Colts owner Jim Irsay's top 5 NFL players list leaves out Peyton Manning, features John Elway

When we learned of Jim Brown’s death, so many experts, including Colts owner Jim Irsay, proclaimed the former Cleveland running back as the best who ever played in the NFL.

Irsay even created a top five list and shared it via Twitter. He’s a very active NFL owner on social media. Take a look at his top five and see if you notice who he left out. Remember Irsay is the owner of the Colts.

“On my list of Top 5 Greatest NFL Players of All Time, in our 103 year History… I have Top 5 as 1) Jim Brown 2) Tom Brady 3) John Elway 4) Deacon Jones 5) Reggie White

On my list of Top 5 Greatest NFL Players of All Time,in our 103 year History… I have Top 5 as 1)Jim Brown 2)Tom Brady 3)John Elway 4)Deacon Jones 5)Reggie White.🏈

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) May 19, 2023

Wait, where was Colts great Peyton Manning on this list?

The Colts owner received some blowback. You put out a top five of all-time and people will pepper you with different opinions, especially about former Colts stars like Peyton Manning.

“This is excluding Colts, no?” one fan asked. Another replied “I think Peyton was better lol. If football was a five player game, he would be like Jordan. Mad respect for the objectivity though. So hard to grade QBs. Easy to grade Brown. Like an F5 tornado.”

Agreed, it is easier to grade Jim Brown, who died Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles at 87. Brown dominated during his nine-year NFL career. Brown led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl every year. When he retired, he was the NFL record-holder in rushing and touchdowns scored. So, to borrow another sport’s terminology, Brown was a slam dunk to make the list. Tom Brady also was an easy choice. Deacon Jones (Rams) and Reggie White (Packers) are two of the best defensive players, ever.

Irsay’s followers offered suggestions for offensive players. Where was Barry Sanders? Or Walter Payton? And yes, Peyton Manning, who won a Super Bowl for the Colts.

Irsay preferred John Elway’s footwork

So the owner offered more thoughts. He seemed to really like John Elway, a Denver Broncos great from 1983 through 1998.

“No doubt Peyton, Barry Sanders and Jerry Rice in Top 10,” Irsay posted. “It’s just that Elway didn’t have great offensive players around him til the end, when he won 2 in a row and his feet (were) remarkable from baseball talents.”

And as soon as Irsay offered his thoughts on the offensive players, then someone slapped him for leaving out Lawrence Taylor.

“To double down on it. Lawrence Taylor was the most (dominant) defensive player I’ve ever seen,” a Colts fan tweeted. “I saw Reggie White too…not close.”

That’s the problems with lists. … Everyone has one.