Best Starting Lineup You Can Make Without HOF’ers/HOF Locks

[TWard]

Stole this from the baseball side and thought it would be intriguing to implement it to football as well.

Basically, just create the best starting lineup you possibly can that doesn’t include Hall of Famers or HOF locks (i.e. Peyton, Moss, Gonzo, etc) and cannot include any current players (so no Brady!) Figured this would be a fun exercise since we’re about to see a (likely) boring game between the Packers and Bears.

Roster:

QB -
RB -
FB -
WR -
WR -
TE -
OT -
OG -
C -
OG -
OT -

(You can do 3-4 or 4-3 for all I care)

DE -
DT -
DE -
LB -
LB -
LB -
LB -
CB -
CB -
S -
S -

K -
P -
KR/PR -

Let’s see what we all come up with, and go!

[88horsepower]

Ok, I tried to do this with a few ideas in mind. Again, we aren't talking about locks here, right? That said, there's a lot of arguing about whether or not my wide receivers are locks, which qualifies them both for this team. Obviously, some people will think they are locks, some won't, but that's why they are on this team. Same with my kick returner.

I also wanted to keep defensive players in position and not just name three linebackers I liked. I wanted a true MLB, and two true OLB's. Additionally, I wanted a SS and a FS for my safety positions.

Tough, tough call, Tyler, but this is what I've got off the top of my head. I wanted a physical team with two tremendous blocking pass-catchers in Hines Ward and Mark Bavaro. Bill Belichick has often praised Bavaro for being able to block Reggie White with no help. Imagine the holes that would open up for Bo Jackson with Ward and Bavaro blocking for him downfield. Calvin, Hines and Mark are also no slouches as pass-catchers and would constantly keep defenses honest. Lorenzo Neal at FB. Yeah, try naming a better blocking FB in NFL history who isn't in Canton. I almost went with Daryl Johnston here, but Neal was so tremendous. Archie would have no trouble with a supporting cast light years better than anything he ever had in New Orleans. He's one of those guys everyone wonders about because he was so good, but surrounded by utter garbage for years before his body gave out. My front five on the OL are all studs.

Defensively, I want to run a 4-3 defense with Klecko and Karras in the middle of the defense. Rice and Greenwood on the edges. Gradishar patrols the middle, with Russell and Howley at the perimeter. Law is a shutdown corner with ball-hawking skills, same with Lester. I can't think up a more dominant safety combination than Atwater at free safety and Robinson at strong safety.

Special teams guys so rarely get inducted, so just about anyone not already in Canton are up for grabs. I just picked the best three I could come up with.

QB - Archie Manning
RB - Bo Jackson
FB - Lorenzo Neal
WR - Calvin Johnson
WR - Hines Ward
TE - Mark Bavaro
OT - Chris Hinton
OG - Ruben Brown
C - Kent Hull
OG - Bob Kuechenberg
OT - Joe Jacoby


DE - Simeon Rice
DT - Joe Klecko
DT - Alex Karras
DE - L.C. Greenwood
OLB - Chuck Howley
MLB - Randy Gradishar
OLB - Andy Russell
CB - Ty Law
CB - Lester Hayes
SS - Johnny Robinson
FS - Steve Atwater

K - Jason Elam
P - Rohn Stark
KR/PR - Brian Mitchell

EDIT: I subbed in Elam for Gostkowski, who is still active, Stark for Lechler, who is also still active. I'm not sure what to do about KR/PR since technically, Hester is still active even though he's a free agent. He hasn't retired yet, so I'm not sure where that puts him.

[TWard]

Really like your team, Greg. There’s a lot of similarities between our two teams.

Come on guys, more teams!

[Whodey14]

Qb- Ken Anderson

The rest doesn't matter

[the mesiah]

Roster:

QB -Jim plunkett
RB -Roger Craig
FB -Mike Alstott
WR -Sterling Sharpe
WR -issac Bruce
TE -Jay Novacek
OT -Tony Boselli
OG -Nate Newton
C -mark Stepnoski
OG - Jerry Kramer
OT - Erik Williams



DE -LC Greenwood
DT-Laroi Glover
DT -Bryant Young
DE -Simeon Rice
LB -Pat Swilling
LB -Tedy Bruschi
LB -Chuck Howley
CB -Lester Hayes
CB -Ty law
S -Steve Atwater
S -Darren Woodson

K -Gary Anderson
P -Sean landeta
KR/PR - Devin Hester

COACH-Jimmy Johnson

[TWard]

Originally Posted by the mesiah

Roster:



QB -Jim plunkett

RB -Roger Craig

FB -Mike Alstott

WR -Terrell Owens

WR -issac Bruce

TE -Jay Novacek

OT -Tony Boselli

OG -Larry Allen

C -Mick Tingelhoff

OG - Jerry Kramer

OT - Erik Williams







DE -LC Greenwood

DT-Laroi Glover

DT -Bryant Young

DE -Simeon Rice

LB -Pat Swilling

LB -Tedy Bruschi

LB -Chuck Howley

CB -Lester Hayes

CB -Ty law

S -Steve Atwater

S -Darren Woodson



K -Gary Anderson

P -Sean landeta

KR/PR - Devin Hester



COACH-Jimmy Johnson

TO is a bonafide lock to get in at some point, and Larry Allen is already in the HOF. Tingelhoff is already in as well.

[TWard]

The skill position players on offense were exponentially tough. Narrowing down the QB, RB and WRs were hard and were the last positions I filled.

Ken Anderson is likely the best QB to not be in the HOF but I almost went with Archie Manning (I’m sure y’all can figure out why) or Steve McNair but chose Anderson. I also wanted to go with Bo but I narrowed it down to Eddie George and Shaun Alexander, but went with the latter, as most people forget how good he was in his prime. Also wanted to go with Neal like Greg did but chose Centers due to his pass-catching ability and would help the offense. Almost went with Hines Ward, like Greg, but my personal belief is he will get in in the next few years so went with Rod Smith. Feel like my OL is solid, and led by one of the smartest players to ever play the game in Matt Birk.

Went with a 3-4 defense and I wanted a front seven that could absolutely bruise you and get to the QB. I feel like the DL and LBs are extremely tough, with 2 of the better MLB’s to ever play the game.. both tackling machines as well (how are neither in?) With the front seven constantly putting pressure on the opposing QB, it gives my ball-hawking secondary a chance to shine, especially Ronde and Butler.

Luckily there’s not many special teamers in the HOF so it wasn’t that hard. The ones I picked were basically the best I could come up with. Luckily for me, Pat Mac retired before the season started.

QB - Ken Anderson
RB - Shaun Alexander
FB - Larry Centers
WR - Calvin Johnson
WR - Rod Smith
TE - Todd Christensen
OT - Chris Hinton
OG - Bob Kuechenberg
C - Matt Birk
OG - Steve Wisniewski
OT - Joe Jacoby

DE - L.C. Greenwood
DT - Alex Karras
DE - Richard Seymour
LB - Tommy Nobis
LB - Randy Gradishar
LB - Zach Thomas
LB - Chuck Howley
CB - Ronde Barber
CB - Lester Hayes
S - Donnie Shell
S - LeRoy Butler

K - Jason Elam
P - Pat McAfee
KR/PR - Brian Mitchell

[the mesiah]

Originally Posted by TWard

TO is a bonafide lock to get in at some point, and Larry Allen is already in the HOF. Tingelhoff is already in as well.

Ok changed them , tryn to go off top of head cept for Center spot

[popmaz]

That was fun!
Decided to go with a dual threat at QB.


QB -Randall Cunningham
RB -Edgerrin James
FB -Matt Suhey
WR -Herman Moore
WR -J.T. Smith
TE -Todd Christensen
OT -Jon Kolb
OG -Bill Fralic
C -Jeff Van Note
OG -Reggie McKenzie
OT - Chris Hinton

(You can do 3-4 or 4-3 for all I care)

DE -Jim Marshall
DT -Ted Washington
DE -Dwight White
LB -Tim Harris
LB -Tommy Nobis
LB -Scott Studwell
LB -Wilbur Marshall
CB -Nnamdi Asomugha
CB -Carnell Lake
S -Donnie Shell
S -Deron Cherry

K -Nick Lowery
P -Reggie Roby
KR/PR - Josh Cribbs

[Kosmo Kards]

Offense:

QB - Steve McNair
RB - Clinton Portis
WR - Jimmy Smith
WR - Reggie Wayne
WR - Wes Welker
TE - Ben Coates
T - Tony Boselli
G - Ruben Brown
C - Frank Winters
G - Reggie McKenzie
T - Chris Hinton

Defense:

DE - Adewale Ogunleye
DT - Cortez Kennedy
DT - Marcus Stroud
DE - Richard Seymour
OLB - Peter Boulware
MLB - Tedy Bruschi
OLB - Keith Bulluck
CB - Ronde Barber
CB - Antoine Winfield
S - Darren Woodson
S - Steve Atwater

[freethrowtommy]

Not sure how Jerry Kramer isn't on every roster here. He is pretty widely regarded as the best player not in the HoF

[popmaz]

Originally Posted by freethrowtommy

Not sure how Jerry Kramer isn't on every roster here. He is pretty widely regarded as the best player not in the HoF

Because according to the OP, no Hall of famers or what one would consider a lock. I left Jerry Kramer off because he is up for election from the vet committee this year and in my opinion, will likely be elected.

[popmaz]

Originally Posted by Kosmo Kards

Offense:

QB - Steve McNair
RB - Clinton Portis
WR - Jimmy Smith
WR - Reggie Wayne
WR - Wes Welker
TE - Ben Coates
T - Tony Boselli
G - Ruben Brown
C - Frank Winters
G - Reggie McKenzie
T - Chris Hinton

Defense:

DE - Adewale Ogunleye
DT - Cortez Kennedy
DT - Marcus Stroud
DE - Richard Seymour
OLB - Peter Boulware
MLB - Tedy Bruschi
OLB - Keith Bulluck
CB - Ronde Barber
CB - Antoine Winfield
S - Darren Woodson
S - Steve Atwater

Nice list, but Cortez Kennedy is already in the Hall of fame.

[rats60]

Roster:

QB - Daryl Lamonica
RB - Ricky Watters
FB - Eddie George
WR - Mel Gray
WR - Cliff Branch
TE - Todd Christiansen
OT - Jim Tyrer
OG - Alan Faneca
C - Kevin Mawae
OG - Jerry Kramer
OT - Winston Hill

(You can do 3-4 or 4-3 for all I care)

DE -LC Greenwood
DT- Curley Culp
DT - Alex Karas
DE - Simeon Rice
LB - Andy Russell
MLB - Tommy Nobis
LB - Maxie Baughan
CB - Lemar Parrish
CB - Lester Hayes
S - Donnie Shell
S - Deron Cherry

K - Nate Kaeding
P - Steve Weatherford
KR/PR - Billy White Shoes Johnson

I need a QB who can get the ball down field, "The Mad Bomber," and two burners that you can't cover. No sissy two yard passes here.

[rexvos]

Originally Posted by TWard

Stole this from the baseball side and thought it would be intriguing to implement it to football as well.

Basically, just create the best starting lineup you possibly can that doesn’t include Hall of Famers or HOF locks (i.e. Peyton, Moss, Gonzo, etc) and cannot include any current players (so no Brady!) Figured this would be a fun exercise since we’re about to see a (likely) boring game between the Packers and Bears.

Roster:

QB - Jim Hart
RB - Roger Craig
FB - Larry Centers
WR - Cliff Branch
WR - Drew Pearson
TE - Jay Novacek
OT - Erik Williams
OG - Herbert Scott
C - Kevin Mawae
OG - Jerry Kramer
OT - Stan Brock

(You can do 3-4 or 4-3 for all I care)

DE - Harvey Martin
DT - Joe Klecko
DE - LC Greenwood
LB - Chuck Howley
LB - Sam Mills
LB - Pat Swilling
LB - Vaughn Johnson
CB - Lester Hayes
CB - Ken Riley
S - Johnny Robinson
S - Cliff Harris

K - Jason Elam
P - Shane Lechler
KR/PR - Dante Hall

Let’s see what we all come up with, and go!

If you do not know who any of these guys are then look it up

[TWard]

Originally Posted by popmaz

Because according to the OP, no Hall of famers or what one would consider a lock. I left Jerry Kramer off because he is up for election from the vet committee this year and in my opinion, will likely be elected.

Yep. Exactly my sentiments as well

[rexvos]

Originally Posted by TWard

Yep. Exactly my sentiments as well

Not a lock or he would be in already.

[TWard]

Originally Posted by rexvos

Not a lock or he would be in already.

Didn’t say he was a lock but there’s a very substantial chance he’ll go in this year as a veteran’s committee pick. According to reports, it’s been narrowed down to him or Robert Brazile and I have a feeling it’ll be Kramer.

[Cavaliercards]

Ronde Barber will be a HOFer

[rexvos]

Originally Posted by TWard

Didn’t say he was a lock but there’s a very substantial chance he’ll go in this year as a veteran’s committee pick. According to reports, it’s been narrowed down to him or Robert Brazile and I have a feeling it’ll be Kramer.

I agree but you can't say someone is a lock when he still isn't in 50 years after his career ended

[TWard]

Originally Posted by Cavaliercards

Ronde Barber will be a HOFer

Being in the Virginia HOF doesn’t count!

[dfr52]

Originally Posted by rats60

Roster:

QB - Daryl Lamonica
RB - Ricky Watters
FB - Eddie George
WR - Mel Gray
WR - Cliff Branch
TE - Todd Christiansen
OT - Jim Tyrer
OG - Alan Faneca
C - Kevin Mawae
OG - Jerry Kramer
OT - Winston Hill

(You can do 3-4 or 4-3 for all I care)

DE -LC Greenwood
DT- Curley Culp
DT - Alex Karas
DE - Simeon Rice
LB - Andy Russell
MLB - Tommy Nobis
LB - Maxie Baughan
CB - Lemar Parrish
CB - Lester Hayes
S - Donnie Shell
S - Deron Cherry

K - Nate Kaeding
P - Steve Weatherford
KR/PR - Billy White Shoes Johnson

I need a QB who can get the ball down field, "The Mad Bomber," and two burners that you can't cover. No sissy two yard passes here.

Culp is in. First true 3-4 NT to be inducted.

[dfr52]

Originally Posted by TWard

Didn’t say he was a lock but there’s a very substantial chance he’ll go in this year as a veteran’s committee pick. According to reports, it’s been narrowed down to him or Robert Brazile and I have a feeling it’ll be Kramer.

Both can be selected, they are not really in competition with each other.

[TWard]

Originally Posted by dfr52

Both can be selected, they are not really in competition with each other.

True. But from what I’ve read, it’s gonna be one of the two but then again, not everything you read is true. Wouldn’t shock me if it is both.

[popmaz]

Originally Posted by rexvos

I agree but you can't say someone is a lock when he still isn't in 50 years after his career ended

I went by my opinion. Seeing as Packer fans have been saying for the last 30 years that he is the best player not yet in the HOF, it is my opinion that the vet committee will see it that way this year, therefore I chose to leave him off of my list.