Who Are Your Top Ten Greatest Vikings (Players Only)?

[MV711]

Moss was so talented and exciting that I wouldn't argue with anybody including him on their "Greatest Vikings" list, whether he was at #11 or higher. However, I have "Moss issues" and wouldn't even place him in my top 15 greatest Vikings. Despite his obvious talent and all the great plays he made I have a hard time considering him one of the greatest Vikes because I saw him quit on his teammates. There's nothing great about that.

I agree that Moss was a jerk who quit on his teammates and didn't go all out all of the time. Can you imagine if he had the work ethic of J. Rice and his attitude? Could have been the greatest of all time IMO!!

[Mothman]

I agree that Moss was a jerk who quit on his teammates and didn't go all out all of the time. Can you imagine if he had the work ethic of J. Rice and his attitude? Could have been the greatest of all time IMO!!

He really could have... he had that kind of talent. It's a shame he didn't share rice's attitude and work ethic.

[Tark10]

Mothman. I like your list as well and you have very valid points to substantiate it. If I had a helmet signed by Marshall, Page, Larsen, and Eller I'd sleep with it on each night! When was Larsen replaced by Sutherland. Did he suffer a career ending injury? I have my mementos as well. A copy of SPORT magazine from 1972 w/Fran on the cover. The article was written by Dick Schaap, The title is The Second Coming Of St. Francis. Also a copy of Sports Illustrated from 1975 w/Fran on the cover titled "He's Frantastic". Too bad NFL Network never shows any of the '70's games in their entirety. I'm sick of Steeler/Cowboys/Dolphins/49rs games. The Vikes played Dallas in a Monday Night Football game in 1974. Tarkenton/Staubach with Gifford/Cosell/Meredeth calling the game. Great game. I'd pay to see it now. Oh yes, our boys won. Showing some of the old games would be beneficial to the younger fans so they can appreciate the players we enjoyed watching in our youth. If they show the entire Super Bowl 3 again, I think I'lll barf!

[VikeMike]

Here's my greatest 10:

1. Alan Page. For every reason already listed in this thread, plus one more: he was so quick, he was often called for being off-sides when film would later prove he wasn't.

2. Fran Tarkenton. My childhood favorite player. He doesn't get the credit he deserves for changing the game as the first mobile QB and one of the first QBs to use his running backs heavily in the passing game.

3. Adrian Peterson. This guy is quickly rising up this list. Has there ever been a Vikings player that has been universally sited as the best in the game other than AP?

4. Cris Carter. Best. Hands. Ever. (Sorry Raymond Berry and Jerry Rice)

5. Jim Marshall. The true iron man, and Bud Grant's favorite player.

6. Mick Tinglehoff. Consistently good and always on the field. Should be in the HOF.

7. Randy Moss. Incredibly skilled. If he had Carter's or Peterson's want-to, he'd be the greatest WR ever.

8. Carl Eller. The Moose. Opposing coaches said they had to scheme around Page, but Eller scared them as much.

9. John Randle. I think in some ways I underestimate this guy. His teammates called him simply "Muscle" because it was like he made up of one single muscle. To play at his level, all along the line, at his height, and to come from where he did, he was the essence of the '90s Vikings.

10. Chuck Foreman. Could have gone with McDaniel here, but Chuck was a special talent. Great receiver, more elusive as a runner than people remember (LOVED the spin move ... great speed was the only thing he lacked). Great blocker ... He played both halfback and fullback with the Vikings, depending how they designed the game plan for a particular opponent.

[Mothman]

Mothman. I like your list as well and you have very valid points to substantiate it. If I had a helmet signed by Marshall, Page, Larsen, and Eller I'd sleep with it on each night!

LOL!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked my list.

When was Larsen replaced by Sutherland. Did he suffer a career ending injury?

I don't remember but I don't think so. I think he just called it a day after 11 years.

I have my mementos as well. A copy of SPORT magazine from 1972 w/Fran on the cover. The article was written by Dick Schaap, The title is The Second Coming Of St. Francis. Also a copy of Sports Illustrated from 1975 w/Fran on the cover titled "He's Frantastic". Too bad NFL Network never shows any of the '70's games in their entirety. I'm sick of Steeler/Cowboys/Dolphins/49rs games. The Vikes played Dallas in a Monday Night Football game in 1974. Tarkenton/Staubach with Gifford/Cosell/Meredeth calling the game. Great game. I'd pay to see it now.

I remember that game! I'd pay to see it again too. I'd actually to pay to see a lot of those late '60s/early '70s Vikes games again.

Those magazine mementos are nice! Do you have them framed or displayed in any way?

Showing some of the old games would be beneficial to the younger fans so they can appreciate the players we enjoyed watching in our youth. If they show the entire Super Bowl 3 again, I think I'lll barf!

I can't watch it. I really can't. It's still painful to me.

It would be nice for younger fans to be able to see some of those older players and games. Maybe a lot of the complete broadcasts of those games are just lost to history now.

[PurpleMustReign]

All good reasons to put him on the list but I wouldn't go so far as to say any list that doesn't rank him #1 is almost comical.

He wouldn't even be on my list because I didn't ever see him play (I was born in 1979). If that makes my list comical, then I guess I will start getting into improv!!

[PurpleMustReign]

My list is from the mid-80s until now, sorry if that is too funny for some to stomach:


1. Randall Cunningham- one of my all time favorites from when he played on the Eagles, seeing him in 1998 have the year he did was almost a dream come true... which turned into a nightmare...
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Randy Moss
4. Cris Carter
5. Chris Doleman
6. Joey Browner
7. Daunte Culpepper
8. Anthony Carter
9. Randall McDaniel
10. Matt Birk

[Tark10]

Yes, it is too funny,,

[mossbutt]

My favorites as opposed to greatest Vikes.
1 Winfield: Tough as they get and all with a nod and a smile.
2 Moss: Too have opposing defenses change scheme philosophy is all you need too know about the freak. An individual, his own man. He pissed me off a time or two but i have a ton of respect for him.
3 Kapp: Fierce attitude and i think it rubbed off on those around him.
4 Harvin: Explosive he-man and i think one of the best NFL players ive ever seen.
5 Favre: Not the best QB ever but the guy had more fun than anyone and he told Chili to stick it up his yeehaa with that too careful BS.
6 Adrian: He's not human though, is he?
7 Alan Page: Are there or have there ever been a D-Lineman as good?
8 John Randle: Effective and damn enertaining.
9 Anthony Carter: Spectacular contortionist that cost me a lot of spilled beer.
10 This spot reserved for Cordarelle Patterson.

Moss was the greatest but Winfield was my favorite. I yelled at Winfield when he would slam-tackle people, thinking he would damage himself. What do i know?

[jackal]

I am going to keep this to players I watched since the early to mid 90's

1. Peterson
2. Moss
3. Farve
4. Chris Carter
5. Kevin Willams
6. Winfield
7. Randal McDaniel
8. Birk
9. Jarad Allen
10. Randle

[Tark10]

I was thinking more along the lines of "greatest all-time" players as opposed to fan favorites. I realize the younger guys would have their own favorites. I'm also a fan of 42 yrs of the New York Giants. I had a similar situation on that fan website. The Giants organization has been around since 1925. There are fans much older then me who have posted their favorites. Those guys rattle off names from the '50's and early '60's. At least my favorites have highlights all in color. They still talk about the "Greatest Game Ever Played". They are referring to the 1958 title game between the Giants and Colts. Now that's some history I can't begin to touch.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

I figured I had better make a list of my top ten favorites since my original post was ambiguous.

1). Randy Moss - My boyhood idol. I still to this day would welcome a Moss return.

2). Kevin Williams - Kevin has been a consistent force since we drafted him in 2003.

3). Adrian Peterson - I watched his first career touchdown against Atlanta in the Metrodome.

4). Daunte Culpepper - Get your roll on!

5). Tarvaris Jackson - Always wished he had panned out.

6). Cris Carter - I was young throughout his career, but I can still remember my dad telling me when I was 4 to watch #80.

7). Jared Allen - Who does not love the mullet?

8. Jim Kleinsasser - Always a hard working player who was under appreciated by the NFL.

9). Matt Birk - Still pissed off that he left our team, but he was still an awesome player.

10). Everson Griffen - I loved when we picked him in the 4th. I am really looking forward to seeing him play for our team for a long time.

[dkoby]

Mothman. I like your list as well and you have very valid points to substantiate it. If I had a helmet signed by Marshall, Page, Larsen, and Eller I'd sleep with it on each night! When was Larsen replaced by Sutherland. Did he suffer a career ending injury? I have my mementos as well. A copy of SPORT magazine from 1972 w/Fran on the cover. The article was written by Dick Schaap, The title is The Second Coming Of St. Francis. Also a copy of Sports Illustrated from 1975 w/Fran on the cover titled "He's Frantastic". Too bad NFL Network never shows any of the '70's games in their entirety. I'm sick of Steeler/Cowboys/Dolphins/49rs games. The Vikes played Dallas in a Monday Night Football game in 1974. Tarkenton/Staubach with Gifford/Cosell/Meredeth calling the game. Great game. I'd pay to see it now. Oh yes, our boys won. Showing some of the old games would be beneficial to the younger fans so they can appreciate the players we enjoyed watching in our youth. If they show the entire Super Bowl 3 again, I think I'lll barf!

If you search you tube, you can find quite a few of those old games. Sometimes you have to watch them in 10 or 15 minute segments but still fun to watch. Fun to see all the old commercials too. Actually I think that 1974 game is on you tube.

This is one of my favorite games to go back and watch, it's broken down into 3 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n9hKKKzm6w

[The Breeze]

If you search you tube, you can find quite a few of those old games. Sometimes you have to watch them in 10 or 15 minute segments but still fun to watch. Fun to see all the old commercials too. Actually I think that 1974 game is on you tube.

This is one of my favorite games to go back and watch, it's broken down into 3 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n9hKKKzm6w

That catch by Rashad was one of the biggest memories of my childhood. Living on the west coast all I ever got to see was the final play via an update during the game in my region (49ers/Raiders...whichever was on that day). But on the clip you posted I got to see the flea flicker to Brown that set it up for the first time, as well as the INT by Bryant. That was cool. Thanks!

[Reignman]

Any list that doesn't have Tarkenton as number one here is almost comical.

And any list that doesn't include Moss and AD are equally comical haha. Besides Tark has kinda become a whiny little b**** in recent years. I wasn't a fan until '84 so my list will only include players I grew up watching.

1. Adrian Peterson - from now on he's #1 on any list even if it's about kickers
2. Randy Moss
3. Joey Browner
4. Cris Carter
5. John Randle
6. Anthony Carter
7. Chris Doleman
8. Jared Allen
9. Joey Browner
10. Randall McDaniel

Honorable Mention
11. Robert Smith
12. Keith Millard
13. The Williams Wall
14. Matt Birk
15. Jim Kleinsasser
16. Brett Favre

And yeah Browner is on there twice because he made a tackle, saved a TD, shattered a leg, and ended Gerald Willhites career all on 1 play, with 1 hand, and without touching the ground.