Simply put, Bobby Bowden is a legend and will go down as one of the greatest head coaches in college football history. He has the fourth most wins (388) of any college coach, has won 12 ACC Championships and two national titles. He also has the second best all-time record in bowl games at 21-10-1 and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Now that he has decided to retire, we felt it would be appropriate to honor one of college football’s best coaches by compiling a list of the 10 best NFL players that played under Bowden at Florida State. Enjoy.

1. Deion Sanders, CB (Year Drafted: 1989)
Whether you liked his brash attitude or not, nobody can deny how good “Neon Deion” was as a player. He brought true meaning to the phrase “shutdown corner” while instilling excitement and thrill into the pro game. Nobody has ever blanketed one side of the field like Sanders could and perhaps nobody ever will. He was so good that quarterbacks avoided throwing to his side of the field not only in fear of being picked off by Sanders, but also in concern that he would return the gift for six points. And not only was he one of the greatest cover corners to ever don a pair of cleats, but he was also a phenomenal punt returner as well. When his career finally wrapped up, Deion had accumulated 53 interceptions, eight Pro Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl victories, a 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was also an incredibly rare two-sport athlete and to this day, young corners still try to emulate the way he played the game. (Uh, outside of his shoddy tackling that is.)

2. Derrick Brooks, LB (1995)
When the Tampa 2 defense was implemented into the NFL by former Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, they must have had Derrick Brooks in mind when they envisioned its success. No linebacker was a better fit for that scheme than Brooks, who went on to appear in 11 Pro Bowls and was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. He finished with 1,698 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 25 interceptions and also helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl in 2002. Other linebackers may have been more feared, but not many covered a field like Brooks did. He was also a tremendous leader and played on some of the best defenses of the past decade.

3. Walter Jones, OT (1997)
Jones’ career is coming to an end, but he’ll be been known as the rock at the end of the Seahawks’ offensive line for years to come. Throughout his career, he was named to nine Pro Bowls, is a six-time All-NFC player, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection and a bona fide hall of famer. He and former Seattle offensive guard Steve Hutchinson formed one of the best left sides in the NFL and helped pave the way for Shaun Alexander’s great career. When he finally does retire, Jones will be mentioned with Anthony Munoz and Art Shell as one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the league.

4. Warrick Dunn, RB (1997)
When he was growing up, Dunn was always told that he would never make it as a football player because of his small size (5’9”, 190 pounds). But that didn’t stop the former Buc and Falcon from racking up 10,967 yards, a 4.1 YPC average and 49 touchdowns on his way to becoming a three-time Pro Bowl selection. One of the more remarkable things about Dunn was his longevity despite his size limitations. Despite the position he played, he rarely took a big hit and was great at using his pads to absorb contact. He was also one of the greatest NFL humanitarians, helping single mothers every Christmas through his “Home for the Holidays” program. For his gracious work with various charities, he received the 2009 Walter Payton Mann of the Year Award.

5. LeRoy Butler, S (1990)
Brett Favre and Reggie White are two names that pop into your head when reminiscing about the 1995 Packers team, but there’s no doubt that LeRoy Butler was one of the staples of that Super Bowl squad. Not only did Butler help Green Bay win a title that year, but he also was one of the more fundamentally sound safeties during his playing days. In his 12 seasons with the Packers, he recorded 953 tackles, 38 interceptions, 553 return yards, 12 fumble recoveries, three defensive touchdowns and 20.5 sacks. He led or tied for the team lead in interceptions in five different seasons and he was the first defensive back in NFL history to gain entrance into the 20 sack/20 interception club.

6. Peter Boulware, LB (1997)
Ray Lewis’s name is always mentioned first when people talk about the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, but Boulware was a key member of one of the best defenses in NFL history. Throughout his career, Boulware recorded 493 tackles, 70 sacks, 26.5 tackles for loss and 13 forced fumbles. He was a perfect fit as an edge rusher in Baltimore’s defense and went on to appear in four Pro Bowls, was named the 1997 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was also inducted into the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.

7. Brad Johnson, QB (1992)
Brad Johnson never had the strongest arm and rarely put up gaudy numbers, but he did orchestrate Jon Gruden’s offense to near perfection in 2002 when he helped guide the Buccaneers to their first ever Super Bowl title. That year, Johnson lead the NFC in passer rating at 92.9 and set new team records for touchdowns with 22, completion percentage at 62.3, consecutive passes without an interception with 187, and also had the lowest interception percentage with 1.3%. For his career, he appeared in two Pro Bowls, compiled 28,627 total passing yards and finished with 164 passing touchdowns.

8. Anquan Boldin, WR (2003)
Many people know Boldin either for his role in the Cardinals’ 2008 Super Bowl team or the receiver opposite Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona’s outstanding receiving corps. But many forget just how good Boldin was in his first year when he won the 2003 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. That year, Boldin had 101 catches and was the only rookie selected to the Pro Bowl. He also set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game (217), holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career (157), and was the fastest to record 300 career receptions (47 games). As of this writing, Boldin has hauled in 553 receptions for 7,108 yards and 42 touchdowns. The best part is, his career is far from over and whether he stays in Arizona and excels with Fitzgerald on the opposite side, or goes elsewhere to become a No. 1 target, Boldin could put up great numbers before he’s done playing.

9. Laveranues Coles, WR (2000)
His FSU teammate Peter Warrick received more attention because he was a top 5 pick in the 2000 draft, but Coles (a third rounder in ’00) has gone on to have the better career. To date, Coles has racked up 631 catches for 8,095 yards and 44 touchdowns. He never puts up out-of-this-world numbers, but Coles has always been dependable, durable and has never shied away from going over the middle.

10. Ernie Sims, LB (2006)
In his first two years in the league, Sims led the Lions in total tackles and has since been one of the lone bright spots on one of the worst teams this decade. He’s fast, aggressive and one of the few versatile linebackers in the NFL that can play sideline to sideline. As long as he can stay healthy, Sims could one day have a career that resembles Derrick Brooks’.

Worthy of Mention:

Sebastian Janikowski, K (2000)
It’s not our style to list a kicker in any top 10 list, but Janikowski is worth mentioning considering that he’s Oakland’s franchise-leading scorer, holds the longest field goal in Raiders’ history (57 yards) and has the most career points in team history with 865. He’s also a two-time Lou Groza Award winner, has made 77.2 percent of his field goal attempts and is often the only offense the Raiders generate these days.

Honorable Mention: Alex Barron (OT), Lorenzo Booker (RB), Brodrick Bunkley (DT), Zack Crockett (FB), Antonio Cromartie (CB), Darnell Dockett (DT), Chris Hope (S), Dexter Jackson (S), Samari Rolle (CB), Corey Simon (DT), Tra Thomas (OT), Javon Walker (WR), Leon Washington (RB).

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Our very own Mike Farley covers the Giants for the blog GMENDEN and in one of his recent pieces he ponders whether or not the boys in blue should be fearful of the Cowboys.

Well I don’t know about you, but I’m equally afraid of Dallas as I am of Philly. It’s not like the Cowboys purged their entire roster. They did get rid of two questionable characters in Terrell Owens and Pacman Jones. But Tony Romo is minus Jessica Simpson and is healthy…you might remember he missed a few games last season, and having Brad Johnson run that offense was like putting a toddler in charge of a nuclear power plant. TE Jason Witten was also hurt for much of the season, though he played through pain. Rookie Felix Jones made everyone forget about Julius Jones, and DeMarcus Ware was just terrorizing QBs with an NFL-best 20 sacks.

You’ll also remember that while our G-men beat up on the Romo-less Cowboys in November, 35-14, they let a less-than-100% Romo beat them in December during the skid that led to our downfall by a 20-8 score. You rememer that game, right? It was a Sunday nighter, and the Giants managed just two field goals and a safety, as Eli Manning could not get on track.

So while the Cowboys finished 9-7 in 2008, you have to wonder if they would have won at least two of those games Johnson started in Romo’s place. As much as everyone likes to poke fun at Romo and his tendency to choke under pressure, he’s been mostly very tough against us–tough to take down, and always hitting clutch third-down throws while under pressure.

The NFC East will once again be one of the toughest divisions in football and as Farley points out, nobody should be sleeping on the Cowboys.

Personally, I think cutting T.O. will be addition by subtraction, although the spotlight is now on Romo. If he can’t step up and be a leader for this team, then there’s a great chance that their talent won’t be enough again. As much as his fun-loving demeanor is one of the endearing parts of his game, it’s time for Romo to take that next step as a quarterback and put the Cowboys’ success squarely on his shoulders.

Now, that’s not to say that Romo has to do it on his own. Dallas has one of the more talented rosters in the NFL and Romo is just one key piece. But guys like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady know what it takes to get the most out of the talent around them. Romo has failed to do that so far in Dallas.

1. Brett Favre, New York Jets (65,127)—Sure, he led the NFL in interceptions this past season with 22, but Favre threw for 3472 yards and 22 touchdowns. Will this number stand, or will Favre add to it? I think I speak for every sportswriter out there when I say I’m tired of reading about and writing about Favre’s impending retirement.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (45,628)—With 20,000 yards to catch Favre, it will take Manning, who has averaged over 4000 yards per season for 11 years, another five seasons to get there. Manning is only 32, so I’d bet on that. Well, unless Favre retires and unretires a few more times.

3. Kerry Collins, Tennessee Titans (37,393)—It’s hard to believe Collins is only 36 years old, and leading the Titans to the best record in the NFL in 2008 sparked a fire under him. And that fire will continue to burn in Nashville despite how Vince Young feels about it.

4. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles (29,320)—McNabb is 82-45-1 as a starter over 10 seasons in Philly. Wait, can NFL games end in ties? Anyway, McNabb has thrown 194 touchdowns with just 90 interceptions. But the guy has no rings, and was so nervous in his lone Super Bowl appearance that he vomited in the huddle. I don’t get it.

5. Brad Johnson, Dallas Cowboys (29,054)—Johnson stopped putting up meaningful numbers a few seasons ago, and he looked awful for those three games he started in place of Tony Romo this year. Let’s just say we shouldn’t expect ol’ Brad to reach 30,000 passing yards for his career.

6. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals (28,591)—Okay, so he didn’t win his second Super Bowl ring, but Warner still has an amazingly accurate arm at 37. He said he won’t tease us all with retirement talk ala Favre, but my feeling is he’s not anywhere close to being done.

7. Trent Green, St. Louis Rams (28,475)—Green has started the equivalent of one season’s games over the past three, and he’s taken some brutal hits that have left given him multiple concussions. If I was Green, and I know I’m not, I would hang it up now.

8. Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions (27,293)—Kitna has had some bad luck. He played on some bad Bengals teams and then signed with the Lions in 2006. And though Kitna went down with an injury after four games this past season, he still was part of the first 0-16 team in NFL history.

9. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (26,446)—Here’s the irony. Brady had 76 passing yards before a brutal knee injury ended his season in Week 1. If he had played 16 games, there’s a very good chance he’d be as high as fourth on this list today.

10. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (26,258)—Brees came within 15 yards of Dan Marino’s single season record of 5084 passing yards, but he still made fantasy owners happy, and still climbed onto this list as a result.

Source: Pro Football Reference

Brad Johnson was once again horrific while completing just 5 of 11 passes for 71 yards and two interceptions. Brooks Bollinger replaced him at halftime, who promptly threw an interception himself on his first pass attempt in the second half. Without the threat of the pass to beat them, the Giants loaded up against the run and stuffed Marion Barber, who only finished with 54 yards on the ground.

What’s worse for Dallas is that the defense that played so well against Tampa last Sunday disappeared again. The Cowboys surrendered 23 first downs, 319 total yards and 35 points. They certainly didn’t get any help from the offense, who constantly put them in poor field position all game, but still, the G-Men essentially did whatever they wanted.

Once again, the Cowboys are in serious trouble. The backup quarterback position remains unsettled and it’s not going to get any better until Tony Romo returns. The idea that Johnson could manage games and keep the team afloat until Romo was healthy again has blown up in their face and Wade Phillips continues to have no clue on how to fix the defense. Phillips better do something over the bye week or his seat will only continue to get hotter throughout the second half of the season.

Texas vs. Texas Tech
Texas is completing the final leg of their gauntlet schedule; they defeated: then-No.1 Oklahoma on Oct. 11, then-No. 11 Missouri on Oct. 18, then-No.7 Oklahoma State last week, and now face No. 6 Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday evening. Another week, another Heisman Trophy candidate will line up against the Longhorn defense. Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell has thrown for 3147 yards with 28 touchdown passes on the season. The winner of this contest will have the inside track to win the Big 12 South title, a division that features four teams ranked in the top nine of this week’s BCS bowl standings. National coverage will begin at 8PM ET on ABC. Click here for the official Texas vs. Texas Tech smack thread.

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys had home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs last season, thanks in large part to a pair of victories over the New York Giants that propelled them to a NFC East title. But the Cowboys postseason run came to a quick end, as the Giants defeated them during their improbable run to a Super Bowl title. The Cowboys are hurting coming into this week’s game, with quarterback Tony Romo missing his third straight game because of a broken right pinkie and tight end Jason Witten will be a game-time playing decision due to his broken ribs. 40-year-old Brad Johnson will be in charge of the Cowboys offense, and he has looked his age at times on the field. He has been sacked six times in two weeks, and against a Giant defense that leads the NFL with 26 sacks, Johnson’s lack of mobility will be a major concern for the Dallas coaching staff. Regional coverage will begin at 4:15 PM ET on Fox.

Upset Watch: Cardinals (4-3) at Rams (2-5), 1:00 PM ET
Since Jim Haslett took over in St. Louis, the Rams are playing more physically sound football. They hung tough against the Patriots last week in Foxboro despite not having Steve Jackson in their backfield and the defense is starting to show signs of life. The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing loss to the Panthers, a game in which they led 17-3 early in the third quarter. Arizona continues to struggle on the road and although he’s played well this year, Kurt Warner can’t seem to avoid costly turnovers. Jackson might not play again this week, but the Cards’ defense doesn’t post that much of a threat and the Rams should have enough offensively to pull out a win. Obviously they’ll need to keep Warner and ‘Zona’s prolific passing attack at bay, but this could be one of the better upsets in Week 9 if St. Louis keeps playing hard under Haslett.

Intriguing Matchup: Patriots (5-2) at Colts (3-4), 8:15 PM ET
Boy this game has lost a lot of pizzazz hasn’t it? Who would have thought that when this game was schedule, it would feature a Tom Brady-less Patriots and a 3-4 Colts team? Regardless, this is still the most interesting matchup on the Week 9 schedule. Indy has to win this game to at least keep within sniffing distance of a Wild Card berth and New England is in a great battle with the surprising Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. The Colts have major issues on the defensive side of the ball and things got worse earlier this week when it was discovered that starting CB Marlin Jackson would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Without Jackson and Bob Sanders in the secondary, the Colts are giving up big plays on third downs. If they sell out to stop the run, opposing quarterbacks are picking apart the beleaguered secondary. If they play not to get burned deep, opposing backs are having a field day running against Indy’s smaller front seven. A loss to the Pats on Sunday night could mean a Colts-less postseason in the NFL. That’s hard to imagine.

Other Notable Games:
Packers (4-3) at Titans (7-0), 1:00 PM ET
With “Elbow Bad” Johnson starting for the Cowboys this weekend in New York, the Green Bay-Tennessee game might wind up being the best matchup on the Week 9 schedule. With the Titans coming off a short week and finally getting the monkey off their backs in beating the Colts, are they primed for the taking? Aaron Rodgers vs. the Titans’ D should be an intriguing battle.

Ravens (4-3) at Browns (3-4), 1:00 PM ET
Some believe that Baltimore is a legitimate playoff contender in the AFC and Cleveland is starting to resemble the team that many thought would take the next step this year. You gotta love it when Art Modell has to travel to Cleveland, too.

Dolphins (3-4) at Broncos (4-3), 4:05 PM ET
Miami continues to be one of the better surprises this year in the NFL and will look to build off their impressive win over Buffalo last Sunday. Denver needs to shake off its embarrassing loss to the Patriots two weeks ago on Monday night.

But Jones suggested on his weekly radio show that Johnson’s ability to protect the ball and manage the game trumps Bollinger’s mobility.

“Even in this day and time, you can win games with field position and no turnovers,” Jones said. “You trade that off against being really limited in what you can do downfield, being maybe limited in your accuracy and certainly limited in your mobility. Then you’ve got to pick your poison.

“So I think the real question here is what is our best way to win. My gut is our best way to win is to not turn the ball over, as opposed to go out there and try to create more offense. While Brooks has got some real skill mobility-wise and can throw the ball, you’ve got to look at his track record and look at the limited time he’s been under center this year, and you’ve got a serious chance of turnovers.”

Although his weak arm limits the offense, Johnson is a 17-year veteran with a Super Bowl ring. Bollinger, 28, has started only 10 NFL games and has been limited in practice to scout-team duty.

Jones is saying all the right things now in Johnson’s favor, but Jerry looked like he was going to throw up at any minute watching that game last Sunday. Johnson might be the better “game manager” but at some point he needs to make throws, too. He missed open receivers all game against the Bucs and will need to do a little more than manage the game against the Giants this Sunday.