Gridiron Glory: Celebrating NFL Legends

NFL Legends: A Tribute to the Greats of the Game

If you sit a group of football fans from across the country in a single room and ask them to talk about the greatest team to have ever played the game, you will get some very different answers.

My Analysis

Most will focus on the dynasty teams from the past, such as the Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys, and Patriots. While they may not all agree on which team was the best, most will certainly have a very similar list when asked to name the biggest legends of the game.

NFL Hall of Fame

So, what exactly makes an individual player a legend? Longevity is certainly at or near the top of the list, as are the stats that those players put up when they played the game. Others will point to players that changed the position they played in one way or another, but each one of them will now have a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame, or be on the brink of being voted in. For some fans, it is as much what a player did off the field as well as on it, as some have tarnished their legacy due to off field antics.

It is very often the offensive players that get the adoration of the fans, with QBs very often at the top of the list. Tom Brady, with his 7 Super Bowl rings, is now widely considered the GOAT, although some older fans will point to Joe Montana, who didn’t win as many championships, but also never lost or tossed an INT in any of the Super Bowl’s he played in.

While perhaps not on the level of those two greats, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre would also be considered QB legends.

“The Minute Man”

While a great QB can help take a team to greatness, they also need some help along the way. In that regard, you have to look at the likes of “The Minute Man,” Jerry Rice, who was Montana’s favorite target, and who racked up stats at the WR position that are the envy of players who have come along ever since.

You also need to talk about running backs that made it easier for their QB to get the job done. Jim Brown is arguably the greatest of all-time, and while Emmitt Smith holds a bunch of records at the position, Barry Sanders may well have eclipsed them all had he not chosen to walk away from the game when he did.

Defensive Legends

While offensive guys get a lot of love, you also have to talk about the players who dominate on the other side of the football. When you talk about defensive legends of the NFL, the conversation very often begins with Reggie White, who was totally dominant at the position. You can also add Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor into the mix, with Ray Lewis sure to get some love, even though his off-field antics were a little questionable.

When you look at the current crop of players plying their trade in the NFL, which players do you think will be the legends of the future? Given that the Kansas City Chiefs are in dynasty mode, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will almost certainly be there.

On the defensive side, T.J. Watt has a shot at achieving legend status alongside his brother, J.J. Only time will tell who gets added to the list of NFL greats.

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