The Top 5 Best Fights in NFL History

Games in the NFL are always emotional. Testosterone runs high. Huge, athletic guys whack each other at high speeds. Big egos collide.

In that type of environment, conflict is inevitable. NFL fights can be high stakes and high drama. Let's take a look at the top five fights in the history of the game. Let me know if I've missed any!

Mike Tomczak and Marcus Robertson Throw Down

Players and analysts often complain that the NFL protects the quarterbacks too much these days. A fight between Mike Tomczak and Marcus Robertson in 1996 seems to grant some credence to their complaints.

In those days not much love was lost between the Houston Oilers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a game that featured four unsportsmanlike penalties and three ejections, the most famous fight took place between Tomczak (the Steelers quarterback at the time) and Robertson, a safety for the Oilers.

Early in the game Robertson jumped on a loose ball that he thought was a fumble. Tomczak took umbrage and pushed him down. Then Robertson shoved him and grabbed his face mask. Only Robertson was ejected. In the aftermath, Oilers players complained that Tomczak was just as guilty as Robertson, but since he was a QB, he got a pass from the officials.

Expectoration and Fists Fly Between Joey Porter and William Green

Joey Porter never met an insult he didn't fling back with a vengeance.

When Porter and William Green started exchanging words about an hour prior to the Steelers-Browns game in November 2004, it didn't take long for punches to start being exchanged as well.

Both players swung wildly at each other for a short time, with only Porter actually connecting. Green, a running back for the Browns, ended up with a bloody lip. Apparently, both guys also spit in each other's faces. That's so nasty.

Porter and Green were both ejected before the game and fined $10,000 each for the incident. Perhaps this one should be called the Spit Spat.

Rumored Bounties Beget a Chippy Game Between Dallas and Philly

Buddy Ryan was always a polarizing figure during his time in the NFL. In 1989, after rumors circulated that Ryan had issued bounties as incentives to his players for hits on Dallas kicker Luis Zendejas and quarterback Troy Aikman, the Eagles coach became even more notorious for his cantankerous ways.

The first matchup between the two teams on Thanksgiving Day was one-sided, with the overmatched Cowboys getting a first-rate beatdown. The beatings weren't isolated to the scoreboard either. Throughout the day the players were chippy, and Zendejas left the game with a concussion after a hard hit by an Eagles linebacker.

The NFC East rivals met again in December in Philly that year. While the players never engaged in fisticuffs, obstreperous fans pelted Cowboys players, the Cowboys coach (Jimmy Johnson), officials and broadcasters with snowballs and garbage.

This sorry situation poured gasoline onto an already fiery rivalry. It was such a crazy scene that even the future governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, got caught up in the melee that day.

Sideline Spat Between Two Coordinators Shocks the Houston Oilers

Here's another Buddy Ryan special. Just a couple years after the infamous Bounty Bowls, Ryan found himself as defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers.

Ryan never liked his counterpart Kevin Gilbride's game plans. He was openly critical of the offensive coordinator's fast-paced (and turnover-prone) offense.

After a fumble by Oilers quarterback Cody Carlson in a 1993 game against the New York Jets, Ryan took Gilbride to task on the sidelines. Gilbride appeared to shout back, and then Ryan nailed him with a vicious right-handed punch.

While the Oilers were still a good team that year despite the obvious tension between their coordinators, they weren't able to do much once they got to the playoffs that year.

Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson Tussle and Flow

One year ago this month, Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson mixed it up in dramatic fashion.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Finnegan is known as a mouthy player in the mold of Joey Porter. In a lopsided game between the Houston Texans and the Titans, Finnegan's talk finally got under star receiver Johnson's skin.

When the normally cool and collected Johnson snapped, it was quick and furious. Finnegan bumped Johnson off the line of scrimmage on a play early in the fourth quarter. Johnson ripped off Finnegan's face mask and walloped him twice in the face before the two were separated.

While Johnson clearly got the best of the overmatched Finnegan both statistically and in the brawl, he apologized after the fact for his impetuousness.

Despite the best efforts of league officials, fights are not likely to be eradicated in the NFL. The stakes are too high. We can only hope that the game isn't tenderized like the "other" football. Soccer players frequently take dives and fake injury. Football is a tough game for tough guys, and that's the way we like it.