Favorite NFL Player(s)?

I thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread... post lists of your favorite NFL player(s). These can be former or current players.


My favorite players... and why they are my favorite.

1. Brian Dawkins -- Heart and soul of the Philadelphia Eagles defense for years. I personally do not believe the Eagles will have a strong secondary until Dawkins retires... this was a player that should have been an Eagle for his entire career. In his prime, there may not have been a better safety. I can only hope that the Eagles offer him an honorary 1-day contract to allow him to retire of a member of the club that so dearly misses his presence. The common Philadelphia fans are harsh and cruel to their players, but you will never hear one of them say a bad word about Brian Dawkins. Personally, being a non-stereotypical Philadelphia fan, I absolutely loath the decision to offer Dawkins a 1-year deal after he told the Eagles that he wanted to retire in Philly... so he took a 5-year deal in Denver.

2. Troy Vincent -- Underrated, but also one of the best cornerbacks to play in the last decade. Part of a feared Eagles secondary from about 1999-2003. Troy Vincent was and still is a great man off-field, well-known for his charitable work, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2002.

3. Bobby Taylor -- Another very underrated player, who was part of the same secondary that the Eagles had for multiple seasons. While the Strong Safety position changed frequently, Dawkins, Vincent, and Taylor formed a strong group that was well-known around the league.

4. Barry Sanders -- Would have been higher if I had ever seen him play live... Barry Sanders had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL for pretty much his entire career and still managed a 2,000+ yard season. Sanders made the Pro Bowl in every year that he played... that kind of speaks for itself. One of the most elusive backs to ever play. Have a look.

5. LeSean McCoy -- The modern-day Barry Sanders... while I really liked Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley, Correll Buckhalter, and most of the other RBs the Eagles have had, none had stood out so early in their career like McCoy has so far. I am very excited and looking forward to watching him for years to come.

6. David Akers -- A reliable kicker for the Eagles for years... another that I truly believe that we should not have let go of.... Akers set an NFL record for most field goals in one season during this season. All of this after 1 bad game in the playoffs last season which saw Akers miss 3 FGs that he normally would have made easily. Not many people know but in the week before the game, it was discovered that Akers' young daughter was found to have a cancerous tumor, and it turns out that all of the money he had been putting away for years was part of a Ponzi scheme... and yet it he found out that the Eagles were not resigning him when a friend told him that they picked a kicker in the draft. You could say that, "oh, it's business." Yes, it is... but personally, I believe that there should be a certain level of respect and understanding for a consistent performer that has an off-game, even if it is insanely important.


Yes, perhaps this was biased because I am an Eagles fan, but #1, 2, 3, and 6, were players that I grew up watching in the NFC Championship game 4 years in a row, a game the Eagles have only been to once since that incredible 4 year span.