Top 101 of 2010

In recent days I’ve done some articles looking at players some felt were either dropped too far down my top 101 players, or were criminally overlooked.
 
Now it’s time to look at the guys some have said are overrated and where better to start than right up at the top with the player who finished at No. 2 on my rankings. San Francisco 49er, Justin Smith.
 
I understand some of the arguments as to why people doubt Smith belongs that high. That he plays for a failing franchise. That he plays in a position that isn’t that valuable. That he doesn’t have the stats to back up a ranking that high.
 
Well to that I say you’ve missed the point. So what if a guy plays for a bad team, that shouldn’t take away from an honest look at his individual performance. It hasn’t stopped Nnamdi Asomugha from being one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and didn’t stop Barry Sanders going down as an all time great. Read the rest of this entry »

Among all the hullabaloo (who knew that was a real word) over a certain quarterback ranking so low, there was another mini controversy brewing: somehow Darrelle Revis didn’t make the list.
 
Unlike my follow up on Tom Brady, the Revis response was a little trickier. You see, I started to doubt myself a little. Was I too harsh on Revis? Was I counting what I’d come to expect from him against him?
 
Let me open by saying that it was a travesty that he didn’t win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009. You probably won’t find a better season for a cornerback than what Revis had that year. Outside of perhaps Nnamdi Asomugha, there isn’t another player in the league capable of manning up with a team’s top receiver, shutting them down, and scaring quarterbacks the way he does.
 
But even the most ardent Revis fan would have to admit his 2010 year wasn’t up to the level of his remarkable third season. Read the rest of this entry »

In my list of my top 101 players of the 2010 season, the inevitable happened. One pick stood out from the rest, provoking a fury from some fans in Boston.
 
Tom Brady at number 33.
 
The league MVP. The man who led his team to the best record in football. The quarterback who threw only four interceptions to go with his 36 regular season touchdowns and 3900 yards.
 
No. 33?  Really? Read the rest of this entry »

So here we are. The top twenty. The guys who in my opinion played their positions better than any other.

We’ve already seen players like Tom Brady, Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger drop in a list that does its best not to over value quarterbacks, leaving us with a top twenty that features just four passers. It also features players from teams who owned the first three picks in the draft, which goes to show you that even if you’re team sucks, it doesn’t mean you have to.

The pieces leading to this point can be found here: 101 to 81, 80 to 61, 60 to 41, 40 to 21.

So, this marks the end of my journey to my best player of the 2010 season. A journey that was filled with controversy and struggles in trying to weigh players at different positions against each other.

Without further ado … Read the rest of this entry »

Just two more parts to go in my list of the top 101 NFL players from 2010 and this list contains possibly the most controversial selection so far.
 
He would be number one or two for a lot of people, but in a world of comparing how much one player was asked to do and the relative impact you can make at each position, he was never going to do that well for me.
 
Read on to find out who. And, if so inclined, check out the 101 to 81, 80 to 61 and 60 to 41 pieces to see who else has made the list. Read the rest of this entry »

Two down and three to go as we work our way to my top NFL player from the 2010 season. Last time out we saw the pick of Michael Vick surprise more than a fair few, and this time out the surprises – dipped in logic – will keep coming.

If you missed the first part, then you can find it here. While part two is also just a click away.

Otherwise sit back, enjoy, and debate today’s twenty. There’s bound to be some disagreement with such a subjective task as cross-comparing players at different positions, and this version has left a defensive player of the year candidate outside the top 50.

But let’s be honest, you have to be pretty good to get this far anyway right? Read the rest of this entry »

With the first installment in the books, No.’s 80 to 61 are up next and as you’d expect, the quality is really starting to pick up.

In this group we’ll see a guy who is on the cover of Madden, a Defensive Rookie of the Year and an All Pro or two. And, while the first set was heavy on linebackers, you’ll find the men that play in front of them to be well represented here.

Remember these are the views of one man, and not necessarily of Pro Football Focus. Read the rest of this entry »

On April 30th, the NFL is going to begin airing its Top 100 Players of 2011 as voted on by the players themselves. It will be an interesting show for sure, and as always, we can count on a great presentation by NFL Films, but it’ll be one list I personally will be taking with a pinch of salt.

I’ve found that end of year awards and top-whatever lists tend to reward those who get themselves on the most highlight reels or play at the glamour positions. They don’t tend to look at the guys who facilitate big plays through consistent, solid work all year round. We’ll see if the players fall into this trap when judging their peers.

It’s easy for me to deride a list from a far. So, in order to substantiate my claims, I, Khaled Elsayed (@PFF_Khaled on twitter for those who want to send abuse my way) am putting out my own list: the top players from the 2010 season. It won’t take into account anything that has happened before or since, and be forewarned, it’s going to include some selections that may be head scratching. But, that’s the beauty of these things, right? Read the rest of this entry »