NFL Top 100: Tim Tebow's Inclusion In Player Rankings Makes List Look Absurd

The NFL Network has begun to release their rankings of the top 100 players in the National Football League as voted on by the league's players, and if the first 20 names released are any indication then there is going to be a ton of argument and discussion regarding the list by the time all is said and done.

It would also appear that the insidious and highly contagious ailment known as "Tebow fever" has spread to locker rooms across the league, as the NFL's most polarizing player amazingly made an appearance on the list when New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow checked in at number 95.

Tebow ranked higher than such players as Cleveland Browns middle linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who was second in the National Football League in tackles last season, and Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who just a few years ago rushed for over 2,000 yards.

Tebow's inclusion on the list has been panned as a public relations ploy meant to capitalize on his immense popularity by some and blasted as sheer lunacy by others, including Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.

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Tebow was a good player for the Broncos last year, but he wasn't great. We think that a league average starting quarterback could have done what Tebow did in Denver last year. This list should only have great quarterbacks. Eli Manning didn't make the list last year. Even Tebowmaniacs have to admit he wasn't one of the best ten quarterbacks in football last year, and that's the caliber of player that should be on this list.

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I'm inclined to agree with Rosenthal's assessment, and the fact that Tebow is ranked only four spots behind Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who threw for over 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns last year, is nothing short of a bad joke.

Granted, Tebow did lead the Broncos on an improbable run to the AFC West crown last year and guided Denver to an equally improbable playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, bringing the team back again and again with a series of improbable and exciting fourth quarter comebacks.

However, Denver's running game and defense were every bit as responsible for the team's success as anything Tebow did, and the team may not have found themselves trailing in so many games had their quarterback been able to complete half his passes.

The NFL's Top 100 is hardly a scientifically assembled ranking, and any time human beings vote on such a thing their personal preferences and prejudices are obviously going to play a role. However, the inclusion of Tim Tebow on the list makes it nearly impossible to take any of it seriously, and at this point the NFL's Top 100 has become more an exercise in the absurd than any sort of accurate gauge of the league's top players.

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