UNF's #1 Student-Run News Source

UNF Spinnaker

UNF's #1 Student-Run News Source

UNF Spinnaker

UNF's #1 Student-Run News Source

UNF Spinnaker

Staff Blog: Best NFL players of all-time

I just finished watching the movie “The Express” and it got me thinking about the best NFL players of all-time at each position. With the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, I decided to come up with a list. Here’s my top three and most over rated of each given position.

Quarterback

1.) Joe Montana

2.) Dan Marino

3.) John Elway

Most over rated – Brett Favre

Running back

1.) Walter Payton

2.) Berry Sanders

3.) Jim Brown

Most over rated – Emmitt Smith

Wide receiver

1.) Jerry Rice

2.) Lynn Swann

3.) Chris Carter

Most over rated – Sterling Sharpe

Offensive Lineman

1.) Anthony Munoz

2.) Art Shell

3.) Ron Yary

Most over rated – Dan Dierdorf

Defensive ends

1.) Reggie White

2.) Bob Lilly

3.) Bruce Smith

Most over rated – George Connor

Linebackers

1.) Dick Butkus

2.) Laurence Taylor

3.) Mike Singletary

Most over rated – Ray Lewis

Defensive backs

1.) Ronnie Lott

2.) Deon Sanders

3.) Night Train Lane

Most over rated – Steve Atwater

Head coach

1.) Don Shula

2.) Bill Walsh

3.) Bill Belichick

Most over rated – Vince Lombardi

Top three NFL teams

1.) 1972 Miami Dolphins

2.) 1985 Chicago Bears

3.) 1992 Dallas Cowboys

Most Over rated – 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers

And nobody cares about kickers or punters, just ask Adam Sandler.

View Comments (20)
More to Discover

Comments (20)

Spinnaker intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. As such, we do not permit the use of profanity, foul language, personal attacks, slurs, defamation, or the use of language that might be interpreted as libelous. Comments are reviewed and will be removed if they do not adhere to these standards. Spinnaker does not allow anonymous comments, and Spinnaker requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments.
All UNF Spinnaker Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • M

    mn.dylan.fanMay 29, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    QB’s
    1. Johnny U.
    2. John Elway
    3. Tom Brady

    WR
    1. Fred Biletnikoff (I know it’s not true but he’s my favorite)
    2. Jerry Rice
    3. Cris Carter

    RB
    1. Walter Payton
    2. Jim Brown
    3. Barry Sanders

    OL
    1. Art Shell
    2. Gene Upshaw
    3. Ron Yary

    DL
    1. Alan Page
    2. Deacon Jones
    3. Reggie White

    Linebackers
    1. Dick Butkus
    2. Mike Singletary
    3. Ted Hendricks

    DBacks
    1. Jack Tatum
    2. Night Trane Lane
    3. Ronnie Lott

    Reply
  • D

    daveOct 3, 2010 at 10:06 pm

    SHULA is by far the most over rated coach in history. consider he couldnt win two championship games in baltimore when he had better talent. he did lose his first sb with miami, and then won two in a row with the players that the former coach brought in. when the team needed rebuilding, he couldnt do it, and the dolphins were mediocre. the killer b’s had it going for a few years, losing another super bowl with david woodley to riggins and the skins. shula got lucky when marino came to miami, no skill, only luck no one wanted marino. of course marino never had a running game or defense, shula allowed marino to win by himself, and padded shulas win record. for 17 years marino had to pass the ball when everyone knew the pass was coming, yet couldnt stop it. the defense was horrid, and shula had his buddy olivadotti as dc. he was awful, but shula has the record thanks to george wilsons guys in the 70’s, and with marino later. shula is hugely overrated and im a dolphins fan since 72 so i know

    Reply
  • S

    Squire89Mar 7, 2010 at 9:37 pm

    alright, decent list..but there are a few kinks.
    QBs (not in order)
    Peyton Manning, several all time records and still has a 6-8 good years left
    Marino, pure skill and made up the 70s Dolphins
    Steve Young, stepped in and did what Montana did, without all the weapons

    RBs
    #1 Jim Brown (given the benefit of the doubt on his would be tacklers of his time) no1 ran with the kind of power and explosiveness he did (not including Bo Jackson)
    #2 Sweetness..revolutionized the way the HB position was played and had everything a football player needs to succeed
    #3 Barry Sander, who else has had those kind of stats in as few years as he played, and he wasn’t even on that great of a team

    TEs
    #1 Mike Ditka overall powerhouse and pretty much made tacklers his bitches, no other TE blocked like him either
    #2 Kellen Winslow a very well balance TE with skills beyond his time
    (Soon to be) #3 Dallas Clark. Probably has the most impact on his team than any other TE ever did and is “remodeling” the way TE is played

    WRs
    #1 Jerry Rice hands down, look at the numbers and his effect on the team
    #2 Marvin Harrison. the last 2 years hurt his resume but other than that a phenominal player that made Peyton Manning who he is today
    #3 Randy Moss biggest deep threat in history, 23 TDs in 1 year..crazy

    OL not sure

    DL
    #1 Deacon Jones no doubt. Just a mean son of a bitch that could prolly still rip a QBs head off
    #2 Reggie White 21 sacks in a season, NFL record of 1.75 sacks a game and 198 sacks in a career
    #3 Bob Lilly 11 career pro bowls, durable player starting 196 consecutive regular season games

    LBs are spot on

    Mostly agree with DBs other than Deon maybe..

    Coaches
    #1 Shula
    #2 Dungy/Belichik/Lombardi

    Teams
    #1 Late 80s’-mid 90s’ 49ers
    #2 85′ Bears
    #3 72′ Dolphins

    My personal opinion
    I don’t consider Super Bowls, because thats not completely individual

    Reply
  • U

    UKIDec 4, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    wtf? vince lombardi is the best coach of all time. but i like that brett favre is the over rated qb

    Reply
  • G

    george johnsonNov 29, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    ray lewis most overated that bs and you know that

    Reply
  • J

    jroOct 10, 2009 at 2:11 am

    Lombardi evolved the un-evolved. Walsh evolved an already evolved sport. Bigger feat.

    Reply
  • J

    jroOct 10, 2009 at 2:10 am

    1989 49ers, greatest team of all time.
    Bill Walsh greatest coach. He forced football to evolve.
    So did Lombardi, and those before him. But nobody has had as big an impact on football since then, like Walsh, and never will again.

    Reply
  • J

    jroOct 10, 2009 at 2:06 am

    QB – Montana 4 Superbowls… Brady Favre then Marino. Steve Young most under-rated Qb of all time. Terry Bradshaw Most over-rated.

    HB – no contest. Barry Sanders. Hands down, anyone arguing this is insane. Name a RB with enough superbowls to contend with this mans skills. Jim Brown most over-rated. (his size was ridiculous at the time, would be average in the nfl today)

    WR – no contest times 10. Jerry Rice, sorry kids stats do not lie. Nor do superbowls. Michael Irvin most over-rated WR.

    OLINE – Who cares honestly…

    DLINE – Reggie White/Michael Strahan, you pick. Both have same hardware. Bruce Smith would have been rated higher if he had won a superbowl.

    LB – Singleterry. Ray Lewis is the most over-rated LB of all time.

    DB – Ronnie Lott. Superbowls… Deion Sanders the most over-rated DB of all time.

    Reply
  • T

    ThomasSep 8, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    first joe montana most over rated qb of all time second jim brown most over rated third jerry rice most over rated athlete than michael jordan fifth don hutson 1 receiver of all time sixth deacon jones is most overrated defensive end seventh ray nitschke best linebacker of all time and lawernce taylor and dick butkus are most over rated linebackers of all time eigth night trane lane best defensive back of all time and ronnie lott is most over rated defensive back ninth lombardi not over rated if anything under rated the most over rated coach of all time is don shula then bill bilecheck tenth 62 packers best nfl team of all time most over rated 85 bears and 72 dolphins then 79 steelers

    Reply
  • B

    BryanAug 25, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    How is Vince Lombardi overrated? His Packers won five championships in nine years. Where as Don Shula’s teams had a tendency to stink it up in the big games.
    The 1964 Colts had the no. 1 offense and defense in the league, yet lost to the Browns 27 – 0 in the championship game.
    The 1968 Colts had the no 2. offense and the no. 1 defense in the league, but lost to the vastly inferior Jets 16-7 in the Super Bowl.
    The 1971 Dolphins lost 24-3 in the Super Bowl and are the only team in history that failed to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl.
     The 1984 Dolphins went 14-2 and had the no. 1 offense in the league, but were embarrassed by the 49ers in the Super Bowl 38-16.
    Yes, Shula won two Super Bowls, but more often that not his teams stunk it up when it mattered most. Lombardi never had the misfortune of being shut out in the play offs. He won just as many Super Bowls as Shula, and unlike Shula’s 1968 Colts completely manhandled his AFL opponents. Shula in my mind is probably the most overrated coach of all time, just like the 1972 Dolphins are the most over-rated team. They were great, but they benefited from a ridiculously easy schedule. If they would have lost one game that season, no one in their right mind would rank them as the greatest.

    Reply
  • N

    NFL FlagsAug 18, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Nice List…. Pittsburgh Steelers have won the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, Blog Entry Show Your Support for Your Favorite Sports Team with NFL Flags.

    Reply
  • B

    brandonJul 26, 2009 at 8:09 am

    I would put Barry sanders behind walter patyon best QB easy Joe Montana, tom brady, peyton Mannning. best teams are probly NY Giants indy Colts and pitt steelers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  • J

    johnJul 24, 2009 at 10:59 pm

    I’ll give you Joe Montana but after that its probably Peyton Manning and then Tom Brady. As for running backs Jim Brown is definitely the best and Emmitt is NOT overrated, he’s durable and the all-time leading rusher! Jerry Rice is definitely number one but I would give Marvin Harrison is unquestionably the number two wide receiver of all time. Your linebackers are fairly solid but Ray Lewis is definitely not overrated! Deion Sanders is not even in the top ten! Vince Lombardi is not overrated and Tony Dungy should be in the top three! The Steelers and the Patriots should probably be in the top three.

    Reply
  • A

    Aaron SelixJul 22, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    Berry Sanders, who’s Berry Sanders? I’d put Barry at #3 behind Jim Brown. 2007-08 Patriots went 16 – 0 and blew out most teams in this modern era. Sure they lost the Superbowl, but that game came down to one play. I’d like to see Randy Moss on that list, he’s probably the most gifted WR to ever play, and has stacked up some VERY impressive numbers to go with it.

    Reply
  • R

    Reno Business LawyersJul 22, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    TE how about mark bavaro

    Reply
  • W

    Wally C.Jul 22, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    Sterling Sharpe was a WR for Green Bay, He was a great WR for the time he played he was # 2 only Rice was better.As for TE you are thinking of his bro. Shannon Sharpe Den / Bal.Also Most Over rated – 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers Please don’t go there.A lot of people say they are the best ever!

    Reply
  • S

    shawnJun 4, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    Brett Favre over rated?? you obv do not kno what you are talking about there! name 3 star players he played with on offense…. now name all the stars Montana played with you can go on and on! Put Favre on any of those teams and he would have the same amount of rings if not more! and a much higher production than anyone!
    And Vince Lombardi over rated head coach?? Get real he turned the Packers around in the late 50s into a Dynasty during the 60s

    Reply
  • J

    JackApr 13, 2009 at 8:27 pm

    I know I’m late, but this is cool.
    I strongly disagree, except for the coaches, where I would only say George Halas instead of Bill Walsh, who is overrated.

    QBs
    John is no 1

    RBs
    Jim Brown is undeniably the best ever

    WRs
    frist, sterling’s a TE, not a WR. and also, Don Hutson is awesome. Marvin Harrison needs to be on there.

    TE?
    no TEs? John Mackie, Mike Ditka, either Kellen Winslow or T. Gonzalez
    OL
    Needs Gene Upshaw

    DE
    Lilly’s a DT, not a DE. Deacon Jones?

    DT?
    where’s this one at? Mean Joe, Lilly, and Alan Page

    LB
    I guess I agree

    DB
    not Lott, No. Rod Woodson? Champ Bailey (probably not)?

    Teams
    sorry dude, but the Steelers aren’t overrated. That defense was for real. They are no. 2, knocking the ‘Boys out. consider the niners too.

    Reply
  • D

    danJan 28, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    and the 92 cowboys? WHAT!!?!?!? They don’t even belong on a top 10 list

    Reply
  • D

    danJan 28, 2009 at 4:55 pm

    1985 Chicago Bears would beat 72 dolphins every single day

    Reply