Former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's recent complaint that he doesn't have a statue in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles got me thinking about which people in the NFL merit that type of tribute.
I came up with the following team-by-team rundown, using my own rules:
Arizona Cardinals
Their history includes the Chicago and St. Louis Cardinals, but it makes no sense to have statues of players from those teams (even the Hall of Famers) outside of a stadium located in Arizona. For now, the only statue that should be displayed outside of University of Phoenix Stadium is already there: The one of the late Pat Tillman.
Atlanta Falcons
Deion Sanders began his Hall of Fame career with the Falcons and spent a significant part of his multi-team career in Atlanta, so he gets a statue. So does former standout linebacker Tommy Nobis, the first player ever drafted by the Falcons. I know some of you would like to see a vote for Michael Vick, who was one of the most iconic figures in Atlanta sports history. But there are too many negative connotations from his arrest for involvement in a dog-fighting ring while he was a Falcon.
Baltimore Ravens
The most obvious choices are Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The coach and architect of the Ravens' lone Super Bowl team, Brian Billick and Ozzie Newsome, should have statues, too, as should Hall of Famer-to-be Jonathan Ogden. Of course, the franchise already pays tribute to the city's previous NFL franchise, the Colts, with a statue of Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas. They could also have statues of fellow Hall of Famers John Mackey, Raymond Berry, and Gino Marchetti. I realize the Baltimore Colts' history is the official property of the Indianapolis Colts, but this is my list and these are my rules.
Buffalo Bills
Their statue collection should come from a fairly cut-and-dried list of Hall of Famers, including Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Marv Levy. O.J. Simpson gets left off because that statue would symbolize more about wrongdoings than his tremendous accomplishments on the field. Non-Hall of Fame picks here: Jack Kemp, Andre Reed, Darryl Talley and Fred Smerlas.
Carolina Panthers
They're still working on their statue-worthy history, but if anybody might be deserving at this point it would be Julius Peppers.
Chicago Bears
It's so hard to pick from the laundry list of Hall of Famers from this franchise's ultra-rich history, but here are some musts: George Halas, Sid Luckman, Doug Atkins, Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, Mike Singletary and Mike Ditka.
Cincinnati Bengals
The only choice here is Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz. Ken Anderson maybe is a deserving non-Hall of Famer. Sorry, Chad Ochocinco.
Cleveland Browns
This is another team with a healthy number of bronze busts in Canton, Ohio. Some musts from that list: Newsome (yes, he's in two cities), Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Otto Graham, Paul Warfield, Lou Groza and Bill Willis.
Dallas Cowboys
Yet another club loaded with Hall of Famers, and one, Tom Landry, already is honored with a statue outside of Cowboys Stadium. Others who are deserving: Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Tex Schramm, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. Also deserving are a couple of non-Hall of Famers: Our own Gil Brandt, who had a major hand in helping to build all of those great Cowboys teams of the 1970s, and Jimmy Johnson, who brought Dallas back to life in the early 1990s.
Denver Broncos
Their short Hall of Fame list (John Elway, Floyd Little, Shannon Sharpe and Gary Zimmerman) makes this one fairly easy. Owner Pat Bowlen is deserving, too, as is Mike Shanahan for winning two Super Bowls in the late '90s with Elway.
Detroit Lions
Some excellent choices can be made from their long list of Hall of Famers, especially Bobby Layne, "Lem" Barney, Barry Sanders, Joe Schmidt and Dick LeBeau. A non-Hall of Famer vote goes to Alex Karras.
Green Bay Packers
Where do you start with this team, which already has statues for Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau in front of Lambeau Field? Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Don Hutson, and Reggie White are among the more defining Hall of Fame players. A couple of others who are Canton-bound and deserve statues: Brett Favre and Mike Holmgren.
Houston Texans
As their history is being written, it would make sense to honor some Houston Oilers history outside of Reliant Stadium in the form of statues of Earl Campbell, Warren Moon and Bruce Matthews. I realize the Oilers history belongs to the Tennessee Titans, but, again, my list and these are my rules.
Indianapolis Colts
It's a short list so far: Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and Bill Polian.
Jacksonville Jaguars
They're a work in progress.
Kansas City Chiefs
Founding owner Lamar Hunt already has a statue. Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Hank Stram and Derrick Thomas are other defining Hall of Famers for this franchise.
Miami Dolphins
They already have a statue of Don Shula outside of Sun Life Stadium and one of Dan Marino inside. I would add Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and Paul Warfield (yes, he gets two).
Minnesota Vikings
Some obvious ones here: Bud Grant, Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page and Carl Eller.
New England Patriots
The team is still in the midst of its greatest era, but that shouldn't stop statues being made for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft.
New Orleans Saints
Like the Patriots, this is a franchise currently enjoying its greatest history. Let's start with statues for Drew Brees and Sean Payton.
New York Giants
With two franchises sharing the same stadium, a statue collection could get a little crowded, but it should be no problem displaying them in separate areas. For this Giants, the list has some obvious Hall of Famers, including Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff and Lawrence Taylor. A non-Hall of Famer vote goes to Bill Parcells, Phil Simms and Michael Strahan.
New York Jets
Oakland Raiders
Among the Hall of Famers who are obvious for statues from this organization are Al Davis, John Madden, Gene Upshaw, George Blanda, Fred Biletnikoff, Dave Casper, Howie Long and Marcus Allen (even though his Raiders career was spent in Los Angeles, I am invoking an in-state rule that keeps his statue with the others). Non-Hall of Famer statues go to Ken Stabler, Tom Flores, Jim Plunkett and Tim Brown.
Philadelphia Eagles
The defining names on the Hall of Fame list are Reggie White (yes, he gets statues in Philly and Green Bay), Chuck Bednarik, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald and Bert Bell. Two familiar names that aren't Hall of Famers but are deserving nonetheless: Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Art Rooney has a statue outside of Heinz Field. He should have plenty of Hall of Fame company from a list that includes Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Franco Harris (whose "Immaculate Reception" is captured in a statue at Pittsburgh International Airport), Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, Mike Webster (who could be snapping to Bradshaw), Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Rod Woodson. A non-Hall of Famer to be considered: Jerome Bettis.
San Diego Chargers
The Hall of Fame list, which includes Dan Fouts and Kellen Winslow, is short enough to make for a workable collection of statues outside of Qualcomm Stadium. And here are non-Hall of Fame statues that should be there: Don Coryell, John Hadl and Junior Seau.
San Francisco 49ers
Hall of Famers Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice are the obvious picks here. Dwight Clark also deserves a statue for "The Catch" alone.
Seattle Seahawks
Hall of Famer Steve Largent.
St. Louis Rams
Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, plus Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace, and Dick Vermeil (all the key cogs of "The Greatest Show on Turf"). I'm leaving Los Angeles out of it because just as I did with the Cardinals, as there is something about the geographic distance that doesn't work for me.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, and non-Hall of Famers Jon Gruden, Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Ronde Barber.
Tennessee Titans
Best suggestion for a team with such a brief, but interesting, history is a statue commemorating the "Music City Miracle" play -- Frank Wycheck's lateral to Kevin Dyson -- that provided an improbable win over the Bills in a wild-card playoff game after the 1999 season. Looking for Oilers? See: Texans.
Washington Redskins
The list is highlighted by a couple of Hall of Fame coaches, George Allen and Joe Gibbs, and should include a few players: Sonny Jurgensen, John Riggins and Darrell Green. Non-Hall of Famers on the list are Doug Williams and Joe Theismann.
Follow Vic Carucci on Twitter @viccarucci.
