The Daily News has put together a wide-ranging blue ribbon panel of 15 experts well versed in the history of the american football shirts to assemble a list of the 50 greatest players of all time. In this preview section of the 2014 season, we will introduce our esteemed panel and then, beginning in October, reveal the results of the poll 10 players at a time.

The NFL opens its 95th season Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks hosting the Packers in their quest to become the first team to repeat since the 2003-04 Patriots and the first NFC team to repeat since the 1992-93 Cowboys. The Jets begin Sunday at home against the Raiders with the Giants opening Monday night in Detroit.

As the nfl new england patriots​ approaches its 100th season, the Daily News poll will put into perspective how players from different eras are judged against one another, what positions are considered the most valuable and whether more of the greatest players have played offense or defense.

Here’s what we asked our panel to do: Vote on their top 30 players in order, regardless of position, regardless of era. Then we assigned 30 points for a first- place vote, 29 for a second down to one point for a 30th-place vote.

That provided enough names to come up with a who’s-who for the Top 50.

Did incredible players make the list? Of course. Did incredible players not make the cut? No doubt. It was easier to make the Hall of Fame than our top 50.

Quick preview: Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, a real student of the history of the game, had Brady fifth and Manning 20th. “It’s not that I think there is such a gap between them,” Accorsi said. “It’s the players in between that I just had to get in. Had I just listed the QBs, it would have been a tossup. There wasn’t a player, as I got into it, that I hesitated because I thought he was too high. But in every case, once I got past the first seven or eight, I was concerned the player was too low. These players are all so great.”

http://timberlandbootsuk.bravesites.com/entries/air-jordan-4/the-league-has-slowly-avoided-them-2