Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. There are few who have given as much thought to the history of pro football as Brad has over the years. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.

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This is the seventh article in a twelve-part series profiling the greatest pro football players of all time. You can find the previous installments below:

111-125
101-110
91-100
81-90
71-80
61-70

If you haven’t read those yet, especially the article introducing the series (111-125), I hope you’ll start there.

Best Players of All Time: 51-60

60. Paul Warfield
Wide Receiver
Cleveland Browns, 1964-69, 1976-77; Miami Dolphins, 1970-74
427 receptions, 8,565 yards, 85 TD
1 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP All-Pro, 8 Pro Bowls

Paul Warfield is unique: a Hall of Fame wide receiver who played his whole career on run-oriented offenses. In each of his first 11 seasons, Warfield teamed with an All-Pro running back: Jim Brown, then Leroy Kelly, then Larry Csonka. In Warfield’s 13 NFL seasons, his teams’ running backs made 15 Pro Bowls. His teams were consistently successful; Warfield reached four NFL Championship Games with the Browns and three Super Bowls with the Dolphins, winning titles with both (1964, 1972, and 1973).

The combination of great running backs and successful teams meant that Warfield’s teams consistently ran more often than they threw, which limited his statistical production. At the same time, the threat he presented to defenses opened up running lanes. Warfield never caught more than 50 passes after his rookie year, and his career-high was 1,067 yards. But he led the league in receiving TDs twice, and he made eight Pro Bowls. His best season was probably 1971: he ranked second in receiving yards (996), led the league in TDs, played in the Super Bowl, and was a consensus All-Pro.

Warfield was distinguished by his athleticism. He was fast and explosive, a champion long jumper, but also graceful and precise. He was also intelligent and studious, a surgical route-runner. He timed his jumps perfectly, which is critical for downfield receivers, since defenders often arrive before the ball does.

Warfield was a game-changing deep threat, who averaged 20.1 yards per reception and scored on 20% of his receptions. Downfield threats dictate coverage, spread the defense vertically, and create opportunities for the team even when they’re not targeted. The late ’60s through the mid ’70s were the golden age of the downfield terrors: Lance Alworth, Cliff Branch, Isaac Curtis, Gary Garrison, John Gilliam, Mel Gray, Bullet Bob Hayes, Harold Jackson, Charlie Joiner, Homer Jones, Don Maynard, Haven Moses, Drew Pearson, Gene Washington, Warren Wells… Paul Warfield was the greatest deep receiver of that era, and to my way of thinking, that makes him the greatest deep threat of all time. Warfield’s career totals are very good, but they don’t do justice to the most dangerous receiver of his era.

Warfield is one of only six Modern-Era receivers to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot, joining Raymond Berry, Lance Alworth, Steve Largent, Jerry Rice, and Randy Moss.

59. Calvin Johnson
Wide Receiver
Detroit Lions, 2007-15
731 receptions, 11,619 yards, 83 TD
3 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP All-Pro, 6 Pro Bowls

I am continually shocked by the idea that Calvin Johnson was anything less than the greatest receiver of his era. Even apart from the statistical record, he was an athletic freak, a size-and-speed impossibility whose “Megatron” nickname fit perfectly. At 6-5, 237, he was the size of a tight end, but he ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash and had a 42½-inch vertical leap. Matthew Stafford would throw to him in triple coverage, and Johnson would come down with the ball based on size and leaping ability. Three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman described the challenge of guarding Johnson: “They tell you he’s 6′ 5″ and runs a 4.3 forty. Then you get out there, and he’s faster than you think, quicker than you think. Taller and stronger than you think. You’ll have three or four guys sitting on him in coverage, and Stafford throws it up there, and he makes the play . . . Calvin’s playing ball at a different level from anyone else.”

Between his height and wingspan, Johnson probably had the largest catch radius in history, and he was the best in the game at adjusting to the ball. He wasn’t afraid to stretch out for a catch, which a lot of receivers are, and he made a lot of receptions in tight coverage that way. Johnson also ran good routes and made precise cuts, which you seldom see from players so big. I think some fans took his size for granted — a massive catch radius isn’t obvious highlight material, and people didn’t realize how unusual it was for him to reach passes far outside the defender’s range. Some fans couldn’t understand how Megatron was posting his awesome receiving statistics, so they dismissed them as the product of an imbalanced offense, not realizing that Johnson had the skills of an elite player five inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter. He could run with anybody, but he also reached passes no other receiver would get to.

Even though one of his most important attributes, size, was often overlooked by highlight-seekers, Johnson routinely made jaw-dropping plays; he was visibly the best receiver in the league. He made tightrope catches on the sideline, crisp routes for easy-looking TDs, dove for catches in the middle of the field and outjumped defenders on alley-oops in multiple coverage. Not just the premier deep threat of his era, Johnson was the best in the league on slants. He was so big, no one could jam or re-direct him at the line, and he ran perfect patterns.

Over his brief but electric career, Johnson set or tied numerous records, including most 200-yard receiving games in a season (3) and career (6). He holds the single-season record for receiving yardage (1,964), as well as the records for back-to-back seasons (3,645) and three consecutive seasons (5,137). I might be willing to argue that Calvin Johnson, from 2011-13, had the greatest peak of any receiver in the history of American football. Over those three seasons, he led the league by over 1,000 yards (Brandon Marshall, 4,017), led in first downs by 20%, and scored 12 or more touchdowns two of the three years.

In 2011, Johnson became the first player to top 1,600 yards in a season since 2003, and the first WR with more than 15 TDs in a season since Randy Moss in 2007. The following season, he broke the single-season record for receiving yardage (1,964) and tied the record for first downs (92), leading the league by huge margins in both categories. In 2013, he missed two games but still ranked among the top three in yards, first downs, and TDs. An astonishing 82% of his catches resulted in first downs, by far the best percentage in the league. In Week 8, he gained 329 yards, the most ever in a non-overtime game. Johnson consistently received, and beat, double coverage — he was probably as good as anyone who’s ever played at making contested catches. Johnson was the best in the league at getting open, he made catches even when he wasn’t open, and he was good with the ball in his hands.

Johnson’s 1,120 yard-advantage is the three-year record, of course, and only Lance Alworth (1964-66) has ever come close. Jerry Rice, because I imagine you’re wondering, led by as much as 712 yards (1986-88). That’s less than two-thirds, 63.6%, of Johnson’s lead. There’s nothing magical about three years, of course, but you find a similar pattern at four years, or five. From 2010-13, Johnson led by over 1,200 yards. From 2010-14, he led by 1,582.

Johnson had glitch-in-the-matrix stats, jaw-dropping highlights, awe and acclaim from fellow players, and a freakish skill set. His career was too short to say he’s the best receiver that ever played, but I’ve never seen anyone better at his peak.

58. Julius Peppers
Defensive End
Carolina Panthers, 2002-09, 2017-18; Chicago Bears, 2010-13; Green Bay Packers, 2014-16
159.5 sacks; 51 FF, 21 FR, 131 yards, 2 TD; 11 INT, 293 yards, 4 TD
3 consensus All-Pro, 6 AP All-Pro, 9 Pro Bowls, Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2000s All-Decade Team

Pass rushes today are better than ever. Despite a multitude of rules instituted to help quarterbacks, receivers, and blockers, modern passers have less time than ever to get rid of the ball. While sack rates are not up, the seven-step drop has all but disappeared from modern football. There’s not enough time for deep passes to develop.

Most serious sports fans — like the ones reading this article — revere the past. Deacon Jones. Reggie White. Bruce Smith. Alan Page. Gino Marchetti. Lawrence Taylor. It’s sacrilege to suggest that Julius Peppers, who was spectacular but inconsistent early in his career, was as good as those guys. But if pass rushing is better today, why are all the best pass rushers from decades ago? We’re not adjusting properly for era and league context.

Peppers was probably the best athlete among great defensive linemen: 6′ 6¼” and almost 300 pounds, but fast and explosive. With his height and wingspan, he made it seem like the world was caving in on opposing QBs. Peppers officially ranks 4th all-time in sacks and 2nd in forced fumbles. He had 10 seasons with double-digit sacks; only Smith and White had more. By way of comparison, Jared Allen had eight seasons of double-digit sacks. Dwight Freeney had seven. Michael Strahan and Jason Taylor had six each. J.J. Watt has five so far. Peppers had ten.

Perhaps even more remarkable was Peppers’ performance against the pass itself. Here’s a list of all players with at least 10 career interceptions, ranked by sack total. Peppers is 63% ahead of second place. Here’s a list of seasons with at least 100 INT return yards, ranked by sack total. Peppers easily leads the top spot, and he’s tied for third as well. The next player to appear twice on the list is Eric Berry, with seasons of 3.5 and 2.0 sacks. Peppers and Joey Porter are the only true pass rushers with over 100 interception return yards in a season. Peppers did it twice. Since 1982, there are only two players who have half as many sacks as Peppers and half as many interception return yards (Joey Porter and Clay Matthews III). Peppers’ combination of skills was entirely unique.

He had long arms and good instincts, which allowed him to pick off an unusual number of passes, and he was much faster than the linemen trying to run him down after a pick. Those same attributes made Peppers one of the best kick blockers in history, deflecting 12 field goals and an extra point. John Turney writes, “In this era when eighty percent of field goals are good, the twelve blocks matter a lot.” Based on that math, Peppers took about 30 points off the board above and beyond his defensive play. That’s five touchdowns.

There is a case to be made, based on longevity and era adjustments, that Peppers was as good a pass rusher as anyone who’s ever played. Accounting for his other skills, I believe a plausible argument could be made for him as the greatest defensive end of all time. I’m a traditionalist, and I’ve rated him well below the most celebrated DEs in history, but I regard this rank as conservative.

57. Derrick Brooks
Outside Linebacker
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1995-2008
13.5 sacks; 24 FF, 4 FR, 15 yards, TD; 25 INT, 530 yards, 6 TD
1 DPOY, 3 consensus All-Pro, 9 AP All-Pro, 11 Pro Bowls, 2000s All-Decade Team

Among linebackers, Derrick Brooks holds the records for interception return yards (530) and interception return touchdowns (6, tied with Bobby Bell). He was a prototype 4-3 outside linebacker, a three-time league-leading tackler who covered like a safety. He didn’t have many sacks, because that wasn’t his role in Monte Kiffin’s Cover-2 scheme, but he excelled at his duties.

Brooks was a five-time Pro Bowler before his record-setting 2002 season, which earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. That season, Brooks had five interceptions for 218 yards — a record among linebackers — with 4 defensive touchdowns (also a record) and a team-leading 87 solo tackles for the Super Bowl champions. He added another INT TD in Super Bowl XXXVII. Brooks was the best player on one of the greatest defenses in history. The 2002 Bucs ranked 24th in offensive yardage and 18th in scoring — worse than the 2000 Ravens in both categories — but a historic defense led them to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. The team was particularly distinguished by its exceptional pass defense, allowing only a 48.4 passer rating, with 10 TD passes and 31 interceptions.

Brooks was one of two 1st-round draft picks by the Buccaneers in 1995. The team chose Warren Sapp 12th overall and Brooks 28th. Both became first-ballot Hall of Famers, providing the foundation for a defensive dynasty that also included Ronde Barber, John Lynch, and Simeon Rice. Like Sapp, Brooks was a sensation almost immediately. He started 13 games as a rookie and 16 games every season thereafter, playing in all 224 regular-season games during his career. An easy All-Decade selection in the 2000s, Brooks made three Pro Bowls in the ’90s as well, and Paul Zimmerman made him an All-’90s selection.

Brooks was somewhat undersized, listed at 235 pounds, and he was explosive rather than fast, but he had tremendous drive, intelligence, and technique. Jon Gruden called him “the most coachable guy that I can ever remember being around.” Brooks wasn’t known as a punishing tackler, a devastating hitter like his teammate Lynch, yet he forced 50% more fumbles than Lynch. He was always around the ball, and he provided a lot of offense (7 TDs) on the Buccaneer defense.

56. Junior Seau
Linebacker
San Diego Chargers, 1990-2002; Miami Dolphins, 2003-05; New England Patriots, 2006-09
56.5 sacks; 18 FR, 66 yards, TD; 18 INT, 238 yards
1 DPOY, 4 consensus All-Pro, 9 AP All-Pro, 12 Pro Bowls, 1990s All-Decade Team

Tiaina Baul Seau, Jr.: along with Ray Lewis, the most decorated linebacker of all time. Seau was a consensus All-Pro in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 2000, with a total of nine appearances on the Associated Press team. He made a dozen Pro Bowls, and he was Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 (NEA and UP), as well as a starter on the 1990s All-Decade Team and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Seau was a star who could play both inside and outside linebacker, and a legendary conditioning freak who played into his forties. His 268 regular-season appearances are second-most of any linebacker (Clay Matthews II, 278). In the Chargers’ 1994 Super Bowl season, Seau played most of the year with a pinched nerve in his left shoulder. “Everyone’s going to get injured,” Seau shrugged. “The [key] is what kind of shape you’re in when it does happen.” Seau led the NFL in solo tackles that season, with 5.5 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries.

Seau had an all-around game, with no weaknesses, but he was at his best knifing into opposing backfields. Tackles for loss has only been an official statistic since 1999, but historian John Turney credits Seau with 168 TFL in his career, not counting his 56.5 sacks. That’s more TFL than Ray Lewis, more than Brian Urlacher or Derrick Brooks. Among contemporary LBs, only Urlacher (138) is even close. Seau was superb at diagnosing plays, with quickness, strength, and an uncanny ability to slip by blockers. Some of his success was facilitated by Bill Arnsparger’s stack scheme, in which Seau often lined up stacked behind a defensive lineman, but it wouldn’t have worked without Seau’s ability.

Coach and personnel consultant Mike Giddings, the director of Proscout Inc., rated Seau as the NFL’s best outside linebacker four times in the 1990s, the only player at any position to earn such a distinction. Seau didn’t just have a long career, he had a truly exceptional peak, as the undisputed best player in the league at his position. Add to that excellent peak a longer career than any elite LB. At age 38, when Lewis and Urlacher and Brooks were all retired, Seau played every game of the Patriots’ undefeated 2007 season. He finished second on the team in solo tackles, also contributing 3.5 sacks and 3 interceptions.

It is a tribute to Seau’s athleticism and work ethic that he was able to sustain a 20-year career, but the consequence is that many fans remember Seau as a part-time player with the Patriots rather than a dynamic Charger constantly making plays in opposing backfields. Fans should picture the unstoppable Seau who was all over the field in the ’90s, not the aging star who was merely good enough to play in the mid and late ’00s. He was incomparably dedicated and intense, with strength and quickness, and he was regarded as a leader both in the locker room and the community. A victim of CTE, Junior Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2012. He was 43.

Derrick Brooks and Junior Seau are surprisingly hard to compare. They were contemporary outside linebackers, and they earned similar honors, but their strengths were opposite. Brooks was the best coverage LB of the era, and maybe of all time. Seau was the best at disrupting plays before they began, making tackles in opposing backfields. Brooks was chosen to the All-Decade Team of the 2000s, Seau to the ’90s team. Seau played forever: he came into the league five years earlier than Brooks and retired after him. But Brooks, in his best years, was probably better than Seau at his peak. Brooks played for a defensive dynasty, while Seau was surrounded by substantially less talent. And even though their careers overlapped, their best seasons did not. They won Defensive Player of the Year awards a decade apart, Seau in 1992 and Brooks in 2002. There are no ties in this series, so I’ve ranked Seau ahead, but without any strong conviction. They were both great.

55. Dwight Stephenson
Center
Miami Dolphins, 1980-87
3 consensus All-Pro, 5 AP All-Pro, 5 Pro Bowls, 1980s All-Decade Team, All-Century Team

Dwight Stephenson was that rarest of specimens, a game-changing center, but at a time when he was universally acknowledged as the greatest player at his position, Stephenson’s career was cut short by an injury. There’s some controversy about the play. While Stephenson himself absolved former Alabama Crimson Tide teammate Marty Lyons of any dirty play or cheap shot, most of Stephenson’s Miami Dolphin teammates — and head coach Don Shula — felt differently. Chasing a fumble return but nowhere near the ball, Lyons blind-sided the Dolphins center. Unprepared for the hit, Stephenson caught his leg awkwardly and wrecked his knee, ending his brilliant career at age 30.

I don’t think there is any question that Stephenson, at his peak, was the greatest center in football history. You could probably find a hundred meaningful testimonials to that effect if you cared to look. In 1984, a players’ poll unanimously identified Stephenson as the best offensive lineman in the NFL. Once Stephenson became the regular starter, Miami allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL every year. Stephenson himself went two seasons without allowing a sack. He had superior vision and a rare sense of who and where to block. He was smart, and his technique was flawless. Stephenson was most distinguished by his speed. The Dolphins pulled him to lead on run plays, and in pass protection, he always got to the right position before the defender arrived. “I work on it. I play a lot of basketball in the offseason. It helps when you’re shadowing your man, trying not to move for his feints.”

Five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Fred Smerlas, who faced Stephenson twice a year, was famously unable to handle his blocking. “He’s lightning quick, he never gets tired, and he pancakes you. To play against that was just a revelation. He was one of those guys who God makes to do things nobody else can do.” In Miami’s famous Monday night victory over the 1985 Chicago Bears, Stephenson separated his shoulder in the second quarter. He missed two plays, then returned to the game and shut down William Perry, who outweighed him by nearly 100 pounds. The Dolphins scored 38 points — double-digits more than the Bears allowed against anyone else, and more than triple their average — and ruined Chicago’s perfect season.

His brilliant career was cut short, but no one has played the position better than Dwight Stephenson.

54. Mike Webster
Center
Pittsburgh Steelers, 1974-88; Kansas City Chiefs, 1989-90
4 consensus All-Pro, 6 AP All-Pro, 9 Pro Bowls, 1970s All-Decade Team, 1980s All-Decade Team, 75th Anniversary Team

Ranking Dwight Stephenson and Mike Webster is a matter of philosophy, a quality vs. quantity conundrum. Stephenson was more dominant, but Webster was an iron man who played 17 years. Webster played more than twice as many games (245) as Stephenson (114), and remained a quality player over his long career, making Pro Bowls a decade apart. I don’t think Stephenson had to be twice as good as Webster to rate ahead of him, but he had to be a lot better, and no one was a lot better than Webster. Paul Zimmerman remembered a game from 1983 — Webster’s 10th season — in which “he kept blocking his man entirely off the screen, out of the picture—literally.”

Their styles were almost opposite. Stephenson was the fastest center ever to play. “Pure lightning,” Zimmerman called him. Webster, built like a weightlifter, had the strength of one — he won the NFL’s Strongest Man competition. He was famous for wearing short sleeves in all weather. The idea was to intimidate opponents with his toughness, simultaneously depriving them of anything to hold onto, but the look also highlighted Webster’s gigantic arms, the size of a normal man’s thigh. His legs were less conspicuous, but equally massive. His son Colin wrote of Webster’s legs, “I don’t know what they measured, but I remember that he had to have suits specially tailored with legs wide enough to fit him.”

Neither center was one-dimensional. Stephenson, who once listed weightlifting as his hobby, was plenty strong, and Webster was quick. But Stephenson’s calling card was his unique speed, and Webster’s was his legendary strength. Both were undersized, about 250 pounds. Playing in the early ’80s, when most of the league used a 3-4 defense, that meant they lined up directly across from nose tackles, often the biggest guys on the field. Stephenson and Webster regularly handled, and even dominated, those behemoths. Stephenson had his unmatched speed, Webster his strength and his quickness off the snap, but they both added superior leverage and technique, necessary to handle goliaths like Wilbur Young and Refrigerator Perry. Both centers were renowned for their intelligence and savvy, coordinating complex line calls and making split-second decisions about whom to block. Zimmerman, one of the few journalists interested in line play, advised readers, “Watch the center, if you can pick him out in the middle of The Pit. The good ones, such as the Steelers’ Mike Webster or the Dolphins’ Dwight Stephenson, will wind up going head-to-head on the nose guard, without any help. Most of the others will get assistance from a guard or two.”

I don’t have anything negative to say about Stephenson, but his career was so short, and Webster was so good for so long. Webster played the most games in Pittsburgh Steeler history (220), and he was the team’s offensive captain for nine years. He won four Super Bowls, and he had more Pro Bowl seasons than Stephenson had seasons. He offered plenty of quality to go with his quantity, and I rate him as the greatest center of the Modern Era.

53. Larry Allen
Offensive Line
Dallas Cowboys, 1994-2005; San Francisco 49ers, 2006-07
6 consensus All-Pro, 7 AP All-Pro, 11 Pro Bowls, 1990s All-Decade Team, 2000s All-Decade Team

Larry Allen was a late addition to the Great Wall of Dallas, playing in only one of the team’s three Super Bowls. He was a behemoth, a 6-3, 325-pound monster who bench pressed 700 pounds and squatted 900. In Allen’s first year as a full-time starter, Emmitt Smith had his greatest season, Troy Aikman set a personal best for lowest sack percentage, and Dallas won Super Bowl XXX.

Allen was first-team All-Pro at right guard, left guard, and left tackle. He was particularly excellent as a path-clearing, drive-blocking juggernaut in the run game, the perfect lineman for an offense built around Emmitt Smith. But Allen was also a superb pass protector. How do you bull rush a guy with that kind of strength? He could handle a speed rush, as well. As a rookie, Allen drew acclaim on a Monday Night Football broadcast for running down linebacker Darion Conner on an interception return. Announcer Dan Dierdorf, himself a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, called it “one of the most impressive athletic feats I have ever seen.”

Allen was the first player ever drafted out of Division II Sonoma State University, which no longer carries a varsity football team. His school’s low profile limited Allen’s draft stock, and the Cowboys chose him 46th overall, the 10th offensive lineman taken in that draft. One of the nine taken ahead of him was Hall of Fame center Kevin Mawae, 36th overall to Seattle, where he played for four seasons before starring for the Jets and Titans. Mawae was a great player, a worthy HOFer who stood out in an era of excellent center play (Olin Kreutz, Tom Nalen, Jeff Saturday), and a fellow member of the 2000s All-Decade Team. Allen, however, had his best years in the ’90s, as an unstoppable, truly game-changing offensive lineman.

52. J.J. Watt
Defensive Line
Houston Texans, 2011-18
92 sacks; 22 FF, 13 FR, 68 yards, TD; 1 INT, 80 yards, TD
3 DPOY, 5 consensus All-Pro, 5 AP All-Pro, 5 Pro Bowls

J.J. Watt has played six healthy seasons. He has been a consensus All-Pro in all five since his rookie year, including three Defensive Player of the Year awards, tied with Lawrence Taylor for the record. His relative lack of longevity limits his rank here, but this is a decidedly conservative rating for a player who is probably the most dominant defensive lineman ever to play.

Below are my summaries of Watt’s three DPOY seasons:

2012: “Watt, of course, was an extraordinary pass rusher, despite that he lined up inside as often as outside. He led all defensive linemen in tackles and solo tackles (by more than 1/3), led the NFL in sacks (20.5), deflected 16 passes, forced 4 fumbles, and recovered 2. I’m inclined to believe this is the greatest season ever by a defensive lineman.”

2014: “Watt led all defensive linemen in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, fumble recoveries, and pass deflections. He also forced 4 fumbles, intercepted a pass, gained 139 return yards, scored 5 touchdowns and a safety, and blocked an extra point. It’s one of the greatest seasons by any defensive player in history, and no one else this season was close . . . Watt is not just a great defensive lineman, he’s outstanding, historic, from another planet.”

2015: “J.J. Watt led all defensive linemen in tackles (57), tackles for loss (29), sacks (17.5), and pass deflections (8). Watt and Buffalo’s Jerry Hughes were the only defensive linemen to play at least 1,000 snaps this season.”

Watt is the best in the league at everything defensive linemen are asked to do. He has already proven himself a historic talent with a non-stop motor. All he needs to rise up the list is to stay healthy and sustain success, and the all-time top 10 is a realistic possibility.

51. Brett Favre
Quarterback
Atlanta Falcons, 1991; Green Bay Packers, 1992-2007; New York Jets, 2008; Minnesota Vikings, 2009-10
71,838 yards, 508 TD, 336 INT, 86.0 rating
3 MVP, 1 OPOY, 3 consensus All-Pro, 6 AP All-Pro, 11 Pro Bowls, 1990s All-Decade Team

Because Brett Favre played so long, many fans remember him in the second half of his career: he had some very good seasons, he had some pretty bad seasons, he was oppressively hyped and overrated, and he was moody, self-centered, and obsessed with his own image and legacy. That’s not the story of Favre’s career. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, he was marvelous. He was the best QB in the league, and he was the most fun to watch: a high-risk, high-reward gunslinger who created more positive plays than anyone in football. Favre led the league in yardage twice and TDs four times. From 1994-98, Favre passed for over 30 touchdowns every year. Drew Brees is the only player with more 30-TD seasons (10) than Favre (9) — but that’s following the illegal contact rule, defenseless receiver rules, and additional protections for the quarterback.

Part of what people loved about Favre, at least early in his career, was his approach to the game. He was fun-loving and exuberant, made jokes on the sideline and tackled his teammates in the end zone. He improvised, and routinely did things coaches tell you not to do, but he had rocket-launcher arm strength and mastery of the West Coast Offense. He never gave up on a play, scrambling to avoid pressure, and he would force the ball into any tiny opening. Favre was unconscionably overrated in the 2000s, but he was not meaningfully overrated in the ’90s.

Favre was the most prolific passer of his generation, setting all-time records for completions, yards, and TDs, and he was the best quarterback in the league for at least three years. During his long career in Green Bay, he never played with an offensive teammate who is in the Hall of Fame, and his leading receivers were Donald Driver (9%), Antonio Freeman (9%), and Robert Brooks (6%). Steve Young had Jerry Rice (26%). Kurt Warner had Larry Fitzgerald (14%), Anquan Boldin (12%), Torry Holt (11%), and Isaac Bruce (11%). Peyton Manning had Marvin Harrison (20%) and Reggie Wayne (16%). Favre won consensus All-Pro honors for three straight seasons with Freeman and Brooks as his leading receivers, and one Pro Bowl offensive lineman (C Frank Winters, 1996) in three years. Some of you are familiar with my statistical rating system, QB-TSP. Favre led the NFL all three years, with minimal support from his teammates. He was the critical player on a team that reached back-to-back Super Bowls and went 13 seasons in a row without a losing record.

Late in his career, however, Favre was defined not by his exuberance and his reckless but effective playmaking, but by his inconsistency, petulance, and free pass from most of the media. Favre was lauded partly for his identity as a Packer, but he [1] publicly flirted with retirement for years, [2] convincing the team to use a first-round draft pick on Aaron Rodgers, [3] finally retired three seasons later, [4] immediately unretired and insisted on a trade to the team’s most dangerous division rival, [5] played for the Jets for a year, and [6] engineered a signing with that rival. When the Vikings played at Green Bay in 2009 and 2010, you couldn’t hear over the boos for Favre. He went from hero to pariah, because fans knew he had deliberately made things difficult for the Packers. ^[1]This made for a striking contrast from Donovan McNabb and Peyton Manning, both of whom switched teams around the same time but under very different circumstances, and received standing ovations when … Continue reading After one good season in Minnesota — it seems like teams can usually hold things together the first year after they sign someone like Terrell Owens or Favre — he got his new coach fired and the team disintegrated.

Favre is ranked here basically for what he did from 1992-2004. If your vision of Favre doesn’t include his MVP years, or his one-man show in 2001, when he was a credible MVP candidate, it’s really not an accurate picture of the positives he brought to the table. The idea that his age-40 campaign in Minnesota was his best season is nonsense, and if your image of Favre is mostly 2005-10, or even mostly post-1997, it’s not representative of his career or the reasons he’s ranked here. In his prime, he was the most dynamic player in football, and he made his teammates better.

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This series will continue here every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 2½ weeks. The best way to reach me with comments and questions is via Twitter (@bradoremland), where I’ll also offer some brief bonus material on most days there’s no new article. Thanks for reading. Next article: Best Players in History, 41-50.