FanNation | The Republic of Sport

Community

Lifer: A Special Boy won the Throwdown.

Goodell: GOAT Family

Throwndowns: 484
Record: 331 - 127 - 26
The Streets,
All Throwdowns

Votes

Throwndowns: 879
Record: 524 - 312 - 43
NFL Headquarters, NY
All Throwdowns

Votes

Most Iconic NFL players, each position (all time)

Lifer: A Special Boy said 05/16, 03:27 PM
Rules: Choose one player for each position I list. This is the most iconic player at each position. Also -- this is iconic for the average fan, not smarties like us :-) By iconic, it should be sort of the most representative of their position (again, to the average fan).

QB - Joe Montana
RB - Walter Payton
WR - Jerry Rice
TE - Shannon Sharpe
T - Anthony Munoz
G - John Hannah
C - Mike Webster

DE - Reggie White
DT - Mean Joe Greene
LB - Lawrence Taylor
CB - Deion Sanders
S - Ronnie Lott

K - Jan Stenerud
P - Ray Guy
KR/PR - Devin Hester

HC - Vince Lombardi

Goodell: GOAT Family said 05/16, 03:53 PM
Geezzzzz Lifer.... Why dont you make that list a little more perfect? I aslo like how you outlined what you mean by "Iconic"....Good Luck!

I'll only list the ones that I disagree with.

RB - Jim Brown: There is not a football fan on the planet that doesnt know who he is. Quasi or full blown fanatic...

K - Morten Anderson: Not only is he the leading scorer in NFL history. But anyone who watched a football game over the past 3 decades has seen him play

I wont argue anymore until you've had a chance to. Sorry there was ony 2 difference's, but your list is about perfect.

Lifer: A Special Boy said 05/16, 09:32 PM
RB - In my opinion, Jim Brown is the greatest running back that has ever played, but the fact remains that Walter Payton is more iconic as a running back. A few reasons why:

-Payton played much more recently than Jim Brown. Payton retired in 1987, while Brown retired in 1965, before the Super Bowl era even.
-Payton played much longer as well. He played for 13 years (pretty long for a running back) while Brown only played for 9 years (short for a good running back).
-Payton also won a Super Bowl, on what is considered by many as the best team of all time ('85 Bears). To be fair, Brown won an NFL championship, but Super Bowls are all many of the average fans knowns about.

K - Jan Stenerud is the only pure kicker in the Hall of Fame, which alone gets him notoriety. He also won a Super Bowl, and while Andersen is a great kicker, I think he has played a bit too recently to be considered "iconic". Right now, he's not on any teams (is a FA), and will probably retire soon. He's basically in the no-man's land where everyone forgets you (between retirement and HOF eligibility for good players). I just don't think he's quite at the "iconic" stage yet.

Goodell: GOAT Family said 05/16, 11:16 PM
Good call lifer.... I know JB is the best of all time too... However here is why Brown is more Iconic then Payton

1) Jim Brown had a pretty decent movie career after he hung up the cleats. He stared opposite Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch in a movie called "100 Rifles". That movie was the first movie in american history to feature an interracial love scene. That My friend grabbed headlines in and OUT of the sporting world.

2) He was in OVER 10 movies total including one's like, "Im gonna get you sucka" and my personal fav "Any Given Sunday". Now some people dont like that movie. But personaly I love how it portray's the real side of the sporting business. And yes, it's a business.

You even have the The Sporting News selecting him as the greatest football player of all time.

As great as Stenerud was.... And props for being the only kicker in the HOF too. But no one remembers kicker, execpt one. But we wont speak of him here. The fact that Anderson played 3 decades (80's, 90's, and 00) means more people have seen him lately.

If I dont respond it's only because I dont have access....... Weekends are family time. Good luck and GO BILLS

Lifer: A Special Boy said 05/17, 09:17 AM
Jim Brown had a movie career...so what? That doesn't make him an icon of football. Playing controversial roles in movies doesn't either. If we were looking at the person who gained the most fame AFTER they retired, I would've had OJ Simpson.

I mean, look at Mike Ditka. He is a HOF Tight End, and yet is nowadays perhaps best known as a head coach! To be honest, I knew Mike Ditka had been an OK Tight End when I joined FN, but I didn't know he had been a Hall guy.

And what does SportingNews have to do with this? They look at talent, not icons. If you were following them, you would've had to have taken Bob Lilly over Mean Joe, and Deacon Jones over Reggie White.

Morten Andersen's name might be out there more right now, but that doesn't make him an icon. Heck, Brett Favre, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are probably more well known to the average fan than Montana, but I'm certainly not sticking them up here.

Goodell: GOAT Family said 05/18, 10:10 AM
Forfeited Turn

Report Offensive Throwdown

Comments (42)

Most Recent Comment Add Comment RSS

Norwood!

The Ram | 05/16/08, 03:33 PM

An SI.com and CNN Digital Network Site

Search

Already a member?

Most Iconic NFL players, each position (all time)

Goodell: GOAT Family beat Lifer: A Special Boy 13 to 12

Add a comment