We’ve had a week to percolate on our findings with the NFL Network’s Annual Top 100 Players revue and now it’s time to finally address how the players did in determining the 10 best players in the league. As usual, I have some thoughts.
It’s remarkable again that we have two players here, in the Top 10, that weren’t on the list last season. For one guy, it’s understandable since he was a rookie in 2016. For the other, it really shows how ridiculous this list is on its face. Still, we all watched it and have no one to blame other than the NFL players and ourselves.
10. Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 69.9 completion percentage, 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions
Yep. That’s right. The 2016 NFL MVP was unranked last season. A season where he completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,591 yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 picks. Ryan has, unquestionably, been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since his third season. He has six straight 4,000-plus yard seasons and has tossed 26 or more touchdowns six times. I’ve said all season that quarterbacks are undervalued on this list because (I’d bet) not a lot of them care or vote. I can’t see Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady sitting there with that little clipboard filling out a sheet. Can you? Coming in at No. 10 isn’t a bad spot for Ryan, but I’ve got to believe if he’d won the Super Bowl he’d be No. 1. This is what you get for blowing it, Matt. Hope it stings.
9. Le’Veon Bell, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
Last year: No. 41
2016: 261 carries, 1,268 yards, seven touchdowns, 75 receptions, 616 yards, two touchdowns
Bell is the perfect example of a guy that can continue to cause trouble, but no one seems to bat an eye because of his talent. He’s been suspended multiple times, including three games in 2016 and still put up those numbers. The Steelers’ offense has two players in the Top 10 of this list and Bell is probably the more important of the two because of the match-up problems he presents. These are Roger Craig and Ricky Watters-type numbers in an offense that keeps him on the field. Bell was hit with the franchise tag and may have to play on it this season as the Steelers weigh the value of his long term contract vs the possible year suspension that’s heading his way if he screws up again. I want to see 16 games out of Bell. So does your fantasy team.
8. Odell Beckham Jr., Wide Receiver, New York Giants
Last year: No. 10
2016: 101 catches, 1,367 yards, 10 touchdowns
Here’s something I want you to think about when you look at Beckham Jr.’s numbers for 2016. That touchdown total? A career low. That’s right. The man has scored double-digit touchdowns every single year he’s been in the league. The three wideouts here in the Top 10 are the three current best, there’s no question. Where they land among those three probably has a lot to do with who is doing the ranking, but for my money, OBJ is the best in the game and that is no slight on the other two guys.
7. Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 322 carries, 1,631 yards, 15 touchdowns, 32 catches, 363 yards, one touchdown
Would I rank Elliott above Bell? That’s an interesting question because the Cowboys got a full season out of Elliott and the worst problem the kid had was jumping into a giant Salvation Army pot on Christmas and finding shirts that fit. Elliott was also a rookie, so you’ve got to think this is just the beginning for him.
6. Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay Packers
Last year: No. 4
2016: 65.7 completion percentage, 4,428 yards, 40 touchdowns, seven interceptions
There was a time early last year that people wondered if something was wrong with Aaron Rodgers. There were issues with the offense and head coach Mike McCarthy even had his name tossed around as potentially a guy who could lose his job at the end of the season. Then the second half playoff stretch started and everybody shut that up. While I’m still not sold on McCarthy (and wonder how much of his “success” is simply having one of the best QBs in the universe on the roster), Rodgers silenced all doubters.
5. Khalil Mack, Defensive End, Oakland Raiders
Last year: No. 13
2016: 73 tackles, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three passes defended, one interception, one defensive touchdown
It’s funny to look back at Mack’s rookie year now. It was decent, his tackles were fine and he had four sacks, but since then he’s recorded 26. That’s a significant uptick in performance and shows you, more than anything, the value pairing coaching with natural talent.
4. Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
Last year: No. 4
2016: 106 catches, 1,284 yards, 12 touchdowns
Brown lands at the same spot he did last year after another stellar season. And, again, like OBJ, his numbers were down. Brown is a guy that caught 136 passes in 2015 and 129 in 2014. These 106 catches are his lowest total since 2012. Same for his yardage. He and the team must have been really disappointed.
3. Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Atlanta Falcons
Last year: No. 8
2016: 83 catches, 1,409 yards, six touchdowns
Jones slides in as the top-ranked wideout on the list this season. Like I said earlier, there are arguments to be made at the order of the top three guys (OBJ, Brown and Jones), but not the fact that these men have separated themselves from their peers. Jones put up those numbers last season in spite of never being fully healthy, dealing with a nagging turf toe injury all year.
2. Von Miller, Outside Linebacker, Denver Broncos
Last year: No. 15
2016: 78 tackles, 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three passes defended
Von Miller was Broncos GM John Elway’s first draft pick. I remember thinking when they turned in that card, “Elway remembers how difficult it was to go against Lawrence Taylor so he’s drafted him one.” Now, seven years later all I can say is, “Yep. I called it.” Miller is a sack machine but that’s not all the man can do as he proved time and time again in coverage and playing a legit outside linebacker role when called upon. He’s the best at his position and maybe one of the best all time. His only season without double-digit sacks was the one he tore his ACL.
1. Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots
Last year: No. 2
2016: 67.4 completion percentage, 3,554 yards, 28 touchdowns, two interceptions
This is what winning a fifth Super Bowl will get you. Look at what you did, Matt Ryan. I figured Brady was No. 1 the whole way and there’s no way to argue against it. He’s staked a legitimate claim at this point, regardless of any nefarious actions by his team or himself, to being the best quarterback of all time. So we all just have to live with it now. Thanks, Falcons.
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