Top 5 Defensive Ends In The NFL (2009 Edition)

Top 5 Defensive Ends In The NFL (2009 Edition)
M.D. Wright
10.31.09

Defensive End used to be a tough position to pick, but these five guys are better than the rest, and it's not really close after the 5th guy.

1. JARED ALLEN.



Jared Allen is a savage beast. He plays defensive end like one. The end.

2. JUSTIN TUCK.



Began making a name for himself when he sonned THOMAS in Super Bowl XLII, and has played some of the best football from everywhere along the defensive line, anchoring the New York Giants' front four. He plays both LE and RE and at times lines up at DT. And gets to the QB for sacks, stuffs the run and even makes plays in the flat against the short pass. What do you want from a DE outside of that?

3. JOHN ABRAHAM.



John Abraham still gets it done. Bulked up and hasn't lost a step. He came into the league not really being a stout run defender, but he does it all well and REQUIRES double-teaming every week.

4. DWIGHT FREENEY.



The whirling dervish himself. He has patented the spin move against slow-footed LTs. On his way to another 15+ sack season, even with missing a couple of games with a leg injury. Freeney is a nightmare for offensive coordinators and line coaches.

5. MARIO WILLIAMS.



Who cares about Reggie Kardashian anymore? Mario Williams deserved to be the #1 overall pick in 2006 IN 2006 and has played like it since. Reggie Bush HAS NOT. All us football people knew Bush was going to be a lite version of Eric Metcalf (which is an insult to Metcalf, who at least ran between the tackles and was TOUGH). Williams is an excellent combination of size (6'7", 285), speed and has an array of moves that get him to the QB -- even if it's not always sacks, he gets there and plays well against the run.

Honorable Mention: Osi Umenyiora, Leonard Little, Will Smith.

Top 5 Quarterbacks In The NFL (2009 Edition)

Top 5 Quarterbacks In The NFL (2009 Edition)
M.D. Wright
10.31.09

More than ever, I have to remind people this is 2009 Edition only; not career stats or "rings". It's all about what they've done through the first half of this season -- versus what they were expected to (which allows me to avoid putting Kyle Orton on anything other than the Honorable Mention list DEAR GOD HA).

1. PEYTON MANNING.




He seems almost robotic out there, it's so easy. He's making guys from Division II FBS schools (Garçon) look good. He doesn't have Anthony Gonzalez and Reggie Wayne is nicked up and they're still blowing teams away. The truest test of Manning's greatness was going to come once Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy left.

(YAWN).

Same old Manning.

2. DREW BREES.



This guy is amazing. He's 5'11" and barely 200 lbs. Amazing how he never gets knocked for being "too short", right? Anyway, he has a quick, Dan Marino-like release. He is amazingly accurate and the offense that the Saints run caters to all of his strengths and masks his weaknesses (height being the only real one). You can't blitz him, because he has too many weapons to throw a "hot" to, plus the aforementioned quick release.

3. BEN ROETHLISBERGER.



I hate him, but he's doing something (somewhat quietly) that has never been done -- and should he keep it up, he's going to break Dan Marino's 5,084-yard record set in 1984 (which Brees approached last year, but fell a dozen or so yards short of). Regardless of whether the Steelers can run the ball or not, he's extremely accurate and passes for tons of yards. The biggest knock on him is that he tries to make SportsCenter's Top Plays too often (i.e. holding the ball to make a big play downfield instead of chucking it into the stands or even taking a sack occasionally). You can tell he played Madden growing up, because he plays QB the way Madden players use their QBs on the game.

4. PHILIP RIVERS.



To think, he, his WRs and the team in general could be better if play-calling was better. But as it is, he puts up all world numbers with some of the highest football IQ out there. He's like the wily old veteran who's not even 30 yet.

5. JOE FLACCO.



OLD MAN FLACCO. He has a great arm, and it's ACCURATE (JaMarcus Russell, here's to you, buddy). He throws the best deep ball, and knows how to put touch on it for the intermediate and underneath routes. Considering he has an old guy (Mason) and a B-level WR (Clayton), he's playing amazing ball. Imagine if he had top tier WRs like Kurt Warner has at the X, Y and Z positions?

Honorable Mention: Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Orton, Tony Romo.

Top 5 Wide Receivers In The NFL (2009 Edition)

Top 5 Wide Receivers In The NFL (2009 Edition)
M.D. Wright
10.31.09

This is by far the toughest position to pick a Top 5 for, so don't obliterate me for picking one guy over another.

1. ANDRE JOHNSON



Best combination of size, speed and hands. A bit under the radar being on a previously middling team, but he's getting recognition throughout the league, fantasy football and even casual football fans.

2. LARRY FITZGERALD.



Best hands in the game. Makes catches I've never seen before. And I've been watching the NFL for 25 years. If he didn't have a very good WR and a nice slot WR to spread the ball around to, he could easily catch 100 passes every year, and not look any different than pre-game warmups doing so.

3. CALVIN JOHNSON.



YOUNG MEGATRON. He can't stay healthy and he doesn't have a QB, a consistent RB nor an offensive line that could block for even Peyton Manning, but he somehow manages to put up the numbers. Even without the numbers (upon which these rankings are NOT based), he is a game-changing WR unlike those we have seen in years so soon in his career.

4. RANDY MOSS.



My knock on Moss is he never goes across the middle. But he's made a career off working the perimeter, so why knock it? He makes catching the ball look like he's playing pitch and catch with a little kid. If the Patriots really wanted to, they could throw to him 20 times a game and he'd have 12-15 catches per game.

5. REGGIE WAYNE.



Ironman. He never misses a game. He may miss one in Week 8 of the 2009 season, but that would be his first since 2001. He makes some of the prettiest catches along the sidelines and in the corners of the end zone while going out of bounds. Old Man Harrison taught him well. Runs great routes, never drops Manning's passes. Makes Manning look great -- and has for all these years.

Honorable Mention: Donald Driver, Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Relevant Steve Smith (i.e. New York Giants), DeSean Jackson.

Top 5 Cornerbacks In The NFL (2009 Edition)

Top 5 Cornerbacks In The NFL (2009 Edition)
M.D. Wright
10.31.09

You know the drill by now. This isn't like the Pro Bowl, where a guy gets by on past achievements. This is who is playing THE BEST AT CORNERBACK RIGHT NOW IN THE NFL THIS SEASON.

1. DARRELLE REVIS.



If you have not had the joy to watch this guy play, please tune in soon. He plays the position THE RIGHT WAY. The way I was taught to play cornerback. It makes me sit up and watch. Screw WRs, this guy gets it DONE. Locks down the best WRs in the game and makes it look easy. Not afraid to come up in run support, either.

2. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA.



A shame he plays for one of the worst teams in the NFL and plays on the West Coast. No one really sees him play. However, football people know this guy is as fluid as they come. He's like a younger version of Champ Bailey, with a step more speed. Teams rarely even throw to his side anymore and he hasn't even been in the league 5 years.

3. COREY WEBSTER.



Ever since clinching the 2007 NFC Championship Game with a stellar interception of Green Bay's Brett Favre, Webster has been locking down the best WRs in the NFC with relative ease. He has great hands, great closing speed, and superb awareness. He plays well in space and also comes in and helps in the box. A sleeper at this position, if that is possible here in New York.

4. ANTOINE WINFIELD.



He has managed to play all these years in Buffalo and Minnesota and no one really talks about him amongst the best. Honestly, he is the toughest CB out there. I have seen him come up and absolutely lay guys out no homo. He's great at everything. Why he doesn't get mentioned is beyond me. He saves the Viking defensive secondary from being an absolute SIEVE.

5. CHAMP BAILEY.



He's still got it. If he's lost a step, he makes up for it with guile. He's making plays he made in Washington. Still excellent in coverage, teams foolishly throw to his side thinking he's losing it. Champ can bump and run, play deep or come up in run support. One of the best cornerbacks ever once he hangs them up.

Honorable Mention: Terence Newman, Courtland Finnegan, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Quentin Jammer, Rasean Mathis.