I haven't said much about the Top 100 list that the NFL Network has been unveiling over the past several weeks. To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it much, either.
It was voted on by players (some players, anyway, though no one seems to know exactly who they were or how seriously they took their voting duties) with no real criteria specified. It makes for interesting television and good discussion points, but it doesn't really mean a whole lot.
It's just a list. A nice, well-presented one, but still, just a list.
But we're pushing along towards the end of it, with players 20 through 11 being announced Sunday night, so we might as well get it on the discussion. Bookending Sunday night's group was Michael Vick at No. 20 and Aaron Rodgers at No. 11.
When it came to sit down and make a list, I'm not sure how anyone came up with 19 players who were better than Michael Vick last season. If it's the best player "of 2011," and not the best players over the last decade or so, then No. 20 isn't just inaccurate, it's kind of silly.
That Vick could have been the 2010 MVP is not an unreasonable thing to say. As a pure passer alone, he should check in ahead of No. 20. His passer rating was 100.2, behind just Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady. There were 21 touchdowns against six interceptions and a completion percentage better than 62 percent.
And when you factor in his big-play ability, his sack avoidance, his rushing yards (676) �the way opposing defensive coordinators have to gameplan for him, and the fact that he led his team to the playoffs ... who out there has a better argument than Vick?
If you need me to name the players�Vick should move ahead, no problem. I'll give you everyone else announced Sunday night, with the exceptions of Aaron Rodgers, Haloti Ngata and Nnamdi Asomugha. Probably a significant portion of next week's top 10, too.
Jacksonville Jaguars New England Patriots Washington Wizards Darrius Heyward-Bey Buffalo Bills
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