Like true High Life men, we sat down last night with cold one in hand as NFL Films counted down the final 10 players of its Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players.

 

We should mention that Cold, Hard Football Facts had a vested interest in the outcome. That's right, boys and girls. We were part of the blue-ribbon panel of "knowledgeable football minds" selected by Steve Sabol & Co. to give our two cents to the matter.

 

We haven't been this puffed up to spout off since Mom asked us if Dad was drinking too much.

 

 

Here's our take: NFL Films' top 10 included some of the greatest players to ever step on a football field, but it was heavy on modern era players that contemporary viewers probably  found as comfortable as the Budweiser they held in their hands. Eight of their top 10 NFL greats played in the 1970s or later. Jim Brown and Don Hutson, the two most dominant players ever at their respective positions, were the only exceptions.

 

Defensive players usually get short shrift from Hall of Fame voters and on these types of lists. The top 10 was no exception: only three of the final 10 were fulltime defensive players and all three are very well known to contemporary football fans. 

 

The list was more notable for not including a single offensive lineman.

 

Here's the top 10 according to the panel, with our reaction. We also comment briefly on where we had each player ranked in our NFL Films Top 100 ballot.

 

10. Dick Butkus

A name recognition pick. You could argue Butkus belongs in the top 100, but the top 10 is a high for a guy who spent the later years of his nine-year career on shaky knees leading terrible defenses. He was an intimidator with a knack for creating turnovers, but ultimately Butkus's inability to make poor Chicago teams better keep him out of the top 10. Hell of a mustache, though.

 

CHFF's list: We had seven linebackers rated ahead of Butkus: Bobby Bell, Lawrence Taylor, Ted Hendricks, Jack Lambert, Joe Schmidt, Mike Singletary and Butkus's predecessor with the great Monsters of the Midway defenses, Bill George.

 

The panel nailed it with Hutson. Most guys on the street today couldn't tell you who Hutson is, so tip your cap to the panel for figuring it out. We won't go into Hutson's greatness here, because we already went into it here. Short version: no receiver, not even Jerry Rice, dominated the game like Hutson.

 

CHFF's list: Hutson was the only pre-modern era receiver who received a perfect score of 10 on the CHFF Top 100 ballot.  

 

Please. Since we assume NFL Films is on the up and up with the list and not playing the ratings card, we chalk Manning's inclusion up to the fact that panel members are human beings subject to the same unintentional bias and logical shortcomings that happen to all of us from time to time. You know, similar to how we thought U2 was greater than the Rolling Stones for a while. Manning might be on track for another MVP season, but by the time it's all said and done current NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might have a better chance of appearing on this list 50 years from now. If this sh*thouse planet hasn't exploded by then, that is.

 

CHFF's list: We had five modern era quarterbacks rated higher than Manning: Otto Graham, Bart Starr, Joe Montana, Roger Staubach and Johnny Unitas. Two revolutionary pre-modern quarterbacks deserve a spot way ahead of Manning, too. They are the Pigskin Messiah, Sammy Baugh, and Sid Luckman, whose still No. 2 all time in average per pass attempt.  

 

No other way to say it, White belongs on this list like bacon belongs on ... whatever it is you're making. Reggie dominated. All the time. The only question is whether White deserves to be in the top 10 at the expense of Deacon Jones. But if there is room for only one defensive lineman on the list, White gets the slight edge. Jones revolutionized defensive line play, but he did tail off slightly at the end of his career. Reggie, not so much.

 

CHFF's list: White was one of three modern-era defensive linemen, with Joe Greene and Deacon Jones, who earned a perfect 10 on our Top 100 ballot. 

Like Joe Montana, we have Unitas bubbling under the greatest quarterbacks on our list. There are quarterbacks in history more accomplished. But Unitas has enough titles, statistics, and historical impact on the game to warrant arguable inclusion in the top 10.

 

CHFF's list: Only two modern-era quarterbacks earned perfect 10s on our Top 100 Ballot: Otto Graham and Bart Starr. Unitas was one of three quarterbacks who merited a near-perfect score of 9 in our ballot, with Montana and Staubach.  

 

Aw, Sweetness. That about sums it up. A sentimental pick that will generate no argument from most people because Payton sums up everything a football player should be (ok, he's tied with Jack Youngblood in that regard).

 

But CHFF asks and gives no quarter. A top 10 list has only 10 slots and the position of running back just doesn't have enough impact to warrant inclusion of more than one. We've already got one. His name is Jim Brown.

 

CHFF's list: Brown was the only RB on our ballot to merit a perfect score of 10. Payton, Barry Sanders and Gale Sayers earned near-perfect scores of 9 on our ballot.  

 

CHFF readers know we're slightly partial to Bart Starr, Otto Graham, and Sammy Baugh as the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but it's hard to quibble with the selection of Montana. You won't find a more recognizable name in sports. And like his former teammate Jerry Rice, you'll also be hard pressed to find more big game production. Where there were big games, Montana was there. When those games were on the line, Montana got it done.

 

CHFF's list: As stated above, Graham and Starr were more accomplished and posted better numbers in several key indicators, in a tougher period to pass. Both earned perfect 10s on our ballot. But we're not going to quibble, really, with Montana, a revolutionary figure in the history of the game. 

 

No argument here. Taylor defined the 1980s NFL as much as any player ever defined the decade they played, sans Jim Brown. It's been said so many times it's become cliché, but Taylor dominated no matter where he lined up. But the key to his greatness was an Incredible Hulk like intensity. The madder Lawrence gets, the stronger he gets.

 

CHFF's list: Only two linebackers earned perfect 10s on our Top 100 ballot, Bobby Bell and LT.

 

2. Jim Brown

Brown might be the only guy on this list whose inclusion isn't arguable in any way, shape or form. In the modern era when most statistics have been elevated, Brown's greatness isn't just anecdotal. Modern running backs are still trying to match his accomplishments on the stat sheet. Some do it for a season or two, or five, but sooner or later they drop off like a guy wading eight feet into the Mississippi current after their dog. Sure, Brown could have played a few more years, but the careers of most running backs – event great ones – are short lived. Relatively speaking, Brown dominated forever.

 

CHFF's list: From our ballot's perspective, only two players deserve to be mentioned as the greatest of all time. One is the Pigskin Messiah, Sammy Baugh. The other is Brown who, of course, received a perfect 10 on our Top 100 Ballot. The fact that he's behind a wide receiver, and the fact that Baugh is nowhere in the top 10, are both injustices.

 

1. Jerry Rice

Even your Justin Beiber-loving girlfriend has heard of Jerry Rice. But Rice is the rare case where production matches hype. Stats, titles, longevity, work ethic, big game performance. What else do you want?  

 

CHFF's list: Rice was the only modern-era receiver on our list to earn a perfect 10 on our Top 100 ballot. A legendary figure. Our quibble? Receivers, even the greatest, have a limited role on any team, and should take a back seat on any Top 100 list to the dominant performers at other positions.

 

Aside from one glaring error (Manning), a sentimental pick (Payton), and a reputation pick (Butkus), it's not a bad list.

 

Of course, that's a nice way of saying the list is 30 percent bullsh*t.

 

Drop those three and there's room for an offensive lineman and a couple players from the league's early days like Sammy Baugh or Chuck Bednarik.

 

Even the older players that might deserve to be on the list (aside from maybe Hutson) are heavy on name recognition, although it's doubtful there was any intentional bias on the part of the selection panel.

 

If you have to name a list of great civil war generals it's easy to pass over James Longstreet when Robert E. Lee will do.