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. 50 Jahri Evans, Guard, New Orleans Saints: Evans has been a First-Team All-Pro the last three years running. He has never missed a start (96 career games).
No. 49 Darren Sproles, Running Back, New Orleans Saints: In 2011, Sproles led the league in all-purpose yards (2,696). Each year since 2008, he’s finished no worse than fifth in that category. Last year, he had 87 rushes (603 yards and two touchdowns) and 86 receptions (710 yards and seven touchdowns).
No. 48 Mike Wallace, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers: In his first three years, Wallace is averaging 1,069 yards and eight touchdowns per season. In 186 career touches, he lost two fumbles.
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No. 47 Steve Smith, Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers: Smith has been in the league since 2001, and last year was one of his best. He posted the third most receiving yards (1,394) and touchdowns (7) of his career.
No. 46 Steven Jackson, Running Back, St. Louis Rams: Jackson has gained at least 1,000 yards rushing and scored five rushing touchdowns in every NFL season he’s played in (except for his rookie year, when he made just three starts). For his career, he has over 9,000 rushing yards, over 3,000 receiving yards and has scored 60 total touchdowns.
No. 45 Wes Welker, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots: Besides Larry Fitzgerald (28) and Jason Witten (29), Welker is the youngest active player with at least 650 career receptions. In four of the last five seasons, he’s made at least 111 receptions each year.
No. 44 Philip Rivers, Quarterback, San Diego Chargers: Since 2008, Rivers has led a Chargers passing offense that’s finished no worse than seventh each year. Since 2006, when he took over the starting job from Drew Brees, Rivers has averaged 28 touchdown passes per season.
No. 43 Joe Flacco, Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens: Through the first three years of his career, Flacco won four road playoff games (most ever to start a career). He’s been the starting quarterback for each of the Ravens’ 73 games (postseason included) over the last four years. He’s also won 70.8 percent of his games played in the AFC North.
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No. 42 Mario Williams, Defensive End, Buffalo Bills: Williams has recorded eight sacks in his last nine games. From 2006-10, Williams missed just three starts. From 2007-09, he recorded 35 sacks and eight forced fumbles.
No. 41 Greg Jennings, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers: Over the last four seasons, Jennings has averaged 1,155 receiving yards and nine touchdowns a year. At the end of 2010, Jennings held a 5-2 postseason record, including a win in Super Bowl XLV in which he caught four passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
