Camps are now open. The long football-less spring and summer is over. So, I have to ask: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!!!
Over the next two weeks, I will be delivering my comprehensive, multi-faceted, season preview of this upcoming NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE season in the Calendar Year 2010. Up first, my list of the Top-200 Players in said league.
I should note that the players are ranked on past performance in the recent past (so, no Brett Favre doesn't get any bonus points for winning three straight MVPs in the 90's), future production (my opinion of what future production will be), and importance to their team. Also, I did dock points for players coming off major injuries (Welker, Gross, Daniels, Kampman, etc). I also tried to be as unbiased as possible (not sure I did that well), and even out between offense and defense (did that exceedingly well, with 100 on each).
200.) Hines Ward, WR, Steelers – Great year last season, as his numbers soared as Bruce Arians took the reins off that passing game, but I expect them to run a lot more this year. Age is also a concern.
199.) Todd Harremans, G, Eagles – Tried and true run-blocker, Harremans has been the link between the current Eagles O-line and their great lines earlier in the past decade.
198.) Clint Session, OLB, Colts – Young player who has a knack of making key plays during games. Good blitzer and run-stuffer compared to past Colts LBs.
197.) Randy Starks, DE, Dolphins – Needs to step up with Philip Merling’s season ending injury, but Starks showed in 2009 that he has the potential to be the Richard Seymour of Miami’s 3-4.
196.) Nick Hardwick, C, Chargers – Older player is the last true vestige of the Tomlinson era. His presence was missed last year. Injury concerns are there.
195.) Matt Shaughnessy, DE, Raiders – Top player so far from the 2009 draft class, Shaughnessy wowed in his rookie season with 5 sacks in limited time. He has a chance to get even better with space eaters Seymour and Henderson next to him.
194.) Donald Penn, T, Tampa Bay – The best young player on Tampa’s young offense, Donald Penn at least stabilizes the second most important offensive position for the Bucs. Sad they can’t do the same for the most important position.
193.) Jim Loehnard, S, Jets – What makes his first season in New York even more impressive is that he actually got better without having the luxury of Ed Reed next to him on the field. Big play, hard working guy.
192.) Zac Diles, OLB, Texans – The First of many good players on that young Texans defense. His presence allows Cushing to freelance. It will be interesting to see how he does with Cushing out.
191.) Chad Henne, QB, Dolphins – The first team with two players on the list, the Dolphins have their QB for the future. If Henne continues to improve, the Dolphins offense will become an air show, and the wildcat will be a thing of the past.
190.) Jacob Ford, DE, Titans – Part of the smorgesboard in Tennessee to replace Albert Haynesworth, Jacob Ford continues to get better as a dominant pass rusher of the end of the line. He’s one of many on the defensive line with the most upside in the NFL.
189.) Dan Koppen, C, Patriots – As the Patriots moved to more and more shotgun starting in 2007, he’s become even more important for his intelligence than his great blocking. Age did show last year, though.
188.) Jerod Mayo, MLB, Patriots – After a stellar rookie year, was not able to raise and lead a youthful linebacker corp. With better play around him, could go back to being a force.
187.) Chris Williams, T, Bears – Was able to shine late when finally given the opportunity to play LT. He has the quickness and size combination to handle Clay Matthews and Jared Allen, which makes the Cutler-Martz connection scarier.
186.) Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Colts – If list was done a year ago, he would have been about 50 spots higher. A freak injury took him out of 2009, but he has the ability to beat out Garcon and Collie for the #2 job, and if he does, look out.
185.) Jammal Brown, T, Redskins – Curious deal sent him to Washington, but we shouldn’t forget that until his injury last year, he was one of the brighter young LTs in the game. The fact the Saints gave him up that easily is a question mark.
184.) Lawrence Timmons, MLB, Steelers – The first of a loaded Steeler defense, Timmons did not ascend as a run stuffer. He has amazing talent as a pass rusher from an inside position.
183.) Zach Miller, TE, Raiders – He put up solid numbers catching passes from JaMarcus Russell. Now he gets a legitimate QB who looks for his TE often (see: Cooley, Chris 2005-2008). He has the speed and size to beat nearly every TE in the league.
182.) Fred Jackson, RB, Bills – He proved in 2009 that 2008 was no fluke at all. Chan Gailey has always had good faith in one-back systems, and developed o-lineman, and with better blocking, he can explode even further.
181.) Sean Brown, S, Buccaneers – It is amazing a player this solid and consistent is now on his third team in four years. Brown has good skills in staying behind receivers. His impact is more than the statsheet indicates.
180.) Ryan Clark, S, Steelers – The one positive of Troy Polamalu’s injury last year was that it gave Ryan Clark a chance to shine. His play at FS is much like Polamalu, as he can come up and stuff the run. Just another extremely versatile defensive player for the league’s most inventive defensive mind.
179.) Frank Gore, RB, 49ers – His play suffered from bad blocking. Now that the blocking has improved, age becomes a concern as production has dropped 4 straight years.
178.) Ryan Kalil, C, Panthers – The guy who snaps the ball for the league’s best o-line is often overlooked by his more notable linemates, but he should not.
177.) Jonathan Vilma, MLB, Saints – Found a home in the center of the Super Bowl Champion’s defense, and is perfectly utilized as a jack-blitzer for Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme.
176.) Jerraud Powers, CB, Colts – Played amazingly well as a rookie, keeping the Colts corners anchored with Kelvin Hayden out. Durability, much like for every Colts player, is a concern.
175.) Robert Gallery, G, Raiders – Once a punchline as a bust at tackle, Gallery has found a home at guard. When any QB not named JaMarcus Russell was behind center, he did not give up a sack.
174.) Chris Houston, CB, Falcons – Coming off a freak ACL tear, Houston should come close to returning to the form that made him one of the best up-and-coming corners in the league. Especially with more skill around him on the Falcons defense.
173.) Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens – Quietly became overrated, as he piled up stats against dregs, but struggled quite often against the premier teams. Plus, for his 3-2 playoff record, he has only once completed over 50% of his passes in a playoff game.
172.) Leonard Davis, G, Cowboys – He’s aging, and he often mysteriously disappears, but when he’s on, he’s a top-5 guard. Key man for the Cowboys, now that his side mate Flozell Adams is gone.
171.) Corey Williams, DT, Lions – He can be a force in a Jim Schwartz defense, as he was in both Cleveland and Green Bay. If Ndomakung Suh lives up to his billing, it will be because of this man next to him.
170.) Leigh Bodden, CB, Patriots – After years of doing yoeman’s work for bad teams, he finally gets onto a good one. Bodden is a stable player in a very unstable defense.
169.) Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs – If he is not a flash-in-the-pan, then the Chiefs may have another great back in a long line of them. However, it should be said that he piled up yards against two teams (Raiders, Broncos) that are horrible at stopping the run.
168.) Aaron Ross, CB, Giants – Like almost everyone on that defense, his play dipped a bit, but Aaron Ross was still solid, adding some stability and keeping the pass defense decent after Kenny Phillips departure.
167.) Bart Scott, MLB, Jets – He had a good year as the centerpiece of the Jets front-seven, but the track record of players leaving the cozy confines of Ray Lewis aren’t good, and as a bonus even Adalius Thomas had a good first year away from Baltimore.
166.) Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings – His skill cannot be understated, but he had done little to nothing before last year. One more year of big numbers should go a long way to establishing himself as a top-10 WR.
165.) Jermichael Finley, TE, Packers – He had a good finish to the season, but against the premier defenses in the league that the Packers played (Cowboys, Vikings, Ravens) he was silent. That has to change if he should be considered a top-5 TE.
164.) Keith Rivers, OLB, Bengals – He shined in his first fully healthy year, although he showed he could not anchor the defense alone without Maualuga next to him in the Wild Card game.
163.) John Henderson, DT, Raiders – His days of being a pass-rush force are gone, but he was still one of the best run-stuffing lineman last year, and playing next to Richard Seymour, he has a perfect situation to do just that again.
162.) D’Brickshaw Ferguson, T, Jets – Finally really lived up to the draft pick the Jets used on him, he now needs to take it one more step further, as the Jets will have rookie Vladimir Ducasse next to him.
161.) Felix Jones, RB, Cowboys – He has immense talent, but just cannot stay healthy. Thos players usually don’t magically become healthy later on either, especially at running back.
160.) Alex Smith, QB, 49ers – Shined late last year, as he finally had enough receiving weapons to make an impact. If Crabtree takes another step forward, and Vernon Davis continues to play at his high level, he can easily be a playoff-caliber QB.
159.) Jason Campbell, QB, Raiders – He was criminally underrated because he is the hardest thing for anyone to conceptualize, in that he is average. That is all. However, for the Raiders, that is a huge step up, and the team will definitely play hard for him.
158.) Charles Godfrey, S, Panthers – The Panthers will need him to continue his great play from late 2009, as the secondary for the Panthers will be of added importance with the change and injuries in front of him.
157.) Joe Staley, T, 49ers – The 49ers gave up what would have been the #7 pick for him, and he finally showed that they might not have wasted the pick last year. With two rookies along him on the line, he needs to raise his game another level again.
156.) Tommie Harris, DT, CHI – Injuries have wrecked what once was the best interior defensive lineman in the league. He is still a pro-bowl caliber player, and having Julius Peppers next to him will help ease the pressure on him to get just that, pressure.
155.) Ricky Williams, RB, Dolphins – Although it still is in some ways reprehensible, his time away from the league has definitely helped him. Injury or not to his competition, but he’s shown that he can do it alone without Ronnie Brown.
154.) Carl Nicks, G, Saints – He has more pass-blocking skills than almost any other guard in the NFL. He is a key guy as no team relies on their interior lineman to pass protect more than the Saints.
153.) Brandon Flowers, CB, Chiefs – The Chiefs have made many drafting mistakes in recent years, but Flowers’ isn’t one. He has a chance to combine with Eric Berry in a premier S-CB tandem for a long time.
152.) John Carlson, TE, Seahawks – Injuries to his QBs have stunted his production, but he is, in many ways, the successor to Jason Witten, as a premier pass-catching and blocking TE.
151.) Bob Sanders, S, Colts – If he could just stay healthy, he could’ve been a hall-of-famer. Whatever he can give the Colts is now gravy, but the Colts know that the gravy is at least extremely tasty in Sanders’ case.
150.) Tanard Jackson, S, Buccaneers – He’s the neo-John Lynch. A ferocious hitter as well as athlete, Jackson is just another member of the new-Bucs, a team that will one day create a defense that will at least mimic the 1996-2002 Bucs.
149.) Mat Birk, C, Ravens – After heading over to the Ravens, many thought that he would take a step back as Hutchinson was no longer by his side. Instead he anchored one of the best o-lines in the game. He is getting a bit old, and probably will see some decline in 2010 if not injury.
148.) Winston Justice, T, Eagles – Enough cannot be said about the work Justice has put in. He used to be known as the guy who let Osi Umenyiora abuse him to the tune of 6 sacks, but now he is quietly one of the better RT in the game.
147.) Travhelle Wharton, G, Panthers – After doing great at LT last year after Gross’ injury, he will slide back to his more natural LG position, where he paced the league in 2008. There is a reason both Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams average 5.0 ypc.
146.) Steve Smith, WR, Giants – In a couple years, he probably will no longer be the “other Steve Smith”. However, the real Steve Smith wishes he had this one by his side. Smith is one of the better possession receivers, a neo-TJ Houshmanzadeh.
145.) Brian Urlacher, MLB, Bears – Age and injury concerns have taken some of the shine of the league’s most consistent defender of the 2000s, but Urlacher returns with a new toy in front of him, and newfound determination to win that ugly spat he had with Gale Sayers.
144.) Heath Miller, TE, Steelers – The Steelers don’t heavily throw to TEs, but you can tell that when the goal line approaches, Roethlisberger zeroes in on his TE with great hands.
143.) Calais Campbell, DT, Cardinals – He took some time to develop, but Campbell has restored the legacy of great D-Lineman from ‘The U’. He has great penetration, and playing across from Darnell Dockett makes him more important and more explosive.
142.) Jarrett Johnson, OLB, Ravens – The man who originally was Adalius Thomas’ replacement, has all but made people forget about his predecessor. He plays the run better than any previous Ravens OLB.
141.) Nick Collins, S, Packers – Has become a true ball-hawk, and although doesn’t have the coverage skills of an Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu, has a nose for the football and really thrives when the pass rush is working.
140.) Tamba Hali, DE, Chiefs – If only Glenn Dorsey could do anything, Hali would get even better. The numbers he has put up considering the Chiefs have been impotent in the pass rush otherwise, is amazing.
139.) Tyson Clabo, T, Falcons – He doesn’t protect Matt Ryan’s blindside, but is probably Ryan’s most trusted protector. There is also a reason the Falcons run over RT more than any other team in the NFL.
138.) London Fletcher, MLB, Redskins – He finally made the pro-bowl, ending one of the most amazing streaks in football. He was totally deserving as well. Age is a concern, as decline is almost assuredly opun him.
137.) DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles – He is arguably the top big-play wide receiver, but still has a tendency to disappear unless he can get a deep ball, and makes too many mental-mistakes in his routes.
136.) Vontae Davis, CB, Dolphins – He is slightly better than his sophomore counterpart Seth Smith, and Davis has the upside to become the next Champ Bailey type CB, one with great cover and ball skills.
135.) Ray Edwards, DE, Vikings – He is often overshadowed by his having three other pro-bowlers playing on the same defensive line, but if that divisional playoff against Dallas is any indication, he is ready to make a name for himself.
134.) Mike Patterson, DT, Eagles – He has seen players rotate again and again beside him, but continues to be a dominant interior presence, much like his predecessor Corey Simon. Doesn’t have the same pass-rushing ability, though.
133.) Kenny Phillips, S, Giants – After Troy Polamalu, there was no bigger defensive injury in 2009. His return allows the Giants to focus less on deep coverage, as he will be back there shadowing it all.
132.) Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers – After years of nothing but hype, Vernon exploded, becoming Alex Smith’s primary red-zone target. With Smith the definite starter, I see no reason why that should change. He is still just 26 years old.
131.) Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals – Has been one of the most consistent runners in the NFL over the past two years. His bulldog style works well with his o-line, and he consistently puts up 2-6 yards. Rarely gets huge plays, but rarely gets stuffed behind the line, which is equally important.
130.) Marques Colston, WR, Saints – Drew Brees’ top man may not have matched his insane numbers from 2006-2007, but he came back from an injury plagued 2008 to post another 1,000 yard season. As he is finally totally healthy, look for Brees to call his number even more.
129.) Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons – When you consider he was the first QB ever to post back-to-back winning seasons with the Falcons, even with playing a tough schedule and fighting a big-toe injury, and injuries to his #2 target, Matt Ryan is somehow underrated.
128.) Eric Weddle, S, Chargers – The Chargers drafted a lot of players from 2004-2007 that all seemingly made them the most talented team in the league. The defensive players selected have all been underwhelming, except for Weddle, who continues to be a mini-Polamalu.
127.) Tony Gonzalez, TE, Falcons – His age makes it hard to see him ever reaching the numbers he used to put up, but Gonzalez serves as a reliable safe option for Matt Ryan, and that is all a young QB can ask for.
126.) Barrett Ruud, MLB, Buccaneers – Derrick Brooks replacement hasn’t exactly replaced him fully (obviously), but his play continues to be high-level despite the turnover around him.
125.) Tony Brown, DT, Titans – Haynesworth’s direct replacement might not do what he did, but he is solid against the run, and can command blockers allowing the guys around him to rush the passer. Had huge shoes to fill, and has at least filled the soles.
124.) Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys – Like Sidney Rice above him, needs to do it for more than a year, but at least he was able to consistently put up numbers against good corners without many other targets for Romo to throw at.
123.) Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Steelers – In what is effectively going to be his second season, he has full faith in his team, who are, nicely for Rashard, going back to their running-game roots. The onus falls on him in the Ben-less first 4-6 games.
122.) Joshua Cribbs, RB, Browns – Obviously, his true worth is as a kick and punt returner. Thankfully, the Browns management is smarter than the Bears’, as they haven’t done to him what they did to Hester.
121.) Champ Bailey, CB, Broncos – He still has the ability of a top-10 corner, but is no longer top-5. The top-flight speed is no longer there at his age, but he is smarter than any other corner in the league.
120.) Gary Brackett, MLB, Colts – Always underrated, his presence for the Colts cannot be understated. He is the only LB in the Manning-era to warrant keeping, which says a lot about his ability and importance to the Colts defense.
119.) Eric Winston, T, Texans – There is a reason Matt Schaub finally stayed healthy, and it partly due to this man taking his level up a play up a couple of levels in 2009. He is young so he can continue to keep improving.
118.) Mike Jenkins, CB, Cowboys – Was underwhelming in 2008, but turned it around, taking the opponents’ top WR and for the most part, shutting them down. Still tries to pick off too many passes.
117.) Anquan Boldin, WR, Ravens – He will always have the injury concerns with the way he plays, and he was no longer necessary in Arizona, but he is the perfect safety valve for Joe Flacco.
116.) Jonathan Babineaux, DT, Falcons – He was a menace in 2009, pushing the pocket, and for the most part picking up the slack for the DE’s around him who all curiously fell off. He will be key for stopping the blockers advancing to Curtis Lofton behind him.
115.) Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers – His finish to the season was very impressive, moreso considering that DeAngelo Williams was out. Uses his blockers well, but doesn’t have the same explosiveness Williams does.
114.) Cullen Jenkins, DT, GB – Gets to slide outside, where he excelled before the switch to the 3-4. It remains to be seen if he can make that transition, but considering the rest of his teammates switched to the 3-4 quite well, and his talent in the 4-3, it is easy to think he will.
113.) Albert Haynesworth, DT, Redskins – For the money he was paid, and the commotion around him, his 2009 season was a disappointment, but he still put up good performance when healthy. He is much more hard-working that given credit for. Durability, as well as general happiness, is a concern.
112.) Quentin Mikell, S, Eagles – The eagles go through secondary’s like chain-smokers through Marlboro’s but Mikell has shown lasting power. His ability to help in run support makes the Jim Johnson defense work.
111.) Brandon Marshall, WR, Dolphins – He shouldn’t be higher, because he is not a vertical threat, and that is what Miami really needed, but his ability to be a great possession receiver is not understated. He will be Chad Henne’s best friend.
110.) Asante Samuel, CB, Eagles – As he grows older, he doesn’t become any more conservative. He still goes for way too many picks, which result in too many big plays given up, but considering only Ed Reed has had more INTs since 2003, I can’t blame him.
109.) Bobbie Williams, G, Bengals – The last remains of the 2005-2006 Bengals o-line that made Rudi into a 1,400 yard runner, Bobbie is doing the same for Cedric Benson. He also adds much needed pass-protection stability in a line that doesn’t always get it.
108.) Justin Smith, DE, 49ers – Since his move to SF, he has only gotten better. He works well with the players around him, and although his age is becoming a concern, when healthy he has a Allen-like motor.
107.) Shaun O’Hara, C, Giants – He has teamed with Chris Snee to give the Giants a consistent, healthy, dependable combination. He had a slight dropoff in play in 2009, but that only makes him very good, instead of excellent.
106.) Kris Jenkins, DT, Jets – The Jets did fine without him in 2009 after his injury, but there is no way he can nothing but help them. Durability is a major concern, but when healthy, he’s unblockable.
105.) Curtis Lofton, MLB, Falcons – The best player on a good young defense, Lofton is following Willis, Tatupy and Ryans into a collection of extremely talented 3-down middle line backers.
104.) Clay Matthews, OLB, Packers – If Cushing was known as a steroid user back in the original vote, then he’s probably the rookie of the year. He was a pass-rushing terror, although we must hope that he is a DeMarcus Ware in consistency, and not a Shawne Merriman.
103.) Jay Cutler, QB, Bears – I cannot justify putting him higher, even though I believe that his match with Mke Martz is perfect. In reality, he is nowhere near as bad as his performance in 2009, and with the continued development of Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashadu, his ascendance can come quickly.
102.) Stewart Bradley, MLB, Eagles – He was sorely missed in 2009 with an ACL tear, but he has 12 months to rehab, and has youth on his side. He is critical for the Eagles. A true tackle machine, the Eagles need his consistency in there to do what they do around him.
101.) Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets – It will be interesting to see what he does without a top-5 QB around him like he had in Ben. His ability to freelance with Ben was great, but it won’t be that easy with Sanchize.
Players 100-1 coming soon!
