(Editor's Note: From the home office in Irving, Texas, DallasCowboys.com has this week's top 10 list, a ranking of the biggest personalities in team history as selected by the website writing staff - Nick Eatman, Rob Phillips and Josh Ellis. A new countdown will debut each Friday.)
As compared to their counterparts in basketball, baseball and even hockey, NFL players often complain that they are anonymous to most fans, thanks in large part to the bulky gear that covers up their faces.
But the league and the games would not be nearly as compelling if we didn't come to know many of the athletes through their appearances and reputations off the field, as well as interactions with fans and the media. The Cowboys' rich history in particular is dotted with men who were known almost as much for their personalities before and after games as for their performances between the whistles.
The club has had plenty of characters in the front office and coaching staffs as well, including Barry Switzer, Bill Parcells, Tex Schramm and Jerry Jones. But it's the guys in uniform who make us tune in, not the ones in suits, and these 10 stand out most of all.
10. Martellus Bennett
A self-proclaimed Martian (or is it a super hero this week?), there's no doubting Bennett is a Renaissance man off the field. He dabbles in music, art, filmmaking, a clothing line, and his forays into the world of social media have been, um, interesting to say the least. What's more, he somehow pulls off the Marty B character without it seeming at all forced.
