Top 5 skill position players in NFL

[Guest Vitamin X]

I was going to make this originally just a top 5 quarterbacks poll, but then I thought about some other ones I wanted to include and decided to just make it for all skill position players (meaning any position that doesn't play on the offensive or defensive line or special teams in football). Some of my choices may be a bit surprising. Keep in mind I'm also judging on the individual's talent and maximum potential, not just what they did or didn't accomplish this season, so my Pro Bowl ballot obviously looks a lot different than this (and same for quite a few people, I'd imagine)

 

Top 5 QB's

5. Chad Pennington, Jets- When healthy, Chad is an extremely intelligent, athletic quarterback who usually makes good decisions with the ball. He's had too many injury problems to keep him from going higher.

4. Brett Favre, Packers- While his INT-TD ratio is Plummer-like, there are two intangibles with Favre that few have: Leadership ability and the fastest throw in the league. Rarely do you ever see someone put the same zip on the ball that Brett often does, and with ease. He can lose a game as much as he can win a game for you, though, which is why I wouldn't rank him any higher. Whoever takes over for Brett will have a hell of a time filling in, again not because of the athletic ability, but because of the leadership ability; it'll be tough for the team to accept someone else other than #4 at QB.

3. Tom Brady, Pats- The second coming of Joe Montana comparisons are somewhat justified. Montana was a QB who played on a stacked team and could always get it done in crunch time, in no due part to great coaching. It's much the same thing with Brady, who also has an extremely underrated arm.

2. Peyton Manning, Colts- Duh. The second coming of Dan Marino, and I think even Marino would agree. His inability to move around the pocket keeps him from being #1, but then again QB play is 85% mental, and this is the smartest QB in the league.

1. Daunte Culpepper, Vikings- A bit surprising, but I chose him over Manning based on the season Culpepper's had. Everyone's been talking about Peyton racking up TD's, but what about Culpepper's stats? He finished just behind Manning in QB Rating (110.9 to Peyton's 121.1), finished tops in yardage (4,717), and just second behind Manning in TD's with 39. Not to mention it's tough to bring him down when he runs with the ball, and would be even scarier if the Vikings had a better o-line this season (sacked 46 times, tied with Michael Vick, and just behind David Carr's 49). He's also substantially improved over every single year he's played, so he just keeps on getting better as well. Oh, and the season numbers bear mentioning that he was without his #1 target for a few weeks as well.

 

It was tough for me deciding between Pennington and McNabb in the 5 spot, but McNabb's arm tends to wear down the more he passes the ball, and isn't as effective running the ball for all the times he scrambles. It was pretty tough deciding though. At one point, we had a topic here in which we'd ask what QB would I build a franchise around out of the current crop, and I picked McNabb initially, but that was before watching him and these other guys play. I chose him mainly on his leadership and youth, but these 5 guys (aside from Old Man Brett) have much more of both of those things, certainly from what I've seen in the past couple seasons.

 

Since the QB thing has the most debate around it, I put the most discussion into it. I'll just list off the other ones.

 

Top 5 RB's

5. Curtis Martin, Jets- Mr. Consistency had the NFL rushing title this year. By 1 yard, as Shaun Alexander will remind us. Has always been a great, but never STELLAR back. I found one silly amazing though, and that was that he became the only NFL rushing title winner to not have broken off a run of over 25 yards (his longest all year was 22), but still maintained his YPC at 4.6. That's exactly what you want from your running back.

4. Edgerrin James, Colts- He'll be much appreciated somewhere else where they'll realize his combination of strength and speed as well as his receiving ability.

3. Jamal Lewis, Ravens- Yeah so he didn't have quite as stellar as season this go around. Injuries plus legal troubles kept that from happening, but he'll make a strong return next year.

2. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks- Catching or running, he can score either way. Was second in the league in TD's

1. LaDanian Tomlinson, Chargers- You can't dispute this one. Seriously.

 

I'd put in Ahman Green right at #6, but could be as high as #2 or #3 if he proves that this year's fumbling problem and disappointing performance was just an aberration.

 

Top 5 WR's

5. Isaac Bruce/Torry Holt, Rams- One of two multiple receivers I'll put on this list, because I think one compliments the other nicely. Was only surpassed in yards this year by Walker/Driver and Harrison/Wayne/Stokley, and have the experience and talent necessary to be dangerous anytime Martz isn't having one of his idiot days (which seems to be 9 out of 17 times so far this year).

4. Javon Walker, Packers- Finally got it all together this year, as he was making the easy and tough catches as opposed to one but not the other, and finished in the top ten in yards, TD's, and catches.

3. Terrell Owens, Eagles- Sucks to be an Eagles fan in the playoffs. With T.O., the Eagles are one of the best offenses in the NFL. Without him, they revert back to average/above-average. We'll see this Sunday, though.

2. Randy Moss, Vikings- Talent and class don't always mix. Few in the league, if anyone (maybe Vick), are faster than him, makes catches in crunch time, and can leap over anyone.

1. Harrison/Wayne/Stokley, Colts- I can't figure out which one to pick, so I'll just lump all 3 of them together and call them the best receiving trio since Carter/Reed/Moss on the `98 Vikings. Hard to argue against since all 3 had over 1,000 yards and 10 TD's.

 

I'll do defense some other time. This should be enough for now.

[Ripper 0]

Mcnabb ought to be over Farve and Pennington. As a matter of fact, I would take Vick over Pennington, since we are judging on talent and maximum potential also.

 

I would go:

 

 

1: Culpepper

 

2: Manning

 

3: McNabb

 

4: Vick

 

5: Brady

 

 

yeah...right there.

[the pinjockey 0]

I'll do a bigger write up in a little bit but off the top of my head

 

1. Manning

2. McNabb

3. Culpepper - if he can cut down on the turnovers he jumps to 2

4. Brady

5. Vick -if we are going on potential as well, he has to be in the 5-7 area and he is the one jumping into my head at this point.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I snuffed Vick based on his reliance to run the ball. Until he shows me that he can pass as well as he runs, then I'll be keeping him out of the top 5. He has a great arm, but he doesn't use it as often as he should, which indicates that his head's not quite in it as much as it should be for a QB, or that he's just not patient enough. Both are terrible qualities.

 

3. Culpepper - if he can cut down on the turnovers he jumps to 2

Daunte only threw 1 more pick than Manning did and eliminated his fumbling problem from last year. Also had the second highest completion percentage in the league behind..guess who? BRIAN GRIESE~ (69.2% to Griese's 69.3%.. although to be fair, Griese played in 5 less games than Culpepper did, and Manning is right on Culpepper's tail with a 67.6%)

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Top 5 QB's

1. Peyton Manning

2. Daunte Culpepper

3. Donovan McNabb

4. Tom Brady

5. Michael Vick/Brett Favre(Favre when he's on, Vick when Favre's off)

 

Top 5 RB's

1. Ladanian Tomlinson

2. Shaun Alexander

3. Jamal Lewis

4. Tiki Barber

5. Edgerrin James

 

Top 5 WR's

1. Terrell Owens

2. Randy Moss

3. Marvin Harrison

4. Chad Johnson

5. Javon Walker

[the pinjockey 0]

I was comparing Culpepper to McNabb in the turnover department as he threw three more picks and fumbled three more times (lost 2 more).

[Guest Vitamin X]

No, actually McNabb fumbled 8 times and lost 6 whereas Culpepper fumbled 9 times and lost 4 of them. Culpepper also had 8 more TD's to make up for those 3 extra INT's. And a much better completion percentage, even with T.O. (and the absence of Moss in the Vikings offense). McNabb was also under a lot less pressure, sacked 14 less times. I think this is in part because of idiotic playcalling on Tice's behalf, they showed a graphic during the Packers/Vikings game this past week that even though the Vikings have one of the better rushing averages in the league as a team, they for some reason, also have one of the fewer rushing attempts as well, which doesn't make sense since they have a great back (Michael Bennett) and two serviceable backs (Mo Williams and Onterrio Smith), kind of like the Packers do, actually.

[Ripper 0]

I snuffed Vick based on his reliance to run the ball. Until he shows me that he can pass as well as he runs, then I'll be keeping him out of the top 5. He has a great arm, but he doesn't use it as often as he should, which indicates that his head's not quite in it as much as it should be for a QB, or that he's just not patient enough. Both are terrible qualities.

You can't be two sided here and say that and then defend Culpepper by saying he has less protection thus gets sacked in another post. Vick was the second most sacked QB in the league. And once again, VICK RUNS BECAUSE HE CAN. But on potential and RESULTS, I think you would be hard pressed to take vick out of the Top 5. Cause if we are talking about peoples heads being where it should, you might need to take a look at farve cause that is one bad decision making muh-fucker.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Where's the Corey Dillon love?

 

I'd have chosen Dillon over Martin even before CD became a Patriot.

[Guest Vitamin X]

First of all it's Favre, not Farve. Second of all, take a look at Vick's PASSING stats: He's managed a 78.1 QB rating, tied with Tim Rattay of the Niners, and sandwiched in between his cousin Aaron Brooks' 79.5 and Joey Harrington's 77.5 rating. You want to talk about bad decision making? How about Vick's 14-12 TD-INT ratio? But both Vick and Favre have the ability to win games for their team as much as lose them, just that Favre does them more with his head and arm than Vick who does it with his instinct and legs. Atlanta wins with Vick in the lineup because of his ability to run, but he still can't throw the ball. Any speedy cover-2 defense can contain Vick; look at the `02 Bucs. The Falcons are winning this year primarily because of their rushing attack (although yes that includes Vick), which leads the league at 167 yards per game. Force Vick to throw and it's a different story.

[the pinjockey 0]

You are right on the fumble numbers, as what I saw were the fumbles while rushing. But I still stay by the point, as in his career Culpepper has fumbled 33 times in 430 attempts rushing compared to McNabb's 14 in 390 attempts. And McNabb had the lowest interception rate this season of any QB other than Kurt Warner, who only played half the season.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

QBs:

 

1. Manning

2. McNabb

3. Culpepper

4. Pennington

5. Hasselbeck

 

 

I know people are going to question the inclusion of Hasselbeck, but just let me say this... I had him on my fantasy team this year and was able to watch him for most of the season. The guy just makes plays. I think that it is well documented that his receivers are horrible, and I say that if he did have even decent ones no one would even blink at him being on this list.

 

RBs:

 

1. Priest Holmes (assuming healthy)

2. LT

3. Alexander

4. Jamal Lewis

5. Edgerrin James

 

Not really anything to discuss here. If I took into account Holmes' recent injury status I would just bump everyone up and move Curtis Martin to 5 from 6. I will say that the gap from 4 to 5 is MUCH larger than the gap from 5 to 6.

 

 

WR:

 

1. Owens

2. Moss

3. Harrison

4. Chad Johnson

5. Javon Walker

 

Again nothing really surprising here, I was tempted to bump Chad Johnson above Harrison, based solely on the QB factor.

[4hartthreat 0]

Any list, which was all of them oddly enough, that doesn't have Brady at least 2 is insane. Manning is the only person you could possibly put above him, all he does is win. So here is my list:

1. Brady

2. Manning

3. Culpepper

4. McNabb

5. In a surprise pick, Bulger

Vick could easily go at # 5 but his lack of actually being able to throw scares me a little.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

Any list, which was all of them oddly enough, that doesn't have Brady at least 2 is insane. Manning is the only person you could possibly put above him, all he does is win. So here is my list:

1. Brady

2. Manning

3. Culpepper

4. McNabb

5. In a surprise pick, Bulger

Vick could easily go at # 5 but his lack of actually being able to throw scares me a little.

As much as I hate the term "system QB" it very much applies to both Brady and Bulger. They play in systems that take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. In the case of Brady, he doesn't "just win", the Patriots do. I can't stress that enough, he looks that much better because of the team that is around him.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Any list, which was all of them oddly enough, that doesn't have Brady at least 2 is insane. Manning is the only person you could possibly put above him, all he does is win. So here is my list:

1. Brady

2. Manning

3. Culpepper

4. McNabb

5. In a surprise pick, Bulger

Vick could easily go at # 5 but his lack of actually being able to throw scares me a little.

As much as I hate the term "system QB" it very much applies to both Brady and Bulger. They play in systems that take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. In the case of Brady, he doesn't "just win", the Patriots do. I can't stress that enough, he looks that much better because of the team that is around him.

As much as he is a "system" QB, one could argue that Steve Young was a system QB, etc.

 

Also, Brady has put up 3,764, 3,620, and 3,692 yards the past 3 seasons. He's also put up 28, 23, and 28 TD vs 14, 12, and 14 INT. The guy not only doesn't make many mistakes, but he's able to throw the ball very well anyways. With those stats, I'd put him ahead of Favre who has very similar, if not worse stats than Brady.

 

Brady = 3764, 3620, 3692 yards.

Favre = 3658, 3361, 4088 yards.

 

Brady = 601, 527, 474 attempts.

Favre = 551, 472, 540 attempts.

 

Brady = 28, 23, 28 TD.

Favre = 27, 32, 30 TD.

 

Brady = 14, 12, 14 INT.

Favre = 16, 21, 17 INT.

 

As for my top QB's...

#1: Peyton Manning

#2: Daunte Culpepper

#3: Tom Brady

#4: Donovan McNabb

#5: Michael Vick

[Cartman 0]

The one thing I always say about Brady is that without him, they don't win 2 Super Bowls in the last three years. He's the perfect QB for the system he is in. The system itself is great but he meakes it greater.

 

I agree with the first set of ranking with the only comment being the fact that I would rank Dillon #5.5 splitting with Martin.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

I agree, Steve Young was a system QB as well.

 

Post whatever numbers you want for Brady, but don't compare him to Favre, compare them to the people you ranked him ahead of (unjustly, imo).

 

 

McNabb 3875 yards 31 TDs 8 INTs 104.7 QB Rating

Brady 3690 yards 28 TDs 14 INTs 92.5 QB Rating

 

Not really sure how you can rank Brady above McNabb there?

[Vern Gagne 0]

Winning, especially at the level Brady has done. Should count for something.

 

QB's

 

1.Manning

2.Brady

3.Culpepper

4.McNabb

5.Vick

 

RB's

 

1.Tomlinson

2.Alexander

3.James

4.Dillon

5.McGahee

 

WR's/TE's

 

1.Moss

2.Holt

3.Owens

4.C.Johnson

5.R.Williams

 

The fifth ranked players are there for potential more than anything.

Edited January 15, 2005 by Vern Gagne

[Guest Flyboy]

And the underratedness of Deuce McAllister CONTINUES!

[Precious Roy 0]

QB:

 

1. Daunte Culpepper

2. Peyton Manning (could probably flip him and Daunte, but I like Daunte's size and strength. Surround him with the Indy O and watch out)

3. Tom Brady (I shouldn't have to defend this, but people hate on him so here you go. He had a not so great year, too many picks, but people forget that his wide recievers aren't really that special, basically a group of cast-offs, and everyone on the list but Vick has better targets. Plus Branch, his "favorite reciever" was out for an extended period and rusty when he came back. Give Brady a Moss, Harrison, Owens or Holt to throw to. I've seen all but a few games the guy has played in the NFL, and he's a great QB, who makes the players around him better)

4. Donovan McNabb

5. Michael Vick (just scratching the surface, and the guy is a winner, in a couple years he might be on top of the list)

 

On the fringe are Pennington and Rothelsberger. I'm not totally sold on Ben yet, but he deserves an honorable mention. Pennington is great when he's healthy, which he often isn't. He proved a lot to me against SD though.

 

RB: (biased towards younger backs here since the shelf life is so short for most guys. Martin is a true anomaly, but he's only got a year or two left so I had to leave him off)

 

1. LT

2. Jamal Lewis

3. Shaun Alexander

4. Priest Holmes (injurys scare me, but he's still relatively young)

5. Edge

 

Julius Jones, Brian Westbrook, Kevin Jones, Clinton Portis and Corey Dillon just miss. Dillon has made me a believer this year, but he's probably only got a couple years left on top of his game. Portis I feel has great talent as an inside/out runner but can't make something out of nothing and was handcuffed by a bad line/QB this season. Jones showed huge potential and will probably break out as a top back next year. Westbrook has the run/catch skills that everyone loves, but is undersized and fairly injury prone, probably ends up like a Warrick Dunn. Julius Jones was the closest to making the top 5, like him a lot, I want to put him in place of Edge, but need to see another season out of him.

 

WR:

 

1. Randy Moss

2. Terrell Owens

3. Marvin Harrison

4. Chad Johnson (was hurt by the QB switch a bit though he still compiled great stats. The guy is prime time, major size and speed combo w/ great hands)

5. Roy Williams (looked great before the ankle injury and I give him the edge over Holt due to his age)

 

Tory Holt, Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Reggie Wayne just miss, and I could probably put the 4-5 in any sort of order. 1-3 is locked though.

[Guest Deadbolt]

Top 5 QB's

 

5. Michael Vick, ATL

You won't find too many pure athletes in the QB position, but Vick is one of the few. He has a big weakness when it comes to accuracy, but he has a lot of qualities which are very helpful to finding team success. He has a strong arm, amazing legs, and he changes defenses so that teams have to work outside of the norm. While his numbers may not be great, the guy is a winner, plain and simple. We have seen how Atlanta does with him, and without him.

 

4. Brett Favre, GB

If you want to find a quarterback with a lot of heart as a player and teammate, look no further than Brett Favre. While his skills as a quarterback are obviously good, it's his drive and determination that sets him apart from other quarterbacks in the league. Whenever he shows up, you know that he is going to give a 100% effort. This season may have showed that no man is perfect, but Brett Favre is still a great quarterback.

 

3. Daunte Culpepper, MIN

An automatic scorer, and a man who can beat you with his arm and his legs. Culpepper is definitely a big man, and it is very difficult to bring a man of his size. It's rare that you see straight up, one-on-one sacks on him. He has developed to become a true leader for the Vikings, and someone that Minnesota can always count on.

 

2. Donovan McNabb, PHI

Leadership, leadership, leadership. There isn't a better word to describe Donovan McNabb in a nutshell. While he is obviously talented, it's his ability to step up and win a game that makes him so special. For a long time with Philadelphia, McNabb has done a great job of sending the Eagles to far places without a big supporting cast. He always shows up ready to play.

 

1. Peyton Manning, IND

Probably one of the more intelligent NFL quarterbacks right now in the league. This man can kill you no matter what kind of defense you use. He can break down the man coverage, he can break down the zone coverage, he can kill you on the blitz. He knows what plays to call, and he knows what to do in order to score and get yards.

 

This was a tough position for me. Tom Brady and Chad Pennington could easily make this list as well. I struggled with putting Michael Vick on the list since he isn't the best of passers in the league. But I put into effect his intangible skills that help his team to win. I had an easy time putting Peyton Manning into the number one spot on my list, that was one thing I was confident about.

 

Top 5 RB's

 

5. Edgerrin James, IND

Since he is on the same team as Peyton Manning, James is often overlooked for his amazing talent and skill. He may not be the flashiest of runners, but he does what it takes to get yardage on the ground and help out the Colts when they need him.

 

4. Shaun Alexander, SEA

This man is a wrecking crew for Seattle. Even when the passing game can't get anything going, you always know that Shaun Alexander will get the yards, and get the touchdowns needed.

 

3. Priest Holmes, KC

Anytime this man is on the field, you know that this man is going to get a touchdown. He is an amazing runner, and he has so much athletic ability that he is a hard man to bring down. While he has a great line to make holes for him, you always know that he will punch the ball into the endzone.

 

2. Jamal Lewis, BAL

This man is an absolute monster at the runningback position. He has raw and pure power working for him when he runs with the ball. He can beat you in so many ways. He can run you over, juke you out a little, and just sometimes out run you.

 

1. LaDanian Tomlinson

This is one of the few runningbacks who can kill you running the ball and receiving the ball. This man can do everything and anything you need coming out of the backfield.

 

There were a lot of other runningback I could put on this list. I also considered putting in Curtis Martin, Tiki Barber, and Clinton Portis. I had a hard time developing a list of people for this position.

 

Top 5 WR's

 

5. Antonio Gates, SD

Gates is probably one of the more athletic tight ends in the league. This man was a good basketball player for Kent Sate, and his athletic ability showed on the field this year. This year was a huge improvement for him, but it shows how great of a player he is.

 

4. Torry Holt, STL

He doesn't do a lot of talking, and doesn't make too many flashy players, but he is someone that the Rams can always count on when passing the ball.

 

3. Marvin Harrison, IND

Basically on the same page as Torry Holt. Peyton Manning knows that he can always count on Marvin Harrison to make the play when needed.

 

2. Randy Moss, MIN

In terms of athletic ability and the ability to make huge plays, Randy Moss is at the top of my list. The only reason why he isn't at the number one spot is because of his attitude. Sometimes he can look like the best receiver ever. Sometimes, he can look like he isn't even trying.

 

1. Terrell Owens, PHI

Terrell Owens has just as much athleticsm as Randy Moss, but with Owens you always know that he will show up on the field ready to play. No matter what Owens may say or what he may do, you know that he will give a 100% effort on the field. This man only wants to win as a football player, and he will do what he can to win the game.

 

This was an even harder position because I wanted to add in tight ends. Tony Gonzalez and Alge Crumpler are two tight ends that I would have considered, but when adding in receivers, I decided no to add them in. Also at the receive position, I put Chad Johnson, Eric Moulds, and Ashley Lelie (surprisingly) into consideration.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Top 5 QBs

 

1. Peyton Manning

2. Daunte Culpepper

3. Brett Favre

4. Tom Brady

5. Donovan McNabb

 

 

Top 5 RBs

 

1. Ladanian Tomlinson

2. Priest Holmes

3. Shaun Alexander

4. Willis McGahee

5. Edgerrin James

 

 

Top 5 WRs

 

1. Terrell Owens

2. Marvin Harrison

3. Randy Moss

4. Torry Holt

5. Chad Johnson

[C Dubya 04 0]

Why does Mushin get no love from anyone. He's top 5 WR in my book.

[Sass 0]

And the underratedness of Deuce McAllister CONTINUES!

 

Joe Horn too.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Top 5 RB

#1: LaDainian Tomlinson

#2: Shaun Alexander

#3: Clinton Portis(Still had 1,300+ yards rushing people)

#4: Edgerrin James

#5: Jamal Lewis(A guy people tend to forget about, just scraped over 1,000 games but did it in only 12 games)

 

Priest Holmes was left off due to age and injury history which scares me. Ahman Green would likely be #6 for me and Deuce #7.

 

WR

#1: Marvin Harrison(Seemingly the Curtis Martin of WR)

#2: Randy Moss

#3: Terrell Owens

#4: Torry Holt

#5: Chad Johnson

 

#6 would likely be Isaac Bruce.

 

Also C-Dub, the reason Muhammed was left off for me was because he had 585, 823, and 837 yards the years prior. If Smith didn't get hurt and with the emergence of Colbert, Muhammed likely would've been around 600-700 yards.

 

TE

#1: Tony Gonzalez

#2: Antonio Gates

#3: Alge Crumpler(Became a huge go to option for Vick. Had 770+ yards as a result)

#4: Jeremy Shockey

#5: Randy McMichael(790+ yards and has improved yardage wise every season that he's played).

 

A guy who could switch with McMichael is Jason Witten who had 980+ yards this season. He needs to have another great season of that calibur for me to rank him in the Top 5 however. Kellen Winslow was left off because he hasn't done anything except get injured.

[Guest bigm350]

I'll just do QB's for now:

 

5. Michael Vick

 

4. Donovan McNabb

 

3. Duante Culpepper

 

2. Tom Brady

 

1. Peyton Manning. No contest really.

[Vern Gagne 0]

And the underratedness of Deuce McAllister CONTINUES!

I just don't think his yard per carry is all that impressive. Not all his fault, but imo he doesn't have the explosiveness some of the other backs have.

[Guest sek69]

All these lists and not one Steeler mentioned. You'd think a team that's 15-1 would get at least a reach around.

 

OK, Ben's a rookie but where's Bettis? Or Hines Ward and Plax?

[Vern Gagne 0]

The Steelers do it has a team. Take it has a complement.

[Guest sek69]

Hines Ward puts up the numbers, makes it to the Pro Bowl every year, and is reguarded as one of the best blocking WRs in football (he's nearly as valueable on run plays as he is pass plays) yet he never seems to get the main event push.