Hey hey hey now ... since he's matched up against MY team, I'll take this opportunity to pimp my own squad and shamelessly beg for votes here, too.
QB Brett Favre 1.32
RB Emmitt Smith 2.1 John L. Williams 21.11 Warrick Dunn 25.11
WR Marvin Harrison 4.1 Roy Green 23.11 Warren Wells 28.22
TE Tony Gonzalez 5.32 Dave Casper 6.1
OT Dan Dierdorf 3.32 George Kunz 13.11
OG Walt Sweeney 14.22 Dennis Harrah 16.22
C Olin Kreutz 11.11
PK Pete Stoyanovich 30.22
DE Greg Townsend 12.22 Ben Davidson 20.22 Norm Willey 22.22
DT Keith Millard 10.1 Leon Lett 18.22 Tim Krumrie 27.11
LB Rickey Jackson 8.1 Tedy Bruschi 17.11 Willie McGinest 19.11 London Fletcher 29.11
S Yale Lary 7.31 Lawyer Milloy 15.11
CB Albert Lewis 9.31 Johnny Sample 24.22 Donnie Abraham 26.22
This team's offense was built around it's future Hall of Fame QB, Brett Favre. Favre can throw the deep ball as well as anyone in the league, but he has also, throughout his career, demonstrated a knack for using the TE to keep the chains moving. Often in Favre's time the Packers have used 2-TE sets, and so it is with that thinking in mind that I assembled an all-star cast of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers to surround my QB, who is universally regarded as one of the top 5 to ever play the game.
The offense can attack opposing defenses at all three levels with equal effectiveness. When a short pass is called for, I have one of the greatest receiving fullbacks of all time in John L. Williams, as well as my change-of-pace back, Warrick Dunn, who is as dangerous as anyone in the open field. Working the intermediate area of the field are Hall of Fame tight ends Dave Casper and Tony Gonzalez, who create nightmare matchup problems for any defense, even an all-time all-star squad. If both men are on the field, it's a rare unit that will have the personnel available to cover either man, let alone both. And if teams commit extra players to Casper and Gonzalez, then they will be burned by speedy Marvin Harrison and Roy Green. And if I go to a 3-wide set, look out! Adding devastating speedster Warren Wells (36 TDs in 3 years; averaged 23 yards per catch) makes this offense nearly unstoppable.
And oh yeah, there's also a little guy named Emmitt Smith, who happens to be the NFL's all-tme leader in rushing yards. So any team that tries to get cute and play the pass will have Emmitt to contend with.
Protecting Favre are Hall of Fame tackle Dan Dierdorf, widely considered the finest technician at OT to play the game, and former Colts/Falcons tackle George Kunz, who many believe should be in the Hall of Fame. After all, he made 8 Pro Bowls in 11 years while playing on some dismal Falcons teams. But he anchored the Colts line that helped Bert Jones win the MVP award. At guard I have Walt Sweeney, who is considered the AFL's best guard, having made the Pro Bowl 9 consecutive years for the Chargers, and Dennis Harrah, who was responsible for opening those holes you always see Eric Dickerson shoot through. At center I have the attitude to counter the finesse that the rest of my line might seem to present. Olin Kreutz has been considered one of the best centers in the league throughout his career, and is a nasty sonofab|tch, to boot. The kind of guy you want protecting your QB and standing up for your teammates.
My kicker was, for a time, one of the best in football. And not a short time, either. He had one of the most powerful legs in the game and had five seasons over 80 percent in field goals. He finished his career with 1,236 points and a 79.5 percent accuracy rating. And from 50+ yards, he was 19 out of 35 in his career. That's much better than, say, Adam Vinatieri, and a better percentage than Morten Andersen, as well.
With Favre, Emmitt and Harrison as the centerpieces, this is an offense that can beat you on long marches or on quick strikes. I consider it the most formidable (and durable! Those players almost never missed any games) in this league.
Defensively, the team can stop the run but its real passion is rushing the passer.
DE Greg Townsend was more productive rushing the passer than his more ballyhooed teammate, Howie Long. Townsend had more than 100 sacks in his career. On the other side, Ben Davidson played before sack stats were listed, but he was a monster and as nasty as they come. Those famous shots of Bob Griese getting mauled? That's Ben Davidson. And Norm Willey had at least 8 sacks in one game, maybe as many as 17! He's my third-and-long pass rush specialist. Throw in Keith Millard charging hard up the middle (Vikings fans may remember Millard's 18 sacks in one season; he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1989). Leon Lett was a dominant force on those great Dallas defense, and on run-stopping downs, I can stack my line with Davidon, Lett, Millard and run-stuffer Tim Krumrie, the former Bengal whose injury probably cost them a Super Bowl win against San Francisco.
My linebackers can also bring it. Rickey Jackson is the best player on the greatest LB corps ever assembled (he had only 4 fewer sacks in his career than Lawrence Taylor!), and Willie McGinest off the edge is impossible for any RB to pick up on the blitz. McGinest is best known for making big plays in big games, and every game in this tournament is big. I have cerebral Tedy Bruschi getting my defense aligned properly, and athletic London Fletcher picking up RBs out of the backfield. Fletcher has more than 1,000 tackles in his career.
Now, even if the offensive line manages to give the QB more than 2 seconds to throw the ball, I've got lockdown cornerback Albert Lewis in the secondary taking away teams' No. 1 option, and big, physical Johnny Sample (this best cornerback on that 1969 Jets team that held the Colts to 7 points in the Super Bowl) taking away the No. 2 guy. In nickel situations, I can bring in Donnie Abraham, who for a time was considered the best CB on the Bucs team that also had a little guy named Ronde Barber on it. Abraham will make a lot of big plays. At safety I have ball-hawking Hall of Famer Yale Lary (50 career INTs) of the Lions and big hitter Lawyer Milloy, another force against the run.
At punter I once again have Lary, who three times led the league in punting average and had a career average of 44.3 yards. Lary can also return kicks punts for my team, having scored three times on punt returns during his career. Roy Green was also a prolific return man at the beginning of his career, with 2 return TDs his first two years.
Versatility is a hallmark of this team, both on offense and defense.
I can go 3-wide with the best of them, or double-tight. Or just pro style. If I want to go with a fullback and TE, I can do that with power (Casper) or finesse (Gonzalez).
Roy Green was an exceptional cornerback who can be used there in a pinch. John Madden once called Green the best player in football, let alone the best receiver. Albert Lewis can play safety if I want to take Lawyer Milloy out for coverage situations. Tim Krumrie can play nose guard if I want to take Millard out and keep four backers in (and three of those backers have extensive experience in the 3-4, so that's a viable strategy).
Overall, this team has:
-- The QB who will in short order hold every meaningful career passing record
-- The RB who holds the rushing record (and for that matter my THIRD-DOWN BACK ranks 22nd in rushing and 27th in yards from scrimmage -- and will move into the top 20 this year)
-- The WR who will finish his career second to Rice in every receiving category
-- The TE who will finish his career with every TE receiving record
-- An OL that has 35 Pro Bowl selections, 1 Hall of Famer, 2 should-be Hall of Famers and one guy still playing
-- A DL that has more sacks than I can count (but certainly two guys who have led the league in sacks) while able to stuff the run
-- LBs that have combined for 263 sacks but are also exceptional in coverage (36 INTs)
-- A secondary that has 191 interceptions
