Some all-time great players never even reached Super Bowl

Members of the New England Patriots and New York Giants can consider themselves fortunate, since they will get an opportunity to shine on pro football's biggest stage. Some of the NFL's all-time greatest players -- despite long and decorated careers -- never got the chance to play on Super Sunday.

John Randle

   Randle -- 
  a 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee -- played in two NFC Championship Games (1998, 2000) but fell short for a 
  Vikings franchise that hasn't reached a 
  Super Bowl since the 1976 season. 

LaDainian Tomlinson

   In the season 
  Tomlinson eclipsed Paul Hornung's scoring record, the 
  Chargers owned home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, only to lose to the 
  Patriots. Later he 
  lost an AFC title game as a member of the 
  Jets. 

Dan Dierdorf

   The 
  Cardinals were two cities and 60 years removed between championship game appearances, and Dierdorf -- 
  a 1996 Hall inductee -- went 0-3 in three playoff appearances with the St. Louis 
  Cardinals. 

Cris Carter

   Carter was a member of one of the best teams to not reach the 
  Super Bowl: The 1998 
  Vikings, who finished the regular season 15-1. Nowadays, the receiver is falling short of reaching a place in Canton. 

Eric Dickerson

   In the season Dickerson's Los Angeles 
  Rams got the closest to reaching the 
  Super Bowl, they met up with one of the most dominating 
  Super Bowl champions of all-time: The 1985 
  Bears. 

Steve Largent

   Largent helped turn the expansion 
  Seahawks into a contender in a short period of time, but the 
  Hall of Fame receiver only got as far in the playoffs as the 1983 AFC Championship Game. 

Dan Fouts

   The on-field leader of the 
  "Air Coryell" offense, Fouts -- 
  a 1993 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee -- got the 
  Chargers to the AFC title games in 1980 and 1981, but lost to the 
  Raiders and 
  Bengals, respectively. 

Barry Sanders

   Sanders -- a 10-time 
  Pro Bowl selection and 
  2004 inductee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- was a member of five 
  Lions playoff teams, getting as far as the NFC Championship Game in 1991. 

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