Depending on who you ask, you’ll hear anyone from Tom Brady to (although he didn’t play a single snap last year) Peyton Manning. Or some may even suggest Eli Manning, the defending Super Bowl MVP.
Even when the players voted on the ‘Top 100 Players of 2012‘ there wasn’t a unanimous decision. While it’s almost impossible to qualify what makes a player the best, it’s still worth a shot.
Quarterbacks have to know not only their own responsibilities on every play, but also the responsibilities of every offensive player. Especially in today’s NFL, teams rise and fall according to the play of their quarterback.
Are wins more important than stats? Are stats more important than wins? Should a great player be looked at less favorably because he plays on a good team? Are sacks more important than taking up double teams? What do you say about a player who has a bad regular season and a successful postseason, or vice versa? How important is past versus projected success?
All those questions are asked when evaluating the top players in the NFL. While they’re all valid, to me the main question to ask when determining who’s the best is: Would you trust this player with the game on the line?
That said, I’ve come up with a list of who I believe to be the top 100 players in the NFL today.
*These rankings are based on what a player is capable of doing at their fullest potential (assuming each player is 100 percent healthy).
No. 70 Maurkice Pouncey, Center, Pittsburgh Steelers: In his rookie season (2010), Pouncey started each one of the Steelers’ 18 games (playoffs included) before missing Super Bowl XLV due to a broken left ankle. He also made the Pro Bowl that year.
No. 69 Jason Babin, Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles: In Babin’s first eight NFL seasons, he played for five different teams and totaled 30 sacks. Last year with the Eagles, Babin recorded 18 sacks (third-best in the league).
No. 68 Trent Cole, Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles: Cole has notched double-digit sack outputs in each of the last three seasons (33.5 total).
Courtesy: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
No. 67 Tony Gonzalez, Tight End, Atlanta Falcons: Gonzalez is second on the all-time receptions list (1,149), 11th on the all-time receiving yards list (13,338) and ninth on the all-time receiving touchdowns list (95). Over the last two seasons, Gonzalez has made 150 receptions and 13 touchdowns (along with two Pro Bowls).
No. 66 Tony Romo, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys: From 2009-11, Romo averaged a 66.3 percent completion percentage and has thrown for a total of 68 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
No. 65 DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles: In just two games last season did Jackson have a per catch average of less than 10 yards. For his career, Jackson has averaged 17.81 yards per reception (fourth among active players).
No. 64 Clay Matthews, Outside Linebacker, Green Bay Packers: Although Matthews only had six sacks last season, he posted career-highs in interceptions (3) and forced fumbles (3). He’s also made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons.
No. 63 Logan Mankins, Guard, New England Patriots: Two years ago, Mankins was a First-Team All-Pro, despite playing in only nine games. Prior to that, he had started every game the Patriots played for five straight seasons.
Courtesy: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
No. 62 Vonta Leach, Fullback, Baltimore Ravens: Leach has been named the NFL’s best fullback for two consecutive years (First-Team All-Pro). In that time, he’s blocked for the league’s second-highest rusher (Ray Rice, 2011) and the league’s leading rusher (Arian Foster, 2010).
No. 61 Marshawn Lynch, Running Back, Seattle Seahawks: 2011 was the best season of Lynch’s six-year career. He ran for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also catching 28 passes for 212 yards.
