NFL 100 Offense

As we get set for the NFL's 100th season to kick off next week and all the hoopla surrounding the celebration, I figured I might as well get into the act, too.  My buddy Shades posted his list of the 100 Greatest Buffalo Bills yesterday, which inspired me to move up this post that I was planning on doing at some point anyway.

There have been a lot of great players in the NFL over the past 100 years, but who are the absolute best of the best?  This is obviously a very subjective exercise, but that's exactly what I'm gonna try to do.  Today I unveil the 11 players that make up my all-time offense, as well as the kicker and kick returner.  Tomorrow, it'll be the defense.  (Thanks to Shades for the input on some of the selections.)

And, no, I don't expect you all to agree with my choices.  That's kinda the whole point.  Especially since I'm limiting it to a starting lineup at each position.  So, for all the Hall of Famers who've been immortalized in Canton, this is the absolute best of the best.

Quarterback: Tom Brady-Quarterback was perhaps the most difficult position to choose, and I'm not getting into the GOAT debate about Brady right now.  But the numbers, the longevity and all the winning actually made this a fairly easy choice.  As much as anybody who doesn't live in New England loves to hate the Patriots, it's impossible not to respect what they've done.  And Brady has been right at the heart of it.  He's one of only two active players on my list, but it's obvious he's headed to Canton as soon as he's eligible (although, he does need to actually retire for that to happen).

Running Back: Walter Payton-"Sweetness" was the appropriate nickname for Walter Payton.  He was just a special football player and held virtually every NFL rushing record at the time of his retirement.  He also only missed one game in a 13-year career.  It says something about how much people respected Walter Payton that Mike Ditka publicly stated his biggest regret was not getting Payton a touchdown in Super Bowl XX.  It says even more that the NFL's Man of the Year Award is named in his honor.

Fullback: Jim Brown-All those records that Payton broke previously belonged to Jim Brown, one of the first true "greats" of the NFL.  He was an eight-time All-Pro, three-time MVP, and is widely considered to be among the handful of greatest players in NFL history.  The team was actually named after founder Paul Brown, but you'd be forgiven for thinking the Cleveland Browns were named after Jim.

Wide Receiver: Jerry Rice-Duh!  Perhaps the easiest and most obvious of the 26 selections.  He isn't just the gold standard for wide receivers, he stands so far above the rest that there isn't even a comparison.  It's Jerry Rice, then everybody else fighting for second.  Even in this pass-happy era, his receiving records will stand for a long time.

Wide Receiver: Raymond Berry-Choosing the other wide receiver was much more difficult.  But I went way back to the guy who really helped redefine the position into what it is today.  He was Johnny Unitas' favorite target, and they were one of the best QB-receiver tandems in NFL history.  Berry's 631 career receptions don't seem like a lot today, but he was the premier receiver of his era.

Tight End: Tony Gonzalez-The tight end position has evolved over the years.  In the past, they were used as blockers for the run game.  Now, they're essentially another wide receiver (just bigger).  Tony Gonzalez was at the forefront of that evolution.  He's got more receptions than anybody but Jerry Rice and was just as dominant towards the end of his career in Atlanta as he was during his prime in Kansas City.

Tackle: Anthony Munoz-Offensive linemen are difficult to judge.  But there's very little debate that Anthony Munoz is one of the greatest in history.  He played in 11 consecutive Pro Bowls and was named First Team All-Pro nine times in 13 seasons (and Second Team All-Pro twice).  He also missed just three games over his first 12 years, which is pretty remarkable for an offensive lineman.

Tackle: Forrest Gregg-Munoz's first head coach with the Bengals joins him at tackle.  Vince Lombardi said that Gregg was "the finest player I ever coached," and he played in a then-record 188 consecutive games over 16 seasons.  He was also a seven-time All-Pro and won five championships blocking for those great running backs on Lombardi's Packers.

Guard: Larry Allen-Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher, and his offensive line deserves a lot of credit for that.  And Larry Allen was the best member of that line.  I don't even think there's much of a question that he's the best guard in NFL history.  He was on TWO All-Decade Teams (1990s and 2000s), played in 11 Pro Bowls, and was named First Team All-Pro seven consecutive times (including once at tackle).

Guard: Gene Upshaw-Before he was the long-time head of the NFLPA, Gene Upshaw was a Hall of Fame guard for the Raiders.  Perhaps the most impressive feat during his 15-year career spent entirely in Oakland was the fact that he started Super Bowls in three different decades.  He and Art Shell were constants on the offensive line throughout the Raiders' run of greatness in the 70s.

Center: Jim Otto-Yes, Otto spent the majority of his career in the AFL (in fact, he played in every one of the Raiders' games during the AFL's 10-year existence).  But, he also played five seasons in the NFL after the merger.  And, the NFL acknowledges the AFL's history, so an Otto selection is completely justified.  He's also one of the most dominant players ever play center.  Plus, the 00 thing is just cool.

Kicker: Adam Vinatieri-My only other active player is the NFL's all-time leading scorer.  Adam Vinatieri has been at it a long time, which has contributed to the scoring record, but his Canton resume has nothing to do with his longevity.  The two last-second game-winning field goals in three years at the start of the Patriots' dynasty sealed it long before he went to Indianapolis, where he won another Super Bowl ring.  Vinatieri's rookie year was 1996, so he's been kicking in the NFL for nearly a quarter of the league's 100 seasons.

Kick Returner: Gale Sayers-You knew I had to find a way to get Gale Sayers on there.  His proficiency as a running back was impressive in its own right, but it's nothing compared to how electric he was on kickoff returns.  He averaged over 30 yards per return for his career and had six kickoff return touchdowns (including two in one game)!  Too bad he only played seven years.  Because there could've been so many more.