Slightly OT: Greatest Players Never to Win A Championship

[NJCardFan]

With the prospects of Fitz retiring without having won the Super Bowl, he is definitely in the top 3 players IMO never to be a part of the championship team. I'm talking strictly NFL so here is my top 10 players never to win a championship:

10: Terrell Owens, WR
9: Fran Tarkenton, QB
8: Gale Sayers, RB
7: Tony Gonzalez, TE
6: Calvin Johnson, WR
5: Eric Dickerson, RB
4: Jim Kelly, QB
3: Barry Sanders, RB
2: Larry Fitzgerald, WR
1: Dan Marino, QB

I know my list is offense centric so perhaps I'll do a separate list for defenders.

 

[dylanbw]

That’s a pretty fair list. Note the correct spellings are “Gale” and for Tony it’s “Gonzalez”. Interesting that the top two names both played college ball at Pitt.

Others receiving votes: Neil Lomax, Roy Green.

 

[Finito]

I mean it's pretty much Marino. He never had the team around him.

 

[Capital Card]

I mean it's pretty much Marino. He never had the team around him.

Would have loved to have seen him against the 85 Bears in what should have been an epic rematch, but they crapped the bed against NE in the AFC Championship.

 

[GatorAZ]

I mean it's pretty much Marino. He never had the team around him.

Barry had a lot less around him than Marino/Fitz.

 

[Finito]

Barry had a lot less around him than Marino/Fitz.

Barry is super overrated in my opinion. I'm not a fan

 

[Brak]

Marino didn't seem like much of a team guy. If a WR dropped a pass, Marino would berate him in the huddle after the play, then be hesitant to go back to him. Contrast that with Joe Montana, who would slap the player on the ass, offer some encouragement, then go right back to him to get his confidence back up.

I was a Niner guy for most of my life, being a Bay Area native. I loved it when Joe smoked Dan in the '84 Super Bowl at Stanford. Dan does at least have that Super Bowl souvenir - a white Dolphins jersey with grass stains all over the back. He spent most of the day getting pummeled.

 

[Lorenzo]

I've never seen one player highjack a football game like barry sanders did. Maybe not the best RB of all time, but he was the reggie bush of the NFL. I've heard some say that he was their only good player, maybe he was their lone superstar player. They still had a good team in the early to mid 90s, they just weren't beating one of those super bowl teams that were littered with HOF players. Detroit did hand the cowboys their worst playoff loss of that era and made it to the NFC title game in 1991.

That is a solid list though. Not that I like Randy Moss (the guy) better than I like Fitz, but I would put Randy Moss at the highest ranking for a WR and slide Fitz behind him somewhere, but over owens and easily over Calvin Johnson. In my era I would consider adding Warren Moon and Curtis Martin to that list somewhere, but maybe not over the guys you mentioned.

 

[cwamjn]

Steve Largent and Charlie Joiner, should certainly be higher on this list than Calvin Johnson

 

[MadCardDisease]

Dan Fouts

 

[NJCardFan]

To be honest, I can add a ton more players. The entire 1975 Cardinals offensive line for starters. They kept a QB who had cement shoes off of his back. Dan Fouts deserves to be on this type of list. A case can be made for Adrian Peterson, Thurman Thomas, even OJ Simpson. Warren Moon for sure. Andre Johnson is another receiver. How about Antonio Gates? As I said, I'm going to make a separate list for defense.

 

[GatorAZ]

Barry is super overrated in my opinion. I'm not a fan

Well he had crap talent around him and still had a ridiculous 10 year prime. Literally his entire career was his prime.

 

[Finito]

Well he had crap talent around him and still had a ridiculous 10 year prime. Literally his entire career was his prime.

IMO

It's a lot of rose colored glasses looking back at his career. People remember the flashy moves and great plays but he's also the all time leader in yards lost from the line of scrimmage.

It's a lot of -2,-1,-2,-4,+15

If im an offense and its 4th and 2 to win it all I want a RB that is capable of getting those tough yards going up the gut and that's not him.

 

[TruColor]

IMO

It's a lot of rose colored glasses looking back at his career. People remember the flashy moves and great plays but he's also the all time leader in yards lost from the line of scrimmage.

It's a lot of -2,-1,-2,-4,+15

If im an offense and its 4th and 2 to win it all I want a RB that is capable of getting those tough yards going up the gut and that's not him.

That being said, how about Earl Campbell?

 

[vince56]

You can't say Jim Kelly didn't have opportunities!

 

[Jetstream Green]

IMO

It's a lot of rose colored glasses looking back at his career. People remember the flashy moves and great plays but he's also the all time leader in yards lost from the line of scrimmage.

It's a lot of -2,-1,-2,-4,+15

If im an offense and its 4th and 2 to win it all I want a RB that is capable of getting those tough yards going up the gut and that's not him.

You can not win consistently feeding the ball to a guy who might gain 40 yards but also more likely to loose 3 or five yards. Was he a great elusive back? Hell, yes but you cannot build a winning offense around that kind of approach... and if you include Calvin Johnson, make an honorable mention for Andre Johnson too

 

[LoyalRam]

Well he had crap talent around him and still had a ridiculous 10 year prime. Literally his entire career was his prime.

This is beyond dispute,imo.

 

[LoyalRam]

That being said, how about Earl Campbell?

Greatest power runner I ever saw. I lived near Houston back in the day, and witnessed him in person at the Astrodome. It was the late 70's and I was a Rams fan before, during, and after Texas, but in the pre-internet, pre-cable days I watched more Oiler football than anything, by default. Earl is one of the best RB's I EVER saw, which sadly includes Eric Dickerson.

 

[GatorAZ]

You can not win consistently with crappy QB’s.

FIFY

 

[Jetstream Green]

FIFY

No doubt... especially when your sporadic running game presents a third down and 15 for a crappy quarterback lol

 

[MrYeahBut]

If im an offense and its 4th and 2 to win it all I want a RB that is capable of getting those tough yards going up the gut and that's not him.

"Coach, if you need 1 yard I'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards I'll get you 3"

Sincerely,

Leroy Hoard

 

[oaken1]

Hands down

Bruce Smith

 

[Jetstream Green]

That’s a pretty fair list. Note the correct spellings are “Gale” and for Tony it’s “Gonzalez”. Interesting that the top two names both played college ball at Pitt.

Others receiving votes: Neil Lomax, Roy Green.

Darrell Green was once asked what he remembered most about his Hall of Fame career with the Redskins and he said covering the likes of Roy Green of the Cardinals and the Eagles' Mike Quick... those two he said where an honor to play against and you felt a sense of pride even when they would beat you because you played with them in your era

 

[Buckybird]

Barry is super overrated in my opinion. I'm not a fan

Even more impressive what he did with little talent on his teams imo.

He was a stud!

 

[NJCardFan]

Hands down

Bruce Smith

I haven't done my defensive list yet but rest assured, he's on it. The thing is, I was reluctant to put any Bills on my list because of their 4 straight trips. If you go once and lose(see Fitz, Marino, etc) and never get back you can excuse it, but if you go 4 consecutive times and lost all 4, at what point does the label 'choker' apply? Back in the days when the World Series was the Dodgers vs Yankees, the Dodgers eventually did win one. No one loses 4 consecutive championship tries but the Bills managed to do so. Watch 4 Falls of Buffalo. You actually feel sorry for them and their fans.