10) Ray Lewis
I’m so sorry that I had to cut players like Emmitt Smith, Peyton Manning, Rod Woodson, Bruce Smith, Dan Marino, John Unitas, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Mike Singletary, Anthony Muñoz, and many others.
Ultimately, this final spot came down to Manning and Lewis, and I went with #52 because I felt his career accomplishments were very similar to Manning’s, and he doesn’t get to touch the ball every play like a quarterback does. With less opportunity to make an impact, Lewis has led his Ravens to just as much success as Manning’s Colts.
Leadership also factored in to my decision here. Though Peyton is a very good leader, he has crumbled at times in pressure situations, and once infamously threw his offensive line under the bus. Part preacher, part coach, and part brother, Lewis is a full-time motivator to everyone in the Ravens locker room, at once the best player and the most passionate individual on the team.
Lewis also has a special place in my heart because he led what I believe was the best single season defense of all-time and was the undisputed star of that group. The Super Bowl Champion 2000 Ravens allowed a single season record 165 points over sixteen games, including four shutouts.
In that same year the Baltimore offense did not record a touchdown in six games, and the Ravens still went 12-4. In the playoffs the Lewis-led Ravens allowed 3, 10, 3, and 7 points in their four game run to a championship, and that 7 points scored in the Super Bowl was on a kick return. So in four playoff games, the Ravens’ defense allowed an average of four points per game.
Twice named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and a seven-time all-pro, Lewis has been the best defensive player of his generation. Along with Reggie White, he is the best defender I have ever personally watched. Finally, perhaps no player in history has struck fear into the hearts and minds of his opponent like Lewis.
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| #10 Ray Lewis |
9) Walter Payton
Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers, Emmitt Smith: all of these guys are in the discussion for the best back of all-time. With two of those names to follow on this list, I had a tough choice as to whom to rank third, but in the end I had to go with Sweetness. Payton was the focal point of the Bears offense for nearly his entire 13-year career, and he never had a great quarterback or receivers to take focus away from him.
Retiring as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Payton went over 1,300 yards in a season nine times. And while Smith broke Payton’s yardage record, he did so by hanging on too long with a bad Arizona team (where he averaged 3.8, 2.8, and 3.5 yards per carry in three seasons, respectively). Payton was the more dominant back, averaging more yards per rush with less help on offense, carrying a heavier burden than Smith ever had to. Also, on 23 less career catches, Payton totaled 1,314 more receiving yards.
Payton won one MVP, made nine Pro Bowls, and was top-3 in the league in rushing yards eight times. In addition, he was also a Super Bowl Champion on what many would argue was the best team of all time, the 1985 Bears.
The perfect blend of power, vision, agility, speed, and smarts, if you were constructing a running back in a lab, you’d probably come out with Walter Payton.
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| #9 Walter Payton |
--from @AdamHocking
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