NFL Top 200: Breaking it Down by Position

Before we start, here is a disclaimer: I was going to break this down by team as well but I realized that a ton of these guys are free agents, and the amount of guys on particular teams can drastically change (as can the teams in the broader sense of who is good or bad). Case in point - the Raiders have 8 players ranked, but three of them are free agents and can easily be gone (Asomugha, Gallery and Miller). When the FA period sorts itself out in a ridiculous frenzy that it will assuredly be, I'll do the team-by-team breakdown. Anyway, let's get to the positional groupings, and here are the Top-10 (plus 1) at each position by ranking


Safety

11.) Chris Harris, CHI

10.) Oshiomogho Atogwe, STL
9.) Michael Griffin, TEN
8.) Eric Weddle, SD
7.) Antoine Bethea, IND
6.) Charles Godfrey, CAR
5.) Adrian Wilson, ARZ
4.) Nick Collins, GB
3.) LaRon Landry, WAS
2.) Troy Polamalu, PIT
1.) Ed Reed, BAL


Cornerback

11.) Antoine Cason, SD

10.) Charles Tillman, CHI
9.) Tramon Williams, GB
8.) Jerraud Powers, IND
7.) Devin McCourty, NE
6.) Antoine Winfield, MIN
5.) Jabari Greer, NO
4.) Charles Woodson, GB
3.) Nnamdi Asomugha, OAK
2.) Asante Samuel, PHI
1.) Darrelle Revis, NYJ


Outside Linebacker
(both 4-3 and 3-4)

11.) Geno Hayes, TB

10.) Stephen Tulloch, TEN
9.) Elvis Dumervil, DEN
8.) Shaun Phillips, SD
7.) Lance Briggs, CHI
6.) Cameron Wake, MIA
5.) LaMarr Woodley, PIT
4.) James Harrison, PIT
3.) Terrell Suggs, BAL
2.) Clay Matthews III, GB
1.) DeMarcus Ware, DAL


Inside Linebacker
(both 4-3 and 3-4)

11.) Curtis Lofton, ATL

10.) DeMeco Ryans, HOU
9.) Daryl Smith, JAX
8.) Lofa Tatupu, SEA
7.) Jon Beason, CAR
6.) Jonathan Vilma, NO
5.) Jerod Mayo, NE
4.) Chad Greenway, MIN
3.) Ray Lewis, BAL
2.) Brian Urlacher, CHI
1.) Patrick Willis, SF


Defensive End
(4-3 only)

11.) Osi Umenyiora, NYG

10.) Justin Smith, SF
9.) Tamba Hali, KC
8.) Robert Mathis, IND
7.) Jared Allen, MIN
6.) Trent Cole, PHI
5.) John Abraham, ATL
4.) Mario Williams, HOU
3.) Julius Peppers, CHI
2.) Justin Tuck. NYG
1.) Dwight Freeney, IND


Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle
(3-4 DE and 4-3 DT)

11.) Kyle Williams, BUF

10.) Kevin Williams, MIN
9.) Terrance Knighton, JAX
8.) Jay Ratliff, DAL
7.) Casey Hampton, PIT
6.) Ndamukong Suh, DET
5.) Darnell Dockett, ARZ
4.) Jonathan Babineaux, ATL
3.) Richard Seymour, OAK
2.) Vince Wilfork, NE
1.) Haloti Ngata, BAL


Guards/Centers

11.) Jeff Saturday, IND

10.) Todd Harremens, PHI
9.) Ben Grubbs, BAL
8.) Carl Nicks, NO
7.) Dan Koppen, NE
6.) Robert Gallery, OAK
5.) Chris Snee, NYG
4.) Logan Mankins, NE
3.) Jahri Evans, NO
2.) Harvey Dahl, ATL
1.) Nick Mangold, NYJ


Tackles

11.) Sebastian Vollmer, NE

10.) Tyson Clabo, ATL
9.) D'Brickshaw Ferguson, NYJ
8.) Andrew Whitworth, CIN
7.) Eric Winston, HOU
6.) Donald Penn, TB
5.) Ryan Clady, DEN
4.) Jordan Gross, CAR
3.) David Stewart, TEN
2.) Jake Long, MIA
1.) Joe Thomas, CLE


Tight Ends

10.) Brandon Pettigrew, DET

9.) Owen Daniels, HOU
8.) Heath Miller, PIT
7.) Dustin Keller, NYJ
6.) Marcedes Lewis, JAX
5.) Zach Miller, OAK
4.) Dallas Clark, IND
3.) Jason Witten, DAL
2.) Vernon Davis, SF
1.) Antonio Gates, SD


Wide Receivers

11.) Vincent Jackson, SD

10.) Austin Collie, IND
9.) DeSean Jackson, PHI
8.) Reggie Wayne, IND
7.) Hakeem Nicks, NYG
6.) Greg Jennings, GB
5.) Santonio Holmes, NYJ
4.) Roddy White, ATL
3.) Calvin Johnson, DET
2.) Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ
1.) Andre Johnson, HOU

*- Devin Hester is ranked as the 7th highest WR, but that is almost all due to his returning.


Running Backs

11.) Steven Jackson, STL

10.) Rashard Mendenhall, PIT
9.) Michael Turner, ATL
8.) LeSean McCoy, PHI
7.) Arian Foster, HOU
6.) Darren McFadden, OAK
5.) Jamaal Charles, KC
4.) Ray Rice, BAL
3.) Chris Johnson, TEN
2.) Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX
1.) Adrian Peterson, MIN


Quarterbacks

11.) Matt Ryan, ATL

10.) Joe Flacco, BAL
9.) Eli Manning, NYG
8.) Michael Vick, PHI
7.) Matt Schaub, HOU
6.) Drew Brees, NO
5.) Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
4.) Philip Rivers, SD
3.) Aaron Rodgers, GB
2.) Tom Brady, NE
1.) Peyton Manning, IND


There you have it, broken down by position. With the lockout hopefully ending within days, the Free Agent frenzy might really change some of those three letter abbreviations next to the players names.

NFL Top 200: The List in One Place

Here's the List: 200-1, in one place for safekeeping.

200	Justin Tryon	CB	IND
199	James Farrior	MLB	PIT
198	Jonathan Goodwin	G/C	NO
197	Jason Peters	T	PHI
196	Steve Hutchinson	G/C	MIN
195	Shaun Ellis	DT	NYJ
194	Sheldon Brown	S	CLE
193	Brandon Pettigrew	TE	DET
192	DJ Williams	OLB	DEN
191	Rashean Mathis	CB	JAX
190	Michael Roos	T	TEN
189	Steve Johnson	WR	BUF
188	Phil Loadholt	T	MIN
187	Mark Sanchez	QB	NYJ
186	Leonard Davis	G/C	DAL
185	Carson Palmer	QB	CIN
184	Nick Hardwick	G/C	SD
183	Jason Jones	DT	TEN
182	Owen Daniels	TE	HOU
181	Matt Shaughnessy	DE	OAK
180	Ryan Kalil	G/C	CAR
179	Levi Brown	T	ARZ
178	Heath Miller	TE	PIT
177	Joe Haden	CB	CLE
176	Peyton Hillis	RB	CLE
175	Eric Berry	S	KC
174	Brandon Lloyd	WR	DEN
173	Dustin Keller	TE	NYJ
172	Antonio Garay	NT	SD
171	Calvin Pace	OLB	NYJ
170	Chris Clemons	DE	SEA
169	Lawrence Timmons	MLB	PIT
168	Ronde Barber	CB	TB
167	Duane Brown	T	HOU
166	Brian Orakpo	OLB	WAS
165	Chris Harris	S	CHI
164	Josh Sitton	G/C	GB
163	Joselio Hanson	CB	PHI
162	Rey Maualuga	OLB	CIN
161	Paul Soliai	DT	MIA
160	Ron Bartell	CB	STL
159	Kenny Britt	WR	TEN
158	David Harris	MLB	NYJ
157	Leon Hall	CB	CIN
156	Kris Dielman	G/C	SD
155	Oshiomogo Atogwe	S	STL
154	Gary Brackett	MLB	IND
153	Mike Patterson	DT	PHI
152	Geno Hayes	OLB	TB
151	Israel Idonije	DE	CHI
150	Terrell Thomas	CB	NYG
149	Chris Long	DE	STL
148	Sam Bradford	QB	STL
147	Michael Griffin	S	TEN
146	Zach Miller	TE	OAK
145	Tony Romo	QB	DAL
144	Cliff Avril	DE	DET
143	Anquan Boldin	WR	BAL
142	DeAngelo Williams	RB	CAR
141	Aubrayo Franklin	NT	SF
140	Brent Grimes	CB	ATL
139	Matt Forte	RB	CHI
138	Marcedes Lewis	TE	JAX
137	Brandon Albert	T	KC
136	Brandon Marshall	WR	MIA
135	Charles Johnson	DE	CAR
134	Curtis Lofton	MLB	ATL
133	Ahmad Bradshaw	RB	NYG
132	LaMarr Houston	DT	OAK
131	Jeff Saturday	G/C	IND
130	Barry Cofield	DT	NYG
129	Stanford Routt	CB	OAK
128	Steven Jackson	RB	STL
127	Jason Babin	DE	TEN
126	Sebastian Vollmer	T	NE
125	Josh Freeman	QB	TB
124	Tyson Clabo	T	ATL
123	Marques Colston	WR	NO
122	Rashard Mendenhall	RB	PIT
121	Antoine Cason	CB	SD
120	Sidney Rice	WR	MIN
119	Stephen Tulloch	OLB	TEN
118	Jay Cutler	QB	CHI
117	Eric Weddle	S	SD
116	Kyle Williams	NT	BUF
115	Osi Umenyiora	DE	NYG
114	Michael Turner	RB	ATL
113	DeMeco Ryans	MLB	HOU
112	Elvis Dumervil	OLB	DEN
111	D'Brickashaw Ferguson	T	NYJ
110	Antoine Bethea	S	IND
109	Todd Harremens	G/C	PHI
108	Daryl Smith	MLB	JAX
107	Miles Austin	WR	DAL
106	Andrew Whitworth	T	CIN
105	Matt Ryan	QB	ATL
104	Charles Godfrey	S	CAR
103	Shaun Phillips	OLB	SD
102	Charles Tillman	CB	CHI
101	Ben Grubbs	G/C	BAL
100	LeSean McCoy	RB	PHI
99	Tramon Williams	CB	GB
98	Lofa Tatupu	MLB	SEA
97	Carl Nicks	G/C	NO
96	Jon Beason	MLB	CAR
95	Mike Wallace	WR	PIT
94	Kevin Williams	DT	MIN
93	Justin Smith	DE	SF
92	Jonathan Vilma	MLB	NO
91	Jerraud Powers	CB	IND
90	Dan Koppen	G/C	NE
89	Terrence Knighton	DT	JAX
88	Joe Flacco	QB	BAL
87	Dwayne Bowe	WR	KC
86	Robert Gallery	G/C	OAK
85	Devin McCourty	CB	NE
84	Arian Foster	RB	HOU
83	Eric Winston	T	HOU
82	Eli Manning	QB	NYG
81	Dallas Clark	TE	IND
80	Jerod Mayo	MLB	NE
79	Vincent Jackson	WR	SD
78	Tamba Hali	DE	KC
77	Jay Ratliff	NT	DAL
76	Austin Collie	WR	IND
75	Donald Penn	T	TB
74	Adrian Wilson	S	ARZ
73	Antione Winfield	CB	MIN
72	Darren McFadden	RB	OAK
71	DeSean Jackson	WR	PHI
70	Michael Vick	QB	PHI
69	Jabari Greer	CB	NO
68	Ryan Clady	T	DEN
67	Reggie Wayne	WR	IND
66	Chris Snee	G/C	NYG
65	Chad Greenway	MLB	MIN
64	Lance Briggs	OLB	CHI
63	Robert Mathis	DE	IND
62	Jason Witten	TE	DAL
61	Jared Allen	DE	MIN
60	Matt Schaub	QB	HOU
59	Ray Lewis	MLB	BAL
58	Charles Woodson	CB	GB
57	Hakeem Nicks	WR	NYG
56	Devin Hester	WR/R	CHI
55	Logan Mankins	G/C	NE
54	Casey Hampton	NT	PIT
53	Jamaal Charles	RB	KC
52	Vernon Davis	TE	SF
51	Jahri Evans	G/C	NO
50	Ndamukong Suh	DT	DET
49	Cameron Wake	OLB	MIA
48	Darnell Dockett	DT	ARZ
47	Harvey Dahl	G/C	ATL
46	Ray Rice	RB	BAL
45	Trent Cole	DE	PHI
44	Nick Collins	S	GB
43	LaRon Landry	S	WAS
42	Jonathan Babineaux	DT	ATL
41	Jordan Gross	T	CAR
40	John Abraham	DE	ATL
39	LaMarr Woodley	OLB	PIT
38	Richard Seymour	DT	OAK
37	Brian Urlacher	MLB	CHI
36	Greg Jennings	WR	GB
35	Mario Williams	DE	HOU
34	Santonio Holmes	WR	NYJ
33	Terrell Suggs	OLB	BAL
32	David Stewart	T	TEN
31	Vince Wilfork	DT	NE
30	Chris Johnson	RB	TEN
29	Julius Peppers	DE	CHI
28	Roddy White	WR	ATL
27	Nnamdi Asomugha	CB	OAK
26	James Harrison	OLB	PIT
25	Jake Long	T	MIA
24	Troy Polamalu	S	PIT
23	Maurice Jones-Drew	RB	JAX
22	Asante Samuel	CB	PHI
21	Justin Tuck	DE	NYG
20	Calvin Johnson	WR	DET
19	Drew Brees	QB	NO
18	Dwight Freeney	DE	IND
17	Antonio Gates	TE	SD
16	Clay Matthews	OLB	GB
15	Adrian Peterson	RB	MIN
14	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	ARZ
13	Patrick Willis	MLB	SF
12	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	PIT
11	Darrelle Revis	CB	NYJ
10	Philip Rivers	QB	SD
9	Joe Thomas	T	CLE
8	Ed Reed	S	BAL
7	Nick Mangold	G/C	NYJ
6	Aaron Rodgers	QB	GB
5	DeMarcus Ware	OLB	DAL
4	Andre Johnson	WR	HOU
3	Haloti Ngata	DT	BAL
2	Tom Brady	QB	NE
1	Peyton Manning	QB	IND

There it is, in all its everlasting glory. Both sides are capped with Colts, from Justin Tryon to Peyton Manning himself. I'm following up with a post breaking down the list by team and position, giving a nice overall look at the league.

NFL Top 200: The Top 25

Finally, we get to the Top 25, the best of the best, the top players in the NFL. Let's go....

TO

???????????????

25.) Jake Long, T, MIA

He's good. He's really good. Offensive Tackles drafted really high are often just assumed to be good players mostly because it is really hard to judge an o-lineman. I fall into that category at times, but Jake Long is dominant every time I watch him at run blocking, and is also getting better and better at pass blocking. Long is basically the only great player the Dolphins have to build around, but he's a damn good one.


24.) Troy Polamalu, S, PIT

This is probably too low, but much of what he did last year was concentrated in the first handful of games. It might be injury, it might be age finally showing, but he was almost close to a liability in coverage late last season. It probably was injury, but Polamalu just seemed a tad slower late in 2010. He did have the single biggest play of the season for Pittsburgh though, with his leaping strip sack of Joe Flacco in their game against Baltimore in Week 13.


23.) Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX

This wasn't MoJo's best year on paper. He only got 5tds and had arguably his worst pass-catching year of his career. Why then do I rate him higher than Chris Johnson? Because he's his team. The Jaguars have nice players on offense, but they are nothing without Drew. His presence on the field does so much for the rest of that offense. He's also a better blocker and the most complete every-down back in the NFL. The lack of TDs is probably a fluke anyway.


22.) Asante Samuel, CB, PHI

He gets unfailry harrassed for his supposed proclivity to shy away from contact (despite two of the more memorable Colts-Pats playoff 2003-04 game plays being his tackles and hits), but he was incredible in 2010. Asante Samuel was the best corner in football as per Football Outsiders charting numbers topping the league in both success rate and yards allowed per pass. It might be a flukey good year, but it was a flukey good year that was the best in the NFL.


21.) Justin Tuck, DE, NYG

After a sub-par year in 2009 (which followed two great years in 2007-08), Justin Tuck was a beast for the entire 2010 season. He's always been a great pass rusher, but he was better against the run. Justin Tuck ranked second in the entire NFL in FO 'Defeats', which was 18 spots better than any other DE. Justin Tuck, the man who impacted Super Bowl XLII more than anyone and forever changed NFL history, is now easily one of the best 4-3 DEs in the NFL.


20.) Calvin Johnson, WR, DET

It's easy to say that Calvin Johnson is the most physically gifted WR in the NFL, but that usually means that people feel like he underperforms (like the other past "most physically gifted WRs" like Randy Moss). That's not true. Megatron had a great year considering Shaun Hill was the guy throwing to him and he was being doubled all the time. He is right with Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson as the best WR to go up and get any ball thrown to him. He's a monster and just getting better.


19.) Drew Brees, QB, NO

People excoriated Peyton Manning for having an uncharacteristically pick-happy year, but that was mostly due to his four pick-sixes in a two week span (and pick sixes are fluke plays). Brees threw five more picks and had a worse passer rating but that went relatively unnoticed. Like with Manning, I'm not going to overreact to what happened with Brees but unlike Manning, Brees had his o-line still play well and most of his receivers healthy. The picks will probably return to the norm.


18.) Dwight Freeney, DE, IND

He doesn't slow down. He doesn't stop his motor. He doesn't have off games. Dwight Freeney put up double digit sacks for the 7th time in his 8 full seasons (the year he didn't he led the league in hurries). Dwight Freeney was still able to have a huge impact in the pass rush game and has quietly become a totally fine player against the run. He's still the most effective 4-3 DE in the game and that is a position that ages well. Canton is in his future.


17.) Antonio Gates, TE, SD

Antonio Gates played 10 games last year, but even those 10 games were about as valuable as any TE who put up 16 games, what with his ridiculous 15.6 ypc and 10 tds. Antonio Gates probably won't catch Tony Gonzalez's TE receiving totals because he's too injury prone (although his are more chronic nagging injuries and not ones that miss games), but Gates has already locked up his spot in canton. He's the one guy Phil Rivers has to have to be great.


16.) Clay Matthews III, OLB, GB

Pro-football-reference has a stat where they approxamate value. Of course it is completely subjectively calculated but it usually is a good reference. Clay Matthews led the NFL in AV in 2010. Matthews was an absolute beast with 13.5 sacks and many more hits. Clay Matthews is also a pretty good player in coverage. I think he gets a little overrated, but he will get better. He's a hard worker and is on the way to joining his Uncle in Canton.


15.) Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN

With all the talk of Favre's penis and Chilly-Dress and the Moss trade and the hole in the roof the fact that Adrian Peterson had a great year. The o-line in Minnesota is getting worse and worse but he rebounded with a far better year then he had in 2009. Firstly, he cut his fumbles down to just one. He also put up better ypr numbers and was better receiving out of the backfield and in blocking. The Vikings also used Peterson better. He's not close to slowing down.


14.) Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARZ

90 catches, 1137 yards with gives him a 12.6 ypc. He put up those numbers with the following guys throwing to him: Derek Anderson, Max Hall, John Skelton. Fitzgerald in many ways had a better year in 2010 than he did in 2009 with Warner. Fitzgerald had big years with Leinart before the Warner resurgence. No one has surer hands. No one runs better routes. Other than one man, there is no better wide receiver than Larry Fitzgerald.


13.) Patrick Willis, MLB, SF

Over 100 tackles again. That's no longer a surprise. The 6 sacks? That was. Patrick Willis is becoming more than just a run-stuffing ILB. He's great in coverage and now he's a really good blitzer as well. Patrick Willis is still just 26 so there are many great years ahead of him. The rest of the 49ers defense really isn't that great, but he makes it an upper-half defense.


12.) Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT

Ben Roethlisberger quietly had an excellent statistical year, with a league leading 13.3 ypc and a fourth season with a ypa above 8. His completion percentage drop but a lot of the year he was playing with an about gone Hines Ward and Antonio Brown among his top four targets. He had a flukily low int rate but Roethlisberger has been more careful with the ball for years. In reality, the Super Bowl loss hurts him but in many ways Roethlisberger is as good now as ever.


11.) Darrelle Revis, CB, NYJ

Revis led the league in FOs success rate again. He dropped in yards per pass but QBs threw deep at him more often. He wasn't as good as he was in 2009, but it will be a long time before a CB has that good of a year again. Darrelle Revis is now finally starting to get the Nnamdi treatment and in a couple years it probably will get closer to the ridiculous levels of avoidance that QBs displayed at Nnamdi, but until then his value remains really high.


10.) Philip Rivers, QB, SD



He led the league in yards and yards per attempt (the third straight year leading in that). He put up a passer rating over 100 for the third straight year (only Peyton Manning has done that). Philip Rivers is statistically the best QB in the NFL over the past three years. His problem is that his team finds the most bizarre ways to lose. For whatever reason he doesn't get the same baseless bashing that Peyton gets for the Chargers repeated failures, but at least that allows people to judge Rivers accurately, as one of the best in the game.


9.) Joe Thomas, T, CLE



I have no idea why he's always seemed to be thought of as worse than Jake Long, but the main job of a LT is to protect the passer and Joe Thomas is the best in the NFL at that. His feet are incredibly fast and agile which allows him to keep up with Suggs and Harrison, two of the best pass rushers in the NFL, twice a year. He has a big job in protecting the future of the Browns, but if I were McCoy I would thank God Thomas is protecting me.


8.) Ed Reed, S, BAL



He played 10 games. All he did was lead the league in interceptions with eight and defend 16 more passes while being more active tackling. Ed Reed honestly keeps getting more and more impressive each year. I love Troy Polamalu and I had many problems with the NFL Networks' player-voted Top 100 Players of 2011 show, but one of my favorite results was Reed over Polamalu. Polamalu is special. Reed is an all-time player. There's a reason why Reed was on the Top 100 of All-Time list NFL Network did. There's a reason why the Ravens pass defense stays good despite a revolving door at CB. #20 is the reason.


7.) Nick Mangold, C, NYJ



Forget what Mangold does in calling the line audibles and signals and such. I have no way of accurately judging his ability in that. What I can judge is the fact that I don't believe there was a single more dominant lineman at any position than Mangold in 2010. Mangold is a giant for a center and he absolutely destroyed basically every DT and NT he faced in 2010, from Vince Wilfork to Ndamukong Suh, to Haloti Ngata. Ironically Casey Hampton got the better of him in the title game, but Mangold was a beast all year long.


6.) Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB



Aaron Rodgers is the all-time leader in passer rating. I think this speaks more to the benefits of sitting behind a QB for a couple years (Rivers is 2nd all time and Steve Young is 3rd - both sat for a lot of years). Rodgers inherited a talented team and started his career already in his prime age and the results have been staggeringly good. In many ways he had a better year in 2009, but his 2010 results are more sustainable. Of course, how can I not mention his insane playoff track record, with four great games (and one admittedly lousy one against Chicago).


5.) DeMarcus Ware, OLB, DAL



He's been in the league six years. He has 80 sacks already. There is no one close to him in terms of pass rushing production over the past six years, and although he's not doubled as much as Freeney, I doubt 93 puts up Ware numbers even then. DeMarcus Ware basically never drops into coverage and why would you make him considering he's the best in the NFL at getting to the quarterback. Ware is also steady against the run. Dallas has whiffed on a lot of early draft picks in recent times but Ware was an easy grand slam.


4.) Andre Johnson, WR, HOU



Because of three missed games his total numbers look like a step back from his dominant 2008-2009 seasons, but Andre Johnson still led the league in yards per game. He averaged over 93.5 yards receiving per game for the fourth straight season. Randy Moss did it once in his career. TO did it twice. Marvin Harrison three times. Same with Torry Holt. More amazingly, none of them ever did it back to back. Andre Johnson's done it back to back to back to back. (Jerry Rice did it 5 times btw, only once back to back). Andre Johnson is historically good.


3.) Haloti Ngata, NT, BAL



Unblockable. He's where Albert Haynesworth was from 2006-2008, only he does it every game and never gets hurt. Ngata had 5.5 sacks and numerous more hits from a 3-4 DT position. He's quick on his feet. He's great at deflecting passes. He's great against the run. He dominates every game he is in. The Ravens defense is really built around four people: Suggs, Lewis, Reed and him and they all have different roles. Ngata is both the youngest and the sturdiest. He's inherited Richard Seymour's role as the perfect 3-4 DE/DT.


And now for the Top 2, and the you know who they are.....................




2.) Tom Brady, QB, NE



Ahh yes, the big debate. Here's my take. The ranking is not based on 2010 alone. Just 2010, yes Brady was the better player. However, at this high in the list the last 3-5 years are taken into acount and when you couple Manning's superior stats over that period it's easy. Brady also is no longer doing those great "intangible" things that once made the argument so awfully intoxicating. He's no longer winning playoff games or playing great in the clutch, he's just putting up stats far better than any of his Super Bowl seasons. Tom Brady will never have that int fluke year again, but he doesn't need it. He just needs to win a playoff game.


1.) Peyton Manning, QB, IND



He lost his 2nd, 3rd and 5th receiving options for long stretches throughout the season. He lost his starting running back for 10 games. He had nine different o-line combinations in front of him and none of them good. The running game was awful. The defense was bad. The Colts still went 10-6 and were 10 seconds away from the divisional round. Because of injuries, if you switched Peyton Manning with Eli, the Colts go 3-13. Manning went 16-1 in games the Colts tried in one year ago. He won MVPs in two of the last three seasons. He just finished a 7 year stretch that dwarfs any such stretch by any QB ever. (from 2003-2009, he had a 102.2 passer rating). One bad three game stretch (the 7 td, 11 pick stretch from the Pats game to the Chargers game) doesn't somehow make everything else irrelevant. He's still the best, the most feared.


Can't wait for the lockout to finally end and the season to start and to see if I was right about some of these rankings.