NFL Network has finished their countdown of the top 100 players. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were #1 and #2 respectively. It's difficult to argue their presence at the top. It's a quarterback-driven league and they are the best. Personally, I'd switch the order. Vikings' runningback Adrian Peterson at #3 was nice to see. I have always thought that the players had a greater appreciation of him than the media and the fans. The players know that tackling Peterson is no treat.
It's difficult to question any rankings made by the players. If bias is removed, they simply know best. There were four rankings that really did surprise me. It's difficult to ever question a very high ranking for Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis. He's been an amazing football player for a long time. One of the best of all time. His play has declined slightly. Enough that I was surprised that he was at #4. I think that New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is a top-5 player. In a passing league, he routinely shuts down half of the field. #8 seems low. San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis is phenomenal. His uniform number isn't the only thing that draws comparisons to Ray Lewis. He is ascending, but I was still surprised that he only came in at #23. The ranking that surprised me the most was way down at #83. Tamp Bay receiver Mike Williams had a great rookie year last year. That is not enough, and he certainly shouldn't rank ahead of his excellent QB Josh Freeman.
It was fun watching this list unveiled each week. The media routinely crams their inaccurate thoughts down our throats. It was nice to see the more accurate thoughts of the players. It was nice to see what they thought of each other. While I'd like to see more than two Vikings (Peterson and Jared Allen) on this list, last year killed any chance of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment