Unitas, Ray Berry, Jim Parker, Lenny Moore, Gino Marchetti, John Mackey, Ray Ray, Ed Reed, Jon Ogden, Kyle Boller :)

this one interesting
1- johnny u
2- ray-ray
3- john odgen
3a- jim parker
5- lenny moore
6- ed reed
7- raymond berry
8-gino marchetti
9-john mackey
10- matt stover

b. jones

don't forget artie donovan.

Johnny Unitas
Art Donovan
Raymond Berry
Lydell mitchell
Rodger Carr
Bert Jones
Stan White
Ray Lewis
Jon Ogden
Matt Stover
Ed Reed
Jamal Lewis

Joe Ehrmann should make this list.

Don't forget Tom Matte and Mike Curtis.

1. John Unitas
2 .Ray Lewis
3. Gino Marchetti
4. Jonathan Ogden
5. Art Donovan
6. Raymond Berry
7. Lenny Moore
8. John Mackey
9. Ed Reed
10. Jimmy Orr

(1) Johnny U - the absolute BEST
(2) Ray Lewis - best of the rest by far.

Great talent left with unbelievable memories & I don't want to slight anyone...but no one even gets near 1 and 2.

1-Johnny Unitas
2-Ray Lewis
3-Jon Ogden
4-Raymond Berry
5-Gino Marchetti
6-Lenny Moore
7-Jim Parker
8-Art Donovan
9-John Mackey
10-Ed Reed

*JOHNNY U

*Jim Parker
Lenny "Spats" Moore
*Gino "the Giant" Marchetti
Bert "the Ruston Rifle" Jones
Alan "the Horse" Ameche
*Raymond Berry
Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb
John Mackey
*Ted "the Mad Stork" Hendricks

*NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team

1.Johnny Unitas
2.Gino Marchetti
3.Lenny Moore
4. Jim Parker
5. Johnathan Ogden
6. Ray Berry
7. Ray Lewis
8. Rod Woodson
9. Ed Reed
10. Art Donovan
if I could go 5 more they would be
11. Jamal Lewis
12. George Kunz
13. Bill Pellington
14. Matt Stover
15. Bert Jones

Tough Call

You have to start with the magnificent 7 that are in the Hall of Fame

Johhny Unitas
Raymond Berry
Lenny Moore
Jim Parker
Art Donavan
Gino Marchetti
John Mackey

Then future Hall of Famers

Ray Lewis
Johnathan Ogden
Ed Reed

Baltimore has a long rich football history. It is too bad the NFL did not see fit to allow Baltimore to keep our History and colors as the Colts like they did with Cleveland and the Browns.

John Unitas is without a doubt the greatest quarterback of all time. He was a coach on the field. He managed the game and called his own plays. He was a tough as nails. This in an era when the quarterbacks were targets not a protected species like they are today.

QB - John Unitas
RB - Lenny Moore, Jamal Lewis
Rec - Ray Berry
DL - Gino Marchetti
LB - Ray Lewis
OL - Jonathon Ogden, Jim Parker
S - Ed Reed

That's so thought to make decision that who are greatest player in Baltimore football history? due to there are so much grate player are comes from the Baltimore football club.But i think Jim Parker is the best player of this club's history.

My dad and I had Colts season tickets, and I have been a Ravens season ticketholder from day one. There have been at least 25 truly great players here since the beginning, so finding 10 is truly a challenge. But here goes:

Johnny U - nuff said

Ted Hendricks - Ray's ancessor, a true beast called the mad stork for good reason

Ray - nuf said

Jim Parker-smart and tough, ahead of this time in technique

Lenny Moore - another who revolutionized his position and seemed to always get that first down or touchdown

Gino Marchetti - he dominated like few others, Suggs should study his film

Raymond Berry- Unitas' target, the hardest working receiver ever

John Mackey - he could block, catch and knock anyone over as the toughest tight end inthe game

Johnathan Ogden - nuff said, maybe the best ever at LT

Ed Reed - every qback must account for him on every play

An absolute no-brainer:

John Unitas
Lenny Moore
Gino Marchetti
Raymond Berry
Jim Parker
Art Donovan
John Mackey
Ray Lewis
Jon Ogden
Ed Reed

I can't believe nobody's mentioning Jamal Lewis. There's no way we don't win the SB without Jamal. And what about in '03 when he rushed for over 2,000 yards facing 8-9 men in the box every game? After that year, he went downhill quickly, but for a few years, he was our entire offense.

1-Johnny Unitas
2-Ray Lewis
3-Jon Ogden
4-Raymond Berry
5-Gino Marchetti
6-Lenny Moore
7-Jim Parker
8-Art Donovan
9-John Mackey
10-Ed Reed

To be added at a later date Joe Flacco and Ray Rice.

1. Johnny Unitas
2. Ray Berry
3. Lenny Moore
4. Gino Marchetti
5.Jim Parker
6. Art Donovan
7. Ray Lewis
8.Ed Reed
9.Jon Ogden
10.Rod Woodson
11.Jamal Lewis
12. Matt Stover
13. Bobby Boyd

Lydell Mitchell
Mike Curtis
Jerry Logan
Tom Matte

Anyone who puts Ray above Ed, PLEASE explain, most notably your drinking amount at the time... as for the ancient ones I have no issue, and I'm glad Jamal did get a mention for being 3 years or so of being the only offensive player on the team

Ray should be above Ed, he has performed at his level for longer simply put. Granted they are close and equally important. I like the list, its hard to squeeze all the past greats while leaving out stover/Jam though. Both will get HOF looks as well. Suxs with Lewis, Reed, Ogden, Stover, Jam and some other good players, we only got one ring :(

Bert Jones belongs at the bottom rather than the top of any Baltimore football list. He never won a big game, and never considered puting any touch on his throws. He'd knock down a reciever 5 yards away. He was never taught how to be a pro Q-B. J.Ogden most overrated of all, but belongs on the list.

All of the mentioned 50's and 60's players belong plus many more who played in that era.

George Kuntz was well deserved. Lydell, Joe Washington, the sack Pack all deserve to be included.

Now take three steps back and include Ray, and Reed. Least not forget the reason we won the '2000 Super Bowl; all the players we bought: Dilfer, Sharpe, Sam Adams Gash etc. It worked. And please we can't forget "the Goose". He singlehandedly won the play-off game against the Raiders, by smooching their Q-B out of the game in the 1st quarter, to put us into the Super Bowl against the mediocre Giants. Sharpe belongs even if his stay was short. He was somewhat similar, and I mean somewhat, to Frank Robinson because both brought championships to Baltimore their 1st year. Without Sharpe we never would have come close to the Super bowl. He needs to be included. Short time here but one hell of a tight end.

Any top ten list has to include Mike Curtis, even if it isn't just a list of Baltimore players. The guy was one of the most feared defensive players ever. I agree that Jamal Lewis was fantastic from '00-'04, but his decline after that probably drops him from the top ten. This list really needs to be about players that were consistently great. Ray, Ed, Ogden and Stover are the only Ravens that reach that plateau so far. Woodson was great, but wasn't a Raven long enough to be considered a Baltimore guy. He thinks of himself as a Steeler. If you include him, you have to include Dieon Sanders and Steve McNair as well then.

(1) Johnny U - the absolute BEST
(2) Ray Lewis - best of the rest by far.

Great talent left with unbelievable memories & I don't want to slight anyone...but no one even gets near 1 and 2.

Posted by: Dennis | November 12, 2009 9:41 PM
__________________________

It's blantantly obviously have never seen Gino Marchetti, Jim Parker, Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, or Art Donovan play. There is no way in hell Ray Lewis could hold any of their jockstraps. John Mackey would knock and drag Lewis all over the field, IF Lewis was able to get himself up off the ground after being mowed over by Jim Parker. No way in hell does that thug Lewis deserve to be mentioned with these other nine great, classy players and human beings. Emphasis on "human being", something Lewis isn't close to becoming.

Svedish Chef is correct. Ed Reed is head and shoulders above Ray Lewis.

By the time Ed Reed's career is over, we should be mentioning him next to Unitas if not above him. He might be the best safety who has ever played the game.

Svedish Chef is also right that Jamal Lewis should get some recognition.

John Unitas also quarterbacked in Super Bowl V. He threw a TD to Mackey, but also fumbled and threw a pick before getting hurt. Earl Morrall finished the game and we won.

Aginst Cincinnati and Oakland in the playoffs, Johnny U had no interceptions and played well.

I know you have to limit it to 10, but how can we leave off Matt Stover and Alan Ameche?

Oops,
Sorry Bubba! You may not have been Forest's very best friend, but you HAVE to include Mr. Smith as well.

How about one of the best corners to EVER play the game, Bobby Boyd. It's a crime that he is not in the HOF....his stats BEATS just about every other corner in the Hall. Man, do we need someone like him now!

Matt Stover?? Please tell me your joking. I thought this was a list of football players. Stover's a kicker not a football player!

i'm absolutely appalled that eric zeier hasn't been mentioned

Unitas was the QB for 3 NFL championships.He was the QB for the 1970 team that won the 1971 Super Bowl. He had probably his last great performance in a big game when the Colts beat Oakland for the AFL championship at Memorial Stadium.

1. John Unitas
2. Raymond Berry
3. Lenney Moore
4. Jim Parker
5. Jimmy Orr
6. Gino Marchetti
7. Art Donovan
8. Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb
9. Alan "The Horse" Ameche
10. Buddy Young

i LOVE ed reed! he is my hero.

Oh, how I wish the Colts would come back to Baltimore.

Go Colts!

I wish the Ravens would just go! (go away)

I can't believe someone would consider Stan White as 'great' when football fans want to forget he existed. Ok, his mommy must be writing. Ed Simonini was better than little Stanly.

what about kyle boller or steven hauschka? they were pretty good......

Bert Jones was one of the greatest competitors this town has ever witnessed...the Colts went 36-12 between 1975-79...without him they went 5-20...he might have gone down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in history if not for an injury & the complete mismanagement of the team.

It's blantantly obviously have never seen Gino Marchetti, Jim Parker, Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, or Art Donovan play. There is no way in hell Ray Lewis could hold any of their jockstraps. John Mackey would knock and drag Lewis all over the field, IF Lewis was able to get himself up off the ground after being mowed over by Jim Parker. No way in hell does that thug Lewis deserve to be mentioned with these other nine great, classy players and human beings. Emphasis on "human being", something Lewis isn't close to becoming.
========================
Get a life. you Bl--, Ha--. Too bad you will never appreciate the person Ray has become or the football player he is. Everybody knows Ray will be 1st ballard HOF

1-10 Matt Stover, end of discussion!

Give me a break with all of this Stover talk and on any of these lists, please! Enough is enough! Get over it already!

So many legends from the pre-super bowl era. Looking back, they really do seem like men among boys by comparison with the present day. I wouldn't hesitate to put R. Lewis, J. Lewis and Ed Reed among them, though. But please, do not soil this list with the mention of Bert Jones. Great arm, but that's all - a big crybaby. Outside of Irsay, he was probably the person most responsible for the Colts losing fans in Baltimore. I like El Cranko's list:
John Unitas
Lenny Moore
Gino Marchetti
Raymond Berry
Jim Parker
Art Donovan
John Mackey
Ray Lewis
Jon Ogden
Ed Reed

In no particular order:

Bubba Smith
Bert Jones
Johnny Unitas
Weeb Ewbank (Coach)
Don Shula (Coach)
John Mackey
Roger Carr
Ray Lewis
Lenny Moore
Tom Matte

1. Johnny U.: Anyone else? Be serious.

2. Gino Marchetti: Gino and Deacon Jones set the standard for defensive lineman. Fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Member of the integrated 1951 University of San Francisco team that sent three players (Ollie Matson, Bob St. Clair, and Gino) to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A superb football player. An even better man.

3. Jim Parker: First offensive lineman in the Hall. Jim always said Roosevelt Brown of the Giants deserved to go first. Parker was a terrific left tackle as a rook. Schooled by Gino. Then he became the best guard ever to play the game.

4. Jon Ogden: So good he went unnoticed not for games, but for years. Ogden was the extension of Parker through Art Shell and Tony Munoz. Ogden made The Blind Side the Black Hole for opposing ends and linebackers. They entered his turf and then disappeared for 60 minutes. Week after week. Year after year.

5. John Mackey: With Mike Ditka, Mackey made the tight end a position. Tremendous receiver of long passes normally designated for flankers and split ends. Kellen Winslow of the Chargers picked up the baton, but Mackey and Ditka set the standard.

6. Ray Lewis: Great middle linebacker. Face of the franchise. Ogden was a better tackle than Lewis is a linebacker, but that's only to respect Ogden's quiet dominance. It's like arguing lobster or steak, Palmer or Brooks Robinson. You cannot go wrong.

7. Raymond Berry: The best receiver since Don Hutson. Johnny U's target. Had lousy vision, little speed, and more pairs of (football) shoes than Imelda Marcos. Just caught everything thrown his way. And outworked the entire league.

8. Lenny Moore: Sputnik excelled as a running back and a receiver. Defined the multiple-threat back. Dangerous whenever and wherever he touched the football.

9. Ted Hendricks: The Mad Stork made the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. So did Johnny U., Gino, Parker, Berry and my No. 10 selection. He makes this squad.

10. Rod Woodson: Like The Mad Stork, played the balance of his career outside of Baltimore. Also like The Mad Stork, won a Super Bowl in Baltimore. One of the finest defensive backs in league history.

Next three: Buddy Young (5-foot-4 Bronze Bullet, played with the Dallas Texans like Gino, No. 22 retired); Art Donovan (Hall of Famer); and Ed Reed (fine defensive back, six the other way always waiting to happen).

All great names for sure and the list could go forever but guys like Mike Curtis, Lydell Mitchell, Roger Carr, Joe Erhman, Tom Mattee need to be mentioned

Do I have to pick only 10?

Everything starts with Johnny&Gino. All the rest in no particular order:
Lenny, Artie, Parker, Berry, Matte, Curtis, Mackey and Ray Lewis.

We'll always "Love our Colts!" And Ray, you're right there.

What about Mike Pringle and Tracey Ham? :)

Truthbetold, seriously? You really believe that anyone from that era could stand up against today's players, let alone Ray Ray. Let it go gramps, check the nostalgia and be realistic. These players spend more time in a weight room in a season than those guys did in a career.

Are you kidding me? I have a lot of problems with this list and they are as follows; Johnny U is NOT the GREATEST QB TO PLAY THE GAME!! I know we are all fans of the Colts and they were very good but lets not lose our dignity. And why do they have to slap Ray Ray in the face by saying he WAS a tackling machine and "in his prime". People need to realize that Ray was all-pro last season. That means he was ranked by the media as the second best MLB in the NFL! Ohh, and i think it makes more sense to say Ray is the best MLB to play the game. Refute that!
Wombat out

I guess I'm too young to know about all of these Colts, but I can't believe Ed Reed is ranked so low. He seems like he would be at least top 5. I'll defer to the older folks who know the Balt Colts history, but he is the best safety ever to play the game. I'd put him at #3.

All of the hall of famers especially Unitas and Marchetti - the two greatest offensive and defensive players ever.Add Mutcheller,Pellington Shinnick, Curtis. They played when the league had 12 teams not against the diluted talent today. Lewis and Reed? Great players in a different and inferior era.

As much as it pains me, you have to throw out Ed Reed (still a career in progress without a title), move Donovan up to ninth, and add linebacker Mike "Mad Dog" Curtis in the ten spot. Curtis was a four-time Pro-Bowler who anchored the defense for the Colts 1968 NFL title team and 1970 Super Bowl V champions. At least make it a tie between Curtis and Reed. In any case, Curtis CAN NOT be excluded!

Glaring factual error in #8 and where is Bert Jones?

I thought Michael McCrary was a good player. Top 10 may be arguable, but for all out effort on every play I'll put him up there.

B.JONES

Johnny Unitas didn't play for the Ravens! He played for the Colts!

You have to include Bobby Boyd and Lou Michaels. And how about L.G. "Long Gone" Dupree. Guess you had to be around when there were only 14 teams. Today there are about 10 teams of players that wouldn't have made the cut in late 50's.

1-Johnny Unitas
2-Ray Lewis
3-Jon Ogden
4-Raymond Berry
5-Gino Marchetti
6-Lenny Moore
7-Jim Parker
8-Art Donovan
9-Bill Schnutz
10-Ed Reed
11-Harry Ballington

Johnny Unitas is absolutely the greatest Baltimore football player of all time. He is definitely in the top ten greatest QB's in the whole league. He is not, however, the Greatest QB ever. Not even close. Top 5 QB's in no specific order are: Brett Farve, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. Say what you want bout my list, Brett Farve is the greatest QB of ALL TIME!

It's blantantly obviously have never seen Gino Marchetti, Jim Parker, Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, or Art Donovan play. There is no way in hell Ray Lewis could hold any of their jockstraps. John Mackey would knock and drag Lewis all over the field, IF Lewis was able to get himself up off the ground after being mowed over by Jim Parker. No way in hell does that thug Lewis deserve to be mentioned with these other nine great, classy players and human beings. Emphasis on "human being", something Lewis isn't close to becoming.
----------------------------
John Mackey weighed 20lbs less than Ray Lewis, and I'd lay dollars to donuts that Lewis would toast him in a 40 yard dash.

Furthermore, Jim Parker at 273 lbs would be grossly undersized in today's game as a tackle. He'd be better suited as a Center today. JaMarcus Russell weighs more than that.

These players were legendary in their day, and I take nothing away from that, but to suggest that someone who spend the offseason building houses would stand up to the year round athletic dedication of today's athletes is just absurd.

I'd like to point out a logical shortfall in the arguments of some people on this thread.

Height and weight among athletes are relative to the generation of those athletes.

We all accept as a given that today's football players are bigger, stronger, and faster than their predecessors. That makes sense.

After all, today's football players make far more money than their peers. This allows the modern football player to workout year-round, take part in developed weight training programs, and hire chefs and nutritionists to provide meals for optimum performance. Team physicians and trainers offer players insight into how to best develop their bodies and the finest treatments if injured. The entire game is designed to produce the biggest, fastest, strongest athletes possible.

In the days of Johnny Unitas or even Bert Jones, players earned far lower salaries and often worked in the offseason to provide a mandatory source of income for their families. As such, these players did not workout year round. In fact, until only 25 years ago, many players were taught that weight training had adverse, rather than beneficial effects, on the human body. Players did not hire chefs or nutritionists. Theirs was a red meat and beer world. (Still is, albeit with roast chicken, asparagus, and a protein drink the other six days of the week.) Team physicians and trainers worked only during the season and offered little, if any, support in the offseason as they, too, held down other jobs to provide income.

So to assert that a Gino Marchetti and Jim Parker could never play the game today is mistaken. Were a Gino Marchetti or Jim Parker raised in the football environment of a Jonathan Ogden, Michael Oher, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata, Marchetti and Parker would be far bigger, faster, and stronger than they were in their playing days.

Conversely, were an Ogden, Oher, Suggs, and Ngata raised during the Depression era 1930s, World War II era 1940s, and early post-Industrial Boom 1950s, Ogden, Oher, Suggs, and Ngata would be smaller, slower, and weaker. They would not be more ineffective players. They would simply not have the same environment, as described above, to develop in the same way.

The fact is, Marchetti, Parker, Ogden, Oher, Ngata, and Suggs - not to mention Unitas, Berry, Moore, Donovan, Lewis, Reed, and all of the other greats - possess certain gifts, whether genetic or God-given - that would have made them stars in any era and at any size, speed, or strength.

The abilities of these men transcended or transcends (if still playing) mere geometry or physical mass. Their skills, instead, could be found only and solely in the head, heart, and soul of each. Something, or a combination of something, inside each of them meant greatness. Some made it to Canton. Others will. Still others will enjoy, barring injury, fine NFL careers.

And all will have represented the city of Baltimore and displayed their greatness before our eyes on a Sunday afternoon. The era doesn't matter. The size doesn't matter. Only the excellence, here, in Baltimore, is of precious value.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.