All-time Best 11 Players by Team-AFC West_NFL.com

[vailpass]

It's the offseason so clickbait but whaddya' think? Are there enough Olinemen on the picks for KC? How does San Diego not have a SB with all the studs they've had? Doyou agree that Elway should have been on the Denver list twice because he's just that good? **** the Faiders.

Kansas City Chiefs
1) Derrick Thomas, OLB (1989-1999)
2) Tony Gonzalez, TE (1997-2008)
3) Len Dawson, QB (1962-1975)
4) Willie Lanier, LB (1967-1977)
5) Will Shields, OG (1993-2006)
6) Bobby Bell, LB (1963-1974)
7) Buck Buchanan, DT (1963-1975)
8) Priest Holmes, RB (2001-07)
9) Emmitt Thomas, DB (1966-1978)
10) Eric Berry, S (2010-present)
11) Johnny Robinson, S (1960-1971)
Coach: Hank Stram (1960-1974)


As historic as Dawson's contributions are to the Chiefs franchise, and as iconic as this hardcore picture of him smoking a cig during Super Bowl I's halftime is, Thomas and Gonzalez are the superior players. The two were statistical marvels and matchup nightmares in their time and are both top-five all-timers at their respective positions.

After the top six, it's tough sledding. As with Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles, Holmes had a brief-but-historic run of play with Kansas City after the turn of the century. Of the three tailbacks, Holmes' three-season stretch of 6,566 total yards stands out as the most noteworthy accomplishment. That and his three first-team All-Pros.

The back end is dominated by secondary studs, including Berry, the lone active Chief on this list. Seven years into his career, Berry (who is apparently nicknamed the Fifth Dimension?) has already earned a spot, thanks to his consistent play, leadership ability and one hell of a comeback story.

I ran out of room for fan favorites like Charles, Christian Okoye and Otis Taylor.

DT Tribute video included in article:
http://www.nfl.com/m/share?p=%2Fvide...Derrick-Thomas


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...amers-stack-up

[tatorhog]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Here's my list. I'm assuming that "best players" means the best at their position and not the most important to the franchise.

Chiefs:

1. Tony Gonzalez
2. Will Shields
3. Buck Buchanan
4. Len Dawson
5. Willie Lanier
6. Derrick Thomas
7. Bobby Bell
8. Albert Lewis
9. Jamaal Charles
10. Deron Cherry

Deron Cherry was a good safety, but I don't think he was as good as Johnny Robinson.

[Luke Atamadong]

Originally Posted by vailpass

What's the feeling among KC fans re: do you consider Roaf a Chief? If so it seems like he'd maybe be in there?

The only omission that really stuck out to me. Roaf may not have been here for his entire career but he was the best lineman to don the red and gold for sure. Dude was on another level.

[gblowfish]

I look at Roaf like Montana or Allen. All are HOF guys, but all three made their reputations elsewhere before coming to KC. Their time with the Chiefs helped cement their HOF careers, but they'll all be remembered with their original parent team.

I've been screaming for years about Otis Taylor being inducted, but deaf ears. They'll probably put him in a year after he dies, which is a damn shame.

[Hangin'WithMahomes]

No Ray Guy for the Raiders seems odd to me

[gblowfish]

Building a list of "Best" is very hard, because skill position players tend to carry more perceived value; but then a player may come along that defines a position for generations -like Stenerud's kicking style. So here's my shot at the great 11:

1: Bobby Bell OLB
2: Tony Gonzalez TE
3: Len Dawson QB
4: Derrick Thomas OLB
5: Willie Lanier MLB
6: Jan Stenerud K
7: Will Shields G
8: Buck Buchanan DT
9: Curley Culp DT
10: Emmitt Thomas CB
11: Otis Taylor WR
Coach: Hank "The Mentor" Stram

Rationale: Bobby Bell was the best all around athlete and football player to suit up. He was the first outside linebacker from the AFL days inducted into the HOF. He deep snapped and played on special teams his entire career. TG is a consensus first ballot HOFer. Dawson QBed our team in 2 Super Bowls and is the only Chief to be a Super Bowl MVP. Seven of the remaining eight are HOF members and the final nominee Otis Taylor, should be.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Here's my list. I'm assuming that "best players" means the best at their position and not the most important to the franchise.

Broncos

1. Rod Smith
2. Thannon Tharpe
3. Karl Mecklenburg
4. Randy Gradishar
5. Al Wilson
6. Trevor Pryce
7. Steve Watson
8. Champ Bailey
9. Riley Odoms
10. Dennis Smith

Damn, Rain Man. That's a pretty good list considering you have to leave Elway off of it. Nice to see Mecklenburg getting some love.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by listopencil

Damn, Rain Man. That's a pretty good list considering you have to leave Elway off of it. Nice to see Mecklenburg getting some love.

I wondered what Broncos fans would think about my placement Al Wilson. As an opponent, I thought he was very underrated. He was one of those guys who was kind of scary to face. What do you think about his placement on the list?

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I wondered what Broncos fans would think about my placement Al Wilson. As an opponent, I thought he was very underrated. He was one of those guys who was kind of scary to face. What do you think about his placement on the list?

Heh, I'm biased. I only have two jerseys and one of them is Al Wilson. He'd be in my top ten.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Also of note: Priest's longest runs in each season were 41, 56, and 31 yards. The man had 2000+ yards from scrimmage and damn near 30 TDs in 2003 yet his longest run was 31 yards. Also insane.

He had only 6 rushes of 40+ yards in his entire career. For comparison, Jamaal had two separate individual seasons in which he had 5 runs of 40+ yards.

He gets docked for having an all time OL, and he didn't have as much pure athletic ability as Charles or even Larry Johnson, but he'd hold his own against either of those guys. Way more than people think. His acceleration in those first 10 yards was elite, and it helped him rack up those stats you posted. He just didn't have the breakaway speed.

In some ways it was more deadly because he was so good at picking up chunks and controlling the TOP. But he was also a very smart runner with great quickness, wasn't afraid to give up his body at the goal line and it made him unstoppable there. He could also catch the ball better than those other guys, and he rarely turned it over. That's not as exciting as a guy who can bust a 90 yard run at any time but it's still a dangerous weapon because he could do so many things and do them efficiently.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by tk13

He gets docked for having an all time OL, and he didn't have as much pure athletic ability as Charles or even Larry Johnson, but he'd hold his own against either of those guys. Way more than people think. His acceleration in those first 10 yards was elite, and it helped him rack up those stats you posted. He just didn't have the breakaway speed.

In some ways it was more deadly because he was so good at picking up chunks and controlling the TOP. But he was also a very smart runner with great quickness, wasn't afraid to give up his body at the goal line and it made him unstoppable there. He could also catch the ball better than those other guys, and he rarely turned it over. That's not as exciting as a guy who can bust a 90 yard run at any time but it's still a dangerous weapon because he could do so many things and do them efficiently.

I wasn't trying to disparage him or anything. It's just pretty incredible that he could be so effective while essentially rarely ever being explosive.

Priest had elite vision, patience and ball security. He was a great receiver with a compact body.

[Otter]

Priest should be at least 3 positions higher.

[CupidStunt]

I assume I'll probably get hate for this, but I think Tamba Hali had a better career with the Chiefs than Berry has - so far at least. He didn't quite have Berry's absolute peak (though Hali's 14.5-sack season wasn't far off), he doesn't have the comeback story (though people underrate his life story IMO), he doesn't have the same affection that came from draft day and he's just generally less liked, I guess, but his performance from 2009-2013 was a better run than Berry's had, considering the injuries and inconsistencies earlier in his career, and on top of that he bookended it with some decent play.

Oof. Paragraph time.

And what about Derrick Johnson - at least compared to Berry. Kind of similar. Peak isn't so high, but much more longevity.

IDK, Berry's actually pretty overrated career-wise. You can't blame him for completely missing 3 years out of 8 in the league, but you also can't give him any credit. You can only really judge 5 years' worth of play, and they damn sure weren't all nearly as good as his best year or 2.

[Luke Atamadong]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

I look at Roaf like Montana or Allen. All are HOF guys, but all three made their reputations elsewhere before coming to KC. Their time with the Chiefs helped cement their HOF careers, but they'll all be remembered with their original parent team.

I've been screaming for years about Otis Taylor being inducted, but deaf ears. They'll probably put him in a year after he dies, which is a damn shame.

Solid point Gblowfish.

[Luke Atamadong]

Originally Posted by tk13

He gets docked for having an all time OL, and he didn't have as much pure athletic ability as Charles or even Larry Johnson, but he'd hold his own against either of those guys. Way more than people think. His acceleration in those first 10 yards was elite, and it helped him rack up those stats you posted. He just didn't have the breakaway speed.

In some ways it was more deadly because he was so good at picking up chunks and controlling the TOP. But he was also a very smart runner with great quickness, wasn't afraid to give up his body at the goal line and it made him unstoppable there. He could also catch the ball better than those other guys, and he rarely turned it over. That's not as exciting as a guy who can bust a 90 yard run at any time but it's still a dangerous weapon because he could do so many things and do them efficiently.

His patience combined with that line was an absolute thing of beauty to watch.

[gblowfish]

Here's my list of most despised d-bags on the other AFC West squads:

Denver Donks:
1) John Elway, QB - He could be pick 1 thru 5...
2) Steve Atwater, S Makes one good hit on Okoye and he's a hero...
3) Thannon Tharpe, TE Mush Mouth Trash Talker
4) Tom Jackson LB - Always poor talked the Chiefs on ESPN
5) Floyd Little, RB - Bow legged MoFo....he was a good back though.
6) Tombstone Jackson, DE - With a name like Tombstone...
7) Aqib Talib, CB Extra hatred points because he's a Jayhawk.
8) Karl Mecklenburg, LB - I video'ed him at an FCA camp once. Giant douche.
9) Peyton Manning, QB - Roided up Five Head. He blows Papa John.
10) Neil Smith, DE - Screw him. Traitorous Bastard. I mean it, man.
11) Randy Gradishar, LB He was a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
Coach: Mike Shanahan - Shana RAT.

Los Angeles Chargers
1) Rodney Harrison SS - King of the cheap shot. Major asshole.
2) Shane Merriman LB - Roided up out of his freaking mind.
3) Junior Seau LB - Roids and head trauma make him kill himself.
4) Dan Fouts, QB - Major asshole. Hate him doing color on Chiefs games.
5) Natrone Means RB - Single handedly knocked KC out of the playoffs once.
7) Phyllis Rivers, QB - Whiner, loser.
The rest of these guys I'm OK with:
8) Lance Alworth, WR Almost as good as Otis Taylor. Almost.
9) Kellen Winslow, TE: MIZ-ZOU
10) Ron Mix, OT - His nickname was "The Silent Assassin."
11) Speedy Duncan, CB: Gotta love a guy named "Speedy."
Coach: Sid Gillman - Wore bowties. Father of the West Coast Offense.

Oakland Raiders
1) Jack Tatum, SS: Criminal. Period.
2) Ben Davidson, DE: Taught Rodney Harrison how to cheap shot.
3) Marv Hubbard, RB: Smart mouth no talent douche.
4) Dan Connors, LB: Nickname was "Crybaby Connors."
5) Jamarcus Russell, QB: Purple Drank Druggie...he BEAT US ONCE!!
6) Willie Brown, CB: Had Pass Interference down to an artform.
7) Lyle Alzado, DE: Another Roided up criminal.
8) Rich Gannon, QB: Should have kept him. He made us pay for our mistake.
9) Todd Marijuanavich, QB: He was stoned and he missed it...
10) Barrett Robbins, C: Psychopath. Sad Story.
11) Howie Long, DE: I don't hate Howie, he was a monster to face.
Coach: Al "Squiggy" Davis. Just sue, Baby...