Peyton Manning won the big one, so he's my starter

By Peter King

This is such a magnificent game today, with so many great players, and such great skill and athleticism, that picking a team is bound to leave great players off the starting 22. I tried to pick the 22 guys playing the best right now, not the 22 most likely bound for Canton one day.

It's an interesting argument. Torry Holt vs. Marvin Harrison. Pick one. I picked Holt because I think he's faster, has slightly better hands and is nearly as good a route-runner. Jonathan Ogden or Jason Peters? I very nearly picked Peters, the rising star in Buffalo, because Ogden's starting to get nicked more often and he'll be 33 on opening night, verging on retirement. Maybe in November, I'd pick Peters, but Ogden still gets the nod.

Unlike the all-time team, I'm playing a 4-3 here, with 11 starters on defense instead of the 12 I used on the team of history. I do that because the majority of teams have played a 4-3 in recent years. On with the 45-man team of today.

OFFENSIVE BACKS QB | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts Now that he's got the can't-win-the-big-one thing off his resume, he edges Tom Brady for the honor as the best passer and game-manager in football. RB | LaDainian Tomlinson | San Diego Chargers This might be the easiest call of this entire team. What player is better at his position right now than Tomlinson? FB | Mack Strong | Seattle Seahawks This is a tough position to choose from, because you're tempted to take the best combo platter of blocker and runner. Strong can run in a pinch, but when he blocks linebackers, they stay blocked. RECEIVERS WR | Torry Holt | St. Louis Rams Holt is the best receiver in the game today. He's so quick in and out of his cuts, and so hard to cover one-on-one, and so productive even when everyone knows he'll be getting it seven times a game. WR | Steve Smith | Carolina Panthers I'm starting to worry about all his injuries, but for now, he's still the biggest three-down threat at receiver in the game. Four-down, if you count his prowess in the return game when used that way. TE | Antonio Gates | San Diego Chargers I have no idea what his stats were last year. I do know this: In a pickup game among the best GMs in football, Gates would certainly be the first tight end picked -- and he'd be a top-20 choice overall. OFFENSIVE LINEMEN T | Walter Jones | Seattle Seahawks Athleticism and power are the most important traits for a franchise left tackle, and Jones is the most athletic left tackle and one of the three or four strongest. G | Steve Hutchinson | Minnesota Vikings The gold standard of offensive linemen today, and I don't care if his 2006 wasn't as good as his previous seasons. He is adjusting to life with a lesser left tackle, and still steamrolling in the run game. C | Jeff Saturday | Indianapolis Colts It's time to recognize the skill and talent of the Indy offensive line, which showed last year what a physical force it can be in the playoff ramrodding of the formidable Ravens. Saturday's the mistake-free linchpin. G | Shawn Andrews | Philadelphia Eagles He's the Eagles' best player today, which is saying something when you consider how many great players this franchise has produced in the last decade. He's a strong, athletic drive-blocker. T | Jonathan Ogden | Baltimore Ravens Ogden can still can envelop defensive ends and take them wherever he wants them to go. He's not the talent he was at 28, but hey, neither is Katherine Hepburn. OFFENSIVE RESERVES POSITION PLAYER QB Tom Brady, Vince Young RB Reggie Bush, Maurice Jones-Drew OL Jason Peters, Kris Dielman, Nick Mangold WR Larry Fitzgerald, Marvin Harrison, Mike Furrey TE Tony Gonzalez Weigh in with your comments and selections at FanNation. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN DE | Julius Peppers | Carolina Panthers He reminds me of Tim Duncan: Never says much, but when he's healthy, Peppers is the best pass rusher in the league. DT | Jamal Williams | San Diego Chargers One of the best big-bodied players in recent history, Williams' domination of the middle of the line of scrimmage is a big reason why San Diego's defense works so well. DT | Warren Sapp | Oakland Raiders Oh, this pick was the right one six years ago and not now, you say? Bull. Sapp has played as well as ever -- like a man possessed -- the last two years. DE | Jason Taylor | Miami Dolphins I don't know how you block him. He's got a small forward's moves and such good instincts for playmaking. The ball just finds him on defense. LINEBACKERS OLB | Shawne Merriman | San Diego Chargers I say he was good enough in his pre-positive-test play and his post-positive-test play to be a slam dunk on this team, but I can see the e-mails flying in already. OLB | Adalius Thomas | New England Patriots The best all-around defensive player in football should come in handy on Bill Belichick's drawing board this fall. MLB | Brian Urlacher | Chicago Bears It's not just the playmaking. It's the mentality. Urlacher hasn't let being Urlacher take away one ounce of the dedication toward the greatness that rules what he does. DEFENSIVE BACKS CB | Champ Bailey | Denver Broncos Edged by Jason Taylor as last year's defensive player of the year, Bailey has proven what a brilliant deal it was to trade Clinton Portis for him. Great runners come along far, far more often than great corners. SS | Kerry Rhodes | New York Jets Nobody's giving him the pub yet, but just watch. He's the rising star (along, maybe, with LaRon Landry of the Redskins) in the secondary for 2007. FS | Ed Reed | Baltimore Ravens Has become to the Baltimore defense what Ray Lewis was five years ago -- the player on a very good defense whom offensive coordinators scheme away from. CB | Antoine Winfield | Minnesota Vikings There is no cornerback I love watching play more today than Winfield. At 5-9 (that might be generous) and 180, he plays cornerback the way Merriman plays linebacker. Which is to say, he loves to hit. DEFENSIVE RESERVES POSITION PLAYER DL Richard Seymour, Dwight Freeney, Pat Williams LB DeMeco Ryans, Lance Briggs, Lofa Tatapu DB Asante Samuel, Bob Sanders Weigh in with your comments and selections at FanNation. SPECIAL TEAMS K | Adam Vinatieri | Indianapolis Colts I don't really care about his stats, though I know they're good. I just care that, with the game on the line, outside or inside, I want Vinatieri kicking the ball anywhere from 52 yards and in. P | Brian Moorman | Buffalo Bills He edges Mat McBriar, the Dallas up-and-comer. Moorman consistently has good hang time in the climes of western New York, with a gaudy 39.2-yard net average last year (best in the league) and 33 punts inside the 20 (second-best). Returner | Devin Hester | Chicago Bears How about Hester and Reggie Bush (see my bench) as the return men for this team? No team in history has ever had two so good. Player | Bernard Pollard | Kansas City Chiefs He blocked three punts and forced two fumbles last year for the Chiefs. He might move into the starting lineup this year, but even if he does, Herman Edwards will continue to use him on special teams. COACHES Head Coach | Bill Belichick | New England Patriots Winning three Super Bowls in four years should make him a gimme. The prospect of winning one more with so many new players makes him a lock. Offensive Coordinator | Mike Martz | Detroit Lions Jon Kitna threw for 4,300 yards last year. I rest my case. Defensive Coordinator | Rex Ryan | Baltimore Ravens Belichick gets credit, rightfully, for changing up so many of his schemes and player combinations week-to-week, depending on the foe. Ryan does the exact same stuff, only with fewer people noticing. Weigh in with your comments and selections at FanNation.