NFC North: NFL Any Era
ESPN.com IllustrationCould Charles Woodson in his prime stop Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in his? MATCHUP GALLERYLARRY CSONKA
"Charles Woodson isn't a hardass, but he's tough. He would have had an even better nose back when we played. It wasn't a game of inches back then as much as it is today. He would've been in the middle, picking off passes. I just like to watch him play."
MARCUS ALLEN
"Let’s give Charles Woodson some love. I like the way he plays. Not only is he great at larceny, but he can tackle too. He tackles and he'll come up and hit you. He's not defined by the corners today, who think their only responsibility is to cover wide receivers. He can hit somebody, too."

ESPN.com IllustrationHall of Famer Larry Csonka going against Brian Urlacher? A classic battle. MATCHUP GALLERYJIM BROWN: "Brian Urlacher plays an intelligent game, but is also very physical and very tough. He can apply his physicality with a mentality that fits into the game plan. His mental toughness is as good as it gets."
MIKE DITKA: "Brian Urlacher has stood the test of time. He'll go down as one of the best middle linebackers in history. He follows in the great tradition of Bears linebackers."

ESPN.com IllustrationHall of Famer Mike Singletary and Adrian Peterson would have classic matchups. MATCHUP GALLERYLYNN SWANN
"Adrian Peterson is a tough guy. His initials are A.P. yet his nickname is still AD. That’s because he’s going to come at you all day. Adrian is kind of like Jim Brown, but I think he's faster. He's got a tough mentality, and he doesn’t shy away from anything. Guys will block for him, and if they don't he'll run through the defense anyway."
JOHN RANDLE
"It’s almost like Adrian Peterson plays like he had a dream the night before that he was going to break a big play. That desire is there every time he touches the ball, that it's going to be a big play. When he gets tackled, he doesn't go down. He's trying his hardest to stay up, telling himself, 'If I can just get my legs free I’m going to score.' That's what makes it fun looking at him and watching him play -- you are expecting the same thing that he is expecting on every play. His desire is visible to everyone out there."
WARREN MOON
"Adrian Peterson could play in any era. He has the speed and breakaway ability, but he looks for guys to run over. He has classic highlights of pushing defensive backs out of his way and throwing guys out of his way while running the football. He will play hurt and banged up, and I like the way he plays the game. He delivers the blow as opposed to taking the blows as an offensive player."
KELLEN WINSLOW
"Adrian Peterson is tough. Some guys get a fingernail trimmed back and they're done for the day. Others have toes hanging off and they're still out there playing. And he’s in that category."

ESPN.com IllustrationHall of Famer Joe Namath and Aaron Rodgers could scheme against defenses. MATCHUP GALLERYThat resume was enough for ESPN.com's panel of 20 Hall of Fame players to make him a member of the "Any Era" team that has been rolling out this week. Here is a sampling of their comments:
RAYFIELD WRIGHT
"Aaron Rodgers has the ability to recognize and run an operation and run a team. You aren't talking only about physical toughness. You're talking about mental toughness with him, and he is mentally tough."
MIKE DITKA
"Aaron Rodgers is the epitome of tough mentally and physically. He can handle the hits, but mental toughness is something more important."
In the video below, Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton said Rodgers' willingness to wait his turn in Green Bay behind Brett Favre, and the way he used his three years as a backup, makes him in Any Era player. "That's what quarterbacks used to have to do," Lofton said. "You used to draft a quarterback and you'd let them marinate a couple years."

ESPN.com IllustrationJust imagine: Jared Allen relishes a sack of Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen."Wow, that's great," Allen said. "That's why I play, to earn the respect of the guys before me."
Here's a sampling of what some of our panel said about Allen, whose 22 sacks in 2011 fell one shy of setting a league record:
MIKE SINGLETARY
"Jared Allen is going to will himself to get to the quarterback. I don't know how he does it. I can't even really explain it, but he lines up and the next thing you know, he's got the quarterback. The mentality and relentlessness that he approaches the game with is second to none."
WARREN MOON
"Jared Allen is just a tough, hard-nosed player. He's a defensive end who can get to the quarterback, but if he has to play in the trenches, he can. When he played at Kansas City, he played the run well. And in Minnesota, he is more of a pass-rusher. He is a throwback type of guy if you know him. He's like a big cowboy. He wears cowboy boots and tight jeans and he's a real throwback."
MIKE DITKA
"Jared Allen plays every down, hard and physical. He could've played in the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s. He brings it on every play and gives all he's got."
In the video below, Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton applauds Allen for his performance as an emergency long-snapper during a Week 12 game against the Atlanta Falcons. "And he's covering punts, and he's running 100 miles an hour. That tells me right there: football player."

As you know by now, ESPN.com is unveiling its 20-member "Any Era" team this week. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was among the first four players named, as we noted earlier Monday.
A number of Hall of Famers made the trip to ESPN headquarters in Bristol to help assemble the team, and ESPN's Front Row blog spoke with former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman John Randle, as well as receiver James Lofton, about the project and their choices of their "Any Era" coach.
Randle chose Vince Lombardi, while Lofton cited Bud Grant to complete the NFC North circle.
In the video below, Randle said "if I could have, I would have played the same way [Suh] plays." He said Suh has sent a message to the rest of the NFL: "Don't come to my gap, don't come toward me, because this is what is going to happen to you."

A number of Hall of Famers made the trip to ESPN headquarters in Bristol to help assemble the team, and ESPN's Front Row blog spoke with former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman John Randle, as well as receiver James Lofton, about the project and their choices of their "Any Era" coach.
Randle chose Vince Lombardi, while Lofton cited Bud Grant to complete the NFC North circle.
In the video below, Randle said "if I could have, I would have played the same way [Suh] plays." He said Suh has sent a message to the rest of the NFL: "Don't come to my gap, don't come toward me, because this is what is going to happen to you."

ESPN.com IllustrationHall of Famer "Iron" Mike Ditka going head-to-head with Ndamukong Suh? We're in.I'll make a note of every NFC North representative, and Monday's batch included Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Below are the verbatim explanations from three Hall of Famers for why Suh made the cut.
MIKE SINGLETARY
"Ndamukong Suh is just nasty. He is just a nasty guy. I love his mentality. He can rip your face off. That's the kind of guy he is. He's a young guy, but he sets the tempo for that team. If they didn't have him, they'd be a totally different team. He is the mindset of that whole team."
LARRY CSONKA
"You could put Ndamukong Suh next to Mean Joe Greene or Bubba Smith or back with some of those devastating D-linemen from the 70s and he'd fit right in. Suh’s mean enough to land on his feet wherever you put him. He is a classic tough guy. He belongs back with us. Dick Butkus could tackle our quarterback, Bob Griese, back behind the bench and not be penalized. That's where he belonged, and Suh would have loved our era."
JIM BROWN
"I love Ndamukong Suh. I would take him and mold him and create a Frankenstein monster. I would want him on my defense, but I would mold him. He is a throwback because they are trying to determine so many things about the physical part of the game right now, and I don't know if they can do it. You want guys who will mix it up, but you don't want stupidity. You are looking for monsters who are going to bring it, and that is who Suh is. He’s feared and respected in the league."
Here is an explanation of the project from ESPN.com's Greg Garber, and here are two pages devoted to Suh.
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