by Kelly Thompson

Created on: April 30, 2009

There are obviously several players that one might be hard pressed to argue against as the greatest player of all time. I agree with analysis that there are many different factorst that should be considered. But how do we rate those different agendas? And who decides how much weight a Superbowl win gets versus a League MVP award? I can't answer that question for you, because I think it is purely a subjective stance. And I can't tell you what to value above or before another statistic. So, instead, I'll just make my case for the two greatest football players of all time.

1) Jim Brown - The greatest running back of all time. Period. There is very little debate about this issue. He was powerful, he was quick, he was instinctive, and he was feared. Watching Jim Brown run the football is one of the most thrilling things I have ever seen as a young adult. It truly is poetry in motion. Others have been fun to watch, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton come to mind, but none have been as dominant as Brown was.

2) Joe Montana - The greatest player at the most important position, ever. He won four Superbowls, he won three Superbowl MVP awards, and he won three League MVP awards. Went to the Chiefs for his final two seasons and almost managed another Superbowl run with next to no cast of supporting players. He was a first ballot hall of famer and was uninamously selected in that process. Did things with a football that few thought was ever possible, and did it with class and grace. Was considered undersized coming out of high school...and college, but still found a way to excel. Just overall an incredible quarterback.

This debate is an endless one. We will never reach a consensus on it. But, I think it is fair to say that these two players are in anyone's list of "top 20 players of all time" and if they're not, they probably should be.

To be fair, there are plenty of other players I considered for this list including: Terry Bradshaw, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Johnny Unitas, Jerry Rice, etc. I would also consider a couple of common era players for the list: Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Brett Favre and a few others would be in the top 25 in my book. Debate closed? Not hardly. In the spirit of the Greatest NFL...

Greatest Decade Dynasty - three way tie (obvious) - 70's Steelers, 80's 49ers, 00's Patriots

Greatest Defensive Team - '69 Chiefs, '85 Bears

Greatest Offensive Team - '01 Rams

Greatest Defensive Player - Derrick Thomas

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