DT: My defensive tackles are the 1970s all-decade team. Literally. Do I have a 70s bias at that position? Perhaps I should swap Wilfork for Lilly or Sapp for Page.
Quarterback: All of my selections played for coaches with strong offensive systems and big personalities. If I'm the coach (which I don't really know) I'm a little lacking in the offensive vision department, so maybe I should get a quarterback who was the main leader on their team (Manning, Unitas, ???).
Quarterback 2: If I was going purely on reputation, I should replace Starr with Unitas, Graham, or Baugh.
Quarterback 3: Sometimes I look at players like Dan Marino and Sonny Jurgenson and I wonder whether or not I should be using ring-count as the standard.
Devin Hester: Devin Hester was a pretty bad wide receiver, and will be a drag on the offense in the event of extensive injuries. Wouldn't it be better to have Jack Christiansen as the return man and add another Hall of Fame receiver? The fact that I have no doubts about keeping Steve Tasker obviously speaks to my severe bias towards defense.
Devin Hester 2: This guy, who put an insane amount of effort into it, makes a good case that Mel Gray is the best return man of all time. Maybe he's right.
Bob Hayes: This NFL Videos segment makes it look like Bob Hayes was the most important receiver in the history of the game. Am I missing something here!? He was not on either the NFL network or the Sporting News Top 100 list. Did a drug arrest really make everyone forget his greatness for 30 years? Seems unlikely. Also, he was not particularly productive in the playoffs.
TEs: I'm obsessed with old-school tight ends, but maybe I should be switching more to the modern athletic model of tight end. I thought this quote was a good way to encapsulate my doubts on this matter. (Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, Kellen Winslow, Travis Kelce).
Reggie White: I said in the blog that the Cover 6 allows each player to do what they do best. But White was not heavily featured as a 3-tech. I have three of the best pass rushers of all time and I fudged the system to get them all on the field at once. Perhaps I will suffer by not starting 2 true DTs.
Dwight Stephenson: OLs don't have a lot of solid stats to base evaluations off of, so reputation goes a long way. Dwight Stephenson is the only non-first-ballot HOFer on my offensive line, and he waited five years to get in. Should he really be my starting center?
3-3-5 vs 4-2-5 vs 2-4-5: What I've read generally suggests that the 3-3-5 is all about player versatility and disguised coverage whereas 4-2-5 and 2-4-5 are all about specialization of players. But I don't really understand how a 2-4-5 isn't versatile. If you have 4 linebackers, who could theoretically all routinely drop into coverage, wouldn't that be the most versatile? I tend to think these labels get over pigeonholed. Hell, BJ Raji has a pick 6, so fuck saying who can and can't be dropped into coverage.
Alternate Plans
Darrell Green as PR/KR: Due to a cautious Joe Gibbs, Darrell Green returned only one regular season kickoff in his career. However, he is one of the fastest players in NFL history, averaged a career 12.0 yards per punt return on 51 attempts, and once returned a punt for a touchdown in the 1987 NFC divisional playoff game. As a full-time PR/KR, I bet he will be among the elite players at this position. I decided to take a chance with this selection largely because none of the players on my roster are in the top 10 for either career KR touchdowns or yards per KR (Green's 12.0 Y/PR would be 9th all-time if he had a qualifying number of attempts). Besides, it would be no fun if I had "safe" picks at every position. You gotta roll the dice every now and again!
Deion Sanders as WR/KR: Deion Sanders does not hit hard enough to play for my defense. However, he is possibly the best athlete in the history of the league. I will play him as a return man and will give him a try at WR (sorry Devin Hester). It's entirely possible that he would have been one of the all-time great receivers had it been his full-time position. Besides, it would be no fun if I had "safe" picks at every position. You gotta roll the dice every now and again!
No Lawrence Taylor: LT revolutionized the linebacker position, but he is ultimately a 3-4 player and I'm running a 4-3 scheme. Sure, he could be converted to a 4-3 DE, but he wouldn't be as good as the four I've selected. He wasn't particularly gifted at coverage, so he certainly wouldn't replace any of my LBs. Sorry, but thems the breaks.
Tom Brady: Brady is #4 on my list. I want to make clear that this has nothing to do with deflategate or any other Patriots related controversies. He and Luckman are neck-and-neck. Stats are hard to compare across such disparate eras, but they both led the league in passer rating 3 times, and they're practically tied in their post-season passer rating. Yes, Brady is one ring ahead of Luckman, but he's also one loss ahead of Luckman. And while Brady gets credit for being consistently productive with often mid-level receiving corps, Luckman has the similar distinction of never playing with a Hall of Fame wide receiver (although there are few to be had from that era). If I'm being honest, I'm already a contrarian for putting Starr at #2, I might as well lean into it.
Miscellany
Backup Quarterbacks (Starr and Luckman): While few would be surprised with Joe Montana at #1, most people do not have Starr and Luckman in their top 10, let alone their top 3. But like Montana, both Starr and Luckman have incredible post-season passer ratings, incredible regular season stats (in their respective eras), and were true leaders on teams that became championship dynasties. The more difficult question is why Montana isn't 2nd or 3rd. The answer is that he has the highest championship game passer rating of all-time at a staggering 127.8. Special thanks to The Cold Hard Football Facts, whose quarterback analysis, though we reached different conclusions, heavily influenced my own.
Sammy Baugh: The analysts at the Cold Hard Football Facts argued that Sammy Baugh is the 3rd best quarterback of all time (behind Starr and Montana), and put Luckman outside the top 10. In general, I think they are one of the best available sources for objective football journalism. But the perpetual boner they have for Sammy Baugh has apparently affected the bloodflow to their brains. By most measures, Luckman was the superior quarterback of the era. Let's look at the cold hard facts:
Who has the higher career passer rating? Luckman.
Who has the higher career YPA, a CHFF favorite statistic? Luckman.
Who has the higher career post-season passer rating? Luckman.
Who has the lower post-season interception rate? Luckman.
Who has more rings? Luckman.
Baugh has more career passing yards and touchdowns than Luckman, but by the very measures that CHFF values the most in their assessment of Starr, Luckman is ahead of Baugh.
4-3 Personnell base package
DEFENSE: I'm going a little outside the box and will be running the Cover 6 defense as my base package. The Cover 6 is a combination of the Cover 2 and Cover 4 defense (2+4=6). I chose the Cover 6 because it best suits my selected personnel.
Secondary:
Secondary:
First and foremost, the Cover 6 takes advantage of my versatile secondary. Specifically, my corners will alternate between playing a deep quarter and curl/flat assignment. The safeties will play a deep half/quarter assignment as well as fill downhill in run support. Lane and Blount both have the physicality to press their man at the line and support the run when they play the Cover-2 side and have the coverage skills to play the deep quarter on the Cover-4 side. Lott and Tunnell are both ball-hawks and ferocious hitters, both against receivers and runningbacks.
Linebackers:
My linebacking corps poses a conundrum. Taylor reportedly struggled in space (although I beg to differ) whereas Brooks is among the greatest coverage LBs of all-time. Butkus is better known for his run stopping, but he could also make plays downfield. With this in mind, I will slightly tweak my coverage: Brooks will always play the boundary side and Taylor will always play the field side. This way, Taylor will always have the straightfoward (though physically challenging) flat assignment and Brooks plays the nuanced Will role that sent him to Canton. LT will also have the added support from two deep quarter DBs, who can crash down on intermediate routes behind him. Also, both Taylor and Butkus were incredible at forcing fumbles, so even checkdown passes shouldn't be considered safe.
Defensive Line:
My defensive line will play a one-gap concept with Lilly as the 1-tech, Greene as the 3-tech, and both Jones and White playing outside shoulder of the tackle.
Nickle Package:
For my Nickle package, I plan on substituting Rod Woodson for Bob Lilly and shifting to a 3-3-5 look. It today's pass first NFL, it's possible that my nickle package will be more useful than my base defense. It shifts LT to a primary pass rusher and makes the overall look more flexible. However, I'm reluctant to move Reggie White to the inside for most downs, so I'm keeping the more traditional 4-3 concept as my base defense for now.
Overall:
Football is a violent sport. The Cover 6 maximizes the amount of violence each of my players can deliver. While it might be tempting to put "shutdown" corners on every WR, it ultimately makes more sense to run a bend-don't-break scheme and give my players the chance to shed some blood.
Q: WHOA, LT ISN'T PART OF THE BASE 4-MAN PASS RUSH!?!? WHY AREN'T YOU PLAYING A 3-4 SO HE CAN RUSH MOST DOWNS?!?
A: My main concern with the 3-4 defense is that, whether its a one-gap, two-gap, or hybrid concept, a solid nose tackle is a must-have, and there are simply no true nose tackles in the Hall of Fame. Bill Willis played directly over center, but he was an undersized lineman on a 5-man front; hardly a 3-4 prototype. Vince Wilfork is a future Hall of Famer, and Ted Washington and Fred Smerlas should arguably be in, but do they really compare to the iconic 4-3 DTs on my team? I think not*. While you could theoretically convert either Joe Greene or Bob Lilly to NT, I would still want both on the field (the second as a DE) to dominate the inside, which leaves two spots for outside pass rushers. Rather than choose between Jones and White, I would rather have both on the field with the option to blitz LT. Furthermore, LT is incredible against the run and has general 'playmaker' instincts. And, of course, he will be given plenty of opportunities to blitz.
Basically, LT is my big exception. I'm running a 4-3 scheme and LT is a 3-4 player. What would make the most sense is to start Jack Ham alongside Brooks, which would give me airtight pass coverage with an unstoppable 4 man rush. But tempting as that may sound, LT is simply the best there ever was. He's a square peg in a round hole, but dammit I'm going to make it work!
Taylor reportedly struggled in space, but his coverage skills are certainly strong enough to be used outside the base package.
DBs: Easily my oddest bunch. I've eschewed the classic cover corners (Deion Sanders, Darrell Green, Mike Haynes, Willie Brown, etc.) for more hybrid-type players who can both dish out serious physical punishment while also getting lots of interceptions. Lott and my pair of Woodsons played both corner and safety during their careers. According to Herb Adderley, Lane had the versatility to play any position in the secondary. I can't find the clip, but both Michael Irvin and Marshall Faulk moved Mel Blount to safety when asked to create their all-time defense. Ed Reed helped revolutionize his position by playing all over the field, both near the line and deep in the secondary.
CB: Easily my oddest bunch. Rather than selecting the best pure cover corners, I favor players who can dish out serious physical punishment while also providing solid coverage. Lane, Blount, and Adderley all fit this mold. Green sticks out for being much more coverage oriented than a rugged tackler (although he can absolutely hit!). Worse than that, he's on the record as saying he would not do well as a Cover 2 corner. But I don't have Green on the roster to run my base defense. I have him to go one-on-one with my opponent's best receiver if I decide a classic shutdown corner is called for. As an added bonus, he's also the fastest man to ever play the game. If Lane and Blount are both injured, I'd actually shift Woodson (and maybe even Lott) to corner before Green if I want to execute my base defense. Part of me almost wants to dress Charles Woodson, which would allow me to add another HOF receiver to the roster, and cut Green, but I like having the flexibility in my system to shift strategies.
Darrell Green: Darrell Green is on the record saying he would not excel in the Cover 2. I have him on the roster to have a traditional cover corner in the bag if need-be, but I know he won't be good in the system if called upon. Also, if I don't need him to be a Cover 2 corner do I really need him to hit? And if I don't need him to hit, why not go with Deion Sanders? You can argue Green's the better cover corner, but I'm not sure.
Bart
Starr as #2 QB: While few would be surprised with Joe Montana or Tom
Brady on the roster, most people do not have Starr in their top 10,
let alone their top 3. But like Montana and Brady, Starr
has incredible regular season stats (in
his era) and was
a true leader on a
championship dynasty team. He also boasts the
#1 post-season passer rating of all-time. I have Montana over Starr
and Brady largely due to his staggering 127.8 Superbowl passer rating
and the absence of a Superbowl loss. I have Starr over Brady because
he got to five rings with two fewer losses and because of his
much higher post-season passer rating. "But why not Terry
Bradshaw? He's 4-0 in the Superbowl too." Sure, but his regular
season stats aren't at all impressive. My thinking was that you've
got to have elite regular-season stats to be taken into consideration
and then the final ranking comes down to your playoff/championship
accomplishments. Montana-Starr-Brady fits the bill. Shoutout to Sid
Luckman, who I had at #3 until Brady got his fifth ring. Special
thanks to The
Cold Hard Football Facts for
pointing out the grave disservice that history has done to Bart
Starr.
While Deion Sanders is a Hall of Fame caliber player, his coverage skills are comparable to the harder-hitting players I've selected. Lem Barney is another example of a Hall of Fame caliber CB who doesn't hit hard enough to make the team.
Players I've considered replacing
Paul Warfield (Michael Irvin, Steve Largent)
Darrell Green (Deion Sanders, Willie Brown)
Gino Marchetti (Warren Sapp, Vince Wilfork)
Jack Christiansen (Larry Wilson, Ken Houston) -Also, if he's so good, why has NFL films never done a segment on him?
Forrest Gregg (size) (Randall McDaniel)
Jack Lambert (size) (Mike Singletary)
Devin Hester; (Darrell Green, Deion Sanders; lots of options for 53rd spot if I cut Hester. Could dress Jack Christiansen and add a reserve WR. Could dress WR. Could add McDaniel to reserve).
Deion Sanders: This video from NFL videos has a section about Sanders' mediocre tackling starting at 1:57, although I think this is something of an overstated myth. It may have been true in his first few seasons, but he obviously made an adjustment.
Personnel vs System: I said in the blog that I picked the system based on my selected personnel, but that's not entirely true. At the barest of minimums, I picked my linebacking corps based on the fact that they play especially well in coverage and that I wasn't looking for pass-rushers (Taylor being the exception), and that's only something you'd do based on running a 4-3 scheme. In my heart of hearts, I flat-out prefer the 4-3 zone to other systems. But in many respects, 3-4 seems to be the way of the future. Should I just bite the bullet and create a more flexible 3-4 system with 3-4 personnel?
CB: Deion Sanders, Darrell Green, Darrell Revis
WR: Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Terrell Owens, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown
RB: Jim Thorpe
DE: JJ Watt
TE: Rob Gronkowski
No Randy Moss or Terrell Owens: While both are incredibly talented players, they both had serious issues within the various organizations that employed them. While some of this conflict is driven by the media, I believe that both players are not the kind of people I'd care to have as a part of my organization.
Randy Moss: This article by teammate Ryan Riddle gives a balanced yet damning account of Randy Moss's attitude. Specifically, he's only a good locker-room presence when the team is winning. But, in my estimation, the true measure of a man is how he acts when he's down.
Terrell Owens: While a large portion of the TO drama was media hype, and while he is actually a good teammate, he has had plenty of verified issues with multiple coaches and management staffs, which ultimately keeps him off my list. For some strange reason he truly brings out the worst in many of those around him.
I like including Warfield since he is the king of the anti-statters, and I like trying to incorporate a mix of philosophies into my selection criterion.
My receiving corps is on the smaller side, so Michael Irvin gives me a more physical option, if needed. I mentioned in the blog that Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are unacceptable selections. While Irvin certainly had off-the-field issues, he was a true leader in a way Moss never was and didn't clash with coaches or management the way Owens did.
Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=SZXoCiMdcrY
4-3 Under vs Over: In the Cover-6 defense, the alignment is based on which hash mark the ball is placed on, creating a "boundary" side and "field" side. The only problem with this arraignment is that Derrick Brooks always played aligned to the 3-tech's side of the field. Does this mean the defensive front is determined by the field/boundary call, completely divorced from the offensive formation? Or would Brooks be comfortable frequently playing opposite the 3-tech? Also, as I stated in the blog, the Cover-6 is a combination of the Cover-2 and the Cover-4. I'm not quite sure how the choice of front will affect the run defense. It's my understanding that the Cover-2 keeps the safeties largely out of the run defense, whereas the Cover-4 features safeties heavily against the run. I'm sure that both coverages can be run with either front, and that each combination would be paired with specific gap-responsibilities, but this is where I start to get out of my depth.
Emlen Tunnell Book Link
https://books.google.com/books?id=RRCkQdxxLEkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=sam+huff&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ckHUVM6HMMywggTcjoKoCw&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=hardest%20hitting&f=false
