Cover 4

Hey, I'm Bob.

Here are my thoughts on the all-time NFL team. I've written more than is probably healthy.

Gameday Roster

QB: Joe Montana                         Bart Starr      
HB: Jim Brown.                           Barry Sanders, Walter Payton

FB: Marion Motley.                
TE: John Mackey.                        Mike Ditka, Tony Gonzalez

WR: Jerry Rice, Don Hutson.      Paul Warfield, Lance Alworth, Michael Irvin, Steve Tasker

C: Dwight Stephenson.                Bruce Matthews

G: John Hannah, Jim Parker.       Larry Allen

T: Anthony Munoz, Forrest Gregg.   

DT: Joe Greene, Bob Lilly               Alan Page, Merlin Olsen
DE: Reggie White, Deacon Jones    Bruce Smith, Gino Marchetti

MLB: Dick Butkus.                          Jack Lambert

OLB: Lawrence Taylor, Jack Ham. (Derrick Brooks), Ted Hendricks, Bobby Bell

CB: Dick Lane, Mel Blount.             Herb Adderley, Rod Woodson, Darrell Green

S: Ronnie Lott, Emlen Tunnell.       Ed Reed

P: Ray Guy.                            Adam Vinateri

K: Adam Vinateri.                  Ray Guy

PR/KR: Darrell Green          (Jack Christiansen) Rod Woodson

LS: Bobby Bell.                      Bruce Matthews

H: Ray Guy.                            Bart Starr

Reserves: Sid Luckman, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Otto, Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Derrick Brooks, Jack Christiansen

( ) Players in reserve that will start in the event of injury

Responses to probable questions and objections...

Honorable Mentions: There are over 200 players in the NFL Hall of Fame, all of  whom would obviously be outstanding players on this team. The following players are the ones I most wish I had room on the roster for: Johnny Unitas, Emmitt Smith, Lorenzo Neal, Kellen Winslow, Raymond Berry, Mike Webster, Randall McDaniel, Art Shell,  Warren Sapp, Willie Davis, Mike Singletary, Kevin Greene, Willie Brown, Ken Houston, Larry Wilson. 

Depth: I have 26 players on offense, 25 on defense, and 2 on special teams (22, 22, and 2 dressed). My special teams players have each both kicked and punted in college, so they are each other's emergency backup. I only have three safeties dressed, but Rod Woodson can be shifted if there are two injuries in a single game. Ray Guy is also my emergency quarterback, as he was with the Raiders.

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 Randy Moss or Terrell Owens: While both are incredibly talented players, they are both a toxic presence in the locker room and are therefore not welcome on my team. This list is certainly not exhaustive. 

No Jim Thorpe: I did not feel comfortable putting a player without footage to evaluate on my team (The player I saw the least footage of was Jack Christiansen, but I was very impressed with what little I saw).

Back-up Quarterbacks: 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. 

Overall: I realize the decision to cut Sanders and Moss will not be popular. But I trust my gut, and I firmly believe I have assembled the best possible team.

STRATEGY

Defense: I will be running a base Cover-4 scheme. Lott and Tunnell are both rangy and smart enough to anticipate calls quick enough to make the interception and deliver devastating hits. Butkus might not have the mobility to play the deep middle of the Tampa 2, but he will be superb at "walling off" crossing concepts.