Now that the 2008 NFL Season is over, concluding with one of the most memorable Super Bowls of all time, it is time to look back and see who are the legends on the field.  For this list, I'm going to select the ten players who played during the 2008 I feel have the best shot of being first ballot Hall of Famers when they retire, in order of likelihood.

1. Brett Favre (QB, New York Jets): What career passing doesn't this guy have? Most passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, interceptions (?!). He also has that insane consecutive games started streak.  He won a Super Bowl in 1997. Blessed with a rifle arm and impressive improvisational skills, Favre is one of the legends of the game.

2. Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots): Brady is the epitome of cool under pressure, picking apart defenses. He won three Super Bowls early in his career and lead his team to a perfect record in 2007 only to be stopped in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants (2008). That same year, he broke the single-season record for touchdown passes.

3. Peyton Manning (QB, Indianapolis Colts): Though, like Brady, he's still a relatively young player, Manning already has the seventh most career passing yards and fourth most touchdown passes. Like Favre, he has been named league MVP three times, and led his team to a Super Bowl victory in 2007. He is the ultimate field general, an offensive coordinator who just happens to play QB.

4. Junior Seau (LB, New England Patriots): This six-time first-team AllPro has had a long and distinguished career.  Until the arrival of Ray Lewis, he was the most feared LB in the game. He made it to two Super Bowls (1995 & 2008), but was on the losing squad both times.

5. Ray Lewis (LB, Baltimore Ravens): This fierce tackler, seemingly able to cover the entire length of the field, has long been the emotional leader of the Ravens, helping to lead them to their only Super Bowl victory (2001). Like Seau, he is a six-time first-team AllPro.

6. LaDanian Tomlinson (RB, San Diego Chargers): Though in the last two postseasons he has been unable to play, this man's talent cannot be questioned. Emerging as the most versatile RB since Marshall Faulk and the most exciting since Barry Sanders, he has managed to become the fourteenth all-time leading rusher in yardage and second in touchdowns. Keep in mind this was only his eighth season. In his staggering 2006 campaign, he rushed for 28 touchdowns.

7. Adam Vinatieri (K, Indianapolis Colts): What is a kicker doing on this list? Well, Vinatieri has kicked four of the most clutch field goals in NFL history, and has been a crucial component to four Super Bowl championship teams.

8. Derrick Brooks (LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Ten years ago, Brooks, along with Warren Sapp, spearheaded the league's most feared defensive strike force. He is a five-time first-team AllPro.

9. Tony Gonzalez (TE, Kansas City Chiefs): Emerging as the greatest TE since Shannon Sharpe, Gonzalez has long been the Chiefs' primary target in the passing game. Even though he is a TE, he has the ninth most receptions in NFL history.

10. Kurt Warner (QB, Arizona Cardinals): He was the inspiration for this list because of the debates triggered by his inspirational rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches career arc. Even before these last two seasons, I've always maintained Warner was a Hall of Fame QB. He came from out of nowhere to win league MVP and a Super Bowl in 1999/2000.  He has since been to two more Super Bowls, and now has the three most prolific passing games in Super Bowl history.

Hopefully this list will generate some conversation. Since the Hall of Fame tends to privilege "glamor" position players like quaterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, there are probably some notable offensive linemen and defensive players that I've overlooked.  Also, there are several notable wide receivers that didn't quite make the cut here, most notably Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt. Owens, of all these receivers, has the best chance of making it, as a player (especially considering his worthy effort in 2005's Super Bowl), but his off-field and locker room theatrics will hurt him. Ditto Randy Moss (who has yet to really dazzle big time in the playoffs). Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, both worthy, sort of cancel each other out (though, at this point, Isaac Bruce has the edge). Marvin Harrison is particularly puzzling because for all his impressive statistics, he has proven to be incredibly soft in the playoffs. Hines Ward, whose career numbers aren't as impressive as these guys, has a shot because of his prominent role in two Super Bowl championships. Edgerrin James is another player who I think is on the bubble. An early career knee injury reduced him from being a dazzling runner into a sturdy pounder in the mold of Jerome Bettis.  But, unless he was actually Bettis, I'm not sure this will get him into the Hall. And though Ben Roethlisberger is in elite company now with this two Super Bowl wins, it is simply too early in his career to crown him just yet.

As you can probably tell, many of these picks are included because they were part of Super Bowl championship teams. Should this elevate certain players over those who might not have performed well during the postseason but who, nonetheless, had great careers?