On NFL's Pro Bowl weekend, we highlight the best ever from Notre Dame to line up on offense in the league, and then will review defense tomorrow.

Among Notre Dame alumni, Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin saw his string of six straight Pro Bowl honors end this year because of an injury. Defensive lineman Alan Page and receiver Tim Brown hold the Fighting Irish record with nine selections apiece, while quarterback Joe Montana and offensive tackle George Kunz had eight each, so Martin is still a threat to close in on them.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis Colts left guard Quenton Nelson already is a three-time All-Pro in as many seasons.

Here is our 23-man Notre Dame all-time NFL team — starters and alternates — on offense, with a "utility man" added:

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The late Golden Boy was the 1960 and 1961 MVP of the league. His versatility is manifested by college football’s Paul Hornung Award started in 2010 and presented to college football’s most versatile player.

Hornung’s 176 points in 1960 were an NFL single-season record until 2006, when LaDainian Tomlinson broke it. But Hornung achieved his feat in 12 games, while Tomlinson played 16. Hornung could step in at quarterback, running back, receiver, linebacker, safety or kicker and punter, if needed.

The four-time Super Bowl champion was an MVP in three of them and is one of the icons in NFL annals. He and former teammate Steve Young are the only two NFL quarterbacks prior to 1995 who rank in the top 10 in all-time pass efficiency.

Alternates: Daryle Lamonica played during a miserable era for the Irish (1960-62), but he became a five-time Pro Bowl pick and a two-time AFL MVP. His 66-16-6 record as a starter for the Oakland Raiders was good for a .784 percentage, topped in NFL annals only by Otto Graham’s .810 figure.

Joe Theismann made the Pro Bowl twice, was MVP in 1983 and led the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl title during the 1982 season.

“The Bus” was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. He finished fifth on the all-time NFL rushing chart (13,662 yards) when he retired after winning the 2006 Super Bowl. Bettis eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing eight times and scored 71 touchdowns en route to six Pro Bowl selections and two first-team All-Pro honors.

Watters joins Bettis as one of 31 players to surpass 10,000 career yards rushing (10,643), and he played in five straight Pro Bowls from 1992-96. He is the lone player to rush for more than 1,000 yards on three different franchises (San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle). Watters also caught 467 passes.

Alternate: Rocky Bleier never played in the Pro Bowl, but he was a vital cog on four Super Bowl champions as a runner, receiver and blocker with the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. He rushed for 3,865 yards in his 11-year career, highlighted by a 1,000-yard campaign in 1976.

When he retired in 2006, Brown was second in NFL history in yards receiving (14,394), third in receptions (1,094) and tied for third in TD catches (100). He was enshrined with Bettis into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot in 2015.

Millner might be an unfamiliar name to younger Notre Dame fans — although he caught the winning TD in the closing seconds of the epic 1935 win at Ohio State — but he is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the favorite target for Slingin’ Sammy Baugh while playing for Washington from 1936-41. Although he caught only 124 passes in his career, he played in an era where the pass was not emphasized nearly as much. He snared 78- and 55-yard scores when Washington won the 1937 NFL title. Extra credit for serving in World War II after the 1941 season.

Millner, Brown, Hornung, Page, George Connor and Dave Casper (see below) are the six Notre Dame alumni who are in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

Alternates: Jack Snow and Golden Tate. Snow enjoyed a productive NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams that included a Pro Bowl. His 340 catches averaged a whopping 17.7 yards with 45 touchdowns.

Statistically it is difficult to leave Tate off the top team, but Millner is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tate just completed his 11th season in the NFL. A 2014 Pro Bowl pick and former Super Bowl winner at Seattle, his 695 receptions for 8,278 yards (11.9 yards per catch) are second to Brown among Irish NFL players, and his 44 touchdowns trail only Brown and Snow.

“The Ghost” was a first-team team All-Pro selection four straight years from 1976-79 (and a Pro Bowl selection five times). He snared 378 career passes, averaging 13.8 yards per grab with 52 TDs, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Alternate: Mark Bavaro. The two-time Pro Bowl pick helped the New York Giants win two Super Bowls (1986 and 1990), and his stats are not far behind Casper’s with 351 catches, 13.5 yards per catch and 39 TDs during his 10-year career from 1985-94. His 66 catches in 1986 were the most ever in an NFL season by an Irish tight end — until Kyle Rudolph in 2016 at Minnesota caught 83 in 2016.

George Kunz (tackle), Bob Kuechenberg (tackle), Zack Martin (guard), Quenton Nelson (guard) & Dick Szymanski (center)

Kunz and Kuechenberg – both members of Notre Dame’s Class of 1969 – had eight and six Pro Bowl appearances, respectively, with Kuechenberg a mainstay on the 17-0 Miami Dolphins unit in 1972. Kunz is on the All-Time Team for both the Baltimore (Indianapolis) Colts and Atlanta Falcons.

As noted, Martin already has six Pro Bowl selections (four All-Pro). With good health, he and Nelson — who like Martin was an All-Pro as a rookie — are both on a path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nelson and former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders are the only two players in the NFL the past 30 years to make first-team All-Pro in their first three seasons in the league.

Szymanski was a three-time Pro Bowl center who hiked the ball to Johnny Unitas at Baltimore from 1957-68 while playing on three NFL champions. Flip a coin between him and Frank Varrichione (see below) for the fifth spot on the line. We chose Szymanski because he was a true center, but Varrichione is equally deserving.

Alternates: Frank Varrichione, Tom Thayer, Tim Grunhard, Tim Ruddy, and Andy Heck.

The first four all made the Pro Bowl at least one time, and all five played a full decade or more in the NFL.

Varrichione was a five-time Pro Bowl pick who we’ve had on the first team for years. This year we put three-time All-Pro selection Nelson in his place.

Thayer, who could play any position (started at guard, tackle and center at Notre Dame from 1980-82), made 120 career starts in the NFL, highlighted by the Super Bowl title with the Chicago Bears in 1985.

Grunhard was a three-year starting guard at Notre Dame from 1987-89 but was an Iron Man at center for the Kansas City Chiefs, starting every game he played from 1991-2000.

Ruddy, who also had a couple of starts at guard for the Irish when not playing center, started all 140 games he played from 1995-2003 with the Miami Dolphins.

Heck was not chosen for a Pro Bowl but had an exceptionally consistent career with 164 starts in 12 seasons. Furthermore, he is the offensive line coach for the 2019 Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who will attempt a repeat next weekend.

Look for Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley, All-Pro last year but injured this season, to be on this team as well someday.

Tomorrow: Defense & Special Teams

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