship between Bears teammates Sayers and Brian Piccolo. Very sad story.

 

[bismark]

Greatest football players to rock the 80's : Marco van Basten, Kenny Dalglish, Maradona, Ruud Gullit, Michel Platini

There you go.

 

[Geico]

This one is easy, Walter Payton. Was there anyone more exciting to watch?
I still remember the landmark he made with that single game rushing record of 275 yards.

 

[littlelleyton]

You got Payton, Harris and OJ (my hero as a kid) but you left out the greatest runningback of all time, JIM BROWN. In fact Jim Brown was probably the greatest lacrosse player of all-time also.

tennis warehouse only alllows you to put 10 in a poll. i know there is always going to be people with different views hence the reason this is part 1.

yes been to a claymores game and watched them when they were on the tv but its nothing compared to the pats game i went too.

 

[littlelleyton]

Hey, littlelleyton - Nice list, and it's nice of you to create a thread for us neanderthal Americans and segregate that from your previous thread on "The Beautiful Game". But, you know, the gears are in motion, and I'll continue to post in the original thread.

No hard feelings...my first post there was a JOKE...really. I KNEW some Euros would step up and berate me, just for having the "GALL" to mention "Football" as an American game, but again, it was done toungue-in-cheek all the way. You obviously don't see it that way and, well, you know...you say something thast you think is humerous and it doesn't always go down that way with everyone.

But we are a VERY diverse species, and because of that, I figure that Football and Football can exist in the same thread. Why wouldn't you think that is the case?

Phil,
no hard feelings but i realise that it was done for a wind up, which is fine by me but you came out guns blazing talking about sticks up buts and being sarcy with the matey crap. there was really no need. im all for having a laugh but you certainly didnt come across like that.

the reason i put the poll up, not as a way to keep americans and others apart but to give people that wanted to talk about it a place.i hate to say it but if its such a great topic to talk about and you feel so strongly about it how come no one has bothered there butt to start a thread? dare i say its the easy option to just crash another thread and try to take it over.......
as you said there arent many on here that talk about soccer, so why not just let us have our little corner of the forum? this would be being diverse, maybe hearing your input on the subject and talking to us about it would you being diverse. we ARE a diverse species, when we want to be, i know this, i have spent the last 6 years, 7 months of my life living in New Hampshire, as well as living in france for a year when i was 15. i know what diversity is and embrace it. i have learned about NFL and MLB and taking an interest in it so i could do just that, be diverse.

but whatever you obviously see this thread as nothing more than a put down to you " neanderthal Americans " its amazing that you try to do something to be helpful and yet it still can get turned out that your the bad guy.

 

[Jonnyf]

Hey JonnyF and littlelleyton, ever go to (or watch) a "Claymores" game?....although I think they went the way of the London Monarchs.

You see where the Claymores play is only like 10 minutes in a car. They used to give free tickets out like mad and then...............














They went bust. They went bust just before my cousin made me like US Sports Otherwise i would've gone and seen them

 

[littlelleyton]

10 minutes jonny???