Top 5 NFL players of all-time?

Just saw a discussion about it on first take. Skip Bayless said Brett Favre makes it because the top 5 players ever should all be QB'S. What say you?

Rice, Taylor, Payton, Montana, Brown.  Skip Bayless isn't a sports guy, he doesn't watch football.

Adrian Peterson
Barry Sanders
Jerry Rice
Joe Montana
Reggie White

Skip loves his football.

OU wrote:

Adrian Peterson
Barry Sanders
Jerry Rice
Joe Montana
Reggie White

Deion Sanders
Emmit Smith
Michael Irvin
Charles Haley
Jay Novacek
Darrell Johnson

I remember when it was Bruce Smith, Charles Haley and Reggie White as the monsters on the D-Line.

i wouldn't know where to start trying to answer this other than to categorically state that brett favre definitely isn't one of them.

i just hope the defensive guys get their due during the course of the debate. i'll throw deacon jones, lawrence taylor and reggie whites names out there.

I'm going with Rice, Walter Payton, LT, Manning, Barry Sanders. If Bo Jackson never broke his hip he could've been great

No Montana?

Joe Montana
Jerry Rice
Steve Young
The rest...

Pretty much impossible to make an all inclusive list of the top 5 best players to ever put on pads without shorting someone. It'd be much easier to create a top 5 list by position or with some other more finite and specific criteria.

Quarterback: Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Fran Tarkenton, Brett Favre, Bart Starr
Running Back: Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Adrian Peterson, OJ Simpson
Fullback: Larry Csonka, John Riggins, Lorenzo Neal, Tony Richardson, Bronco Nagurski
Wide Reciever: Jerry Rice, Chris Carter, Drew Pearson, Isaac Bruce, and as much as I hate to say it Terrell Owens
Tight End: Shannon Sharpe, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow Sr, Mike Ditka, Jason Witten
Offensive Lineman: Mike Webster, Randall McDaniel, Jonathen Ogden, Mike Munchak, Steve Hutchinson

Defensive Tackle: Buck Buchanon, Warren Sapp, John Randle, Randy White, Alan Page
Defensive End: Chris Doleman, Howie Long, Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Julius Peppers
Linebacker: Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis, Chuck Bednarik, Ray Nitschki, Dick Butkus
Cornerback: Dick Lane, Mel Blount, Deion Sanders, Willie Brown, Champ Bailey
Safety: Joey Browner, Darren Sharper, Jack Tatum, Paul Krause, Ronnie Lott

Offense as a whole: 1984 Dolphins, 1998 Vikings, 2007 Patriots, 1999 Rams, 2011 Saints
Defense as a whole: 1985 Bears, 1976 Vikings, 1998 Ravens, 1975 Steelers, 1990 Giants

/Thread apparently.

Joe Jurevicius

Jerry Rice - best player ever to play the game
O.J. Simpson - first player to 2,000 yards, did it in 12 game season
Joe Montana - he is the best quarterback ever and it aint even close. Lets take a look at the men he beat in Super Bowls Dan Marino, John Elway, Boomer Esiason. Just saying.
Barry Sanders - if he doesnt retire, man he owns all the rushing records and it isnt even close
Lawrence Taylor - redefined the linebacker position and the way defensive coordinators called the game

OU wrote:

OU wrote:

Adrian Peterson
Barry Sanders
Jerry Rice
Joe Montana
Reggie White

Deion Sanders
Emmit Smith
Michael Irvin
Charles Haley
Jay Novacek
Darrell Johnson

90s cowboys fan much /? lol

Birdofthad wrote:

OU wrote:

OU wrote:

Adrian Peterson
Barry Sanders
Jerry Rice
Joe Montana
Reggie White

Deion Sanders
Emmit Smith
Michael Irvin
Charles Haley
Jay Novacek
Darrell Johnson

90s cowboys fan much /? lol

Witten is actually better then Novacek and maybe the best TE ever. Yeah I said it...

OU wrote:

Birdofthad wrote:

OU wrote:

OU wrote:

Adrian Peterson
Barry Sanders
Jerry Rice
Joe Montana
Reggie White

Deion Sanders
Emmit Smith
Michael Irvin
Charles Haley
Jay Novacek
Darrell Johnson

90s cowboys fan much /? lol

Witten is actually better then Novacek and maybe the best TE ever. Yeah I said it...

I agree on both

Witten is gonna have to find the end zone a lot more and keep being a stud well into his late thirties to be in the convo with Gonzales.