NFL Network top 100 players of 2012

[david_rocket]

This list is about who are the better players right now or next season (2012), and not about last season (2011).

So here it is the list that they have revealed so far:

Rank Player
31 Eli Manning
32 Jahri Evans
33 Matt Forte
34 Tamba Hali
35 Steve Smith
36 Charles Woodson
37 Steven Jackson
38 Ndamukong Suh
39 Victor Cruz
40 Cam Newton
41 Matthew Stafford
42 Jason Peters
43 Vernon Davis
44 Jason Babin
45 Vonta Leach
46 Champ Bailey
47 Mike Wallace
48 Devin Hester
49 Maurkice Pouncey
50 Peyton Manning
51 Brian Urlacher
52 Von Miller
53 Tony Gonzalez
54 Brian Cushing
55 Patrick Peterson
56 Greg Jennings
57 Trent Cole
58 Jonathan Vilma
59 Jake Long
60 Darren McFadden
61 Philip Rivers
62 Justin Tuck
63 LaMarr Woodley
64 Logan Mankins
65 Roddy White
66 Earl Thomas
67 Joe Staley
68 Elvis Dumervil
69 Carlos Rogers
70 Michael Vick
71 DeSean Jackson
72 Lance Briggs
73 Johnathan Joseph
74 Joe Flacco
75 Jason Witten
76 Carl Nicks
77 A.J. Green
78 Derrick Johnson
79 Nnamdi Asomugha
80 Jordy Nelson
81 Vince Wilfork
82 Joe Thomas
83 Fred Jackson
84 Chris Long
85 NaVorro Bowman
86 Darren Sproles
87 London Fletcher
88 Michael Turner
89 Dwight Freeney
90 Hakeem Nicks
91 Tony Romo
92 John Kuhn
93 Cortland Finnegan
94 Marshawn Lynch
95 Tim Tebow
96 D'Qwell Jackson
97 Donald Penn
98 Willis McGahee
99 Ryan Kalil
100 Chris Johnson

Discuss if the players should be higher, lower or off the list.

[Asian Sensation]

Cruz at 39 and Nicks at at 90? Yea... okay...

[meh]

It's obviously not a truly legitimate list. I doubt most NFL players can even name 100 of their fellow players, and many probably just had someone else google some online rankings mixed in with their own favorite guys. Although I am curious to see the top-10 players.

For a true top-100 list, you'd probably want to interview front offices and get their scouting reports for that, which of course will never happen.

[david_rocket]

21. Rob Gronkowski
22. Ray Rice
23. Wes Welker
24. Jason Pierre Paul
25. Arian Foster
26. Julius Peppers
27. Clay Matthews
28. Frank Gore
29. James Harrison
30. Ben Roethlisberger

Damn, Gronk and Foster definitely should be in the Top 20.

[bladeage]

Originally Posted by david_rocket 21. Rob Gronkowski 22. Ray Rice 23. Wes Welker 24. Jason Pierre Paul 25. Arian Foster 26. Julius Peppers 27. Clay Matthews 28. Frank Gore 29. James Harrison 30. Ben Roethlisberger Damn, Gronk and Foster definitely should be in the Top 20.

I agree, how Foster is as low as 25 is beyond me. I wouldn't put Rice before Foster.

Also Chris Johnson at 100? Wtf?

[aussiejack]

eli should be higher

[crash5179]

Originally Posted by aussiejack eli should be higher

No he shouldn't.

[DaleDoback]

This list is such a joke. Just looking at the QB position.......Vick? Flacco? TEBOW??????

Ok.......what NFL Network employee's 12 year old daughter made this list?

[david_rocket]

Originally Posted by DaleDoback This list is such a joke. Just looking at the QB position.......Vick? Flacco? TEBOW?????? Ok.......what NFL Network employee's 12 year old daughter made this list?

The rankings are based on NFL players voting on their peers based on their belief of how the player will perform the following season.

so the players with their votes, were the ones to make this list.

[DaleDoback]

Originally Posted by david_rocket The rankings are based on NFL players voting on their peers based on their belief of how the player will perform the following season. so the players with their votes, were the ones to make this list.

I guess CTE is a bigger issue than initially thought.........

[The Cat]

Originally Posted by david_rocket The rankings are based on NFL players voting on their peers based on their belief of how the player will perform the following season. so the players with their votes, were the ones to make this list.

Ah - that explains why it's a bad list. Players are the worst to ask for this kind of stuff. There's no perspective. Other than ESPN background drivel (Tebow), these guys focus one week at a time. The Texans only played 13 opponents last year, for example, and they were a team that went deep into the playoffs. Of the 31 other teams, they missed the majority (18). With the 13 teams they did play, most of them they saw a single time. So if a player has a career game, or just happens to have an off day... they don't have the perspective to grasp what it means.

I know there's film study, but the vast majority of that is done by the coaches and scouts in private. They then drill their team accordingly in practices throughout the week. With the exception of quarterbacks and the postseason, there's not THAT much thorough film study that goes on for NFL players. There's just way too much else on their plate to get ready to play a game each and every week. So "lists" like these... are largely based on a combination of ESPN hype, the buddy system (who's most likable/social), small sample sizes and reputation (which many times is representative of where a player was two years ago, not today).

There's a reason sportswriters, not players, vote for awards like MVP... it's because they have a better shot at having a broader perspective of where individual things fit in in the broader context of the NFL. Players are far too focused on specifics to take their opinions seriously on stuff like this.

[plutoblue11]

Originally Posted by DaleDoback This list is such a joke. Just looking at the QB position.......Vick? Flacco? TEBOW?????? Ok.......what NFL Network employee's 12 year old daughter made this list?

Tebow, I agree on, but you don't think Flacco or Vick belong on the list, even though the list has about 12-14 QBs on it.

[DaleDoback]

Originally Posted by plutoblue11 Tebow, I agree on, but you don't think Flacco or Vick belong on the list, even though the list has about 12-14 QBs on it.

Vick maybe. Flacco.....hell no! There are at least 15 to 17 QB's I would put ahead of Flacco. Joe Flacco is not in the Top 10 Baltimore Ravens list.....let alone the NFL top 100.

[plutoblue11]

Originally Posted by DaleDoback Vick maybe. Flacco.....hell no! There are at least 15 to 17 QB's I would put ahead of Flacco. Joe Flacco is not in the Top 10 Baltimore Ravens list.....let alone the NFL top 100.

Aaron Rodgers
Tom Brady
Drew Brees
Peyton Manning
Ben Roethlisberger

Eli Manning
Philip Rivers
Tony Romo
Matt Schuab/Stafford/Ryan
Michael Vick

Cam Newton
Andy Dalton

He's fairly rated for now, though might fall with emergence of Luck and Griffin III.

[plutoblue11]

Originally Posted by plutoblue11 Aaron Rodgers Tom Brady Drew Brees Peyton Manning Ben Roethlisberger Eli Manning Philip Rivers Tony Romo Matt Schuab/Stafford/Ryan Michael Vick Cam Newton Andy Dalton He's fairly rated for now, though might fall with emergence of Luck and Griffin III.

Left out Cutler, by accident.

[ObamaFan]

wheres brandon marshall

[peleincubus]

Demarus Ware # 1 ?

[ubigred]

Reed > Polamalu

[david_rocket]

So I got the list of the top 10 players in the ranking, but not in order.

- Demarcus Ware
- Haloti Ngata
- Patrick Willis
- Darrelle Revis
- Calvin Johnson
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Adrian Peterson
- Drew Brees
- Aaron Rodgers
- Tom Brady

[TheAce]

6 offensive 4 defensive players.

My rankings:

Defensive players:
1a) Patrick Willis
1b) Demarcus Ware
2) Darelle Revis
3) Haloti Ngata

Offensive players:
1a) Tom Brady
1b) Aaron Rodgers
2) Drew Brees
3) Calvin Johnson
4) Larry Fitzgerald
5) Adrian Peterson