QB: Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Don Meredith
RB: Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, Don Perkins
WR: Michael Irvin, Bob Hayes, Jason Witten
OL: Rayfield Wright
DF: Darren Woodson, Mel Renfro, Chuck Howley, Bob Lilly
ST: Deion Sanders
CO: Tom Landry, Jim Johnson
Extra: Daryl Johnston, Randy White, Lee Roy Jordan, Cliff Harris, Tex Schramm, Harvey Martin, Nate Newton, Flozell Adams
They are ranked number one for a reason. America’s team has an abundance of talent from the top down. It is amazing that this franchise almost spent the last twenty years without winning a playoff game. This team is deep at every position. Dorsett and Emmitt Smith create possibly the best backfield that any of the other teams will have. Also, Dallas has a stable of Hall of Fame QBs with Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach. In addition, they also have Don Meredith who isn’t a bad player either. Irvin and Bob Hayes create the perfect combination of speed and power at the WR position. They didn’t call Bob Hayes , “Bullet” for no reason. The speed of Bob Hayes running those 9 routes and with the unstoppable force of Irving going across the middle, there is no amount of down in distance that this team can’t easily cover. Also they have Jason Witten as a tremendous red zone option. On defense…forget about it. The Cowboys have four defensive players that have won Super Bowl MVPs, even though two of them shared the award. The Cowboys are stacked everywhere defensively and have a tremendous special teams player in Deion Sanders. This team’s biggest edge is probably at coaching. Tom Landry is basically the symbol of coaching with no disrespect to Vince Lombardi. The hat, suit, and stoic look of Tom Landry is unforgettable and is synonymous with greatness. Jimmy Johnson was also able to etch his own image in Cowboys history. He engineered an unstoppable offense and a defense that was as impenetrable as his hair. The Cowboys are the favorite since they are the number one overall seed, but that doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to win this tournament. They should be able to dismantle the Eagles in the first round, but after that it will be a tough road for them to travel through.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
PFC #16 Philadelphia Eagles
QB: Donovan McNabb, Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham
RB: Steve Van Buren, Willbert Montgomery, Brian Westbrook
WR/TE: Tommy McDonald, Harold Carmichael, Pete Retzlaff
OL: Bob Boomer Brown
DF: Reggie White, Brian Dawkins, Chuck Bednarik, Eric Allen
SP: David Akers
CO: Earle Neale, Andy Reid
Extra: Bert Bell (owner), Troy Vincent , Mike Quick, Irving Fryar, Norm Van Brocklin, Sonny Jurgenson
I am a life-time Philadelphia Eagles fan, but I’m not going to lie to the world. This team isn’t going anywhere. A lot of it is due to the fact that the Eagles have either had a lot of moving parts or solid to good players. Donovan McNabb and Chuck Bednarik are by far the two best players the Eagles can offer, but besides that there really is not a lot to show, especially against the other 15 teams. The Eagles’ best position is at QB. Donovan is a possible HOF QB. Jaws use to hold the record for most consecutive games played and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance. Norm Van Brocklin is a HOFer and so is Sonny Jurgenson, but their better known for playing with other teams. However, Norm Van Brocklin did win a MVP and a championship with the Eagles in 1960. Randall Cunningham is by far the most exciting QB ever in NFL history and opened the door a little wider for African-American QBs. The other positions are not as deep as the QB position. On defense they do have Reggie White, Chuck Bednarik, and Brian Dawkins, but once you get pass those players the talent level drops tremendously. Troy Vincent and Eric Allen are very good players but in the realm of greatness they fall short. You know a team is in trouble when you have to add an owner to the all time great list. Unfortunately for this all-time Eagles team they go up against their rival the Dallas Cowboys in the first round, which should spell the end for this team. But who knows.
RB: Steve Van Buren, Willbert Montgomery, Brian Westbrook
WR/TE: Tommy McDonald, Harold Carmichael, Pete Retzlaff
OL: Bob Boomer Brown
DF: Reggie White, Brian Dawkins, Chuck Bednarik, Eric Allen
SP: David Akers
CO: Earle Neale, Andy Reid
Extra: Bert Bell (owner), Troy Vincent , Mike Quick, Irving Fryar, Norm Van Brocklin, Sonny Jurgenson
I am a life-time Philadelphia Eagles fan, but I’m not going to lie to the world. This team isn’t going anywhere. A lot of it is due to the fact that the Eagles have either had a lot of moving parts or solid to good players. Donovan McNabb and Chuck Bednarik are by far the two best players the Eagles can offer, but besides that there really is not a lot to show, especially against the other 15 teams. The Eagles’ best position is at QB. Donovan is a possible HOF QB. Jaws use to hold the record for most consecutive games played and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance. Norm Van Brocklin is a HOFer and so is Sonny Jurgenson, but their better known for playing with other teams. However, Norm Van Brocklin did win a MVP and a championship with the Eagles in 1960. Randall Cunningham is by far the most exciting QB ever in NFL history and opened the door a little wider for African-American QBs. The other positions are not as deep as the QB position. On defense they do have Reggie White, Chuck Bednarik, and Brian Dawkins, but once you get pass those players the talent level drops tremendously. Troy Vincent and Eric Allen are very good players but in the realm of greatness they fall short. You know a team is in trouble when you have to add an owner to the all time great list. Unfortunately for this all-time Eagles team they go up against their rival the Dallas Cowboys in the first round, which should spell the end for this team. But who knows.
PFC #10: Indianapolis Colts
QB: Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas, Bert Jones
RB: Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Lenny Moore
WR: Marvin Harrison, Raymond Berry, John Mackey
OL: Jim Parker
DF: Gino Marchetti, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Art Donovan
ST: Mike Vanderjagt
CO: Weeb Ewbank, Tony Dungy
Extra: Earl Morrall (QB), Alan Ameche (RB), Reggie Wayne (WR), Don Shula (CO),
Let's see...
By far the best QBs of any team yet presented. Best coaches (heck-- the all-time wins leader is ON THE BENCH, for goodness sakes!), best overall receivers, and their running backs are so stacked, I had to put a Hall of Famer in the "Extra" section. Lenny Moore would also be a fine returner, by the way. One of the best in this tournament, actually, and he's already on the roster, which is why I didn't include him a second time. As for the defense, I know it's a little early on Bob Sanders, but the guy is lights-out. Also, Marchetti is one of the 10-12 DEs who got absolutely SCREWED by the fact that sacks were not counted until the 80s. One of the best passrushers of all-time-- and Dwight Freeney is another, so that will go nicely together. The hardest choice was a fourth defender. To be honest, Colts defenders are a pretty lackluster group (especially at linebacker), but since we're not emphasizing defense too much, that'll work in their favor. By the way, I knew Jim Parker was a great offensive lineman, but what I learned is that he was the first full-time O-lineman in the Hall of Fame. Interesting, no? Anyway, I really, really like this team, and expect them to do very well. They're first-round matchup with the Niners should be fascinating, since this team is probably the most similar team to San Francisco of any team in the tournament.
RB: Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Lenny Moore
WR: Marvin Harrison, Raymond Berry, John Mackey
OL: Jim Parker
DF: Gino Marchetti, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Art Donovan
ST: Mike Vanderjagt
CO: Weeb Ewbank, Tony Dungy
Extra: Earl Morrall (QB), Alan Ameche (RB), Reggie Wayne (WR), Don Shula (CO),
Let's see...
By far the best QBs of any team yet presented. Best coaches (heck-- the all-time wins leader is ON THE BENCH, for goodness sakes!), best overall receivers, and their running backs are so stacked, I had to put a Hall of Famer in the "Extra" section. Lenny Moore would also be a fine returner, by the way. One of the best in this tournament, actually, and he's already on the roster, which is why I didn't include him a second time. As for the defense, I know it's a little early on Bob Sanders, but the guy is lights-out. Also, Marchetti is one of the 10-12 DEs who got absolutely SCREWED by the fact that sacks were not counted until the 80s. One of the best passrushers of all-time-- and Dwight Freeney is another, so that will go nicely together. The hardest choice was a fourth defender. To be honest, Colts defenders are a pretty lackluster group (especially at linebacker), but since we're not emphasizing defense too much, that'll work in their favor. By the way, I knew Jim Parker was a great offensive lineman, but what I learned is that he was the first full-time O-lineman in the Hall of Fame. Interesting, no? Anyway, I really, really like this team, and expect them to do very well. They're first-round matchup with the Niners should be fascinating, since this team is probably the most similar team to San Francisco of any team in the tournament.
PFC# 8 Oakland Raiders
QB: Ken Stabler, Rich Gannon, Jim Plunkett
RB: Marcus Allen, Clem Daniels, Bo Jackson
WR/TE: Tim Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, Dave Casper
OL: Gene Upshaw
DF: Howie Long, Willie Brown, Ted Hendricks, Jack Tatum
SP: Ray Guy
CO: John Madden, Al Davis
Extra: Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes, George Blanda, Art Shell, Jim Otto, Sebastian Janikowski
The Raiders might have the most complete all-time team in this tournament. The QB position is a little lacking, but they are set at their skilled positions. Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson would be a deadly back field, creating the perfect combination of speed and power for any team. They would also have wide open lanes to run through too. I mean Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, and Jim Otto would clear lanes wide enough for me to run for a 100 yards in a game. Furthermore, if the run game was not working they can toss it to their hall of fame receivers and tight end. Despite the somewhat lack of talent at the QB position offensively this team would be difficult to stop and they can stop everyone with their defense. The Raiders have an amazing history of secondary players. I think any all-time team would have to run well to beat these Raiders because any ball in the air is probably landing in the hands of a Raiders secondary player. The training staff would be extra active for the opposing team facing these Raiders. I mean just having to face Jack Tatum alone spells trouble, but also having to go against Howie Long and Ted Hendricks is a lot to ask out of anybody. And don’t forget about Ray Guy. The Raiders would win the field position game against almost any all-time team and with great kickers like George Blanda and Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders are pretty much guaranteed to score on every possession. This Raiders team might have the best combination of coaches as well. They have the voice of football in John Madden and “Just win baby” Al Davis. It will be interesting to see how far this team will go in this tournament. They are seeded number eight in our tournament but that should not scare the Raiders. I mean they were the first franchise to win a Super Bowl as a wild-card team. So winning this tournament should be a piece of cake. First up for the Raiders are the New York Giants.
RB: Marcus Allen, Clem Daniels, Bo Jackson
WR/TE: Tim Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, Dave Casper
OL: Gene Upshaw
DF: Howie Long, Willie Brown, Ted Hendricks, Jack Tatum
SP: Ray Guy
CO: John Madden, Al Davis
Extra: Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes, George Blanda, Art Shell, Jim Otto, Sebastian Janikowski
The Raiders might have the most complete all-time team in this tournament. The QB position is a little lacking, but they are set at their skilled positions. Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson would be a deadly back field, creating the perfect combination of speed and power for any team. They would also have wide open lanes to run through too. I mean Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, and Jim Otto would clear lanes wide enough for me to run for a 100 yards in a game. Furthermore, if the run game was not working they can toss it to their hall of fame receivers and tight end. Despite the somewhat lack of talent at the QB position offensively this team would be difficult to stop and they can stop everyone with their defense. The Raiders have an amazing history of secondary players. I think any all-time team would have to run well to beat these Raiders because any ball in the air is probably landing in the hands of a Raiders secondary player. The training staff would be extra active for the opposing team facing these Raiders. I mean just having to face Jack Tatum alone spells trouble, but also having to go against Howie Long and Ted Hendricks is a lot to ask out of anybody. And don’t forget about Ray Guy. The Raiders would win the field position game against almost any all-time team and with great kickers like George Blanda and Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders are pretty much guaranteed to score on every possession. This Raiders team might have the best combination of coaches as well. They have the voice of football in John Madden and “Just win baby” Al Davis. It will be interesting to see how far this team will go in this tournament. They are seeded number eight in our tournament but that should not scare the Raiders. I mean they were the first franchise to win a Super Bowl as a wild-card team. So winning this tournament should be a piece of cake. First up for the Raiders are the New York Giants.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
PFC#6: Cleveland Browns
QBs: Otto Graham, Bernie Kosar, Frank Ryan
RBs: Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Marion Motley
WR/TE: Ozzie Newsom, Paul Warfield, Dante Lavelli
OL: Gene Hickerson
DF: Len Ford, Warren Lahr, Jim Clay Matthews, Jerry Sherk
ST: Lou Groza
CO: Paul Brown, Blanton Collier
Extra: Bobby Mitchell, Bill Willis, Mike McCormick, Joe DeLamielleure,
I choose to do the Cleveland Browns due to their historical importance. The Browns are one of the oldest franchises in NFL history and have done a lot for the history of African Americans in pro football. Marion Motley and Bill Willis were the first African-Americans to play pro football in the modern era. In addition, the Browns drafted Jim Brown who was an important black activist during the civil rights era and is arguably the best running back in NFL history. Furthermore, the Browns also drafted Ernie Davis who was the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy. The Browns have not had great times in recent years, but the base of this franchise’s history will give them a chance to go far in this tournament. They have two positions (kicker and running back) in which they can claim they have the all-time best. In addition, Otto Graham is a top ten QB and Bobby Mitchell was an electrifying player way before his time. I like this Cleveland team, but it will be difficult to compare them to other teams since a lot of their great players are pre-merger players. However, Cleveland has 16 HOFs which is fifth most out of all NFL teams. The Browns are an important part of NFL history and they should get the respect that they deserve. First up for them is the Denver Broncos.
RBs: Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Marion Motley
WR/TE: Ozzie Newsom, Paul Warfield, Dante Lavelli
OL: Gene Hickerson
DF: Len Ford, Warren Lahr, Jim Clay Matthews, Jerry Sherk
ST: Lou Groza
CO: Paul Brown, Blanton Collier
Extra: Bobby Mitchell, Bill Willis, Mike McCormick, Joe DeLamielleure,
I choose to do the Cleveland Browns due to their historical importance. The Browns are one of the oldest franchises in NFL history and have done a lot for the history of African Americans in pro football. Marion Motley and Bill Willis were the first African-Americans to play pro football in the modern era. In addition, the Browns drafted Jim Brown who was an important black activist during the civil rights era and is arguably the best running back in NFL history. Furthermore, the Browns also drafted Ernie Davis who was the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy. The Browns have not had great times in recent years, but the base of this franchise’s history will give them a chance to go far in this tournament. They have two positions (kicker and running back) in which they can claim they have the all-time best. In addition, Otto Graham is a top ten QB and Bobby Mitchell was an electrifying player way before his time. I like this Cleveland team, but it will be difficult to compare them to other teams since a lot of their great players are pre-merger players. However, Cleveland has 16 HOFs which is fifth most out of all NFL teams. The Browns are an important part of NFL history and they should get the respect that they deserve. First up for them is the Denver Broncos.
PFC #15: San Diego Chargers
In our Pro-Football Challenge, I'm going to lead off with my lowest-seeded team, and perhaps the most surprising inclusion of the top 16: the San Diego Chargers. Well, here are the players.
QB: Dan Fouts, Philip Rivers, John Hadl
RB: LaDanian Tomlinson, Natrone Means, Chuck Muncie
WR: Lance Alworth, Kellen Winslow, Charlie Joiner
OL: Ron Mix
DF: Junior Seau, Leslie O'Neal, Rodney Harrison, Fred Dean
ST: Darren Bennett
CO: Don Coryell, Sid Gillman
Extra: Antonio Gates (TE), Darren Sproles (KR)
This is a really trick franchise to pin down. They have some really stong points, like QB and especially special teams (I didn't mention Andre Coleman above, but you may remember this play, formerly the longest play in Super Bowl history; also, his 1995 season was pretty great all-around). The defense isn't strong past these four, but what a strong four! Fred Dean may be the most underrated defensive player in the history of pro football. Look him up.
The rub with the Chargers, though, is that the other positions are just awful. True, Lance Alworth and Kellen Winslow are all-time greats, but there's really not much after that. I like Charlie Joiner, but his numbers, even for his era, aren't great-- they're very, very good, but not great. The gaps that hurt the most, though are at running back and o-line. I find it pretty hard to believe that they'll go very far in this tournament with the three slightly-above-average backs on this roster. I shouldn't be so harsh: Tomlinson is an all-time great. But seriously: no one better? I thought about Terrell Fletcher, but if you're even CONSIDERING Terrell Fletcher, what does that say about the team you're working with? Well, we'll see how they do. First up for them is the Dolphins.
QB: Dan Fouts, Philip Rivers, John Hadl
RB: LaDanian Tomlinson, Natrone Means, Chuck Muncie
WR: Lance Alworth, Kellen Winslow, Charlie Joiner
OL: Ron Mix
DF: Junior Seau, Leslie O'Neal, Rodney Harrison, Fred Dean
ST: Darren Bennett
CO: Don Coryell, Sid Gillman
Extra: Antonio Gates (TE), Darren Sproles (KR)
This is a really trick franchise to pin down. They have some really stong points, like QB and especially special teams (I didn't mention Andre Coleman above, but you may remember this play, formerly the longest play in Super Bowl history; also, his 1995 season was pretty great all-around). The defense isn't strong past these four, but what a strong four! Fred Dean may be the most underrated defensive player in the history of pro football. Look him up.
The rub with the Chargers, though, is that the other positions are just awful. True, Lance Alworth and Kellen Winslow are all-time greats, but there's really not much after that. I like Charlie Joiner, but his numbers, even for his era, aren't great-- they're very, very good, but not great. The gaps that hurt the most, though are at running back and o-line. I find it pretty hard to believe that they'll go very far in this tournament with the three slightly-above-average backs on this roster. I shouldn't be so harsh: Tomlinson is an all-time great. But seriously: no one better? I thought about Terrell Fletcher, but if you're even CONSIDERING Terrell Fletcher, what does that say about the team you're working with? Well, we'll see how they do. First up for them is the Dolphins.
Pro Football Challenge
Here's a little dose of football for you in the offseason, so my baseball posts don't keep boring you.
Jordan and I were discussing the other day about which NFL franchise was the greatest. We decided that perhaps the best way to determine this would be choose an all-time team for each franchise, and have them "play" in a tournament. We decided on 16 teams, because not all 32 (nor the many that have folded) actually merit inclusion in this discussion. Here are the teams we are using:
Cowboys - .580
Dolphins - .579
Bears - .577
Packers - .558
Vikings - .555
Browns - .553
49ers - .551
Raiders - .550
Giants - .547
Colts - .531
Broncos - .528
Patriots - .518
Steelers - .517
Redskins - .517
Chargers - .503
Eagles - .483
They are seeded by all-time winning percentage. The Steelers won the honor of playing lower-seeded Green Bay while Washington will play Chicago because the Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowls. It was an arbitrary tiebreaker, but I knew the answer offhand and didn't need to look it up, so that's why it was chosen. Anyway, each "team" will consist of the following:
3 QBs
3 RBs
3 WR/TE
1 OL
4 Defensive players
1 Special teamer (meaning kicker, punter, or returner)
2 Coaches
Any additional players or coaches the picker sees fit. For example, if, as a picker, one of us we saw that there were two, three, or even four offensive linemen who merited inclusion, we would certainly be entitled to mentioning those players here. The above numbers are simply minimums (or minima, if you're into Latin plurals).
Beyond that, things should be pretty self-explanatory. We split up the teams, so we'll each take eight. We're hoping to post at least one per week, but that is going to be a little tricky for me in the coming weeks, since I'm getting married two weeks from today. If nothing else, I'll catch up when I get back. Regardless, it'll start with a quick team-profile, and once all 16 teams are selected, we'll start the "tournament." Hope you enjoy!
Jordan and I were discussing the other day about which NFL franchise was the greatest. We decided that perhaps the best way to determine this would be choose an all-time team for each franchise, and have them "play" in a tournament. We decided on 16 teams, because not all 32 (nor the many that have folded) actually merit inclusion in this discussion. Here are the teams we are using:
Cowboys - .580
Dolphins - .579
Bears - .577
Packers - .558
Vikings - .555
Browns - .553
49ers - .551
Raiders - .550
Giants - .547
Colts - .531
Broncos - .528
Patriots - .518
Steelers - .517
Redskins - .517
Chargers - .503
Eagles - .483
They are seeded by all-time winning percentage. The Steelers won the honor of playing lower-seeded Green Bay while Washington will play Chicago because the Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowls. It was an arbitrary tiebreaker, but I knew the answer offhand and didn't need to look it up, so that's why it was chosen. Anyway, each "team" will consist of the following:
3 QBs
3 RBs
3 WR/TE
1 OL
4 Defensive players
1 Special teamer (meaning kicker, punter, or returner)
2 Coaches
Any additional players or coaches the picker sees fit. For example, if, as a picker, one of us we saw that there were two, three, or even four offensive linemen who merited inclusion, we would certainly be entitled to mentioning those players here. The above numbers are simply minimums (or minima, if you're into Latin plurals).
Beyond that, things should be pretty self-explanatory. We split up the teams, so we'll each take eight. We're hoping to post at least one per week, but that is going to be a little tricky for me in the coming weeks, since I'm getting married two weeks from today. If nothing else, I'll catch up when I get back. Regardless, it'll start with a quick team-profile, and once all 16 teams are selected, we'll start the "tournament." Hope you enjoy!
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