When you Needed a Play, You Could Count on the “Playmaker”
The 100 Greatest NFL Players of All-Time Pt. 4(No. 80–71)
Hello, and welcome to the journey as I reveal my top 100 players of all-time! In today’s article, I will reveal numbers 80–71, but first, if you missed any of the previous articles, you can find them here:
https://medium.com/sportsraid/the-100-greatest-nfl-players-of-all-time-pt-1-dd312838f49
https://medium.com/sportsraid/the-100-greatest-nfl-players-of-all-time-pt-2-9d0d30e60367
https://medium.com/sportsraid/the-100-greatest-nfl-players-of-all-time-pt-3-b0288c67bd17
Without further ado, here are numbers 80–71!
#80: Michael Irvin, WR, Cowboys(1988–1999)
The second member to be revealed of arguably the greatest trio of all-time finds himself at spot eighty on the list! Michael Irvin played with the unbelievably talented quarterback Troy Aikman and all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith during his time as apart of the greatest trio in all of football!
These three ultra-talented players won three Super Bowls together for the Dallas Cowboys! However, these Super Bowls most likely wouldn’t have been possible without Michael Irvin as the go-to receiver for Troy Aikman.
Michael Irvin, also known as the “Playmaker” had a stellar career! Irvin only played twelve seasons in the NFL, but managed to record 11,904 receiving yards and 65 touchdowns in these twelve seasons all with the Dallas Cowboys!
Irvin battled injuries for the first few years of his career, but once he was fully healthy starting in 1991, Michael Irvin put together a stretch of five consecutive Pro Bowl seasons. During these seasons, he totaled 1,523, 1,396, 1,330, 1,241, and 1,603 receiving yards respectively.
His impressive play in this span allowed the Cowboys to win their three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, which were also all within this span. Additionally, Michael Irvin showed up in these Super Bowls for the Cowboys. He received over 250 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns in his three Super Bowl appearances.
Irvin’s reliability, dominance, and postseason success were hard to ignore when compiling this list!
#79: Marshall Faulk, RB, Rams/Colts(1994–2005)
As a member of the Greatest Show on Turf in the early 2000s, Marshall Faulk had it all! Faulk was one of the first-ever dual-threat backs in the NFL, setting the new standard for running backs today.
In 1999, Faulk became the first running back ever to record over 1,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. In this season, Faulk had 87 catches for a massive 1,048 receiving yards and still put up 1,381 rushing yards. That season puts him currently 13th all-time for most all-purpose yards in a season! Not too shabby!
Additionally, from 1998–2001, Marshall Faulk put together a four-year span where he rushed for over 1,300 yards. One of these years, 2000, he also rushing for a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns!
Faulk’s complete game has him looked upon fondly by me. Throughout his career, Faulk was able to manage over 12,000 rushing yards and 6,785 receiving yards! This is quite impressive when realizing that Faulk had over 18,000 all-purpose yards, despite playing just twelve seasons in the NFL!
Marshall Faulk is a former NFL MVP, a seven-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champ, and now a member of this exclusive all-time list! Congrats to Faulk on a truly magical career!
#78: Derrick Brooks, LB, Buccaneers(1995–2008)
Derrick Brooks is easily one of the best linebackers to ever step onto a football field! Don’t be fooled by his ranking on this list, Brooks isn’t far off from the linebackers that rank higher than him! Overall, Brooks’s exciting career launches him to the 78th spot on my list!
Brooks’s career was as consistent as it gets! From 1997–2006, Brooks made ten straight Pro Bowl appearances! However, the ways in which Brooks contributed during this period differed year-to-year.
In 1998, Brooks would lead the NFL in tackles with 158, while also leading the league with 123 solo tackles. He was an absolute big-hitter and was always prepared to make a tackle and prevent additional yards!
Meanwhile, in 2002, Derrick Brooks had a jaw-dropping five interceptions and returned three of them for defensive touchdowns. In addition, Brooks had 218 return yards off of these interceptions.
Brooks was an all-around defensive contributor for the Buccaneers, who had 25 interceptions and over 1,700 tackles throughout his influential career! If you needed a big defensive play, Brooks would give you that play!
#77: Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers(2003–2018)
Gates had a long sixteen-year tenure in the NFL, but played all of them with the Chargers! During this tenure, Gates put up numbers year-after-year and even put up over 300 receiving yards at the age of 38!
Gate wasn’t always the most flashy and only received more than 1,000 passing yards twice in his career. Yet, Gate was arguably the most consistent tight end in NFL history!
His consistent career included him producing over 750 receiving yards in nine of his NFL seasons! As a whole, Gates had 11,841 receiving yards and 116 touchdowns during his stellar career. His magnificent career also granted him eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2004–2011 and helped him get named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2000s Team!
Antonio Gates is a surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but in the meantime, hopefully, recognition like being on this list can keep his mind off of eagerly awaiting to hear his name called in Canton!
#76: Brian Urlacher, LB, Bears(2000–2012)
Urlacher’s spot on this list might come as a shock to some. Sure, Urlacher had a great career, which ended in Canton, Ohio. However, is he really a top 100 player of all-time? Personally, when looking at other all-time lists, I found Urlacher to be a glaring omission on some lists. I believe that Urlacher is comfortably a top 100 player of all-time!
Over the course of his thirteen-year career, Urlacher had 22 interceptions, 1361 tackles, and a whopping 41.5 sacks. There is no doubt that Urlacher was the centerpiece and leader for the Chicago Bear’s defense!
As a middle linebacker, Urlacher was responsible for keeping the defense afloat. Any mistakes on his end would make it difficult for the rest of the defense as middle linebackers are considered the quarterback of the defense. Luckily, Urlacher didn’t many mistakes and fans across the league realized that.
Urlacher was selected to eight Pro Bowls and only missed the Pro Bowl twice when playing a full season. Urlacher also had the honor of being named to the First-team All-Pro four times.
At his core, Urlacher was a pass-rushing specialist. As his 41 sacks mentioned above indicated, Urlacher had a knack for getting to the quarterback and causing havoc for offenses.
Don’t be fooled though, just because Urlacher had an old-school skillset that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle the modern pass-happy league. Urlacher succeeded in all facets and was almost as exceptionally in his pass coverages as he was with his pass rushes.
Yet, if Urlacher played in an earlier era, he might have been even better!
#75: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers/Jets(2001–2011)
To put it lightly, Tomlinson was electrifying on the football field! He could do things on a football field at a speed and level that most couldn’t even comprehend! As a result, his skill set and talent earned him a spot on my list!
LaDainian Tomlinson had many great years throughout his career, but one especially stuck out! In 2006, Tomlinson had a record-breaking season for a running back! Tomlinson mustered 1,815 rushing yards along with a magnificent 28 rushing touchdowns! His 28 rushing touchdowns topped the likes of Shaun Alexander and Priest Holmes, who each had 27 rushing touchdowns during a prior year, and broke the record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season!
If this wasn’t enough, Tomlinson also miraculously managed to record over 500 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns to add to such an unbelievable season!
Tomlinson’s 2006 season was easily one of the best single seasons ever by a running back and I’m sure fantasy football players in 2006 would certainly agree!
Outside of this remarkable year, Tomlinson would still manage ways to be super successful in the NFL! In all, Tomlinson would total 13,684 rushing yards and 4,772 receiving yards in his career! Safe to say, Tomlinson’s career didn’t disappoint!
#74: Lance Alworth, WR, Chargers/Cowboys(1962–1972)
Back when the NFL only had 14 games in a regular season, Lance Alworth did things that most players couldn’t do in a 16-game regular season. Alworth only played in 136 NFL career games, but by the time his career was done, there were no doubts that Alworth was an all-around incredible receiver!
What’s truly amazing about Alworth’s career is how fast he crossed the 10,000 receiving yard mark! It only took Alworth 120 games to reach this milestone, which ranks fifth all-time. The only receivers to reach this milestone in fewer games than Alworth are Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, Torry Holt, and Antonio Brown!
Yet, Lance Alworth didn’t play in a modern pass-first league as the other four receivers did. Instead, Alworth had to make the most out of every one of his opportunities.
Alworth led the league in catches and receiving yards three times, despite never having more than 73 catches in a season.
However, Alworth managed to put together seven consecutive seasons where he recorded over 1,000 receiving yards. Most notably, Alworth had his best season in 1975, where he absolutely dominated the opposition game-after-game on his way to 1,602 receiving yards and finished with a league-high 14 receiving touchdowns!
Alworth was a masterpiece on the field! His fabulous career allowed him to make seven Pro Bowls and helped him win a Super Bowl!
Lance Alworth’s name isn’t often recognized because of how long ago he played, but he should be recognized more because of how much better he was than the other receivers in his time period!
#73: Joe Thomas, OT, Browns(2007–2017)
Joe Thomas never had a notable nickname when playing football, but if I were to give him a nickname that most emulated his career it would be “Steady Joe”.
Joe Thomas played his entire eleven-year career with the Cleveland Browns and managed to make the Pro Bowl each of his first ten NFL seasons.
Thomas was never a sexy name to bring up when talking about the best players in football, but yet somehow, year after year, Thomas would always find himself in the conversation as the best offensive lineman in the NFL.
Six times, his solid work led to him being named to the First-team All-Pro. This was as a result of Joe’s steadiness and ability to protect his quarterback no matter how bad they were on the Cleveland Browns. Trust me, the Browns had a brutal string of quarterbacks when Joe Thomas was playing.
Additionally, Joe Thomas would play and start every game in his NFL career up until his final season, where an injury caused him to miss nine games. Thomas never seemed to let his teammates or coaches down and his play was always exceptional!
Ultimately, Joe Thomas, who I like to call “Steady Joe”, always put his best foot forward on the football field. His consistency wasn’t always the most exciting and it didn’t always show up the stat sheet, but pass rushers who went up against Joe Thomas would tell you that Joe Thomas was nearly impossible to face.
#72: Randy White, DT/LB/DE, Cowboys(1975–1988)
Randy White was special! He may not be talked about often, but he did a lot for the Cowboys in his fourteen-year career. Few to ever play the game were more dominant at defensive tackle than Randy White was on the Cowboys!
White’s stat totals speak for themselves. He mustered 1,104 tackles and 111 sacks in his phenomenal career! White is also accredited for making nine Pro Bowls and seven First-team All-Pros as a result of his terrific play!
Still today, Randy White has completed some feats that few Cowboys have been able to beat. His fourteen seasons on the Cowboys are tied for the second-most in Cowboys’ history and his 16 sacks during the 1978 seasons rank third all-time for the Dallas Cowboys. Also, in White’s only Super Bowl victory, White came up big and was named co-Most Valuable Player!
As a result of completing these feats, it was clear that White’s work ethic in practice paid off for him. Some players had a difficult time keeping up with White during practice throughout his career, but Randy White’s practice effort ultimately benefitted him!
#71: Jack Youngblood, DE, Rams(1971–1984)
Jack Youngblood had a stellar career, but to begin his career he had some big shoes to fill! After being drafted in the first round of the 1971 NFL draft, Jack Youngblood was picked to be a back-up for fellow future Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones. Luckily for Youngblood, that back-up role didn’t last long.
It only took one season for the Rams to realize the gem they had in Jack Youngblood! The following season, the Rams would trade Deacon Jones and the rest would be history!
Youngblood would make his first Pro Bowl in 1973, his third NFL season, and it would begin a streak of seven consecutive Pro Bowls!
Throughout Youngblood’s fourteen-year career, he would be credited with a whopping 151.5 sacks and 10 fumble recoveries! Although Youngblood played during a time where stats were unofficial, his sack total, if official, would rank inside the top five all-time!
All in all, Youngblood was a grueling defender for offensive linemen to defend and Youngblood would have his way against these linemen more often than not! It’s hard to avoid putting him on this list!
That wraps up players 80–71 on my all-time list! Next time on my countdown, three current players will be revealed!
Let me know what you thought of the rankings revealed to this point in the comments section below! Do you agree or disagree with my rankings?
