The "Real" Top 10 Players in the NFL

by Alfie Crow on Jul 5, 2011 10:56 AM EDT in Jacksonville Jaguars News

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with Ed The Sportsfan, but he runs a nice blog. We've conversed quite a bit on Twitter and I've even been a guest on his weekly "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" podcast. As it so happens, Ed is a Jacksonville Jaguars fan.

When Ed noticed the NFL started cataloging the 100 best players of all-time, he was captivated. Further, when he noticed that the NFL started surveying their players on who the 100 best players in the NFL currently are, it gave him life. The NFL Network over the last ten weeks have been breaking down the list from 100-11. This past Sunday, they announced the final ten. He knew he was going to disagree with it, and I knew he wasn't going to be the only one who felt that way.

So he decided to ask the people to help him with his own list. I was one of those people.

Read our results over on his blog, Ed The Sportsfan, The People's Top 10 Players in the NFL.

What are your thoughts on the top 10?

Here was my Top 10 list submission:

Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Julius Peppers
DeMarcus Ware
Ryan Clady
Adrian Peterson
Nnamdi Asmomugha
Calvin Johnson
Aaron Rodgers
Patrick Willis

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Troy Polamalu had his day

but those days are over. He’s never going to be fully healthy again and he’s even admitted he doesn’t roam the way he used to in their defense.

Not taking anything away from his career, but he’s not a top-10 player any longer…

Here's hoping we have NFL football in 2011

by pksiv on Jul 5, 2011 11:09 AM EDT reply actions

I was baffled at how Arian Foster was ahead of MJD. The dude had ONE good year at RB and people are saying he is a top 25 player? C’mon man

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by floridafalcons#63 on Jul 5, 2011 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

Remember, the ratings were for that ONE good year.

by Conservative on Jul 5, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Yet

They always speak of every players body of work, how didnt m. Lewis get on there? Yet he was at the pro bowl and was at the top of the list of stats for tight ends, and they put tony gonzo on there done on now, that list was pure garbage

by amujic32 on Jul 5, 2011 11:41 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Better yet

Tony romo made the list after being out how long last year? Josh cribbs on there and devin hester that high, did I miss something they did last year?

by amujic32 on Jul 5, 2011 11:46 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Most NFL players didn't go to school on academic scholarships.

The list was good for exactly what it was – the players’ opinions of the best players of 2010.

by Conservative on Jul 5, 2011 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea my point is its garbage

I’m sure u have ur take on it but foster should be ahead of drew if its based off of one year but my point is that it isnt, half the players on there are based on their carrer as a whole, like mcnabb, no way hes in the top 100

by amujic32 on Jul 5, 2011 2:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Here's my takeaway and it kind of goes against floridafalcon

This was a list of the Top 100 players of 2011. Not current active players throughout their career. When you rank movies, you don’t say, well, Eddie Murphy was hilarious in Trading Places, so I’ll put the Klumps in the top movies of 2000 whatever based on past reputation. No way man!

When I saw who they selected for #100 I knew the list was a bunch of BS anyway. Honestly, can anyone make a case that McNabb had a better 2011 than did our own David Garrard? Bear in mind I am not saying that Garrard deserves to be top 100, but there were so many players who had better years, and quite a few guys who ranked where they were based on past exploits.

So, in effect, Arian Foster was a better player than MJD in 2011, the stats bear it out.

In my view, who was the top 10 in 2011?

T. Brady
J. Peppers
D. Revis
P. Manning
C. Matthews
Calvin Johnson
M. Vick
Calvin Johnson
Aaron Rodgers
Andre Johnson

by Joe Fisher on Jul 5, 2011 11:35 AM EDT reply actions

damn edit (put Calvin Johnson twice)

T. Brady
J. Peppers
D. Revis
P. Manning
C. Matthews
Calvin Johnson
M. Vick
James Harrison
Aaron Rodgers
Andre Johnson

by Joe Fisher on Jul 5, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Just based on last year?

Brady
Manning
Andre Johnson
Revis
Vick
Calvin Johnson
Julius Peppers
Aaron Rodgers
Ed Reed
Brees

Fidelis Ad Mortem

by JPQ! on Jul 5, 2011 12:07 PM EDT reply actions

Brees was not top 10 last year

by Dawool Huh on Jul 6, 2011 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions

Without him the Saints are a 5 win team

As it is, they made the Wildcard with no running game. We constantly criticize our QB because the knock is he needs the supporting cast around him in order to give us a chance to win. Brees, Brady, Manning, Ben, and others do it at a high level with as much if not more adversity than we have,

Counts for something.

by Joe Fisher on Jul 6, 2011 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh don't get me wrong

He’s easily a top 5 QB in the league but he had somewhat of a down year last year. Definite top 20, I don’t believe he was top 10 though. I’ll take Ware over Brees in that list any day

by Dawool Huh on Jul 6, 2011 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions

The way I looked at this top 100 list, and this may just be me

Is a mixture of all factors. Not only how they performed last season, but also looking beyond and into next season. And of course body of work is going to be a factor as well when the players are ranking. Respect and past performance isn’t going to be eliminated, which is I’m sure how McNabb got in there. Throughout his career McNabb has been a very respected QB by other players, especially among defensive players.

So what I’m saying is I don’t think McNabb should have been on the list, but I can see how it happened when other players were doing the rankings.

As a sidenote, many forget the word “player” in the title. For example in my opinion Desean Jackson is a better player than Roddy White, but it is pretty much fact that Roddy White is a better receiver than Desean Jackson.

Personally my list looks like this, involving all those factors.

1. Tom Brady
2. CJ2K
3. Peyton Manning
4. Adrian Peterson
5. Revis Island
6. Andre Johnson
7. James Harrison
8. Jullius Peppers
9. Mike Vick
10. Calvin Johnson

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by Bestjagfan on Jul 5, 2011 4:11 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Obviously this is the right list

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady
4. Adrian Peterson
5. Revis
6. Peppers
7. Calvin Johnson
8. MJD
9. CJ2K
10. Patrick Willis
I got Calvin instead of Andre because despite Calvin having nothing around him he’s had great production.
Peppers deserves to be high like this because he has the ability to the best pass rusher and even the best run stuffer at DE. That’s like having Dwight Freeney and Haloti Ngata in one package.
MJD is above CJ2K because despite the team having its ups and downs he been consistently good. And people forget that he’s a great receiver, blocker, runner inside and out, short yardage runner, big play runner(COP), AND he’s a great returner.

by Ewdtrey on Jul 6, 2011 4:02 PM EDT reply actions