Friday, May 29, 2015

NFL Franchise Fours

I almost forgot that I never did Franchise Fours for the NFL.  So, before May wraps up, I wanted to remedy that little problem.

The NFL did something similar to this last year or the year before with its "Mount Rushmore" polls, but I don't know if that was an official thing or not.  And seeing as I never saw it advertised anywhere or saw any results, I'm thinking it wasn't official.  It's not like that matters.  I just wanted to make that point.

Same rules apply as MLB used and I also applied to basketball and hockey.  Houston Oilers are all technically Titans.  If you played anywhere for the Rams or the Cardinals, it counts.  And since the agreement with the Browns/Ravens was that Baltimore would be treated as an expansion franchise, that's the way I'm treating them.  Jim Brown and Otto Graham were Browns and still are.  As far as I'm concerned, the Baltimore Ravens came into existence in 1995.  And don't try to tell me Johnny Unitas belongs with Baltimore.  The Colts' history went with them to Indianapolis, so that's where he goes.

One other note needs to be mentioned.  Only players are eligible.  Yes, George Halas founded the NFL.  But he left his mark as an owner and coach.  I think he played in the early days of the Bears, but that's certainly not his legacy, so he doesn't make the cut for the Bears.  It's worth saying that.  Because owners in football have had much more of a lasting impact on their teams than in other sports.  Al Davis, Ralph Wilson, Hank Stram, Wellington Mara, Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft.  The list goes on and on.

It's not like those teams don't have enough worthwhile players anyway.  Just like the other sports, it's hard finding four to fill out the team for the likes of Jacksonville and Houston, while it's hard to narrow it down to four for teams like the Bears and the Packers and the Steelers.  However, I shall do my best.  Here we go...

Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald, Larry Wilson, Kurt Warner, Ottis Anderson
Atlanta Falcons: Tommy Nobis, Deion Sanders, Roddy White, Claude Humphrey
Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Jonathan Ogden
Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, O.J. Simpson
Carolina Panthers: Muhsin Muhammad, Steve Smith, Stephen Davis, Cam Newton
Chicago Bears: Bronko Nagurski, Red Grange, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton
Cincinnati Bengals: Anthony Munoz, Boomer Esiason, Cris Collinsworth, Carson Palmer
Cleveland Browns: Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Bernie Kosar, Joe Thomas
Dallas Cowboys: Roger Staubach, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman
Denver Broncos: John Elway, Floyd Little, Terrell Davis, Peyton Manning
Detroit Lions: Barry Sanders, Billy Sims, Bobby Layne, Joe Schmidt
Green Bay Packers: Bart Starr, Brett Favre, Don Hutson, Reggie White
Houston Texans: Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Matt Schaub, J.J. Watt
Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, John Mackey
Jacksonville Jaguars: Tony Boselli, Maurice Jones-Drew, Mark Brunell, Jimmy Smith
Kansas City Chiefs: Len Dawson, Tony Gonzalez, Derrick Thomas, Buck Buchanan
Miami Dolphins: Dan Marino, Bob Griese, Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka
Minnesota Vikings: Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page, Cris Carter, John Randle
New England Patriots: Tom Brady, John Hannah, Vince Wilfork, Andre Tippett
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees, Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills
New York Giants: Lawrence Taylor, Frank Gifford, Mel Hein, Eli Manning
New York Jets: Joe Namath, Mark Gastineau, Curtis Martin, Joe Klecko
Oakland Raiders: Ken Stabler, Jim Otto, Marcus Allen, Ted Hendricks
Philadelphia Eagles: Reggie White, Chuck Bednarik, Donovan McNabb, Steve Van Buren
Pittsburgh Steelers: Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw
San Diego Chargers: Dan Fouts, Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers
San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig
Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson, Cortez Kennedy, Steve Largent, Shaun Alexander
St. Louis Rams: Jackie Slater, Jack Youngblood, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Lee Roy Selmon, Ronde Barber
Tennessee Titans: Warren Moon, Bruce Matthews, Earl Campbell, Elvin Bethea
Washington Redskins: Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgensen, Darrell Green, Art Monk

1 comment:

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