SPORTSDAY

Posted by Jon Nichols @ 12:44 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

I hate to disagree but Larry Allen has to be in the top 5. He dominated from the offensive line like no one in the last 25 years maybe even ever. Even today at his age he is still a premier lineman although not at the caliber he was 5 and 20 years ago. And one last question, if Emmitt Smith is on the list as he well should be, how did Emmitt gain all those yards? Larry Allen was one of the biggest reasons

Posted by Jon Nichols @ 12:51 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

I did not mean 20 years ago, I meant 10 years ago

Posted by Saint Jimmy @ 1:37 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Tim, you must really love the taste of your feet. Troy Aikman is better than Larry Allen? Sorry man but you are completely wrong on that one. Can you honestly say that Troy Aikman was the absolute best at his position for about 10 years? If you do then you're an idiot with QB's like Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, and Brett Favre around. But Larry Allen was not only the best at his position (which has twice as many candidates than Troy's position) but he was the best offensive lineman period.

Larry Allen in his prime could play tackle and be the absolute best at the position. Or you could play him at gaurd and he'd still be the best in the NFL. One could argue that Larry Allen is quite possibly the best offensive lineman to ever play in the NFL...he's the only one in NFL history to make the probowl for 4 different positions and I expect that record to stand for as long as Nolan Ryan's strikeout record which would be forever. He's certainly the best I have ever seen.

I think you should have your NFL creditentials stripped for making such a lamebrain comment. The fact that one could argue that Larry Allen is the best OL'er to ever strap on a helmet should tell you he's better than Troy. Because there is no way in hell someone could argue that Troy is the best QB to ever play the game...and I have mad respect for him and really, really, REALLY wish I could say that about Troy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You ever heard the term "franchise right guard"? Yeah, me neither. Aikman might not have been better at his position than Allen, but his position is much more important. Allen was good as a tackle, but not the best in the league. Oh, and Aikman managed to win two Super Bowls before Allen's arrival in Dallas.

Posted by Ed Evans @ 1:52 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Michael Irvin is the greatest receiver in that time period only under Jerry Rice. He's a HOFer and has 3 rings...he has to be on the list.

Posted by Saint Jimmy @ 2:13 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Don't penalize the big uglies because they don't get any credit. Have you ever heard of a QB being able to do his job without those big uglies up front? Yeah, me either.

Anyone will tell you the game is won and lost with those guys up front. And Troy Aikman will be the very 1st one to tell you that. I'm sure if you go ask Nate Newton or any charasmatic OL'er that same question he'll smile and tell you it's the truth. So it's not a question of Troy being modest...he's just being real.

Posted by Augustus @ 2:46 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

How about going back a little further to add Tony Dorsett and Randy White? After all, 25 years ago was 1982.

Posted by milton thuroughgood III @ 2:49 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Steve Gogan.

Posted by Creth Davis @ 2:53 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

WOW.

Saint Jimmy... I couldn't disagree with you more.

are you serious? were you a lineman? did Troy Aikman steal Larry's Super Bowl MVP award? can a team with a good line and nothing else win? (ask Denver, when they lost their HOF QB and star RB but held onto their great line they... well they have good numbers, but I don't see any Super Bowls.) kinda reminds me of that Marino dude you mentioned as "better than Troy"

but that's a whole other discussion. we should have that on the Mavs blog, because seeing how you, Saint Jimmy, are a Mavs fan, you can understand that championships make or break a player. Dirk will have to win a championship to be considered one of the greats, even with his league MVP award... and Young, Marino, Kelly, Favre... what have they done to compare with Troy? nothing.

long live Troy

Posted by evilinc @ 3:44 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Can't agree with you that Allen isn't better than Aikman. Allen was the best guard in football certainly for the last decade, and arguably in the last 25 years. John Madden will likely commit seppuku if Larry isn't a first ballot HOFer.

Posted by evilinc @ 3:48 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Tim: the query wasn't who was the best "franchise" player, it was who was the best player. That a given position is more important does not mean someone who plays it is better. QB is unquestionably more important than guard, but Larry was still a better player than Aikman, and most of the other "superstar" QBs.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I understand your point and could get into a debate of exactly what "best" means. I define it by asking this question: If you had to choose between the two players, which one would you take? Give me Aikman over Allen.

Posted by David Valencia @ 7:20 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Why is Bradshaw on the list? He retired after the 1983 and by that time, injuries caught up to him. His best days were 74-80. Therefore, he should not be on the list.

EDITOR'S NOTE: USA Today states that a player's entire career can be considered if he retired within the last 25 years. I'd have based it purely on the last 25 years, but I'm just a local yokel.

Posted by evilinc @ 7:38 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Tim, the problem with that approach is that a team isn't made up solely of QBs. Under your theory, if building a team, you'd take numerous QBs before Allen because they are all more "valuable" on a player by player comparison. But you've got to have other players. You've got to have offensive linemen. You can't just take QBs. A fair evaluation can only be made by comparing Allen to his peers, and Aikman to his. If all my team is full except one o-line spot, with all other linemen of the last 25 years available, and qb, with all qbs of the last 25 years available, and I can choose, knowing that my next pick gets me who's left, then I pick Allen before I pick Aikman, because I'd rather have Allen as compared to all other o-linemen, instead of Aikman as compared to all other qbs.

Posted by Avery210 @ 8:18 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Aikman deserves to be on this list. Higher/lower than Allen, who knows? BUT, Rod Woodson over Allen? That's a problem. Woodson was great and all, but I'd toss him in the same group as Steve Atwater or John Lynch. Great players but top 25 over past 25 years? I don't know about that...

Posted by Saint Jimmy @ 8:59 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Creth, you're comparing apples to oranges. You don't have to win a championship in the NBA to be great. Would you rather have Karl Malone or Dennis Rodman on your basketball team? Patrick Ewing or Luc Longley?

Editor (Tim?) for evilinc's post. Again you are mixing up best with importance. Of course a QB is more important and plays a larger role than someone on the offense line and therefore would be drafted first (although you've got teams like the Browns proving that the OL is important by passing on a "franchise QB" for the "franchise LT").

The arguement is who is better. And you can only judge that by looking at who did what at their respective positions. Did Troy Aikman dominate the QB position as long as Larry Allen dominated the ENTIRE OL positions?

Posted by johnsboys @ 9:08 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Troy definitely deserves to be on the list. 3 SBs is reason enough. What is the #1 criteria in defining a QB....Wins. No other QB during the past 25 years had the success that he had plus he had the most wins in a decade of any QB in history. Certainly he had an awesome supporting cast and LA was among them , but the big uglies meant as much, if not more, to Emmitt as they did Troy.

Now, does LA deserve to be on the list? Absolutely. Where, who knows, but he definitely deserves to higher than Rod Woodson.

Posted by Rod @ 10:09 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Top 25 in the last 25 years. I am as big of Cowboy homer as most but i cannot see many Cowboys making this list. Deion is a Falcon, according to him and Haley is likely a 49ers for HOF purposes.

I love Larry Allen and he is likely the best Cowboy offensive lineman ever (Rayfield??) but a top 25 player. I think we should be happy to have Aikman even make this list. He might be the forth or fifth best QB. Emmitt is the only no brainer IMO.

Posted by Paul Graham @ 10:11 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Bob Lilly......you bet!!

Posted by Gary R. @ 11:31 PM Wed, Jun 27, 2007

Hey, not to switch subjects on you guys or anything but did you see on ESPN's NFL rumor central that the Cowboys were being considered as a possible new home for Tank Johnson.
What do you think about that?