Throwback Thursdays: Best player nicknames ever

The NFL has changed in many ways. For the better, in many ways. For the worse in terms of player nicknames.

Where have all the nicknames gone? Mean Joe and Papa Bear would be so disappointed.

How has it happened that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Tony Romo have gone this long without a recognizable and good nickname? (As an aside, I’m quite disappointed “Breesus” never took off. It should have been a classic.)

There aren’t many nicknames that ring out for the current players. The type of nicknames that are interchangeable with the players’ names are hard to come by lately. And no, shortening a guy’s name isn’t good enough. Sorry, Gronk.

But there are a few. How about running down some of the great NFL nicknames, from the present and then the past? In no particular order …

Megatron

Fine, I lied. This one is in the correct order. It’s the best nickname in football, maybe the best in sports. With one word, you know who I’m talking about. And it fits.

When Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson were teammates on the Detroit Lions, Williams gave Johnson the name based on the “Transformers” character.

Beast Mode

Another nickname that sums up a player, and you know who it is immediately. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch doesn’t talk much, but he carries a big stick.

Honey Badger

Not my favorite nickname, probably because every middle-aged college football broadcaster thought it would make them cool to use it … so they’d use it 97 times per game. But it is synonymous with Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu, so it wins those points.

AND THE BEST FROM THE PAST …

Sweetness

The story goes that Chicago Bears great Walter Payton was given his famous nickname in college, and he wasn’t sure whether it was for his running style or his personality. Whatever the case, it was one of the most fitting and enduring nicknames in NFL history.

Deacon

You know a nickname is great when it sticks so well that you forget a player’s first name. When is the last time you heard anyone talk about the great defensive end David Jones? Been a while. But Deacon Jones? A legend.

Mean Joe

Mild mannered off the field and a scary dude on it, until the end of time Joe Greene will be Mean Joe. A fitting nickname for the greatest defensive tackle who has ever played.

Night Train

As the legend goes, Dick Lane liked the Buddy Morrow song “Night Train." The result was the smoothest sounding sports nickname this side of James “Cool Papa” Bell. And “Night Train” Lane is one of the greatest cornerbacks ever, a Hall of Famer.

Too Tall

At his first football practice at Tennessee State, the 6-foot-9 defensive end’s pants didn’t fit right and a teammate said he was “too tall” to play football. He was rarely known as Ed Jones after that. He was a heck of a player for the Dallas Cowboys, and unquestionably “Too Tall” Jones’ legend great thanks to an all-time nickname.

Refrigerator

In late 1985, there was no athlete hotter than William Perry. The Chicago Bears’ rookie defensive tackle was scoring touchdowns, doing commercials and becoming a star. Still to this day, “Refrigerator” Perry is among the NFL’s legends, probably more memorable for his nickname than a career that never saw him make the Pro Bowl.

Others considered: Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, “Slingin’” Sammy Baugh, Daryl “Moose” Johnston, “Broadway” Joe Namath, George “Papa Bear” Halas, Red “Galloping Ghost” Grange, Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, Ken “The Snake” Stabler, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Christian “The Nigerian Nightmare” Okoye, John “Diesel” Riggins.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab