I’ll do the 49ers quickly, until someone more qualified shows up.
My criteria includes a requirement that the player play multiple years for the club, regardless of the superlative skill the player may have shown in a single year. (E.g. Deion Sanders 1994-1995, where he basically shut down half the field by himself in the Bears Divisional playoff game). I am tempted to include Charles Haley in the top 10, just because of how unbelievably awesome three of his first six years in SF were.
That said, here goes:
Jerry Rice
Joe Montana
Ronnie Lott
Steve Young
Roger Craig
Bryant Young
Leo Nomellini (never watched him play, but heard about him all the time from old farts in the Bay Area. Gobs of Pro Bowl appearances at a time when the Niners weren’t very good.)
Jimmy Johnson (as Nomellini, but in the 60s. Hall of Famer, FWIW.)
Terrell Owens (much as I may loathe him, he put up very impressive numbers, most of them with Jeff Garcia as his QB.)
Kind of stuck between picking a defender like Merton Hanks, Dwain Board, or Haley, OR going with Brent Jones, Randy Cross, or Tom Rathman.
EDIT: I’ll go with fear and fame. No one feared Merton Hanks, chicken dance or not. Opposing offenses (and his own locker room, if “Boys Will Be Boys” is to be believed) feared Charles Haley, both with the Niners and the Cowboys. So Haley’s my 10th pick.
Lofton clearly had a more productive career than Sharpe, but the fact that Lofton never led the league in yardage or receptions (and some questionable personal conduct by Lofton) convinced me to go with Sharpe.
I’m a Steelers fan, and can’t argue much with Airman Doors’ list, except that Jack Lambert is forever #1 for me. I might replace Hines Ward or Troy Polamalu with Jack Ham or Mel Blount…but that’s just because I have a soft spot for those 70’s teams. Make the new guys earn their spots with the Hall-of-Famers
Tough competition, tho he certainly belongs in the Honorable sublist. My personal rule is that I will always forget at least one thing I am trying to remember.
Excellent list. I liked Sharpe a lot, but he wouldn’t make my list. I would likely replace him on my list with either Paul Hornung, Tony Canadeo, or Arnie Herber.
I have to start with the Washington Redskins as I grew up a Skins fan from the late 1970’s until the early 1990’s when I moved to the Cincinnati area and became a Bengals fan.
Dexter Manley. Couldn’t read, was a crackhead. Could get after the QB with a vengeance.
Joe Theismann. Yeah, he’s a tool now, but he was a good QB in a great system.
Joe Jacoby. He was a 330lb LT before there were 330lb left tackles. A monster of a man and a mauler in run blocking.
John Riggins. 4 yards a carry, 4 yards a carry, 4 yards a carry…Miller Time!
Gary Clark/Charlie Brown. These two wideouts were awesome for the day. Loved the nickname “Downtown Charlie Brown”, too.
Wilber Marshall. Awesome linebacker. Just a step below a guy like Singletary.
Doug Williams. Loved him in Tampa, loved him with the Skins. First black QB to ever win a Superbowl. Still the only one.
Charles Mann. With he and Manley paired up at the DE positions, there wasn’t a much fiercer pass rush from the defensive line in that time.
Art Monk. Underrated receiver who was a really classy guy. Long career.
Darrel Green. Fastest player I’ve ever seen. Super long career. By all accounts set the stage for how CB was played in the modern era and was a super classy guy to boot.
And now my current team, the Bengals. I won’t rely on historical data, just from memory.
Max Montoya. Great olineman. Perfect complement to Munoz.
Ickey Woods. Short career, but still an amazing impact. Had that dance, too.
John Copeland. Awesome pass rusher. Shared in a dline that was the Bengals best ever, although in the 1990’s the team overall sucked. Shone with Alfred Williams and Dan Wilkinson.
Willie Anderson. A perennial pro-bowler on many bad teams. An absolute mauler and a leader.
Chad Ochocinco. Stats don’t lie, he was an exciting player in his heydey and his antics are known league-wide. I wish he wasn’t on my team anymore, though.
Rudi Johnson. In his prime, running behind a great offensive line, was a bowling ball of a north-south back.
Corey Dillon. The best RB the Bengals ever had, wasted on some really bad teams. Can’t really blame him for his shitty attitude at the end either.
Boomer Esiason. Best playaction fake ever and led the team to the Superbowl in 1988 which they would have won if not for a dropped INT and Joe Montana. And Jerry Rice. And John Taylor.
Terrell Owens. I hate the guy personally, but he’s the 2nd best wideout ever to play the game statistics-wise and is an athletic freak.
Anthony Munoz. Arguably one of the best tackles to ever play the game, and a super nice guy to boot.
I left Airman Door’s quotes when I agreed with him. I wrote new ones when I thought it warranted it.
My Top 10 Pittsburgh Steelers, from 10 to 1:
10. Hines Ward- Best receiver Pittsburgh has ever had statistically, hits like a truck, sure-handed throughout his career. Lock for the Hall.
Mel Blount - The biggest, strongest and most intimidating cornerback of his time. He was the original shutdown corner.***
John Stallworth- A much better receiver than Swann over the course of his career and a vastly underrated player during his playing days.
Iron Mike Webster- Greatest center ever. His nickname was quite apt, what happened to him later notwithstanding. His death, while unfortunate, may save many others in the years to come by raising awareness on concussions and head injuries. -eta I met Webster right before his death. He was a very nice man; his hands were huge and when we shook hands mine disappeared from view.
Troy Polamalu- If he plays for just a few more years he’ll be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Current heart and soul of the defense. eta*** - I think he’s close to a lock for the hall now. Two rings don’t hurt, and I think he’s generally regarded as either 1 or 2 in his position over his career (Ed Reed).***
Jerome Bettis- Great pound-them-into-oblivion running back. Fit the Pittsburgh mold perfectly. Lock for the Hall.
Franco Harris- Great running back during his prolific years. He slowed down a bit, but he had very quick feet for a big man, and he was key in the run-first offense of the Steelers.
Jack Lambert- Arguably the best middle linebacker of all time, and one of the meanest, take-no-prisoners players ever. ***-eta, don’t know who can argue with Lambert except Butkus fans. But I’m biased, and I say Lambert was the best. Period
Terry Bradshaw- 4 trips to the Super Bowl. 4 rings. The best clutch QB Ive ever seen. Also, I know his stats aren’t great, but he played in a run first offense and called all his own plays
Mean Joe Greene- Could it be anybody else? No. Chuck Noll’s first pick to begin building his dynasty, and truly the heart and soul of the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s. He wins because he was the single biggest piece of a very special puzzle.
Like Airman said, that was tough. I’m not even going to bother listing the guys who didn’t make my cut.
Greg Lloyd? Levon Kirkland? Jack Ham? I think at least Lloyd belongs on the list somewhere despite his injuries and media recalcitrance. He was a force to be reckoned with!
