NFL's Most Elite Player Rewarded

The Detroit Lions Wide Receiver is the league's most elite player and he was rewarded for that today. Johnson signed a record, 7 year contract extension Wednesday, totaling $132 million. $60 million of the contract is guaranteed. He is now the hired paid player in the NFL and the Lions feel it is well worth it. The deal is a win-win for both the Lions and Johnson. Johnson was scheduled to be a cap hit of $21 million this year and had he received the franchise tag in 2013 he would be awarded 120% of that $21 million for that  season. The new deal pays Johnson a significantly less amount per year, especially in the first two years, giving the Lions some much needed room under the salary cap to sign other free agents.

The question now remains is Calvin Johnson worth all this money? The answer is simply, YES. Normally I would not recommend investing a record amount of money into a Wide Receiver but with Calvin Johnson their is an exception to the rule. First, Johnson is the best Wide Receiver in the game, without question. Johnson led all Receivers in yards, yards/game and touchdowns in 2011. But its not just statistics that make Johnson the best receiver in football. Johnson is the best athlete in football. There is no other human in professional sports that posses the athletic combination of elite skill, size, speed, and strength as Johnson. At 6foot 5, 236 pounds, Johnson is still able to run an elite level 40 time at 4.3 seconds. His ability to catch the ball in difficult areas on the field makes him an impossible match-up for all NFL Corner Backs. Teams are forced to double and sometimes triple team Johnson, where he still continues to make plays and free up space for his teammates. Johnson is just entering the prime of his career and it is scary too think about the type of numbers that he and emerging Quarterback Matthew Stafford will put up in the years to come. Another thing to like about Johnson is that he is a class act. He does everything for the team and never complains or gets in trouble off the field. In an era of loud mouth Wide Receivers, Johnson is refreshingly humble.

So, YES... Calvin Johnson is definitively worth a record setting contract, as he is sure to set records on the field as well.      

Defensive Elite

So far the majority of this blog has discussed elite level offensive players in the NFL. I have heard concerns from you the follower and I agree, defense wins championships and I need spend more time discussing the defensive aspect of the NFL. Every year come playoff time it is obvious that teams need elite level defensive players to win big games. What makes a championship team like this years Giants is when you have elite level players working as one cohesive unit to stop the opposition, even if they are the great Tom Brady.

That said, here are my thoughts on 5 of the elite level defensive players in the NFL. These are players who teams rely on to make plays and stop the opposition every game. An elite player on defense change an offenses entire game plan and that's what these guys can do.

                                         
  Troy Polomalu

Troy Polomalu has been a main stay on the Steeler Defence since 2003 where he was drafted in the 1st round. Polomalu has led the Steelers to 3 Superbowl's, winning 2. He is a 7 time pro bowler and a 5 time all pro. He had the best season of his career in 2010 and was named the NFL's defensive player of the year. He was also named to the 2000's all decade at the safety position. Polomalu's speed and intensity make him a great player in his ability stop both the run and the pass as well make big plays on the ball.




Darrelle Revis
Darelle Revis is the leagues best cover corner and as such he has received the nickname Revis Island. Revis has proven he can cover any receiver in the NFL in a 1on1 match-up. This allows the Jets to rush quarterback more than most teams because they know Revis just won't be beat. Revis was named Defensive Player of the year in 2009. Since that time he has been named to the Pro Bowl and the All Pro team every year.




Haloti Ngata

Haloti Ngata is the leagues best Defensive Tackle. Teams are constantly forced to double team Ngata, which he normally, freeing up the rest of the Ravens Defence. It has been Ngata's presence over the past 5 years that has kept the Ravens at an elite status for so long. Ngata has been named to the All Pro team from 2008-2011. He has also had been named to 3 Pro Bowl teams. Statistics are not as prevalent for a Defensive Tackle but watching one Ravens game you can tell the Haloti Ngata is an elite defensive player.




Jared Allen

Jarred Allen has become the NFL's most prolific pass rusher this season. He led the league in sacks in 2011 and 2007 and was named to 4 Pro Bowl and All Pro teams. Allen constantly disrupts other teams offence as he is constantly in the face the opposing Quarterback.

Vote For Your Favourite Defensive Player in the NFL

                                                                                                                    

Manning Up For Grabs

As of Monday one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL was released by the team he called home for over a decade. The Indianapolis Colts had to make a tough business decision and release Peyton Manning due to an impending $28 million bonus that Manning would be owned on March 8th. The Colts were unwilling to keep Manning and pay him the enormous amount of money because of health issues with Manning as he missed the entire 2011 season with nerve damage in his neck. Manning says he is ready to play but at 36 years old the Colts aren't willing to risk this uncertainty.

As a result of Manning missing the entire 2011 season the Colts finished in last place and were awarded the 1st overall pick in the April's upcoming draft. Therefore the Colts are given the opportunity to draft Stanford's Andrew Luck, who has been termed a, "once in a generation type of quarterback." This was another reason as to why the Colts were willing to let Manning go.

Peyton Manning has been one of the leagues best players over the past decade and has statistically been the leagues best quarterback in the regular season. He is a remarkable talent, a great leader, a coach on the field and a great person to have in your community. Assuming Manning is going to be healthy in 2012 he will instantly make whomever signs him into a top contender. So that begs the question; Where will Manning go?

Manning is a free agent and has the ability to essentially chose any tram in the league to play for. Of course money, the team's ability to be competitive and the city in which they play in will all be major factors for Manning as he makes his decision. Manning has plenty of money and would likely want to play for a team that can provide him with an opportunity to win another Superbowl before he retires. Here are some possible landing spots for Manning.

The window of opportunity is closing for the New York Jets to win a Superbowl. The team has had long playoff runs in 2 of the last 3 seasons however have failed to achieve their coaches goal of a Superbowl. Some blame young Quarterback Mark Sanchez as the team has had a stout defense and an impressive running game. Manning could be just the short term fix this veteran team needs to get over the hump. New York is also a huge market that demands results on the field that Manning will be able to provide for this big city.

The Miami Dolphins may also have a shot at landing Manning. The team has money and is obviously a destination of quality living. The Dolphins have a solid defense and some play makers on offence. The one thing they've been missing since Dan Marino departed is an elite quarterback. Manning is that and his presence on Miami would turn them into an instant playoff contender.

The Denver Broncos proved last season that you can succeed in football without having a quality quarterback, imagine if they had one? The Tim Tebow story was cute but as the season went on it became obvious that Denver was only winning games because they had an elite defense and an elite running game. Add in Manning and all aspects of their team become elite. Manning is the type of quarterback that would instantly make Denver into a top Superbowl contender. The only question is does the team have the courage to replace the league hero in Tebow with Peyton Manning.

DeSean Jackson; Elite?

Similar to one of my previous blogs about Lions DE Cliff Avril, I will again be discussing the franchise tag. This time it deals with Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson as he was awarded the team's franchise tag on Thursday. Just to recap if a team is unable to sign a player to a long term contract when they become a free agent they are allowed to use the franchise tag on them. This gives power to the team, however it significantly compensates the player as they are awarded a 1 year contract worth the average salary of the top 5 players at their position. Therefore the Eagles have decided to keep Jackson around for at least 1 more season, however they will be forced to pay him quite a high salary. The Eagles will owe Jackson somewhere in the $10 million range for the 2012 season.

Again this raises the question; Is DeSean Jackson an elite WR and does he deserve a salary among the top 5 in the league?

My answer is simply NO! In 2011 Jackson had 58 receptions, for 961 yards and 4 Touchdowns. (NFL.com) He also missed 1 game due to a violation of team rules. With those numbers Jackson failed to rank in the top 10 in the league in any of the major statistical categories for wide receivers. His team, The Eagles, the so called dream team at the beginning of the season, also failed to make the playoffs. Jackson had a much better 2010 season, however he still failed to rank in the top 10 in any of these major categories. Therefore how can the Eagles justify paying Jackson a top 5 salary? ... They Can't!

The only thing Jackson is elite at is returning punts. Teams fear Jackson's speed as he is one of the few players in the league who can return a kick for a TD at any point in the game. In 2010 the Giants found this to be very costly.

So if Jackson's not a top 5 Receiver than who is?
Here's a quick list: based on stats, talent, potential and their contribution to their teams success
1) Calvin Johnson
2) Larry Fitzgerald
3) Wes Welker
4) Greg Jennings
5) Roddy White

Top 10 Elite Plays of 2011-2012

Here it is my first video of the blog, listing the top 10 plays of the season. Feel free to comment or post your own videos if you believe I missed one in my top 10.
To see the video, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrctwIn8BXA&feature=youtu.be

Elite Combine Performances

With the NFL combine taking place this week in Indianapolis, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at elite level combine performances and see if they translate at all into elite NFL careers. To do this I will be looking at the top 40 yard dash times of NFL running backs at the combine over the past 10 years. It is thought throughout the league that the 40 time is a great indicator of a running backs ability to make a big play. Therefor I will go through the top 40 times of each season to see if there are indeed elite level players with elite level combine performances.
Data can be found at

2002: The only player of note with a top 5 40 time in 2002 was Ricky Williams with a time of 4.47 seconds. Williams has been a nice NFL player but would not be considered in the elite group of running backs. The top performer was Josh Scobey... who? Needless to say Scobey never became a house hold name.

2003: This year featured 0 players of note with a top 5 40 time. Justin Fargas ran the top time in 4.35 seconds, however his career in the NFL was very little.

2004: Michael Turner was the only player of note with an elite combine time in 2004, entering a time of 4.49, good enough for 4th that year. Turner has turned himself into elite back as he led the NFL in rushing yards in 2010 and 2011.

2005: Again no elite level players performed in the top 5 of the combine in 2005. There was a slew of mediocre running backs that performed well at this combine including; Carnell Williams, Ryan Grant and Ronnie Brown.

2006: Maurice Jones Drew ran the best time at the 2006 combine at 4.39 seconds and he is a player that can defiantly be considered elite. Jones is a 3 time Pro Bowler and has already ran for over 6000 yards in his career.

2007: The top performers at this combine all failed to make the NFL with the exception of Ahmad Bradshaw who has helped the Giants win 2 Super Bowls in his career. Bradshaw has always been a solid player but has never been an elite performer.

2008: 3 of the top 5 times performers in 2008 can be considered elite. Chris Johnson ran a 4.24 and was the NFL's offensive player of the year in 2009. Darren Mcfadden and Jamal Charles are also elite level players that would be ideal to have on your fantasy team.

2009: This combine features no elite level players with an elite level 40 time.

2010: This years class has a number of elite combine performers with the potential to become elite NFLers however they have yet to fully prove it. They are; C.J. Spiller, Ryan Mattews, Jahvid Best and Ben Tate.

2011: It is still too difficult to tell if any of these performers will become elite players. The only player who had a quality rookie season however was Demarco Murray.

After analyzing 50 players with elite 40 times I have determined that only 6 can be termed elite, which means the 40 time might not be as accurate as most scouts may believe.

Cliff Avril; Elite?

With the impending free agency period coming up around the corner the up and coming Detroit Lions are beginning to face some tough decisions. This comes with the territory of making a playoff run with young, talented, productive players; they want to be paid for the work they have done and will do. Specifically the Lions must deal with their free agent defensive end Cliff Avril as priority number one this off season. Avril led the lions in sacks with 11 in 2011 and has said he would like to be payed nicely with a long term contract. The Lions would no doubt love to keep Avril in Detroit however a big time long term deal may not be possible with today's salary cap NFL. If the Lions were to pay Avril in the $10 million range per season for the next 4 years, this would tie up a considerable amount of cap space that will be necessary for the team to have in order to keep around stars; Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, and Ndamukong Suh. Johnson will likely become the highest paid receiver in the NFL and Stafford won`t be far behind him at quarterback.

The Lions do have some power in this situation however as they have the right to place a franchise tag on Avril. The Franchise Tag is essentially a 1 year contract where the player is to be paid the average salary of the top 5 players at his position. This would likely cost the Lions $10.6 million next season and would force Avril to stay in Detroit for at least 1 more season before he is eligible to hit the free agent market. Thus, the Lions would not be stuck in a long term deal and could have their top defensive end back for another playoff run. Avril has said he is looking for a long term deal and would consider holding out of training camp if he was given the franchise tag. This seems slightly greedy for a player who would be receiving a pay raise form $2 million to $10 million. However I do understand Avril`s want for a long term deal as life in the NFL is extremely unpredictable where one injury could cost a player his career leaving him with no income.
The major question the Lions need to look at is; is Avril an elite level player and does he deserve to be paid a salary among the top 5 defensive ends in the league?

Avril's 11 sacs last season rank put him in a tie for 5th among defensive ends in the NFL. Avril finished 2011 with 36 total tackles ranking him 61st in the league among DEs. The final stat favouring Avril is his league leading 6 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 2 touchdowns. These type of stats demonstrate that Avril is a play maker. In my opinion the Lions should franchise Avril as he is on the brink of becoming elite and is worth the money for at least next season and they can deal with him long term after that if they still wish. Avril will need to learn to understand that the NFL is a business and if the Lions franchise him he will have to make the best of it in order to receive his long term deal next season. Feel free to comment on what you think of Avril's future in Detroit.

Pod Cast - NFL Elite Offseason

Below is a link to my first podcast! It deals with with some major elite NFL off-season decisions that need to be made shortly. The basis of the podcast is similar to radio show where I play host to a number of NFL related topics and my colleagues Taylor Tessier and Steve Weingarden chime in with their thoughts on the various topics.

Click here to listen and enjoy! (link will appear when the mouse is over it, follow the arrow) ------------------------------------------> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6215Ed-Dxw

Once again another Superbowl Champion has been crowned and once again there was 1 memorable play that put one team in position to capture the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the game.

This year that play was made by Mario Manningham as he made a miraculous catch down the sideline on a pass from Eli Manning. The catch could not have come at a better time for the Giants as they were facing 3rd and long, down late in the 4th quarter. This catch set up the G-Men for the eventual game winning score en route to their second Superbowl victory over the Patriots in the past 4 years.

Watching this great catch live made me think of 2 other amazing Superbowl catches that had a direct result in their team's victory. It can be argued that these 3 plays are the greatest ever in Superbowl history.

In the dying moments of Superbowl XXXXIII Santonio Holmes pulled in a perfectly placed passed from Ben Roethlisburger as he tight roped the sideline to secure the game for the Steelers and the MVP award for himself.

One year earlier David Tyree and Eli Manning set the world on fire as they connected for miracle like pitch and catch on the final drive of the Giants Superbowl XXXXII victory.

Can't Spell Elite without ELI!

Last week I listed 7 NFL Quarterbacks in my conversation about Elite level players at the position. Over the past weekend in the NFC Championship Eli Manning led the New York Giants to an overtime victory against the San Fransico 49ers. Therefore, reluctantly, I am forced to include Manning into the conversation of Elite level NFL Quarterbacks. Manning will now be playing in his second Super Bowl with 1 championship win already under his belt. That alone forces me to include him among this prestigous group. In the past Manning has never "wowed" the league with incredible statistics and has always been overshawdoed by his older brother Peyton, however, with Peyton on the sideline all season with a neck injury, Eli made the most of his opportunity to break out of his older brother's shadow.

In 2011 Eli led the Giants to a NFC East Divsion Championship and a playoff appearance. He did this by having a career year; throwing for 4933 yards... over 900 more than any other season. In the past Eli has been critized for throwing too many interceptions at important stages of games. However, in 2011 he made much better decisions, only throwing 16 compared to the 25 he threw in 2010. For his efforts, Manning was named to the Pro Bowl along with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees (putting him with some pretty elite company). In the playoffs Manning has led the Giants to victories over the Falcons, Packers and 49ers, including road wins in Green Bay and San Francisco. This road to the Superbowl is extremely impressive, especially as the Giants were big Las Vegas under dogs the past 2 weeks. Manning has seemed to have "ice in his veins" making big time throws in big situations. In the Giants win against the 49ers, Manning was faced with an extreme pass rush where he was sacked 6 times and seemingly got beat up throughout the game, however he kept getting up and making plays and the Giants capitalized on a costly fumble in Overtime to win the game.

Manning's skill set has never really impressed me, however his ability to make big plays when they matter has. Below is an example of this as Eli makes a huge play in the dying seconds of Super Bowl XXXXII that lead to the Giants victory.

  

Elite Quarterbacks

Elite NFL QB's

Below is a list of the elite level quarterbacks in the NFL. This is a very select group taking into account statistical analysis as well as career accomplishments (i.e. Super Bowl wins, MVP awards, etc.) Currently the NFL is experiencing more elite level quarterbacks than ever as the game has adapted to cater more to the offensive side of the ball. This new movement has also produced a larger number of putrid level quarterbacks making having an elite level QB on your team of utmost importance.

#1 - Tom Brady

All Tom Brady has done since entering the league in 2000 is win. Since that time Brady has been selected to 8 Pro Bowls, set the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a season, and has won 2 league MVP awards.
In 2011 regular season Brady finished in the top 3 of all major quarterbacking stats including, completion percentage, total yards, QB rating and Touchdown passes. What sets Brady apart from the rest of the QBs on this list is his 4 Super Bowl appearances and 3 Super Bowl victories. The main goal in the NFL is to win a Super Bowl and Brady has won more than any other current NFL QB and is poised to win more as he continues to lead the Patriots to more playoff victories.



#2 - Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers became an elite level quarterback as he lead the Packers to a victory in Super Bowl 45. He continued his success in 2011 leading one of the league's most potent offences to a 15-1 regular season record. Rodgers led the league in 2011 in Quarterback rating and was in the top 3 in completion percentage and touchdown passes.

#3 - Drew Brees

Most notably Drew Brees surpassed Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a single season this year setting a new bench mark at 5476 yards. Brees led the Saints to a Super Bowl in 2009 where he was also named the games MVP. Brees' statistics are just as impressive as that of Rodgers and Brady however, the only knock on Brees that puts him slightly lower on this is an increased amount of interception. In 2011 Brees through 14 picks, whereas Rodgers threw 6. Although you could argue that when you throw for over 5000 yards, your bound to have a few mistakes along the way. That being said, Brees fits in nicely as the leagues #3 Quarterback.

#4 - Ben Roethlisburger

Statistically Roethlisburger has always been a very good Quarterback, however he rarely is on the same level as a Brady, Rodgers or Brees. The reason Roethlisburger makes this elite level list is his ability to win. In his short career he has already played in 3 Super Bowls and won 2 of them. Although it can be agrued that this has been a product of a dominant Steelers defence, It has been Roethlishberger who has time and time again come up with clutch throws to win big games.






#5 - Peyton Manning

Peyton missed the entire 2011 season with a neck injury making it difficult to rank him among the other elite Quarterbacks. The biggest stat we can take out of this season is that in Peyton's absence the Colts finished the season a measily 2-14 after being a perenial playoff contender for the past 8 years. Manning is the QB to start his NFL career by passing for over 3000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons. Manning has led his team to the most ever 12 win regular seasons however he had early playoff struggles. Manning finally won his first Super Bowl in 2006 and in 2009 he went back but lost to Drew Brees and the Saints. In 2010 Manning won his 4th league MVP award, becoming the first ever player to do this.

Soon to be Elite

These soon to be elite QBs had outstanding seasons and have talent beyond their years as they are extremely young. The only reason they cannot be considered elite yet is because of their youth and the fact they have not had a chance yet to win multiple playoff games and Super Bowls. However, I expect this to come very shortly.

Matthew Stafford

In his first full season as the Lions starter, Stafford became the 4th QB in the history of the league to throw for over 5000 yards. He is only 23 years old, enough said.

Cam Newton

In 2010 Cam Newton won a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy. In 2011 Newton was the NFLs offensive rookie of the year, passed for over 4000 yards, set the NFL record for rushing TDs by a QB and totaled 35 TDs.