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. 39 Brian Cushing, Outside Linebacker, Houston Texans: Cushing recorded 114 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles last year for the NFL’s second-ranked defense. He won the NFL AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2009 (his best season: 133 tackles, 10 passes defensed, four sacks, four interceptions and two forced fumbles).
No. 38 Jake Long, Tackle, Miami Dolphins: As the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, Long made an immediate impact in Miami. He’s made the Pro Bowl every season since he entered the league and was a First-Team All-Pro in 2010. He’s started every game for the Dolphins since 2008, with the exception of Weeks 15 and 17 of the 2011 season (back injury).
No. 37 James Harrison, Outside Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers: Since the Steelers’ Super Bowl run in 2008, Harrison has dominated the opposition, recording 339 tackles, 45.5 sacks and 20 forced fumbles in 56 games. Besides winning the Super Bowl in 2008, Harrison also won the NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year award.
No. 36 Cam Newton, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers: Although the Panthers went 6-10 in 2011, Newton did his fair share in his rookie season. He threw for over 4,000 yards and ran for over 700 yards and 14 touchdowns (most rushing touchdowns ever by a quarterback).
No. 35 Matt Forte, Running Back, Chicago Bears: Forte has gained at least 1,400 scrimmage yards in each of his first four seasons (including 2011 in which he only played 13 games). He is tied for second-youngest (26) on the active list of yards from scrimmage (6,218 yards).
Courtesy: Associated Press
No. 34 Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Denver Broncos: Although Manning didn’t take a single snap in 2011, he set personal records for completed passes in 2009 (393) and again in 2010 (450). From 2003-06, he threw for a total of 137 touchdowns against just 39 interceptions (Manning won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts after the 2006 season).
No. 33 Charles Woodson, Cornerback, Green Bay Packers: Woodson is a two-time NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year (1998, 2009). Since 2009, he’s made three Pro Bowls and was named a First-Team All-Pro twice (2009, 2011). Since he joined the Packers in 2006, he’s started each of the 93 games he’s played.
No. 32 LaMarr Woodley, Outside Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers: Woodley made nine sacks in 10 games during 2011. For his career, he’s made 48 sacks in 57 starts. From Week 5 to Week 8 of 2011, Woodley had four consecutive games of more than one sack (he left the Week 8 game versus New England with a hamstring injury).
No. 31 Frank Gore, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers: Gore ranks 23rd on the all-time career rushing yards per game list (76.3), and is sixth on the active list. In 2011, Gore put up the second most rushing attempts (282), rushing yards (1,211) and rushing touchdowns (8) of his seven-year career.
Courtesy: sportspowerweekends.com
No. 30 Victor Cruz, Wide Receiver, New York Giants: Although 2010 was his rookie season (in which he played in three games but didn’t make a reception), 2011 was Cruz’s introduction to the NFL. Even though he started just seven games, he caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards (18.7 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns. Cruz caught four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown in the Giants win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI (21-17).
