Not exactly news, as most of us would agree that Green deserves nothing less. However, now is as good a time as any to introduce reader(s) to PFT's growing list of the top 25 NFL players of the past 25 years, which was inspired by a similar list made by USA Today. Darrell Green makes his debut at PFT at #19, which we think is criminally low. Per PFT:
In Green's case, he joined the Redskins in 1983 -- and spent 20 seasons with the same team. For a guy whose ongoing employment hinges on speed and agility, the fact that he could remain on the one squad's roster for 20 seasons is amazing. The reality that 10 of those seasons came in the free-agency era, which has resulted in many a veteran being purged from his team prematurely, boggles the mind.
Along the way, Green won two Super Bowl rings, and played a key role in the march to the team's 1987 NFL championship with a game-changing punt return against the Bears.
They also speak towards Green's inevitable HoF bid:
Green most certainly will land in the Hall of Fame in 2008, his first year of eligibility. He deserves it, and he definitely deserves a spot among the best 25 players of the past 25 years. He might just be one of the best 25 ever.
Thanks to Mike Florio for giving Green his due Hall credit, though I'm curious how he would be among the top 25 ever if he can't sneak into the top 15 of the past 25 years. That means at least the other 18 people on this list deserve a spot ahead of him (for how could a player be ranked below Green on an all-time list but not on one over merely the past 25 years?) leaving just 6 spots for guys who played prior to 1982.
It appears that USA Today is going to rank him in the top 10 as he is absent on their current list of 11-25. The only notable Redskins on their list really aren't, as Deion Sanders (16th) and Bruce Smith (15th) both started their careers elsewhere. Reader(s), can we claim them for the purposes of this list? Also, who else makes the list at PFT and USA Today?
