Top 10 greatest players of all-time in Cleveland Browns history
- Jim Brown is forever
- Leroy Kelly was all about dominance
- Joe Thomas proved o-linemen can achieve greatness
10. Clay Matthews Jr., LB
A first-round pick out of USC back in 1978, Clay Matthews Jr. is recognized as one of the best players in Browns' history and is one of the premier examples of a "tackling machine" throughout the course of NFL history.
The statistics are a little complicated because most all-time tackling lists compiled as of 1994 were when "solo" tackles started being counted, but no matter what era of football you're talking about Clay Matthews Jr's 1,595 tackles would rank him among the best in league history. That will happen when you play 19 NFL seasons.
Of course, the Matthews namesake is one many NFL fans even outside of Cleveland will recognize. His son, Clay, was an outstanding player for the Packers and his other son, Casey, played four seasons for the Eagles.
9. Lou Groza, K
You know you did well when there's an award named after you, right?
The Lou Groza Award is given annually to the best kicker in all of college football, so you know this guy brought the goods. Most fans of today's NFL didn't get the chance to watch Groza completely change the game of football through kicking, but that's what he did. He's recognized as being a pioneer for actually being able to make field goals from 40-50 yards and beyond.
He was selected to four All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowls in his 268 career games. He even received some MVP votes throughout the course of his football playing career.