Bleacher Report - Articles by Brad S.

The Top-10 Players in NFL History

Brad S. — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:34:40 -0400

There have been many great players in the history of the NFL, and it is tough to distinguish greatness from position to position, but here is a list of the players I consider to be the top 10 players in the history of the NFL.

1) Jerry Rice

Rice's record-breaking year in 1984 at Mississippi Valley St. caught the eye of the NFL, but his 4.7 40-yard time put a lot of teams off. Still, two teams thought enough of Rice to try and select him with a first-round pick: the Cowboys with the 17th pick and the reigning Super Bowl champion 49ers with the 31st pick.

Realizing what Dallas was planning on doing, the 49ers quickly set up a trade with the Colts for the 16th pick, and the rest is history. Rice won three Super Bowls with the 49ers, and he appeared in one other with the Raiders.

He holds career records in receptions, receiving yards, yards from scrimmage, and total TDs. There will never be another receiver to put up the kind of numbers with the same consistency as Rice did in his career.

2) Jim Brown

Widely considered as the greatest running back of all time, Jim Brown could probably be great even in today’s NFL. Brown is the NFL's eighth all-time leading rusher. However, the most impressive thing about that is that it was done in four 12-game seasons and five 14-game seasons.

Brown's career ended abruptly when Cleveland Brown owner Art Modell told Brown to choose between his movie career or his football career. He gave him the choice of going to training camp to play football, or keep working on the Dirty Dozen and retire. Unfortunately for football fans, he chose to retire and focus on making movies.

3) Lawrence Taylor

In 1980, the New York Giants went 4-12 and landed the second-overall pick. The GMs of the NFL were polled on whether they would take LT with the first pick of the draft, and 26 of 28 said they would.

One of the two that said they wouldn't was the GM of the New Orleans Saints, who had the first pick of the draft.

There was controversy surrounding the Giants' pick of Taylor when he said that he wanted $250,000 his rookie year. Several Giants said that they would walk out on the team if they gave Taylor that much money. But after meeting LT, everyone was on board. Taylor was an All-Pro performer his first 10 years in the league. He won NFL DPOY three times and the NFL MVP in 1986. He will always be considered the most disruptive LB in NFL history.

4) Joe Montana

Montana played in four Super Bowls, and he won all of them. Coming out of Notre Dame, he wasn't even close to being considered the best QB in his draft class. Never has there been another QB with the calmness under pressure that Montana was blessed with. Montana won the NFL MVP award twice and Super Bowl MVP three times.

5) Walter Payton

"Sweetness" was one of the best running backs ever. But as great as he was as a player, he was an even better person. Once the all-time leading rusher in NFL history, the 1975 fourth-overall pick had an inauspicious start to his career, with 679 yards and seven TDs in his first season.

That quickly changed, however, as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 17 TDs in his second season, and over 1,800 yards his third season when he won AP NFL MVP. In 1999, Payton’s life was tragically cut short from liver disease.

6) Tom Brady

Largely ignored coming out of Michigan, he was picked in the sixth round by the Patriots. Brady spent his first year on the bench, going three of six for six yards.

In the third game of the 2001 season, Brady was thrust into action after starter Drew Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding after being hit. The Patriots won 11 of the 14 games Brady played in and made it to the playoffs, where they eventually won the Super Bowl. Brady has made it to four Super Bowls and won three. He is a two-time Super Bowl MVP, and he also won the 2007 NFL MVP.

7) Reggie White

"The Minister of Defense", as he was known, was probably the most dominating D-end in the history of the league. White started his pro career in Memphis in the USFL where he had 23.5 sacks and 192 tackles in two seasons.

After the USFL folded, White went into the NFL and spent eight years with Philly, six years with the Packers, and one year with the Panthers. White helped lead the Packers to two Super Bowls, and he finally got his ring after winning in Super Bowl XXXI. Sadly, White died of SADS in December of 2004.

8) John Elway

Elway's greatness and comeback-ability were personified in what is now known as "The Drive", the 98-yard touchdown drive that he lead to beat Cleveland in the 1986 AFC Championship game.

Originally drafted by the Colts, Elway stated that he would not play for them, saying that the team could not allow him to be successful. The Colts traded Elway to Denver, and although he lost the first three Super Bowls he played in, he finished strong and beat the Packers and Falcons in back to back Super Bowls.

9) Dick Butkus

Chicago born and bred, Butkus attended and played football at the University of Illinois, and was then drafted by his hometown team, the Chicago Bears, in the first round.

Though he only played for nine years, Butkus was always known as one of the most feared men in football. In fact, Sports Illustrated put him on the cover of a 1970 issue with the caption "Most feared man in the game."

Butkus’ career ended after he felt the Bears made him play on busted knees. He sued the Bears in 1975, saying the Bears had kept him on the field even though they knew he needed surgery.

10) Brett Favre

You would think that a guy who has won a Super Bowl and holds all the NFL passing records would be higher on this list, yet some would argue that he doesn’t belong on this list at all. The gunslinger from Mississippi holds the NFL records for passing TDs, passing yards, passing attempts, passing completions, regular season wins by a QB, and interceptions. Favre will always be known as an all-or-nothing player who was the face of the NFL for the last 10 years.

Honorable Mention

Johnny Unitis, Bartt Starr, Barry Sanders, Anthony Munoz, Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Deacon Jones, Sammy Baugh

Phoenix Suns Get the Right Coach in Terry Porter

Brad S. — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:29:17 -0400

How do you know Terry Porter is the right guy for Phoenix? Think about the last team he coached, the Milwaukee Bucks. He actually got them to the playoffs and they haven't been back since.

Porter spent this last season with the Detroit Pistons, who made it to the Eastern Conference finals. He is a coach who knows how to connect with his players and will be an asset to the organization.

There are questions, though. Why did the Bucks fire him? Easy—they thought with the No. 1 overall pick they could draw in a bigger-name coach. But when their target, Flip Saunders, went elsewhere they had to settle on Terry Stotts.

How will he get along with Shaq? O'Neal hasn't played for such a reputable coach in a while. He has spent the last decade with names like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. It will be tough to win Shaq over.

Will Porter change the system? This is doubtful because the type of system they run is perfect for Steve Nash.

Why weren't the Pistons interested? I think they viewed Curry as a future star as an NBA coach.

It will be entertaining to see how he handles the team next year.

Five Improvements For Madden 09

Brad S. — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:34:41 -0400

There are a few problems that I had with the game in 08 that I hope they fixed in 09

1.Over-inflated Stats in Franchise mode

I have a problem with this big time. Why is it that half the running backs in the league run for 2000 yards per season? I once had a season where Rudi Johnson ran for 1700 yards and he was 18th in the league in rushing!

Also, why the hell does almost every starting QB throw for over 30 TDs and under 15 INTs with about 3500 yards passing. I hope the numbers become more realistic in Madden 09.

2.The weather has no effect on the passing game

Why does the wind only have an effect on the kicking game? Look, we all saw games last year where a QB struggled because of the wind and cold. Yet in Madden, when the weather gets below 20 and the wind is blowing 15+ mph, you can still throw for 350 yards and 4 TDs.

3.Kicking a field goal is way too easy

I know you don't want to make it too tough to kick a field goal but what the hell? It's so boring at the end of a game when someone is kicking a 50 yarder with the game tied because you know they are going to make it. I don't think I've missed once inside 45 yards in all my years of playing Madden.

4.Only 2 defenders can make a tackle at one time

Whenever a defender locks on to you there is the bowling ball effect where either anyone who gets to close to the pile falls down or anyone the pile gets close to starts to run away. So if the offense breaks a tackle the D is screwed, because where there were three or four defenders before, there is no one left now.

5.Jet Pack Catches

It's so annoying when I'm playing against the Patriots and Randy Moss suddenly jumps ten feet into the air to make the catch. Don't they realize that players can't jump that high? That is defiantly something that needs to be toned down.

NFL All-Unexpected Team

Brad S. — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:37:49 -0400

Here is a list of active players picked in the fourth round or later that went on to become very good players in the NFL.

Offense

QB:Tom Brady
RB:Rudi Johnson
RB:Marion Barber III
WR:Donald Driver
WR:Marques Colston
TE:Antonio Gates
RT:Mark Taucher
RG:David Diehl
C:Kevin Mawae
LG:Alan Faneca
LT:Flozel Adams

Defense
RE:Jason Taylor
DT:La'Roi Glover
DT:Grady Jackson
LE:Aaron Kampman
LB:Derrick Brooks
LB:Zach Thomas
LB:Donnie Edwards
CB:Dre' Bly
CB:Asante Samual
FS:Atari Bigby
SS:Rodney Harison

NFL: Top 8 Underachievers This Season

Brad S. — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:00:24 -0400

Last week I put out my list of top ten players that will break out this season, here are eight that will under-perform or not live up to expectations

1. Vince Young

By no fault of his own. The titans had a Chance to draft Limas Sweed, Devin Thomas, or even Jordy Nelson to help Young out and they decided to pick Chris Johnson. That, coupled with not really getting him anything else this off-season, equals a bad year for Young.

2. Antonio Gates

Not because he's bad or anything—the Chargers have a lot of young, talented WR's, and I think they will spread the ball out a little more this year with Vincent Jackson becoming the main threat.

3. DeAngilo Hall

I've never really understood why people think he is so good. He gives up tons of yards and gets a lot of penalties. He's basically Ahmad Carrol—except he gets an INT every once in awhile.

4. Ryan Grant

This is an iffy pick. Packer fans thought that Samkon Gado was the second coming and look how that turned out. Brandon Jackson came on strong at the end of last year and could challenge Grant for the starting spot.

5. Marvin Harrison

He has had some trouble this off-season and he isn't getting any younger. Look for Reggie Wayne to become Manning's first target this season.

6. Javon Walker

I'll admit that as a Packer fan I have a bias here, but I think Ronald Curry will emerge as Oakland's best WR this year.

7. Brian Urlacher

He's getting older, and he didn't seem like the dominant player last year that he has been in the past. I think Briggs will take over as the Bears' best LB this season.

8. Kurt Warner

I think he will fall off the table this year. He is old, and I don't think his body can sustain an entire season—plus he might not even win the job.

Green Bay Position Battles Coming Into This Season

Brad S. — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:33:46 -0400

The QB Battle

The biggest question coming into training camp for the Green Bay Packers is will there be a QB competition? Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have said that Aaron Rodgers has the job but don't think Brian Brohm will sit idly by and let that happen.

Brian Brohm probably could have been a top five pick in last year's NFL draft but he opted to stay at school. In 2007 he had his best statistical year as a college QB but his team was awful. Some speculate that he is the most NFL ready QB coming out of college this year.

Rodgers on the other hand has been sitting on the bench for the last three years and looked very good against the Cowboys last year, but people question his durability and toughness, which is something that cannot happen if you play QB for the Green Bay Packers.

Ultimate Winner: Aaron Rodgers

Other Position battles

Some other Positions that I think could be open this year are 2nd WR, FS, 2nd DT, WLB, and 3rd CB

Second WR

The Candidates:Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson

Obviously Jennings is the favorite going in but James Jones and Jordy Nelson add size and strength to the position. Jennings is the fastest but Nelson and Jones both have better hands.

The Winner: Jennings, no real surprise

Free Safety

The Candidates: Aaron Rouse, Nick Collins

This will be the closest Battle in training camp in my opinion. Collins has never lived up to the expectations that the coaches have put on him and Rouse showed flashes last year. Not to mention that Rouse is 6'4 225 and Collins is 5'11 200.

The Winner: Rouse, I think this is a case where the incumbent falls

Second Defensive Tackle

The Candidates: Johny Jolly, Justin Harell

This will be a close one, Jolly showed he could be a consistent player last year before getting hurt. Ted Thompson saw enough potential in Harell to take him 16th overall last year.

The Winner: Harell, I think the packers will give him a chance to live up to his first round billing.

Linebacker

The Candidates: Brady Poppinga, Brandon Chillar

I don't think this will be as close as people think, Poppinga is better against the run and on third down the Packers like to go to the nickle formation anyways

The Winner: Poppinga easily

3rd Corner Back

The Candidates: Will Blackmon, Patrick Lee

Blackmon has been in the system awhile and he should know what he is doing by now. He is a great athlete and will probably be our punt returner this year. Patrick Lee is the best player they could have taken at that spot in the draft in my opinion. He played press coverage at Auburn and has good size and athleticism.

The Winner:Lee, experience in the system will help him

The fact that there are so many positions up for grabs shows how much depth the Packers have.

Ryan Braun's Long-Term Deal with Brewers Should Lead Way for Others

Brad S. — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:26:10 -0400

With Braun being signed for seven more years (including his first two free-agent years), it should lead the way for more deals to come. J.J. Hardy should be next. He will probaly get four to five years, and anywhere from $18-22 million. If Sheets stays healthy, he should get around three years and $30 million. Cory Hart should also get a new deal for around five years and $28 million.

Prince Fielder will probably be left out in the rain, and could be traded as early as this offseason. AA first-basemen prospect Matt LaPorta is hitting .326, and has an OPS of 1.085, with 10 HR, 12 doubles, and 38 RBI. Some think he is ready to be an elite hitter in the Majors right now.

Bill Hall has two years left, and with AA third-basemen prospect Mat Gamel hitting .367 with a 1.091 OPS, he will probably not be signed long term, unless Rickie Weeks ultimately busts as the second basemen.