Who Will Be Number One?

If you've been paying attention and are inclined to care about these things (and actually get the channel via your cable or satellite or whatever provider), you have noticed that the NFL Network has been counting down the Top 100 Greatest NFL Players, "as determined by a blue-ribbon panel of knowledgeable football minds" (complete with clips and background on each player during a series of documentaries).  Or at least the top players until next year, when they do the top players born on a Tuesday, followed by the top players over the past six years but not including 2005, followed by the top water boys, most mockable kickers, top sound bite, top "top ten" list, and on and on forever.  Aside from folks paid to talk about football and cranky people who like to yell at others via the anonymity of the internet, I wonder how many people really care about all these lists.  It seems like they are always doing one, so what makes this the be all and end all?

(According to NFL Network, this list is crucial to the betterment of society because:
"The Top 100 members not only contributed to the lasting legacy of the game, but have also shaped the lives of football fans from a variety of backgrounds, age groups and eras through memories and "remember when" moments. It is these unique and personal recollections that set this series apart as notable individuals from the world of sports and entertainment serve as presenters for each featured player.")


Anyway, I digress.  Tonight the top ten are finally revealed!  I know, you haven't been able to sleep.  It is kind of exciting because somebody will be number one and a bunch of somebodys will be ranting and raving.  Here is a partial list of who won't be number one:

• Deion Sanders (cuz he's #34.  Ahead of Ray Nitschke, Bart Starr, Ditka, LT, and Joe Namath, just to name a few)
• Mean Joe Greene (who I was much more familiar with as a guy from a Coke ad than an intimidating ball player.  PS: he's #13)
• Emmitt Smith (#28)
• Bruce Smith (#31)
• Ray Lewis (#18 - Behind Ronnie Lott (11)? Really?)
• Deacon Jones (#15)
• Barry Sanders (#17)
• Brett Favre (#20 - wonder if staying in the game has lowered or raised his stock)
• Merlin Olsen (#27)
• Randy Moss (#65?!?!?  Seriously?  Wondering if he'll still be a Titan by the time the play the Colts Dec. 9 and again Jan 2, 2011)
• Michael Strahan (#99)

Haven't heard a lot of it this year, but if you are into the whole Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning vs current-hot-QB-who-just-won-a-Super-Bowl (or even just won a game) argument, um, Peyton won.  Or at least he got ranked higher than Mr. Brady (who was #21, right behind Brett Favre.  Interesting.).  Peyton must be on the list, because not only are Favre and Brady, but Fran Tarkenton and Terry Bradshaw - and if they are in, Peyton's in.  So he is somewhere 10 or higher, which ranks higher than 21.  And I have a hard time seeing some upstart beat out some of the quality guys lower on the list.  I don't think Peyton should be number one, though - I have a lot more "remember whens" featuring other players not even ranked than I do Peyton ("Hey honey, remember when Peyton went up to the line of scrimmage and then backed up and hollered some stuff at his line and then took the snap?" doesn't get said a lot around our house) - but it will be interesting to see who ends up in the top ten and how they line up.  There's got to be somebody assumed to be in the top ten because they are nowhere else in the top 100 that isn't going to make the cut.  Wow.

(I did not get the express written consent of the NFL to utilize their name and players' names in this blog, but hopefully I have not violated their very strict copyright code)  :)