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NFL Football Players Draft Injuries Rookies Season SuperbowlPublished: July 17, 2009
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1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Adrian “All Day” Peterson is the only halfback to ever be placed in the top five, actually top three, of a position by myself after only one good year at the position. Why, may you ask? Well, it wasn’t because of his decimation of the Cowboys and Bears. It wasn’t because of his record setting day against the Chargers.
It was because he had a collegiate running style that had not ever been actually brought into the NFL; A style where juking, spinning, jumping and twisting were the norm as opposed to last ditch efforts. I hadn’t watched much of him in college, but if this is how he ran then, perhaps that’s why he was often injured. Last year Peterson backed up my gamble of placing him high, but winning the rushing title.
2. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Clinton Portis, for as long as he has been a Washington Redskin has been underrated. I mean, let’s think about this. Clinton Portis has reached 1,700 Yards from scrimmage every year in his career except for two. Of those two, he only played in nine games due to injury in one of them, and in the other he still went for 1,550.
He’s experienced double-digit touchdowns every year of his career except for three. Heck, let’s look at last year in which Portis carried the Redskins team to its victories and how they proceeded to fall apart as soon as he and Chris Samuels went down with injury. In only seven short seasons in the NFL, Portis has produced an outstanding 11,108 Yards from scrimmage and 76 touchdowns from scrimmage, and he’s only 27. Portis’ averages per season are better than some halfback’s best years ever.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Tomlinson is, in fact, approaching that magical number for halfbacks—30. It’s been evident based on the fact that he hasn’t been able to finish the last two seasons as the starting halfback for the Chargers due to injuries as they went into the postseason.
Many will point to Tomlinson’s 3.8 yards per carry as evidence of his decline. However, to this I merely retort that Tomlinson put up 1,500 Total Yards from scrimmage, which is respectable, though no longer top five. However, when one considers the 12 touchdowns From scrimmage he placed, one is fast primed to believe that Tomlinson is still an elite halfback and until he cannot produce 1,500 and 12, he is still a top back.
So it’s pretty intriguing that reports show that Tomlinson has returned to camp at about 90 percent health and should be 100 percent before the start of the season.
4. Frank Gore, San Fransisco 49ers
Frank Gore is incredibly underrated. Outside of Football’s Future, most NFL forums barely have him making the top 10, and rarely do they give him respect because of a lack of touchdown totals. People just don’t seem to get that the 49ers offense in 2007 was one of the worst to ever take an NFL field and he produced almost all their numbers.
Last year they were better, but he still produced most of their numbers. Many will point to three years ago and say that’s the only year Gore has done it. While that season was ridiculous, people need to realize that even since then Gore has averaged 124 Yards from scrimmage per start.
It’s not like he’s not getting it done, it’s just that the 49ers don’t have any great offensive linemen, and they haven’t had any great skill position players until the arrival of Michael Crabtree, and that’s still a huge maybe.
5. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson, like Frank Gore constantly gets that “he hasn’t done it since three years ago” argument, but like Frank Gore people fail to realize that Steven Jackson, when healthy enough to play, averages well over 100 yards from scrimmage per game, which is what you look for in an NFL halfback.
Not to mention he averages nearly nine touchdowns per season over his career. But what makes Jackson so good is an amazing blend of power and speed, combined with a deadly stiff arm, that allows him to keep making plays even though the Rams offensive line has been in shambles his entire career. Want proof of him making plays without help from the line? Just look at the Atlanta game.
6. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Ahh…Highway 36. I have like 90 nicknames for this guy because he’s just that good. NFL teams have like 90 nicknames for BWest36 as well. My favorite one? 22 eyes on 36. It means that both eyes of all 11 defenders should be looking at Westbrook at various points throughout the play, and definitely pre-snap.
Westbrook is the ultimate matchup problem as he can run well, catch from flanker, split end or slot position, and can block well too. What Westbrook will do on any given play will determine what your defense can do. There are only about four or five linebackers that have coordinators who trust them enough to cover him for the majority of a game. That’s how good he is.
7. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
The reason Williams is graded so low after receiving my First Team All-Pro bid last year is because he’s only done it for one year. This is a “Top 10 At Your Position” list, not a “Top 10 At Your Position of 2008” list. If one could be taken off the list at the end of the 2009 season, were they truly ever top 10 at their position to begin with?
Anyway, Williams only touched the ball 295 times, which is ridiculously low, and despite that produced over 1,600 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns from Scrimmage. He single-handedly willed the Panthers into the game against the then 9-3 Buccaneers to take first place in the division and then did it again in Week 16 with homefield advantage on the line. One should note, however, that Williams has to split carries though, also effecting his ranking.
8. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Turner suffers from the same thing Williams suffers from. Only one year of production. However, it was a hell of a year, in which he, not Matt Ryan, carried the Falcons’ into a postseason birth.
Want the proof it was him and not Ryan? Check the asininely high 376 rushing attempts. Turner went off for 1,700 Yards and 17 touchdowns last season, which are both amazing totals that had him also making my First Team All-Pro and I also had him as my runner up for Offensive Player of the Year to DeAngelo Williams. With Gonzalez joining the team, his touch and touchdown numbers could dissipate with his yards per carry rising.
9. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Some people are having conniptions because Jones-Drew has ended up on numerous top 10 halfback lists, both real life and fantasy this offseason because he has yet to carry a load by himself. But, Maurice Jones-Drew has carried the ball, whether it be as a runner, receiver, or return man an average of 255 times a season over his three year career in the NFL.
Let’s examine this further. The fact is only 11 halfbacks had more carries than Jones-Drew had touches. In 2006 that number was 12. In 2005 that number was a high 16. So Jones-Drew has been pretty darn close, and despite only playing for three years and having little wear on his body, he’s produced 4,000 yards from scrimmage, 40 touchdowns, and is an excellent all-around back.
10. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Of the impressive rookie class of halfbacks last season, Matt Forte was the only one that stuck out as a guy who could, almost without a doubt, repeat his success. Why is that you say? Well, because Slaton was the fifth option on the Texans and Johnson will be keyed on next year.
Meanwhile, Forte was an all-purpose dream, finishing third in yards from scrimmage, despite being the Bears’ only legitimate rushing threat and receiving threat. That’s right, he was the team’s best wide receiver.
While I don’t think Cutler’s addition will back people off as much as those in Chicago think, it should allow his ypc to breach 4.0 and the ability to catch and block isn’t something you just lose. The ability to put up high rushing totals is, however.
Honorable Mentions:
Steve Slaton, Houston Texans
—Needs to become more than the fourth option in Houston’s offense
—Needs to repeat his success
Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
—Needs to avoid the speedy halfback tradition.
—Needs to repeat his success
Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins
—Needs to put it all together for more than a few games.
Thomas Jones, New York Jets
—Needs to learn to take a game or two over a season.
Published: July 17, 2009
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1.) Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
His understanding of the game of football is unparalleled. I honestly believe it is his success as a quarterback that leads people to believe that Archie was a better quarterback than he actually was, and that Eli Manning is better than he actually is based on last name association. Yardage totals usually mean nothing when judging a QuarterBack in comparison to the completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio and yards per attempt, but when your quarterback has never thrown for less than 3,700 Yards in an 11 year career that is something special. Throughout that career, Manning has a 2-to-1 touchdown:interception ratio. Manning has all that you need and is the franchise quarterback benchmark.
2.) Tom Brady, New England
Whether you like it or not, the stigma attached to a quarterback is win-loss record and Super Bowl appearances and/or won. Brady has high marks in all of those, and it’s because he’s just a natural born leader with a tendency to make his supporting cast look better than it actually is. He has helped make careers for Troy Brown, Deion Branch, and Wes Welker. While I don’t agree with how he achieved his passing record in the year 2007, the fact remains that it is still there. His two Super Bowl MVP trophies and being at the helm of an undefeated regular season also add to his list of accomplishment as a leader and quarterback.
3.) Drew Brees, New Orleans
As previously stated, yardage totals are overrated. It doesn’t matter if you throw for 4,000 yards if it takes 650 Attempts to do such a thing, and you cannot get the ball into the endzone. Luckily, however, for Brees he is pretty good at all things required of a quarterback. He averages 28 touchdown passes per season since his breakout year. Additionally, he and Brady are the only quarterbacks not named Manning to be be a First Team All-Pro since 2002. While I don’t tend to use All-Pro merits as an argument due to the flaws of the previous five or six teams, the quarterback position is the one position they always get right. He too has a 2-to-1 touchdown:interception ratio.
4.) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
Quarterback is the unquestioned leadership position in all 32 NFL lockerrooms. So, when teams draft a quarterback they’re looking for a guy who will lead their team to victories in the pursuit of raising banners. Roethlisberger has helped the Steelers raise three AFC North Champion banners and two World Champion banners. Roethlisberger, however, has managed to put up some good stats as well during this span though. His career 7.9 yards per attempt is amongst the best of all time, and his 2007 season saw a 32-to-11 touchdown-to-interception comparison. But perhaps his most impressive number is 18 Fourth Quarter Comebacks since ’04, four better than the next closest guy.
5.) Philip Rivers, San Diego
In his first two years as a starter, many were eager to somewhat write off his success due to the fact that he had a sure-fire future Hall of Famer in LaDainian Tomlinson in his backfield diminishing his duties. People even pointed to the fact that Rivers was second in yards after cather from receivers over a two, or even three year span. But last year he showed the world what he was capable of as a leader. He showed the world the ability to hit wide receivers in stride, to be a leader in the locker room, and most importantly, to not just fizzle out and then blame your teammates like his former rival. His 2008 season, statistically, has only been done four other times in NFL history, two of those times by the same quarterback!
6.) Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia
Living in Philadelphia, I’ve always loved McNabb, even more so than some of the players on my own team. I would love to place him higher on this list, but the fact that he can be argued as not being the most important piece to the Eagles offense hurts. That withstanding, one could still argue McNabb over Westbrook due to his 2000-2004 performances being accountable for 70 percent of the Eagles’ offense, which is just ridiculous. Not to mention McNabb has a career 2.15-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio showing that it isn’t him that costs his team games like some Eagles fans would like to pretend. His only downfall is accuracy.
7.) Kurt Warner, Arizona
I like Warner, but it is my strong belief that quarterbacks No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6 would outproduce him given the luxury of having Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin as their split end and flanker respectively. I also believe Rivers and Roethlisberger could outproduce him as well, and even if they didn’t, I’d wager the team would manage an additional win or two due to these guys willingness to gut out close games. However, I can’t fully fault him for working with what he has. Warner is an excellent quarterback if you have the wide receivers to complement him, but one also has to remember his New York years in judging him as an overall player.
8.) Tony Romo, Dallas
I frequently visit dozens of football message boards, and the hate this guy gets is amazing. You would have thought that Romo was an known murderer the way people sit back and lay into him for things that other quarterbacks do, but don’t get hated on for. Sure he hasn’t won a post-season game, but neither have Carson Palmer, Jay Cutler, or Aaron Rodgers, who some put above him for some odd reason. Of those guys only Rodgers has a season comparable to Romo’s best. Romo is a gunslinger that makes his offensive line look much better than it is evidenced by the unwarranted Pro Bowl bids in 07.
9.) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
I normally don’t place one-year guys at the top 10 at their respective position, especially for quarterbacks, but Rodgers waited three years on the bench and showed immense maturity during “Favre-Gate 08”. What did he do after Favre left? Only throw for 4,000 Yards, over 25 touchdowns, and then run for a few more, mostly during critical times. That’s why he made it on here. But what Rodgers did that really sold me was shot grit and caring for his team that a lot of starters don’t have. After being told he could very well have a separated shoulder, Rodgers re-entered a game and threaded a needle to Greg Jennings between a linebacker and safety. That aforementioned throw then went onto produce a touchdown.
10.) Carson Palmer, Cincinnati
Carson Palmer is the original Jay Cutler; A guy who had elite talent at every offensive position except for halfback and as a result put up some insanely good numbers. In fact, Palmer’s numbers made Cutler’s look like baby numbers. But what really sold me on Palmer is his understanding of the Xs and Os of football, which allow him to still produce despite no longer having elite talent at both wideout positions, and only one elite offensive lineman. In 2005 and 2006 Palmer looked like the third best quarterback in the NFL. Because of his statistics and his execution of the hurry up offense in Cincinnati. He took them to the post-season in ’05 and would have in ’06 if not for a Santonio Holmes overtime touchdown.
Honorable Mentions:
Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle
~ How much time left?
~ Despite amazing ’07, ’08 was horrid when he did play.
Eli Manning, New York Giants
~ Need more consistency
Jay Cutler, Chicago
~ His best season has to outproduce the top 10 guys best seasons
~ Needs to show better decision making
~ Needs to post a winning season.
Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins
~ Needs to either fight of Chad Henne or become starter elsewhere in 2010.