BY RICK PORCARO
Who are the NFL’s all-time best offensive players?
Sports are a huge part of life around the city of Martinez and the whole East Bay area in San Francisco. In fact, the whole state of California is mad about sports and has many awesome teams to support. One of the most popular sports to follow throughout the region is football.
This is easy to understand when you consider the drama and hard-hitting action the NFL delivers. With teams such as the San Francisco 49ers to cheer on as well, it’s no wonder football is so well-loved in the city. As the new NFL season rises on the horizon, many people across the US will also be looking to not only catch the action when it starts again but bet on games also. Although sports betting is not yet legal in California, it can still be fun to make your own predictions as the new season moves into view.
Looking at early NFL offensive player of the year picks can certainly be entertaining and get you up to speed for the coming season. Of course, if sports betting does become legal soon in California or you travel to a state for vacation where it is allowed, this information can help you when betting on games.
It’s not just looking ahead which can be fun in football though. Looking back at some of the best NFL players is also worthwhile, so who have been the top offensive players ever?
Jerry Rice
All football fans around the San Francisco area know what a player Jerry Rice was in his prime and why he is included on our list. There is no doubt that he is arguably the best offensive player in NFL history and the best wide receiver ever in most people’s eyes. This is not mere opinion either, as the stats more than back it up. Rice won not one but two NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards (in 1987 and 1993). He also was famed for his superb catching ability, strong running, speed and overall agility.
In addition to all this, there are the three Super Bowl Championships he won in his career and numerous records he set to factor in. In 1987, he set the record for most receiving touchdowns in a season with 22 in just 12 games, and led the NFL in yards/receiving touchdowns six times.
Tom Brady
Although Brady’s announcement of a return to the NFL in 2022 might have surprised people, his inclusion on our list won’t. This elite-level quarterback is one of the best offensive players ever to grace the NFL. As with Rice, you only need to consider his achievements as a pro to see why. Brady has been playing for 22 years now and is still at the very top of his game.
In that time, he has won a staggering seven NFL Championships and thrown for 84,520 passing yards in 318 career games. On top of all this, he’s been a 15-time Pro Bowl selection and 3-time NFL MVP. To prove his undoubted ability, he switched to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after twenty seasons with New England and helped them win the Super Bowl in his very first season. When you add in his powerful arm, stunning accuracy, leadership and calmness under pressure, it’s clear to see why he rates so highly.
Joe Montana
The cultural impact of sports is huge and players like Joe Montana have helped this to grow over time. Just as Jerry Rice is one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, fans of the game around the Bay Area know that quarterback Joe Montana also deserves significant mention. The partnership they had when playing together was electric and certainly helped the team reach the lofty heights they did.
This just shows what a top-level quarterback Montana was – as do his career highlights. Some of these included a 4-0 winning record in Super Bowl appearances, during which he threw 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions. Montana also won four Lombardi Trophies in just nine years and back-to-back MVP awards in 1989 and 1990.
NFL’s greatest offensive players ever
Compiling a list like this is always tough. For example, we could have included the legendary Walter Payton, Barry Sanders or Randy Moss among others. Although there are other players who you could put into the mix, it is without question that the players we’ve talked about deserve our attention. For NFL fans around Martinez, the memory of Jerry Rice flying down the football field for the 49ers with Joe Montana about to hit him is one that never gets old!
