Before we begin, let me emphasize that these will be Mississippians. They will not include immigrants from other states. This excludes future Hall of Famer Patrick Willis and Gene Hickerson, who are both Pro Football Hall of Famer. Today’s team is Mississippi-born and bred. We will start with the offense. We should start with the offense. Why not start at quarterback? Brett Favre (Kiln), who was a three-time league MVP, retired as the NFL’s most successful passer. He currently ranks fourth. That’s a lot of starters. If Favre needs a rest, we have Steve McNair (Mount Olive), Charlie Conerly(Clarksdale), and Archie Manning [Drew]. His record of 321 consecutive starts was a professional football record. We’ll need many wide receivers with arms like this. Don’t worry. We will split Jerry Rice (Crawford), who is wide to the left and the NFL’s most prolific receiver and scorer. We will flank Lance Alworth (Brookhaven), a seven-time Pro Bowler, and Hall of Famer, far to the right. What is the slot? You can choose from Harold Jackson (Hattiesburg), Eric Moulds(Lucedale), Willie Richardson-Greenville, Ray Perkins (Petal), and many more. This is fun, right? We’ll give it to Sweetness Walter Payton, Number. 34 on his uniform. No. 2 on the all time pro football rushing lists. He is the greatest football player our eyes have ever seen. His blitz blocking will be appreciated by the quarterbacks, too. Deuce McAllister and Wilbert Montgomery (Greenville), will be available in reserve. Jimmie Giles (Greenville), who was the first offensive player to be selected for Tampa Bay’s Ring of Honor is one end. Wesley Walls (Pontotoc), Carolina Panthers Wall of Honor is the other. They combined to catch 95 touchdowns. Both should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s the front that matters. Kent Hull, a Buffalo Bills Wall of Famer, and three-time Pro Bowler, will snap it. He’ll be flanked on each side by Gabe Jackson (Liberty) and Billy Shaw (Vicksburg), Pro Football Hall of Fame guard. We’ll be using Walt Suggs (Hattiesburg), the greatest ever offensive tackle, on the left and Jackie Slater on the right. Long snapping will be handled by Tom Goode (West Point), the famous West Point snapper who captured Jim O’Brien’s winning field goal at Super Bowl V. Now for the defense. L.C. will be a slugger on this side of it. Greenwood (Canton), on one side, and Ben McGee(Durant) the other. Both were Steelers, and both were great. We’ll be going with Fletcher Cox (Yazoo City), another Pro Football Hall of Famer, and Fbruiser Kinard (Pelahatchie), at defensive tackle. He is currently one of the most respected players in the game and a potential Hall of Famer. This team is made up of many men from small towns. Amazing. We’ve got linebackers galore. The problem is choosing who to start. Hugh Green (Natchez), gets one nod. You can run away from him and Larry Grantham (Crystal Springs), will be on the other side. I’m with Johnie Cooks (Leland) as my tackling machine. K.J. is another present-day star. Wright (Olive Branch), and Jamie Collins (McCall creek), both All-Pros. We are the cornerbacks in every state. Two more Pro Football Hall of Famer are Willie Brown from Yazoo City and Lem Barney of Gulfport. They are the first sentence in any conversation about the position, even if they aren’t the greatest. We’ll be using Jimmy Patton (Greenville), who is a five-time Pro Bowler with the New York Giants, and Jim Marsalis(Pascagoula) as safeties. Stephen “Beaver”, Gostkowski (Madison), is a placekicker who ranks among the best in pro football history. He is also a good bet when it comes to special teams. Many will assume Ray Guy is the punter, as he was a USM kicker and now lives in Purvis. Except that USM recruited him from Thomson, Georgia. Jerrell Wilson? New Orleans. It’s okay, Chunkin Charlie Conerly could still punt it. Sweetness Payton could also do it. Julian Fagan, Laurel, and Jim Miller could also be punters. Jim Miller is the barefoot wonder of Ripley. Keep in mind that with our offense, who really requires a punter?