Coaching Staff:
1 HC - Vince Lombardi (OC 1954-1958, HC 1959-1967, 1969)
2x Super Bowl Champion, 3x NFL Champion, 2x Coach of the Year (1959, 1961)
1 OC - Andy Reid (Off Assistant 1992-1998, HC 1999-2023)
2x Super Bow Champion, 1x AP Coach of the Year (2002), 3x Sporting News Coach of the Year (2000, 2002, 2018), 4x Maxwell Club Coach of the Year (2000, 2002, 2010, 2018)
1 DC - Tony Dungy (Def Assistant/DC 1980-1995, HC 1996-2008)
2x Super Bowl Champion (1x as player, 1x as coach), Ring of Honor with Indianapolis and Tampa Bay, Innovated the Tampa 2 D
Not sure much needs to be said with regards to this coaching staff. Vince Lombardi has his name immortalized as the name of the NFL's Championship Trophy, he's widely regarded as one of, if not the best, coach of all-time in not just football, but all of sports. Hell I had a training session for my work (which is not related to sports at all) that was using Vince Lombardi quotes as inspiration just yesterday. He knew how to coach a team and to get his players to buy in. One of the great leaders in sporting history.
Andy Reid is a guy who while he has not carried an OC tag anywhere has been an elite offensive mind forever. He has success wherever he goes and with whomever he has on his roster. His offences are constantly establishing new ways of playing and once those ways are figured out, he finds a new way for them to be effective. Can't argue with the results nowadays after a spell of him getting stymied in big moments in Philadelphia he has shown that he can break through with multiple Super Bowls in Kansas City. As for the defensive side, my favourite coach of all-time is Tony Dungy. While he may not have gotten credit for Tampa's 02 Super Bowl, it was his team and most importantly his defence that won the Bucs that championship. He proved he can handle elite offences as well in Indianapolis but he managed to finagle what was consistently mediocre talent levels on D in Indianapolis into very solid units. With an elite cast in this scenario I can't imagine how much success he could have. And while his personal comments in recent years has left a sour taste in my mouth, you can't argue that his players didn't respect and love the man.
Offence:
QB - Joe Montana (1979-1994)
4x Super Bowl Champion, 3x Super Bowl MVP, 2x NFL MVP, 1x NFL OPOY, 1x NFL CPOY, 3x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 8x Pro Bowl, 2x AP Athlete of the Year
RB - Eric Dickerson (1983-1993)
1x NFL OPOY, 1x NFL ROY, 3x NFC OPOY, 5x First Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl, 4x Rushing Yards Leader, NFL Record Holder in Rushing Yards in a Season, Rushing Yards as a Rookie, and Rushing Yards in a Playoff Game
WR - Calvin Johnson Jr (2007-2015)
3x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl, 2x NFL Receiving Yards Leader, 1x NFL Receptions Leader, 1x NFL TD Catches Leader, NFL Record Holder Receiving Yards in a Season, NFL Record Holder Most Consecutive 100 yard games
WR - Lance Alworth (1962-1972)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x AFL Champion, 1x AFL POY, 6x First Team All-AFL, 1x Second Team All-AFL, 3x AFL Receptions, Catches, and TD Leader
WR - Hines Ward (1998-2011)
2x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP, 3x Second Team All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowl
TE - Jackie Smith (1963-1978)
4x Second Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl
LT - Anthony Munoz (1980-1992)
1x NFL Man of the Year, 9x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 11x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Rookie Team, 1x Bart Starr Award
LG - Russ Grimm (1981-1991)
3x Super Bowl Champion, 4x First Team All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowl
C - Mick Tingelhoff (1962-1978)
1x NFL Champion, 5x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl
RG - Will Shields (1993-2006)
1x NFL Man of the Year, 3x First Team All-Pro, 4x Second Team All-Pro, 12x Pro Bowl
RT - Tyron Smith (2011-2023)
2x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 8x Pro Bowl, 1x NFL All-Rookie Team
RB - Christian McCaffrey (2017-2023)
1x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 2x Pro Bowl, NFL Record Receptions for RB, Only RB with 2 100+ Catch Seasons
WR/PR - Wes Welker (2004-2015)
2x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 3x NFL Receptions Leader, 1x All-Rookie Team, NFL Record 5 Seasons with 110+ Catches
KR/RB/WR - Cordarrelle Patterson (2013-2023)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 4x First Team All-Pro, 3x Second Team All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Rookie Team, NFL Record 9 Kick Return TD's
This offense is of course going to run through one of the all-time greats at QB in Joe Montana. Largely credited with bringing the West Coast Spread offence to popularity in the NFL, Montana with this supporting cast would be just unreal. Team also has CFL Legend Jack Jacobs as a backup who could give a different look to teams at times as well.
At RB the Mustangs have the NFL's single season rushing yard record holder in Eric Dickerson. A tremendous straight line runner, he has never gotten the accolades he maybe deserved despite the record. He bounced around to a couple of teams, but it didn't matter where he went he was an elite player. To balance out his contributions the Mustangs also brought in Christian McCaffrey who if not for injuries would already perhaps be considered as the best receiving RB of all-time. As it stands he likely still has work to do to catch Faulk, but what he's done already is proof that this guy is an all-time great. Having two such different backs will allow the Mustangs to throw a large number of different looks at opposing teams allowing Reid to have a super large playbook to confuse teams. For good measure they also have Cordarelle Patterson who can play some RB, albeit not fit for this level but his straight line speed could be a factor in certain packages.
At WR the Mustangs have a varied approach suitable to many different looks and packages. The star of the group is of course Megatron. As silky smooth as a WR could be, he is arguably the most naturally talented player to ever play WR. Others did it for longer as he surprisingly retired after only 9 seasons, but I'd argue no one in NFL history had as high a peak as Johnson, as his record for receiving yards in a year tells you. Next up is deep man Lance Alworth, who was terrorizing defenses with the deep ball in a time where QB's rarely stretched the D's out. A career 19 yard a catch average speaks to that. Elite speed and hands, he'd have been a lot more heralded in the NFL era than when he played. The Mustangs have two top level slot threats the choose from. From the more physical ball security of Hines Ward, who was known to rise to the occasion in big games and the shifty pristine route running of Wes Welker sometimes considered the best undrafted player of all-time. Both have their uses and can be swapped into different packages for different looks. And they still have Cordarelle Patterson with mind blowing speed for WR screens as well.
TE Jackie Smith was a WR in college converted to TE at the pro level. A rarity in the time he played as TE were expected to be blockers in those days, he helped start to popularize using the TE as a receiving threat. Despite this he remained lauded for his work as a blocker while also giving the Cardinals another receiving threat for a lot of years. Retired as NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards for a TE, a mark that would stand for 12 years.
OL is anchored by the consensus best OL to ever play the game in Anthony Munoz. Literally no better player in NFL history to be guarding Montana's blind side. A model on consistency and play there's little to say about Munoz as he's just a rock to be there day after day for Montana to prevent the Mustangs from taking those big losses. The interior of the OL is anchored by C Mick Tingelhoff and RG WIll Shields, both long term players that were models of consistency. 8 First Team All-Star Nods and 18 Pro Bowls between them. Also along the OL is Russ Grimm who's career was short due to injuries but an elite peak with. Only 4 times did he start more than 14 games in a season. He was a 1st Team All-Pro is each one of the seasons. Unfortunately injuries limited his effectiveness early and late in his career. Lastly among starters in Tyron Smith, a superstar LT that will be converted to RT for this roster due to the presence of Munoz. After a strong rookie year at RT, from career years 3-9 he would make 8 Pro Bowls, his only miss being a year where he played just 2 games, including 2 First Team All-Pros and 2 Second Team All-Pros. The backup for the OL is Lou Groza, who spent many years as a star LT for Cleveland Browns while also handling the kicking duties.
Defence:
DE - Deacon Jones (1961-1974)
2x NFL DPOY, 5x First Team All-Pro, 3x Second Team All-Pro, 8x Pro Bowl, 5x NFL Sacks Leader
DT - Arnie Weinmeister (1948-1953 CFL 54-55)
4x First Team All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowl
DT - Joe Klecko (1977-1988)
1x NFL DPOY, 2x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowl, 1x NFL Sack Leader
DE - Michael Strahan (1993-2007)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x NFL DPOY, 4x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowl, 2x NFL Sack Leader, 1x NFL Forced Fumble Leader, Tied for NFL Record for Sacks in a Year
OLB - Derrick Brooks (1995-2008)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x NFL DPOY, 1x NFL Man of the Year, 5x First Team All-Pro, 4x Second Team All-Pro, 11x Pro Bowl, 1x Bart Starr Award
MLB - Nick Buoniconti (1962-1974, 1976)
2x Super Bowl Champion, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 2x Pro Bowl, 5x First Team All-AFL, 3x Second Team All-AFL
OLB - Chuck Howley (1958-1959, 1961-1973)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Super Bowl MVP, 5x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl
CB - Darrelle Revis (2007-2017)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 4x First Team All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Rookie Team
CB - Stephon Gilmore (2012-2023)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x NFL DPOY, 2x First Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 1x NFL INT Leader
FS - Eric Weddle (2007-2019, 2021)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 2x First Team All-Pro, 3x Second Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl, 1x NFL INT Leader
SS - Jack Tatum (1971-1980)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowl
DT/NT - Curley Culp (1968-1981)
1x Super Bowl Champion, 1x AFL Champion, 1x NFL DPOY, 1x First Team All-Pro, 4x Second Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl
CB/S - Troy Vincent (1992-2006)
1x NFL Man of the Year, 1x First Team All-Pro, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Rookie Team, 1x NFL INT Leader, 1x Bart Starr
OLB/RUSH - Pat Swilling (1986-1996, 1998)
1x NFL DPOY, 2x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 1x NFL Sack Leader
The name of the game here is versatility. Looking a D that can shift into many different forms to constantly keep defenses guessing. Let's look at the different fronts that can be presented.
4-3
Jones - Weinmeister/Culp - Klecko - Strahan/Swilling
Howley - Buoniconti - Brooks
3-4
Klecko - Culp - Weinmeister/Jones/Strahan
Swilling - Buoniconti - Brooks - Jones/Strahan
5-2
Jones - Klecko - Culp - Weinmeister - Strahan/Swilling
Buoniconti/Howley - Brooks
And mix and match as you choose in there. A large portion of those players played and starred in different roles throughout the course of their careers. I find the best D's are not static in their approach and value rotation through the DL and fronts to find the best success.
The D will be lead by it's ferocious DL. The superstar is of course Deacon Jones. While he signature move might be illegal by today's standards (the head swat) in it's time it's effectiveness was legendary. He was a beast for opposing OL to try to stop and in fact is often credited with inventing the term "sack". While sacks weren't an official stat when he played, his numbers when you go back and look into it if they had been would be absolutely legendary if they had counted then. Haven't even got to his run stopping, which was the primary concerns of DL in those days where Jones was elite. Along with his 2 DPOY awards, the DL sports another 2 DPOY with DT/DE Joe Klecko and DE Michael Strahan. Strahan is one of the great straight pass rush DE's of all time and managed to set the record in terms of sacks in a season. I know there's some controversy there and he's since been tied, but it's an impressive feat no matter how you slice it. He was a force working off the outside. And Klecko was a master of doing whatever needed doing, playing everything from NT to DT to 3/4 DE to 4/3 DE. He could plug and play anywhere. He was in pro bowls at all 4 spots, winning awards no matter where he was moved to. To fill out the DL is Arnie Weinmeister a short lived career but one that still landed him in the NFL HOF. A unmatched force on the DL he is considered the greatest of his era. Lastly there's one of, if not the best NT of all-time in Curley Culp who ate up blocks in the middle of the D and completely stuffing out runs while also being an elite pass rusher scoring 8 seasons above 5 sacks, including a career high 11.5 in 1975 to finish 2nd in NFL DPOY award.
The LB's are anchored by OLB Derrick Brooks, arguably the most important piece of the Buccaneers vaulted D's in the late 90's/early 00's. An incredibly versatile player, he played with such smoothness that he could do almost anything out there. Absolutely elite in pass coverage, he would record 25 INTs over the course of his career. He would soak up all the run plays as one of the surest tacklers in NFL history, 3 times leading the NFL in solo tackles. Even managed to finish 4th in NFL MVP voting in 2002 (behind 3 QBs) when he won DPOY. Buonicounti was the MLB for the perfect 1972 Dolphins finishing 2nd in DPOY that year behind Joe Greene. He was run stuffer but had the coverage skills to feast in a Tampa 2 style D with 32 career INTs as well. After some injury trouble early in his career Howley became a elite LB for many years for the Cowboys and was a 1st team all-pro for 5 straight years in the late 60's as a model of consistency. Lastly in the LB corps is Pat Swilling, part of the famed Dome Patrol Saints D's of the early 90's. A ferocious rush end, he would record 107.5 sacks in just 12 years in the league, peaking in 91 with 17 sacks and a DPOY award. He recorded 5 career INTs as well and has the smoothness to move around as needed to give different looks.
The secondary is anchored by an all-time great in Darrelle Revis. Revis Island as it became to be known was any side of the field Revis lined up on. Opposing QBs just knew they couldn't throw to that side of the field. For many years anyone playing against Revis had to operate on offense on only half the field. This phenomenon led to a year where Revis recorded 0 INTs, just 10 pass deflections and 32 tackles in 13 games yet he was still a 1st Team All-Pro that year. Teams were that afraid of him. While not the best fit for the Tampa 2 D that we'll primarily play, he does have experience in it playing for Tampa in 2013 and has the talent to adjust to anything. It's worth it to eliminate half the field as a viable throwing option. Opposite him is Stephon Gilmore, a ball hawk who lives in zone defenses, including 2019 where he led the NFL with 6 INTs and was named DPOY. While targets galore expected on his side of the field, expect some INTs over there. At S the team boasts one of the hardest hitters of all-time in Jack Tatum. He hit so hard he paralyzed a player. Not maybe the accolades of some others in this format, he was a terror that opposing WRs and even RB and QB had to constantly be on the lookout for him to ruin their day. Eric Weddle is a another ball hawk DB that led the NFL in INTs with 7 in 2011. A consistent pro, he would also post 4 years over 100 tackles, including his final year as a starter at age 34. The backup for the DB positions is CB/S Troy Vincent who can play all the positions in the defensive back field. A lauded starter at CB including leading the NFL with 7 INTs in 1999, he also has extensive experience at slot corner (a position he would occupy on this roster) but also had time as a FS later on in his career, albeit with more limited success. Jack Jacobs was no elite DB but he did record 4 INTs in a season on two occasions.
Special Teams:
K - Lou Groza (1946-1959, 1961-1967)
1x NFL MVP, 4x NFL Champion, 4x AAFC Champion, 4x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 9x Pro Bowl
P - Jack Jacobs (1942, 1945-1949, CFL 1950-1954)
3x CFL All-Star, 1 CFL MVP
Lou Groza would go on to re-define the K position. The first kicker to actually be a threat to kick from 40+ yards away, it was only after his success that teams would start to look for and develop kicking specialists seeing what a weapon he could be. His career numbers don't match what you might see from kickers today, but his dominance over his peers is unquestioned. With his natural talent if he'd had modern techniques, training, and the ability to specialize he may have been the unquestioned greatest kicker of all-time. As it is he was also an all-star at LT and college football has honoured him by naming the trophy for best NCAA kicker after him.
Jack Jacobs may not have the NFL resume you'd expect from a punter in this format, but he was an elite punter in the NFL in his day. Led the NFL in punting yards in 1947 and was one of the top P in his era. His true value comes from his play as a QB as well where he helped popularize downfield passing, particularly once he got north to the CFL. He's a legend in Winnipeg for his play with the Bombers as QB primarily, but also as a DB and P.
The Mustangs sport the best KR in NFL history in Cordarelle Patterson. An NFL record 9 KR touchdowns in an era where 95% of kickoffs head into the endzone for touchbacks is simply unreal. In terms of KR alone there's no one in NFL history that can match that. A decent but not great offensive player, his 4x First Team All-Pro and 3x Second Team All-Pro selections are all on KR almost exclusively. For PR the Mustangs will be relying on Wes Welker, who is likely a little bit below the standard here as he never recorded a PR TD, his 12.5 yard per return average in 2009 was good for 2nd in the league among regular returners he was effective at it.
