We’ve reached the dog days of the NFL–I consider myself a pretty big fan of the NFL, and even I can’t get that jazzed up about OTA’s. And it’s not just because my team went 3-13 last year–seriously, if you get excited about OTA’s, you might need professional counseling. Or you might be a Packer fan.

While there’s some great debate going on in our annual Hall of Fame thread, we’ve decided to fill the dead space with a series of posts that has been kicking around in my head for some time, and recently came back to the front of my brain when I heard a local radio host discussing the uniform number choice of a highly touted rookie (in this case it was hockey, but that doesn’t matter).

A few years back I bought a book that discusses, across all professional sports, who the best players to wear each number was. Of course, some of the numbers skew towards football (50-98, where fewer athletes in other sports wear numbers that high regularly), but I also thought some of the lower numbers tended to focus more on baseball/basketball than I would have expected.

So I figured we would start a series of posts discussing each number in the NFL (randomly) and who wore that number the best in the history of the league (we’ll gladly consider AFL, and even some CFL and USFL where applicable), and allow the fans to vote for who they think was the best.

The first number up is one that has had a significant tradition of star players: #81

In today’s NFL, numbers in the 80’s are reserved for wide receivers/tight ends, so no surprise to see several at the top of the list. In fact, in Best by Number, they awarded their top spot to one–but several other position players from the earlier days of the league also make the list:

Tim Brown – LA/Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The top #81 according to Best by Number, Brown hasn’t yet made the Hall of Fame but is considered an eventual shoo-in by most. In 255 career games, he amassed 1,094 catches for 14,934 yards, and 100 touchdowns–and added on a rushing touchdown and four return touchdowns to boot.

Torry Holt – St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars – Started his career in 1999 as #88, but changed to #81 when Az-Zahir Hakim left the Rams for greener pastures. Totaled 13,382 yards and 74 touchdown catches in 11 years in the league.

Art Monk – Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles – Monk wore #81 for 14 seasons in Washington, and one year in New York before finishing his career wearing #85 for three games in Philadelphia. He totaled 12,721 yards and 940 receptions in 16 years, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008 after being a finalist seven times previously.

Doug Atkins – Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints – Not a lot of stats for Atkins, who was the 11th overall pick in the 1953 draft out of Tennessee. After two seasons of wearing #83 in Cleveland, he moved on to stardom in Chicago wearing #81, where he made eight Pro Bowls and one All-Pro first team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982, after being a finalist five previous times.

Carl Eller – Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks – Eller was the 6th overall selection of the Vikings in the NFL draft and 5th overall selection for the Buffalo Bills in the AFL draft in 1964, and was a member of the famed Purple People Eaters in Minnesota. Another who played in the era before defensive stats were kept, Eller was a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 after being a finalist 12 previous times.

Roy Green – St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles – Green was a 4th-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 1979, and started his career wearing #25. He switched to #81 in 1982, and put up huge seasons in 1983-1984, leading the league in touchdowns in 1983 (14) and yards in 1984 (1,555). He averaged 16.0 yards per reception, and while not a Hall of Famer, he did make two Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice in those two big years–and he played most of his career for a notoriously bad team.

Jackie Smith – St. Louis Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys – Seemingly most famous for a catch he failed to make in his final year in the league with the Cowboys, Smith starred at tight end for the Cardinals for 15 seasons before spending his final year in Dallas. He made five Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

Terrell Owens – San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals – The most traveled #81 on the list, and probably most disliked, TO managed to snag #81 at each of his five teams. He was a 6-time Pro Bowler and 5-time All-Pro, and has put up 1,078 catches, 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns in a career he claims is still active. Those numbers put him in the Hall of Fame for sure–although many would argue that his personality might keep him out.

Dick “Night Train” Lane – Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions – Night Train Lane is a rarity in NFL history for a number of reasons–not the least of which the fact that his wearing of #81 in his career was very unusual for a defensive back. Part of the reason for the number was that he came into his first training camp in 1952–undrafted, mind you–projecting as a tight end or wide receiver. With future Hall of Famers Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch ahead of him, he switched to corner back, where as a rookie he set the single season record for interceptions (14) which stands today (and that was a 12-game season), made seven Pro Bowls, was named All-Pro six times, and in 1969 was named the best cornerback in the first 50 years of the NFL, before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, his fourth year as a finalist.

Others considered: Russ Francis, Anthony Carter, Carl Pickens, Andy Robustelli, Amani Toomer, Ernest Givens

So, Zoneblitz Nation–what say you, who was the best #81 to play in the NFL? Vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Who was the best #81 in NFL history?

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