Brett Favre would definitely be on this list. I truly would've rather seen Brett lobbing long balls to Moss than Kerry 'freakin' Collins or Aaron 'I ain't going out there' Brooks. Ah well, that's why they call them dreams. In his first few seasons in the league, Charles Wood...err...uh, never mind that one. I like Al Harris too, but since his twin, Mike McKenzie, only got honorable mention, I guess I'll do the same for him.
DE—Aaron Kampman: A friend of mine told me to make sure I didn't forget this guy. I highly doubt I would've. He's a monster on the field! Over the past two seasons, this guy has racked up 27.5 sacks and he's always around the ball or in the quarterbacks' face.
DE—Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila: Something tells me that if Al Davis could sign this guy, Akbar (KGB's brother and current Raider) wouldn't be getting contracts from the Raiders. Although KGB's sacks have declined in recent years, (8, 6, & 9.5), he's still a solid pass rusher that makes himself noticed in every game.
OG—Daryn Colledge: Not only was this rookie impressive when thrust into the Left Tackle spot due to injury, he was impressive in how well he improved throughout the season. After losing his starting spot in pre season, he didn't hang his head and mope. He kept getting better, and when an injury gave him an opportunity he didn't miss it. Opens big holes and fights to the whistle for position.
OT—Chad Clifton: This guy looks the part of Hog Molly. With a mug only a mother could love, he's got a game that NFL players and scouts rave about. It's not easy protecting the blind side of a quarterback, but he's been pretty successful keeping Brett Favre healthy.
RB—Ryan Grant: Not bad, considering this guy was nothing but an afterthought going into last year. He's a tough inside runner with good enough bursts to break away for good yardage. He's a lot like Justin Fargas in his work ethic and toughness.
Now that their off season purge is nearly completed, I find that there are still guys that can get the job done on this roster. They may be the only players worth noting right now too. By the way, Corey Hulsey was a good Raider, but he's not going to make the list.
QB—Jon Kitna: This may be the last season he starts for anyone now that Martz is gone, but I admire this guy for his determination, hard work, and toughness. Besides, how can I leave a quarterback off of this list who's been sacked a staggering 114 times over the past two seasons! I had designs about putting Backus and Riola on this list, but after seeing that and remembering how horrible they were running the ball last year, my job has just gotten easier. At least Detroit was able to get this era's Steve Deberg on the list.
LB—Ernie Simms: I really like this guy. When he came out of college, I wished the Raiders could somehow get another first round pick to get him. He is everything that he was billed to be and more. In two seasons, he's amassed 258 tackles! Not bad for a guy who is only 23! What's this guy going to be like in three years?! He has sub 4.5 speed and he really is standing out during games.
K—Jason Hanson: Yeah, I know. This is no disrespect to SeaBass, but don't tell me that you haven't thought about Hanson taking that last second field goal after a three point loss with two missed field goals by Jano. Hanson is probably the closest thing you can get to automatic, plus you gotta' love how he lines those kicks up.
This one is easy. I'll tell you now that Lance Briggs isn't one of my selected few. I don't think this guy is the type of 'team' player that a clubhouse needs. Some of the comments attributed to him and the fact that he's still with the team he said he'd, "...never play for again," has something to do with it too. I also like Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher, but I don't think that I'd put them in this list yet. Devin Hester...no. When he can play at an NFL level at a position other than return man, then there will be reason to include him.
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