The All-Time (Bobby Bowden) Florida State Seminoles NFL Team

Bobby Bowden's retirement this week ended the tenure for one of college football's most successful coaches ever.

His highlights included National Championships in 1993 and 1999, 12 ACC championships, 14 consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins and a top 5 ranking, and leading the Seminoles to a bowl game for the last 30 seasons (31 if you include this year).

While his teams accomplished a lot on the field at Doak Capmbell Stadium and on college campuses across the nation, his players have left an equally impressive mark at the next level as well.

As I read countless articles across the web about this coaching legend in the wake of his retirement, I thought about all the great players who came out of Florida State and made big impacts in the NFL and decided to come up with my All-Time NFL team of Florida State Seminoles coached by Bobby Bowden.

While Fred Biletnikoff has an award named after him along with three Super Bowl rings, he played in Tallahassee nearly a decade before Bowden arrived.

Although Chris Weinke won a Heisman Trophy and Ron Simmons (better known as WWE superstar Faarooq) is in the College Football Hall of Fame, their impact in the NFL was about as noteworthy as Andre Wadsworth's (can you still believe Arizona drafted him 3rd overall in 1998!).

Offense

Quarterback : Brad Johnson - This may be the easiest choice to make for this team. Johnson was the quarterback for the 2002 Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had six 3,000 passing yard seasons during his respectable professional football career. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1999 and 2002.

Running Backs : Warrick Dunn and Leon Washington - Dunn is a fringe Hall of Famer who was an offensive centerpiece during his playing days for the Buccaneers and Falcons, and was quite the pass catcher.

Leon is only in his fourth season, but he has put up great offensive numbers for the lack of attempts he gets with Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene in the same backfield. I strongly thought about Bennett or Butts, but neither had a very long career.

Honorable Mentions :  Edgar Bennett and Marion Butts

Fullback : Greg Jones - Jones has done a great job blocking for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville and was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2007.

Honorable Mention : William Floyd

Wide Receivers : Anquan Boldin and Javon Walker - This group maybe the deepest position to choose from. Anquan established himself as one of the league's premier receivers from the get go.

Laveranues Coles has had three 1,000 receiving yard seasons during his career, a Pro Bowl appearance, but has never established himself as one of the league's best Wide Receivers.

I would choose Javon Walker over Coles, but Walker's injury problems keep him on the honorable mention list.

Honorable Mentions : Dennis McKinnon, Javon Walker, Peter Warrick, Jessie Hester,  Lawrence Dawsey, and Hassan Jones.

Tight End : Zeke Mowatt - An extremely weak position for this team compared to the Wide Receivers.

Mowatt had 698 receiving yards and 48 receptions for the Giants in 1984, but his numbers decreased substantially over the course of his career after the Giants drafted a Notre Dame tight end named Mark Bavaro.

On the bright side, Zeke did collect two Super Bowl rings during his days at the Meadowlands.

Honorable Mention : Lonnie Johnson

Offensive Tackles : Walter Jones and Tra Thomas - Walter Jones is one of the greatest offensive tackles in NFL history and never gets enough credit for how much he helped Shaun Alexander achieve his impressive stats like that 27-touchdown season in 2005.

Jones was recently placed on IR, but hopes to play in 2010 for his 14th season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Tra Thomas has been elected to three Pro Bowls during his career and has never got as much attention as other lineman such as Jonathan Ogden or Orlando Pace.

Thomas is now playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars after spending his first 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Honorable Mention : Alex Baron , Todd Fordham , Ken Lanier

Offensive Guards : Milford Brown and Montrae Holland - Aside from tight end this is the weakest position on the team.

However, Brown started 47 games during his career for four different teams (cant decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing) and Holland his fellow 2003 draftee is currently playing for the Dallas Cowboys and has started for the Rams and Saints.

Center : Jamie Dukes - Before his career on the NFL Network, Dukes was an undrafted free agent who played 10 years in the NFL, including his first eight with the Falcons where he blocked for Pro Bowl quarterbacks Chris Miller and Bobby Hebert, in addition to Brett Favre during his rookie season.

Defense

Defensive Tackles : Darnell Dockett and Corey Simon - Dockett is currently one of the NFL's best defensive tackles and helped the Arizona Cardinals reach the Super Bowl last season.

Simon had a short NFL career, but was an important player for Jimmie Johnson's defenses during the early 2000's and won a Super Bowl ring playing for the Indianapolis Colts.

Honorable Mentions: Orpheus Roye, Broderick Bunkley

Defensive Ends : Kamieron Wimbley and Peter Boulware - At the moment, Wimbley is one of the few bright spots for a horrific Cleavland Browns team. He has recorded 25.5 sacks during his first 58 games as a pro.

Boulware was the 1997 NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year and one of the league's most feared defenders during his prime.

He was part of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense that set an NFL record for the fewest points allowed during a season and helped win Super Bowl XXXV.

Had injuries not derailed his career, Boulware could be making a strong Hall of Fame case right now.

Honorable Mentions : Derrick Alexander, Greg Spires, Alphonso Carreker

Outside Linebackers : Derrick Brooks and Lawrence Timmons - The 2002 NFL Defensive Player of the Year played his entire 14 year career for the Buccaneers and went to 11 straight Pro Bowls!

For years Brooks was part of the one of the league's best defenses and helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl in 2002, the first professional sports championship for the city. He is a future Hall of Famer for sure.

Timmons is only in his 3rd NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and his 1st as a starter, but already has a Super Bowl ring and is quickly becoming one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

I almost choose Sam Cowart over him, but I think Lawrence Timmons will have a much longer career than Cowart.

Honorable Mentions : Ernie Sims , Sam Cowart, Tommy Polley , Reinard Wilson

Middle Linebacker : Marvin Jones - The 11-year New York Jet and 1992 Butkus winner finished his career with 1200 tackles (third all-time for the J-E-T-S) and is one of the best linebacker's in the Jets history.

Jones formed one of the league's best linebacker tandems with Mo Lewis, and helped the Jets reach the AFC Title Game during the 1998 season. He was an All-Pro in 2000.

Cornerbacks : Deion Sanders, Terrell Buckley - Neon Deion redefined his position and is arguably the best defensive back in NFL history. He is also one of the only two players to ever score a touchdown in six different ways.

Sanders won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1994 and was a big reason why the Niners won their fifth championship that season.

His college teammate Buckley is arguably one of the most underrated defensive backs in league history.

He recorded 50 interceptions during his career, but was never selected to the Pro Bowl (I guess it really is a popularity contest). He gets the slight nod over Samari Rolle to be paired with the Deion Sanders.

Honorable Mentions : Samari Rolle, Bobby Jackson, Martin Mayhew, Corey Fuller, Bobby Butler, Bryant McFadden

Free Safety : Chris Hope - He starred alongside Troy Polamalu early in his career, but has fared equally as well for the Titans. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2008 and helped the Titans go 13-3 that year.

Dexter Jackson was a Super Bowl MVP and a very good player for Monte Kiffin down in Tampa Bay, but Hope gets the nod over Jackson who is currently playing for the Florida Tuskers of the UFL.

Honorable Mention : Dexter Jackson

Strong Safety : LeRoy Butler - Butler was one of the league's best safeties during the 1990's for the Green Bay Packers and helped end the title drought for Cheese Heads nationwide.

He was elected to three straight Pro Bowls between 1996 and 1998 and is a part of the NFL's 1990's All Decade. The Hall of Fame could be in Butler's future, but some of his contemporaries like Steve Atwater and Carnell Lake have not fared well in Hall of Fame voting so far.

Honorable Mention : Lee Nelson

Special Teams

Kicker : Sebastian Janikowski - The Polish-born player was the first kicker ever selected in the 1st round and is the highest scoring player in Raiders history.

Punter : Rohn Stark - For many this is a surprisingly deep position for the Noles. Stark played 16 NFL seasons including 12 with the Colts and was voted to the Pro Bowl four times.

Honorable Mention : Rick Tuten , Scott Player

Kick Returner : Deion Sanders

Punt Returner : Deion Sanders

Who else do you want returning the ball for this team?

Some great NFL players have played for Bobby Bowden during his career at Florida State and their impact across the league is undeniable. This hypothetical team would be a Super Bowl contender with all these players in their prime, without a question.

However, their are some glaring weaknesses on this team such as the offensive guard and tight end positions. As well as, some impressive ones like the wide receivers, running backs, and defensive backs.