“Best of all time” lists tend to be annoying because they will always leave someone who deserves mention off.
Such is the case with a USA TODAY proclaiming the 30 greatest NFL players in history, which I probably would not have quibbled with had there not been a potentially glaring omission.
That omission would be Browns DE Myles Garrett. Some may cringe. Others may laugh. But roll with me here.
Why Browns DE Myles Garrett be considered among the best NFL players of all time
Uhhh…Bottom line: there are not many current players on this list. In fact, there are only two in Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes (No. 6) and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (No. 30), who I guess is current even after being in the NFL for what seems like a century.
Mahomes may be the best offensive player of the last decade and has the accolades and hardware — three Super Bowl rings — to show it.
So why isn’t the most dominant defensive player of the past decade, Myles Garrett, on this list? He has the numbers. In his 10 years in the league, he has the most sacks of any player – 125 and counting – and he has his own version of hardware in the form of two NFL Defensive Player of the Year trophies and arguably has at least another five years to build that resume – as does Mahomes.
In short: dominance is dominance and prolonged dominance means greatness.
What other Cleveland Browns player deserves consideration as a GOAT?
Only one offensive tackle made the list – Cincinnati Bengals’ legend Anthony Munoz. The oversight with respect to the offensive line is that he is the only offensive lineman listed. Period. Another candidate for this list who just happens to have played for Cleveland – Joe Thomas. He’s but one of many offensive linemen who probably merits such consideration. However, Thomas belongs to Cleveland and he was dominant for 10 years at his position on some very, very, very, very bad teams. Did I mention the teams were bad?
And, well… dominance is dominance and prolonged dominance means greatness.
What Browns did make the USA TODAY greatest of all-time list?
Of course, there were Browns who did make the list – and deservedly so.
Running back Jim Brown tapped in at No. 3 on the list – yes, No. 3 – behind the Michigan guy, quarterback Tom Brady, and wide receiver Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers.
The other: quarterback Otto Graham, who more than 60 years later still has a strong case as the greatest quarterback in Browns history.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: USA TODAY GOAT list missing Browns greats Myles Garrett and Joe Thomas
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
