You can bring back 10 retired players to the NFL...
 

... to start their careers again as rookies. Who do you bring back?

1. Dan Marino
2. Barry Sanders
3. Terrell Davis
4. O.J. McDuffie
5. Zach Thomas
6. Jerry Rice
7. John Elway
8. Joe Montana
9. Kurt Warner
10. Deion Sanders

1: Warren Moon (this time he gets to play his entire career in the NFL)
2: John Elway
3: Gale Sayers
4: Barry Sanders
5: Terrell Davis
6: Bo Jackson
7: Jerry Rice
8: Sterling Sharpe
9: Kenny Easley
10: Walter Jones

Went for a mix of great players I'd like to see again who were either super special at their position (Sanders, Rice, Jones) or had careers cut short due to various reasons.

1. Brian Piccolo
2. Bo Jackson
3. Terrell Davis
4. Dan Marino
5. Jim McMahon (be interesting to see how good he could be with the QB protections in place now)
6. Steve Young
7. John Elway
8. Willie Gault
9. Joe Namath
10. Jim Thorpe

I think the most fascinating thing would be to go after guys from completely different eras, whom most of us never saw at all -- to see how they might stack up given today's training, equipment, schemes, and rules.

So, off the top of my head:

Jim Thorpe
Red Grange
Sid Luckman
Don Hutson
Lance Alworth
Johnny Unitas
Sammy Baugh
Ernie Davis
Gale Sayers
Jerry Rice

I include Rice because he has a solid claim today as the GOAT, which I'd endorse. But I do wonder what he might look like in today's pass-happy environment.

Interesting question, I'm going to give it some thought before I answer. I think guys like Rice and Montana don't fit who I'd like to see again - they've already done as much as you could ever expect. I think guys like Marino, Barry Sanders and Bo Jackson would be interesting, to see what they could do with either a full career (Jackson), another shot at a ring (Marino) or a better team around them (Sanders).

Would love to see TD with a whole career.

Warren Moon
Steve McNair
Earl Campbell
Barry Sanders
Bo Jackson
Jim Brown
Joe Namath (To prove he sucked and shouldn't be in the HOF)
Bill Romanowski (Wonder if he would get a lifetime ban eventually for all his helmet to helmet shenanigans)
Deion Sanders
Jerry Rice

Roger Staubach - getting him right out of college instead of after 5 years of serving in the Navy
Earl Campbell - hopefully he lands on a team where he doesn't have to carry the entire load, so he could last a few more seasons
Bo Jackson - all football, no baseball, but I'm afraid with this raw power he'd have the same thing happen with his hip. But maybe this time he gets it checked out before it became career ending
Deion Sanders - probably one of my favorite athletes of all time. Anything could happen when he got his hands on the ball
Jim Brown - I don't think his numbers would drop at all playing against today's defenses
Phil Simms - Only to see him drafted by a team with a strong QB, so he rides the pine his whole career and we are spared his 2nd career as a commentator
Tom Landry - More well known for his coaching successes, but he was also one of the best DBs of his era. He combined the playing and playcalling his final two seasons, when he was a player-coach, serving as defensive coordinator
Ray Guy - Just to see if he goes in the first round again
George Blanda - Would we get another 26 seasons out of him?
Norm Van Brocklin - Like Jim Brown, I think he's still put up the same kind of numbers today

Not sure I've got 10 names in me off-hand, but B. Sanders and D. Sanders were the two that immediately sprang to mind.

:D

I picked a mix of guys that I wanted to see have longer careers along with some guys who I think would fit today's league well, and LT just to see him play again. Heavy Bengal slant on this list too.

Greg Cook - What could have been
Ickey Woods - Likewise
Bo Jackson - All football this time.
Warren Moon - Like others, want to see Moon spend his whole time in the NFL.
Anthony Munoz - Didn't get to really enjoy him as a young football fan.
Gale Sayers - I was trying to think of one old school dude I think could handle today's league. Gale I think could.
David Fulcher - Was a freak then, would be a freak now.
Sterling Sharpe - No neck injury this time around.
Randall Cunningham - Obvious reasons.
Lawrence Taylor - Same reason I chose Munoz.

I had a couple of Dolphins homer picks as well. Loved O.J. McDuffie. It was a shame his career got cut short due to a toe injury that was aggravated by Jimmy Johnson forcing him to play before he was healed up.

Randy Moss
Randall Cunningham
Cris Carter
Deion Sanders
Barry Sanders
Red Grange
Bronko Nagurski
Warren Sapp
Mark Gastineau
William Perry

You said retired, you didn't say dead. I find this an important distinction because I am bored.

Maybe the most fascinating player to be added. I would love to see how he would do now that players are far bigger than they were back in the day.

Steve Young, full NFL career, not behind Montana.

I actually like that better than my Montana pick.

It would be interesting to put "clutch" Super Bowl QBs (Tom Brady, Joe Montana) on crappy teams and see what happens to their careers.

Walter Payton
Ronnie Lott
Joe Montana
I second the Sterling Sharpe mention above
Jay Novacek


Fuck Deion Sanders

I've always wondered about that kind of thing - is there a place where Montana is out of the league in 3 years. Is Brady Quinn a super star if drafted somewhere else? Flipping locations, how much better would Ryan Leaf had been and how much worse would Manning have been.

1. John Elway
2. Earl Campbell
3. Walter Payton
4. Barry Sanders
5. Dick Butkus
6. Ray Nitchske
7. Lawrence Taylor
8. Dan Marino
9. Jim Brown
10. Jerry Rice

Bo Jackson-no baseball...let's just try football this time
Eric Dickerson-no contract BS
Thurman Thomas-his ability to run and catch would be even more deadly
Keller Winslow2-sans motorcycle
Sean Taylor
Kevin Greene-flowing blonde locks
Herschel Walker-none of that USFL BS
Chris Miller- hopefully this time he doesn't get 17concussion
Kordell Stewart-let him read option
Mel gray-why not

I'd throw Darrell Green in there. It's a bit depressing to think that any future Bo Jacksons might be more likely to play only baseball than only football.

Only one who I haven't seen mentioned yet: Archie Manning. Curious to see him with a real team so i can know if his legend is overrated.

I don't have ten off of the top of my head but there are two who spring immediately to mind: Terry Bradshaw and Ken Anderson.

I'm not sure Bradshaw could grasp today's offenses and may end up being Derek Andersen 2.0, I think Anderson would be a beast running a modern passing offense.

1. Bo Jackson
2. Steve Young
3. Barry Sanders
4. Gale Sayers
5. Sterling Sharpe
6. Earl Campbell
7. Keith Millard
8. Warren Moon
9. Korey Stringer
10. Sean Taylor

* Lawrence Taylor - the most dominant force I've ever seen.
* Chris Chandler - what if that guy could play with today's QB protections?
* Deacon Jones - while he'd have to adapt his moves, I bet he could & would love to see him today.
* Jim Brown - would be awesome to see him and AP on the same field.
* Sammy Baugh - the guy put up big numbers when they didnt even care about big numbers. How cool would that be to see him today?
* Lyle Alzado - obligatory crazy white guy that would be fun to watch
* Bo - we all wanted to see more of him playing football.
* Lynn Swan - just before my time so would love to see him in today's game
* Craig "Iron Head" Heyward - one of my favorite players as a kid.
* Cris Collinsworth - funny looking but a tougher SoB than he gets credit for. Might be great in today's game.

Sorry, I'd have to break this up into three tiers:

Tier #1 - Players I never saw play live, but really would have liked to:

1) Johnny Unitas
2) Jim Brown
3) Dick Butkus
4) Sam Huff
5) Dick "Night Train" Lane
6) Rich "Tombstone" Jackson
7) Deacon Jones
8) Ray Nitchske
9) Sonny Jergonson
10) Marion Motley

Tier #2 - If only they could have stayed healthy, played on a different team, etc

1) Bo Jackson
2) Barry Sanders
3) Paul Warfield
4) James Lofton
5) Dan Fouts (imagine #3, 4, and 5 playing in this era)
6) Terrell Davis
7) Jerome Brown (so sad)
8) Greg Cook (Bill Walsh said he could have been the best of all time, good enough for this list)
9) Billy Sims
10) Sterling Sharpe

Tier #3 - Guys I did get to watch and would love to do it again

1) John Elway
2) Jerry Rice
3) Lawrence Taylor
4) Pat Swilling
5) Joe Montana
6) Reggie White
7) Bruce Smith
8) Randy Moss (if only he could have a good attitude this time)
9) Kellen Winslow
10) Steve Atwater

1. Bo Jackson - above all else, him
2. Randall Cunningham
3. Brian Dawkins - just so I could watch him play again
4. Walter Payton
5. Ronnie Lott
6. Sterling Sharpe
7. Chuck Bednarik
8. Reggie White
9. Dick Butkus
10. John Taylor
Bonus: Ryan Leaf (to see how he'd do in today's NFL, then see how the media would handle him; I know I'd regret this within two weeks).

Bo Jackson hypothetical-
In 2014 with his cannon arm and no more "fear of a black QB" he's a QB growing up I'd think. Less than ideal height I guess, but he'd break the QB mold

CHris Chandler? lol

Does anyone else feel like the legends from the early days of just about any sport, if teleported to today with all their peak skills/training, would get completely destroyed in a modern game?

Maybe not baseball... but players in most other sports are so much bigger/stronger/better trained that I wonder if it wouldn't be a sad sight.

Cool idea!
I have some resident homer picks, but some league wide ones as well.

1. Albert Bentley - workhorse back for the Colts that got overshadowed by bad teams and Dickerson. Once led the Colts in receiving. Think he would have been brilliant on today's teams.
2. Jeff Herrod - undersized linebacker who played like he was much bigger. Again, would have liked to see him on better teams.
3. Jeff George - if only to see him get drafted by the Bears so I could bet on who kills the other first, George or Cutler.
4. Barry Sanders - still the best pure runner I've seen
5. Greg Cook - I've read so much about him, would have liked to see what he could have done before injury
6. Joe Delaney - Deceased counts? Gave up his life to save drowning kids. Was a good player in his two years before the tragedy
7. Fran Tarkenton - Scrambling Qb from the 70s in today's scrambling QB NFL? Yes, please.
8. Dan Marino - Dan the man!
9. Dan Fouts - the first QB I really loved watching play
10. Lance Alworth - Bambi in today's league would be fun to watch

The Glass Falcon is no joke!

Glad someone mentioned him (would have, but wasn't prepared to put together a list of ten).

Steve Emtman

Barry Sanders - Thanksgiving football has been pointless ever since he retired; would watch games just to see him play. He could make moves that were inhuman.

Joe Montana - Best QB to ever play.

Reggie White - Most dominant defensive end ever. Would have easily owned the single season sack record if not for a strike shortened season.

Jerry Rice - Best receiver ever.

Randall Cunningham - If the Eagles only had a coach that knew about offense too.

Lawrence Taylor - Dominant as they come.

Steve Largent - The original Wes Welker.

Dan Marino - The original Peyton Manning.

Archie Manning - To see what could happen if he was on a real team.

Ryan Leaf - Just because it would be funny to watch that collapse again. ;)

I've always assumed these questions have an inherent normalization factor to take that into account. Jesse Owens would get beat by modern high school runners.

Sometimes I think that, but then sometimes there are the true freaks who I think would hold up - Jim Brown comes to mind, as does the clip of Bill Russell going coast to coast

Bring back Otto Graham. if he won as much in teh modern era as he did then, he would be the consensus best QB of all time.

Bert Jones. Read about how strong his arm was before he got hurt. He was a shell of his former self by the time I started following the NFL as a kid.
Johnny Unitas
Steve Largent - probably my favorite NFL player ever
John Jefferson - another favorite growing up.
Wes Chandler - same as Jefferson.
Kellen Winslow I - just to watch him play again. He was really fun to watch.
Bo Jackson - if he had stayed healthy....
Ed Reed - I know technically he isn't retired, but he was amazing to watch before injuries took their toll.

Nobody said Jack Tatum yet? Would be fun to see if he could last into week 2 without getting suspended.

If you folks wanted huge talent cut short by injury getting anothr chance, why not suggest Tony Boselli?

Tim Biakabatuka

Great call. Could have been the GOAT at tackle if he'd have stayed healthy, in my opinion.

Barry Sanders
Gayle Sayers
Jim Brown
Fran Tarkington
Bo Jackson
Mike Singletary
Sammy Baugh
Dick Butkus
Jerry Rice
Deion Sanders

I'd like to see what Paul Robeson could do if he just focused on football, instead of getting a law degree while playing in the NFL, being a major theater star, and all the political activism.

And he was the other one I'd thought of. Really, sub Otto in for someone in Quik's list and I'd probably be good with is.

I kinda want to add Pat Tillman to my list.

Derrick Thomas. My favorite player of all time.

I'd be down with that. Actually, place Otto Graham and Jim Brown onto separate versions of the current Cleveland Browns team, and you've really got something there. I'd drop Jerry Rice and maybe Sid Luckman to see that pair.