All-Super Bowl Era Team

[CaptainComeback]

Here are my selections for the all-NFL team for the last 50 years, or the Super Bowl era. I patterned it after the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in terms of numbers of players at each position (with the addition of a fullback and a special teams player). Your take?

OFFENSE

QB Joe Montana San Francisco 49ers (1979-92), Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94) 6-2 195 Notre Dame
QB Tom Brady New England Patriots (2000-Present) 6-4 225 Michigan
QB Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts (1998-2011), Denver Broncos (2012-Present) 6-5 230 Tennessee
QB Roger Staubach Dallas Cowboys (1969-1979) 6-3 197 Navy

RB Walter Payton Chicago Bears (1975-87) 5-10 202 Jackson State
RB Barry Sanders Detroit Lions (1989-1998) 5-8 203 Oklahoma State
RB Emmitt Smith Dallas Cowboys (1990-2002), Arizona Cardinals (2003-04) 5-9 221 Florida
RB Eric Dickerson LARams (1983-87), Indy Colts (1987-91), LARaiders (92), Atl Falcons (93) 6-3 220 SMU
RB O.J. Simpson Buffalo Bills (1969-77), San Francisco 49ers (1978-79) 6-1 212 Southern California
RB Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings (2007-Present) 6-2 217 Oklahoma
RB Earl Campbell Houston Oilers (1978-84), New Orleans Saints (1984-85) Texas

FB Franco Harris Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-83), Seattle Seahawks (1984) 6-2 230 Penn St.

WR Jerry Rice 49ers(85-00), Raiders(01-04), Seahawks(04), Broncos(05), 49ers(06) 6-2 200 Miss. Valley St.
WR Randy Moss Vikes(98-04),Raiders(05-06),Pats(07-10),Titans(10),Vike(10),49ers(12) 6-4 215 Marshall
WR Marvin Harrison Indianapolis Colts (1996-2008) 6-0 175 Syracuse
WR Steve Largent Seattle Seahawks (1976-1989) 5-11 187 Tulsa

TE Tony Gonzalez Kansas City Chiefs (1997-2008), Atlanta Falcons (2009-13) 6-5 251 California
TE Jason Witten Dallas Cowboys (2003-Present) 6-5 257 Tennessee

T Anthony Muñoz Cincinnati Bengals (1980-92) 6-6 285 Southern California
T Joe Thomas Cleveland Browns (2007-Present) 6-7 311 Wisconsin
T Jonathan Ogden Baltimore Ravens (1996-2007) 6-9 340 UCLA

G Larry Allen Dallas Cowboys (1994-2005), San Francisco 49ers (2006-07) 6-3 325 Sonoma St.
G John Hannah New England Patriots (1973-85) 6-3 265 Alabama
G Bruce Matthews Houston Oilers (1983-96), Tennessee Titans (1997-2001) 6-5 305 Southern California

C Mike Webster Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-88), Kansas City Chiefs (1989-90) 6-2 250 Wisconsin
C Dermontti Dawson Pittsburgh Steelers (1988-2000) 6-2 288 Kentucky

DEFENSE

DE Reggie White Eagles (1985-92), Packers (1993-1998), Panthers (2000) 6-5 290 Tennessee
DE Bruce Smith Buffalo Bills (1985-99), Washington Redskins (2000-03) 6-4 262 Virginia Tech
DE Jack Youngblood Los Angeles Rams (1971-84) 6-4 247 Florida

DT Randy White Dallas Cowboys (1975-88) 6-4 257 Maryland
DT Joe Greene Pittsburgh Steelers (1969-81) 6-4 260 North Texas State
DT Bob Lilly Dallas Cowboys (1961-74) 6-5 260 Texas Christian

LB Lawrence Taylor New York Giants (1981-93) 6-3 243 North Carolina
LB Ray Lewis Baltimore Ravens (1996-2012) 6-1 245 Miami
LB Jack Ham Pittsburgh Steelers (1971-82) 6-1 225 Penn State
LB Jack Lambert Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-84) 6-4 220 Kent State
LB Junior Seau SD Chargers (1990-02), Miami Dolphins (2003-05), NE Patriots (2006-09) 6-3 250 USC
LB Mike Singletary Chicago Bears (1981-92) 6-0 230 Baylor
LB Dick Butkus Chicago Bears (1965-73) 6-3 245 Illinois

CB Deion Sanders Falcons(89-93), 49ers(94), Cowboys(95-99), Redskins(00), Ravens(04-05) 6-1 195 FSU
CB Rod Woodson Steelers(1987-96), 49ers(1997), Ravens(1998-2001), Raiders(2002-2003) 6-0 200 Purdue
CB Darrelle Revis Jets(2007-12), Buccaneers(2013), Patriots(2014), Jets(2015-Present) 6-0 205 Pittsburgh

S Ronnie Lott SF 49ers (1981-90), LA Raiders (1991-92), NY Jets (1993-94) 6-0 200 USC
S Ed Reed Baltimore Ravens (2002-12), New York Jets (2013), Houston Texans (2013) 5-11 200 Miami
S Troy Polamalu Pittsburgh Steelers (2003-14) 5-10 213 Southern California

SPECIALISTS

P Ray Guy Oakland/L.A. Raiders (1973-86) 6-3 190 Southern Mississippi

K Adam Vinatieri NE Patriots (1996-2005), Indianapolis Colts (2006-Present) 6-0 202 South Dakota St.

PR Devin Hester Chicago Bears (2006-13), Atlanta Falcons (2014-Present) 5-10 185 Miami

KR Josh Cribbs Cleveland Browns (2005-12), NY Jets (2013), Indianapolis Colts (2014) 6-1 192 Kent St.

ST Steve Tasker Houston Oilers (1985-86), Buffalo Bills (1986-97) 5-9 185 Northwestern

[bachslunch]

Would probably have:

Ken Houston instead of Troy Polamalu
Jim Otto instead of Dermontti Dawson
Merlin Olson or Alan Page instead of Randy White
Jimmy Johnson and Willie Brown instead of Darrelle Revis and Rod Woodson
Jan Stenerud or Morton Andersen instead of Adam Vinatieri
Deacon Jones instead of Jack Youngblood
John Unitas or Steve Young or Fran Tarkenton instead of Roger Staubach

If you move Deion Sanders to punt returner, you can add back one of Revis or Woodson to CB.

Unsure if I'd have Shane Lechler instead of Ray Guy.

[CaptainComeback]

Would probably have:

Ken Houston instead of Troy Polamalu
Jim Otto instead of Dermontti Dawson
Merlin Olson or Alan Page instead of Randy White
Jimmy Johnson and Willie Brown instead of Darrelle Revis and Rod Woodson
Jan Stenerud or Morton Andersen instead of Adam Vinatieri
Deacon Jones instead of Jack Youngblood
John Unitas or Steve Young or Fran Tarkenton instead of Roger Staubach

If you move Deion Sanders to punt returner, you can add back one of Revis or Woodson to CB.

Unsure if I'd have Shane Lechler instead of Ray Guy.

One of the choices I really wrung my hands with was Polamalu vs. Houston.

Considered both Olsen and Page, but not necessarily for White.

I considered both Jones and Watt over Youngblood but settled on Youngblood because of what he accomplished within the time frame. Was Deacon better all-time and will Watt ultimately surpass Jack? Yes and most likely.

You consider Unitas a Super Bowl era great? I was also a huge fan of Young; actually consider him the 90s version of Staubach - both extremely efficient passers who could kill you with their legs.

Lechler was my No. 2.

[bachslunch]

Re Unitas. We did a "Mount Rushmore" exercise in an earlier incarnation of the forum, and at the time a lot of us (me included) had our QB foursome as Unitas, Montana, Graham, and Baugh. Unitas had his best years pre-Super Bowl but his career did overlap into that era, which is why I listed him as a possibility. If it comes down to "most great years during the SB era," that's a different story, for sure -- though Unitas did have an all pro level season in 1967 and was pretty darned good in 1969 and 1970 as well.

[bachslunch]

Re the DTs: I'd rank Randy White fifth behind Olson, Lilly, Greene, and Page.

[CaptainComeback]

Re the DTs: I'd rank Randy White fifth behind Olson, Lilly, Greene, and Page.

Fair comment.... my top 5 all-time in one order or another

[conace21]

I love this. Kudos. I agree with many of Bachs suggestions. I think Randy White is the No 5 DT of all time and shouldn't make this team. I like Olsen more than Page, but if you consider just the period from 1966 onward, I give the edge to Page.
If you're using 1966 onward, Unitas wouldn't come close to making the team. He had one great year in the Super Bowl era, 1967. He was never the same after the 1968 elbow injury.

[CaptainComeback]

I love this. Kudos. I agree with many of Bachs suggestions. I think Randy White is the No 5 DT of all time and shouldn't make this team. I like Olsen more than Page, but if you consider just the period from you 966 onward, I give the edge to Page.
If you're using 1966 onward, Unitas wouldn't come close to making the team. He had one great year in the Super Bowl era, 1967. He was never the same after the 1968 elbow injury.

White was awesome in my eyes, and the fact that he had the most 1st Team All-Pro selections amongst all DTs in the time frame went a long way in my analysis

[conace21]

That's true, but the competition at DT was much more fierce for Page than it was for Randy White. White may have been hands down the best DT of his era, but still I feel he was No. 5. I actually have Page No. 4, but his MVP season goes a long way for me.

[James]

LB I would take out Seau and add Willie Lanier.