I thought I was long-winded on occasion, and then I saw this list from SI.com's Peter King...the epic "King 500" of the "500 Best Players in the NFL".
From 1 (Peyton Manning) to 500 (Chris Simms), King ranks 'em as he sees 'em. The highest Steeler is Troy Polamalu (28; "Donnie Shell with a ponytail"); Polamalu is joined in the top 100 by Casey Hampton (44), Alan Faneca (67), Big Ben (85) and Hines Ward (94).
"The criteria: importance of the position (I had quarterback, left tackle, pass rusher and cornerback at the top, but with room for the explosive player), talent level and age -- with a nod to young players on the cusp of a breakout season."
King explains how he did the list here, claiming he was talked out of making his list 1696 deep (in order to rank the entire league). Digest it if you dare.
