Franchise Faces: Every Team's Greatest Player Of All-Time

They are legends. They are our favorite memories. They are the best to play the game.

Looking through each NFL franchise, I have gone through and selected the best player that each franchise has ever had. These guys are legends, and were able to take mediocre teams and make them great.

While these guys don't come around often, it's certainly nice to point them out and give them the recognition they deserve.

Certainly there will be people that disagree with some, or a lot of these picks. If you think someone else is more deserviing of the top spot, just state your case for that player.

New England Patriots: Tom Brady

Given what he has done for this franchise, I don't think there is any realistic argument against Tom. No player has transformed the Patriots into what they are now like Tom has done.

Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly has a phenomenal quarterback that led the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances. Picking him over legendary Bruce Smith was a tough choice, but ultimately, I give Jim the slight edge.

Miami Dolphins: Dan Marino

Not really much debate on this one.

And the quarterback theme continues....

New York Jets: Joe Namath

Yet another quarterback here. The AFC East completes the sweep with Joe Namath here. This was a tough call over Curtis Martin, but I believe the Super Bowl win helps him in the argument here. I could be wrong.

Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis

The Ravens don't have a ton of history, but they have had one stable piece in Ray Lewis. The history of the Ravens defense is undoubtedly led by Lewis, a Super Bowl winner.

Cincinnatti Bengals: Anthony Munoz

Anthony is widely considered one of the greatest offensive linemen in the history of the NFL. The Bengals don't really have any high profile players at the skill positions that could challenge him here. Anthony deserves the spot here.

Cleveland Browns: Jim Brown

Another no-brainer here. The Browns haven't had a ton of stars, but they don't get much better than the legendary Jim Brown. Easy call here.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Mean Joe Greene

With such a legendary team such as the Steelers, this was one of the hardest calls. Picking Greene over the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis, and all of the other legends from Pittsburgh was very tough. The fact that the Steelers had one of the most dominating defenses in NFL history helsp solidify Joe as the pick here.

Houston Texans: Andre Johnson

The Texans are another team without a lot of history, but when you have a talent such as Andre Johnson, it makes the pick even easier. Johnson is widely considered to be the best receiver in the NFL right now, which really speaks volumes.

Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning

Another easy call here. When you have future hall of famers out there, things are so much easier to pick. The Colts have had some pretty good talents in Marvin Harrison, Marshall Faulk, and Eric Dickerson, but Peyton takes the cake here.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew

Yet another franchise that doesn't have much history. Fred Taylor was one of the most steady backs in all of the league, but Jones-Drew looks to be on the same path, and could even do more.

Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers: Warren Moon

Tough pick here over Earl Campbell but Moon was truly great in his prime. The NFL hadn't seen a quarterback like him before, and he could easily take over games. Not being able to watch much of him growing up, I know I missed a legend playing the game.

Denver Broncos: John Elway

Another one of those easy picks. Even as good as Terrell Davis was, Elway was even better. John had Denver in the palm of his hand, and he was truly one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Kansas City Chiefs: Tony Gonzalez

This one was actually very difficult. Looking back at the amazing talent that Kansas City had, it's really very impressive. Marcus Allen was incredible, Derrick Thomas was one of the best, Priest Holmes and Len Dawson were exceptional players as well. Don't forget Joe Montana wore a Chiefs uniform as well. Picking Tony out of this group was really a tough decision.

San Diego Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson

Picking L.T. over Antonio Gates, Junior Seau, and Dan Fouts was easier after I ran it through my head a few times. Still, the Chargers had some great talent, but nobody did as much as L.T. when it came to taking over the game. Not an easy call, but I think it's right.

Oakland Raiders: Tim Brown

Tim Brown may not be the number one guy to those hardcore Raider Nation fans, but I think he is worthy of the top spot. Jim Otto, Ken Stabler, and Fred Biletnikoff may be better choices to them, but I enjoyed watching Brown over the years. I think his highlights are really exciting to watch, and his hands were some of the best in football.

Dallas Cowboys: Emmitt Smith

Probably one of the hardest teams to pick here. The Cowboys legends are well-known. Even before America's Team (Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Deion) there were other stars. like Larry Allen and Roger Staubach. Picking Smith feels like the right choice, but I couldn't argue against any of these guys here.

New York Giants: Lawrence Taylor

One of the most feared players during his tenure. The original L.T. was dominant in his day. Picking him over Phil Simms was easier than I thought. Some of the highlight films that L.T. has are so much fun to watch.

Philadelphia Eagles: Reggie White

There might be some people ready to put McNabb and/or Brian Dawkins in this spot. Before those guys, there was another legend in town. Reggie White was a dominant beast on the field, and a gentle giant off of it. I'm not even thinking twice about this pick, Reggie is the guy.

Washington Redskins: Darrell Green

There are some underrated players that have played for the Redskins over the years, and some better players like Green and Sammy Baugh. Putting Green here though was the right choice in my opinion. I think he revolutionized the position during his time. He was truly one of the best.

Chicago Bears: Walter Payton

In my opinion, Walter Payton was the greatest football player to ever play the game. I won't even consider putting another person in this spot. I could sit and watch film on this guy for hours. Walter was such an amazing athlete, and a more incredible person. The game was truly at its best when Walter was playing.

Detriot Lions: Barry Sanders

While other great Lions players were around for a much longer time, I still think Barry was the second greatest running back the game has ever seen. Behind Sweetness, that's not a bad place to be at all. Nobody has ever shown the agility and quickness that Barry displayed on the field. We all felt robbed when he cut his career short, and we the fans were the ones that really lost out. Barry was no doubt, one of the greatest there ever was.

Green Bay Packers: Brett Favre

If only this was the last jersey he ever wore. The perception of this guy would be right up there with Walter Payton. When Brett decided to make the move to New York, Green Bay fans were torn. When he then decided to go play for the rival Vikings the next two years, he really struck a nerve with fans in Wisconsin, and everywhere else. All of his drama aside, Brett was one of the greatest, and really had some impressive performances in his earlier years. While there have been many opinions on this guy, I don't think too many will argue with putting him here.

Minnesota Vikings: Chris Carter

The Vikings have had some amazing talent through the years, with John Randle, Fran Tarkenton, and Randy Moss. It is the mentor of a young Randy Moss that tops this list though. Chris Carter was an amazing receiver, and he proved it day in and day out. This choice was difficult, but I think Chris is the right guy here, but I can't argue against any of the others.

Atlanta Falcons: Tommy Nobis

Tommy may not be a household name like some of the other guys in this list, but he was a really good player for this franchise. Many would argue that he is a sure fire hall of famer. Not many people will disagree with this statement. He is known as Mr. Falcon in the state of Georgia.

Carolina Panthers: Steve Smith

The Panthers franchise hasn't been around as long as some of the others, but they have had some pretty good talent. Julius Peppers was highly touted when he arrived, and Jake Delhomme provided some solid years before his last few. The running back tandem in Carolina now is very solid, one of the best in the league. Before all of that, Steve Smith established himself as one of the best weapons in all of football. He takes the top spot for Carolina.

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees

What more can you say about the guy that is on top of the world right now? After leading the Saints to an improbably Super Bowl last season, he has truly broken through as one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Brees is deadly accurate, and is always ready to shred the defense. Hard to argue against Drew here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derrick Brooks

Much like Kansas City, there was surprisingly a lot of talent to choose from in Tampa Bay. With Ronde Barber and Warren Sapp, you really have some great defensive players. Speaking of great defensive players, perhaps Derrick Brooks was at the top of that list. All of these guys gave the Buccs a lot of their time, and they are all worthy of the top spot here, but I'm giving it to Brooks.

Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald

Who knows if Larry would be on this level right now without Kurt Warner. The fact is, Kurt was there, and he allowed Larry to break out into one of the best receivers in the game today. Larry was highly touted coming out of college, but he really broke through in the last few years in Arizona. The offensive explosion by the Cardinals offense was thanks in large part to Mr. Fitzgerald.

San Francisco 49ers: Jerry Rice

Okay, this was in fact the hardest choice I had to make for this entire article. How can you go against a guy like Joe Montana? What about Steve Young? Ronnie Lott? Either way you go here, you are right and wrong. Montana might be the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL, but Jerry Rice is the greatest receiver in the NFL. How can you separate those two guys? Really, it should be a tie, these two are both legends.

Seattle Seahawks: Steve Largent

While on the topic of great receivers, how about Steve Largent? I chose to put him here ahead of Walter Jones. How good was Steve? When Jerry Rice went to Seattle in the latter years of his career, he had to ask permission to wear the number 80 because it was Steve's, which was retired. Steve gave Jerry his blessing, which really shows the type of person he was. He was an even better player, which is pretty scary...for defenses.

St. Louis Rams: Marshall Faulk

Another great team with worthy options at nearly every position. Kurt Warner led the Greatest Show on Turf, along with Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. You also had Orlando Pace in the mix. I chose to go with Faulk here because of the amount of things he was able to do in a much shorter time. Faulk was one of the best backs during his tenure, and I think he is worthy of the top spot for St. Louis.

Thanks for reading, and let me know which teams you disagree with, and who you would put in their place.