Super Bowl dream team

Two words into my All-Star Super Bowl team summary and even I want to punch myself.

Craig! You moron! You benched Joe Montana? Joe Cool? The quarterback you said would always be the best? And might still be the best?

Um, yeah. Sorry, but my hands and "Get off my lawn!" biases are tied. Tom Brady won't stop winning Lombardi trophies.

Yes, Joe essentially was perfect in four Super Bowls. Went 4-0 with 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, a 127.8 passer rating and three MVPs. But Tom's got five wins in seven tries with swing No. 8 coming Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. And, remember, he'll be, um, "only" 41 next year.

The fact Montana is a backup on this team tells you how hard it was to pick an all-star team of the greatest stars to play in the grandest game the past 51 seasons.

I picked 11 offensive players, 11 defensive, a kicker, punter, returner, nickel back and coach. Eighteen of the 26 picks are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and four more will join them, including Ray Lewis on Saturday.

Offensively, there are two running backs, two receivers and a tight end. Defensively, I picked a 4-3 alignment, but have two inside 'backers (Lewis and Mike Singletary) that could be paired with Lawrence Taylor and Charles Haley to make one heck of a 3-4 linebacking crew.

I got an '85 Bear, a Washington Hog, the original LT, the only Hall of Fame punter, two Whites named Randy and Reggie, and a head coach with five golden rings.

And to keep up with the times, we even have Steelers Hall of Famer Mel Blount ready to go as a nickel back.

Everyone on this list won at least one Super Bowl (Sorry, Vikings fans). The only problem: How in the world do I fit these guys under the salary cap?

12Tom Brady
QB • New EnglandFor the second time in 13 years, he's trying to win a third Super Bowl in four years. His record fourth Super Bowl MVP came in his record fifth win a year ago when he passed for a record 466 yards in the biggest comeback in the game's history. What can he do for an encore? Win league MVP on Saturday night and Super Bowl title No. 6 at age 40 on Sunday.

22Emmitt Smith
RB • DallasThe engine that drove the Cowboys to three titles. Famously carried them on a 74-yard drive to erase a 13-6 halftime deficit en route to a 30-13 rout of Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVIII.

80Jerry Rice
WR • S.F., Oak.The G.O.A.T. went 3-1 with an MVP. Holds records for receiving yards in a game (215) and a career (589), and touchdowns in a game (three, twice) and a career (eight).

88Lynn Swann
WR • PittsburghSwann played nine years and never had a 1,000-yard season. Yet he's in the Hall of Fame. Why? He averaged 22.7 yards per catch while going 4-0 with one MVP in Super Bowls.

84Jay Novacek
TE • DallasHe isn't a Hall of Famer or one of the famed "Triplets," but he did go to five straight Pro Bowls while catching 17 balls and two touchdowns in three Super Bowl wins.

55Jon Kolb
LT • PittsburghUnderrated player on the Team of the '70s. Was the only O-lineman to start all four Super Bowl wins. Protected Terry Bradshaw's blind side and opened holes for Franco Harris.

68Russ Grimm
LG • WashingtonOne of the famed Hogs that went 3-1 in Super Bowls. Helped John Riggins rush for 166 yards in Super Bowl XVII. Blocked when Timmy Smith went for a record 202 in Super Bowl XXII.

63Joe Andruzzi
RG • New EnglandJoe's not a Hall of Famer, but Brady and Belichick didn't win all these Super Bowls by themselves. Andruzzi started on the first three winners, teams that rushed for 372 yards.

94Charles Haley
DE • Dallas, S.F.The only guy — at least until Sunday night — who can match Brady's ring total as a player. Haley is in the Cowboys Ring of Honor as a 4-3 end and the 49ers' Hall of Fame as a 3-4 linebacker. He won two Super Bowls as a member of San Francisco's Team of the '80s, and three Super Bowls as a member of the Cowboys' Team of the '90s.

92Reggie White
DE • Green BayBrett Favre wasn't the only guy who led the Packers from laughingstocks back to Super Bowl champions. The "Minister of Defense" was unstoppable with three sacks in Super Bowl XXXI.

75Joe Greene
DT • PittsburghThere's no greater slam dunk on this team than "Mean Joe." The leader of the Team of the '70s. It's fitting that he had a sack, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in four Super Bowls.

54Randy White
DT • DallasHe didn't win four Super Bowls, but he was a wrecking ball on the line. Went 1-2 in Super Bowls, but had four sacks. Was co-MVP along with defensive end Harvey Martin in Super Bowl XII.

50Mike Singletary
LB • ChicagoSorry, Jack Lambert. You belong on this team, but we need to make room for the leader of the '85 Bears. No defense stormed through the playoffs and the Super Bowl the way Da Bears did.

56Lawrence Taylor
LB • N.Y. GiantsLT doesn't have flashy Super Bowl stats, but the greatest OLB ever went 2-0 in Super Bowls. He helped beat John Elway in Super Bowl XXI and hold the high-flying Bills to 19 points in Super Bowl XXV.

21Deion Sanders
CB • Dallas, S.F.One of the best cover corners ever won back-to-back Super Bowls with rival teams. Had one INT and was part of a shutdown D for two teams. He also caught a 47-yard pass in Super Bowl XXX.

26Herb Adderley
CB • G.B., DallasPlayed in four Super Bowls. Won three. Like Gregg, his Packers and Cowboys teammate, he won seven titles overall, including a three-peat from 1965 through the first two Super Bowls.

42Ronnie Lott
S • San FranciscoNo defender hit harder or was more feared downfield. Went 4-0 in Super Bowls, first as a corner then as a safety. Was part of a defense that surrendered three TD passes in four Super Bowls.

8Ray Guy
P • OaklandNot that this team would ever get into a field-position battle, but if it did, here's the punter by which all others are measured. Helped the Raiders win three Super Bowls.

81Desmond Howard
Returns • G.B.The only returner to win MVP. Helped Favre win his ring with 244 return yards. Had six punt returns for 90 yards, and four kick returns for 154 yards, including a 99-yard TD.