Controversy Continues To Surround Top 100 Players Of 2011

Like many other football fans, I miss football. Meaningful football news is becoming harder and harder to come by. For the next few months, the NFLN will air their brand new “Top 100 Players Of 2011” list. In case you didn’t know, the NFLN polled the players and the players voted for who they thought were the top players of 2011. It is a series that airs every Sunday evening with reaction shows airing right after. I have been watching this series since it began a couple weeks ago and there were several eye openers each week. For those who have missed the show, here is the list to date:

100. Donovan McNabb
99. Chad Clifton
98. Darren McFadden
97. Shaun Phillips
96. Nick Collins
95. Jon Beason
94. Frank Gore
93. Eric Berry
92. Lance Briggs
91. Terrell Owens

90. Joe Flacco
89. Adrian Wilson
88. Vernon Davis
87. Jordan Gross
86. Josh Freeman
85. Jason Babin
84. Josh Cribbs
83. Mike Williams
82. LaMarr Woodley
81. B.J. Raji

80. Jared Allen
79. D’Brickshaw Ferguson
78. Dallas Clark
77. Chris Snee
76. Santonio Holmes
75. Jay Ratliff
74. Greg Jennings
73. Trent Cole
72. Tony Romo
71. Mario Williams

70. Miles Austin
69. John Abraham
68. Antrel Rolle
67. Brian Waters
66. Richard Seymour
65. Vonta Leach
64. Tamba Hali
63. Cameron Wake
62. Jerod Mayo
61. Brandon Marshall

60. Justin Tuck
59. Jeff Saturday
58. Brandon Lloyd
57. Andre Gurode
56. Ray Rice
55. Carl Nicks
54. Asante Samuel
53. Marques Colston
52. Matt Ryan
51. Ndamukong Suh

If you watched football in 2011, this list had some names that made your eyes get real big and made you say the word, “Wow”. For the most part, every week contained a name that surprised me. However, no name surprised me more then Tony Romo at #72. Now, before I get into my rant, let me preface it by saying I like Romo. I think he is a nice guy and is capable of winning a Super Bowl for the Cowboys.

With that being said, he absolutely does not have any place on this list. He shouldn’t even be in consideration. Romo played in just 5 games (and 1 quarter of game 6) before he suffered a season ending injury by breaking his left clavicle. How does playing in 5 games qualify him for the top 100 players of 2011? When healthy, I think he is a top 100 player in this league, but that is the problem. This list is supposed to be the top 100 players of 2011. From what I have seen, the players did not vote players based on their performances in 2011. The players who voted looked at the careers of players like Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb instead of just their performances in 2011. If they had just looked at the 2011 season, Romo and McNabb would not have been on the list while Matt Schaub and Mark Sanchez/Jay Cutler would be. Additionally, players like Brandon Lloyd and Tamba Hali should both be much higher if the players were voting based on just the 2011 season. Lloyd led the league in receiving yards while Hali was 2nd in sacks with 14.5. This is the most frustrating part about this list. The players were completely inconsistent. LaMarr Woodley is one of the best pass rushers in the entire league. Over the last 3 years, he has accumulated 35 sacks and 172 tackles. However, he had his worst statistical year in sack total (10) and tackles (50) since his rookie year. If the players ranked the players based on their careers, Woodley is undoubtedly a top 50 player. However, he was ranked near the bottom of the list coming in at 82nd. On the other hand, a player like Tony Romo who played just 5 games in 2011 gets ranked higher at #72. This list is sure to get more frustrating with players like Devin Hester who are going to be way too high. Hester is the best ST player in the NFL, but I fail to see how he is a better WR then any of the WR that have come in behind him.

The idea of a top 100 players list of 2011 was a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, the players couldn’t make up their minds as to whether it was the top 100 players of 2011 or the top 100 players in the league. It makes this list lose a lot of credibility and bring out some very passionate, yet infuriating responses. Even worse, it’s the only NFL news to talk about. Which means I’ll still be tuned in next Sunday still ranting to my dog and tweeting about how incorrect this list is.

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