2011 NFL Predictions: Michael Vick and 5 Stars Poised to Disappoint

Last season a number of players became "stars" in the NFL after just one year of consistent production. Some of these players are going to disappoint in 2011 and could even lose their "star" status.

Guys like Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been consistently performing at a high level throughout their careers. The guys on this list are one-year wonders and have yet to prove that they will ever be more than that.

These players just simply won’t be as good as they were last season and are having high expectations placed upon them. They will not be able to live up to hype and are poised to disappoint when the 2011 NFL regular season finally begins. 

5. Arian Foster

The leading rusher in the league last season has no chance of repeating this year.
Foster took the league by storm when he came out of nowhere in Week 1 against the Colts. Teams now have tape on the kid and will be able to key in on him and stop him.

Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson were both hamstrung by terrible quarterback play and faced stacked eight-man boxes. The Vikings and Titans both added new QBs to take the heat off of them and they will return to the top of the NFL.

Foster also lost All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach in free agency, who plowed the way for him through defenses. All of these factors mean that the Texans’ RB won’t be a stud again in 2011.

4. Peyton Hillis

Last season, Hillis became the feature back for the Cleveland Browns because of injuries and luck. This season, he is going to have to earn it with Montario Hardesty and Brandon Jackson breathing down his neck.

Hardesty is back from injury and is going to be a great change-of-pace back to pair with Hillis. Hillis is a bruising rusher who takes tacklers on head-on, while Hardesty is a speedy, elusive guy who will get touches in this new Browns’ offense.

Jackson is also going to steal touches on third downs, and new head coach Pat Shurmur might trust second-year QB Colt McCoy to throw more.

All of these factors mean that Hillis will not have nearly the same year as he did last year.

3. Stevie Johnson

Stevie had one of the more incredible breakout seasons in recent history last season, and he is just not that skilled of a player.

In 2008 and 2009, Johnson played in 16 total games with one start, recording 12 receptions for 112 yards and two TDs.  Last year he somehow managed 82 receptions for 1,073 yards and 10 TDs.

He simply overachieved last season and it won’t happen again. Ryan Fitzpatrick won’t be as good a QB as he was at the end of last season and the team is going to terrible again.

Johnson is a one-season wonder and he won’t be nearly as productive again in his career. 

2. Michael Vick

Last season, Vick was tied with Josh Freeman as the luckiest QB in the NFL. What exactly does this mean?

According to KC Joyner, Vick only had 19.4% of potential interceptions actually become turnovers. He tossed six interceptions last season but he could have had as many as 31. These near interceptions include dropped INTs, tipped balls and other factors that meant the defense were on the cusp of picking off the rock.

Michael Vick is the only player on this list who has proven that he can play at a high level for more than a year. The only wrinkle is that he did this prior to serving his prison sentence. I highly doubt he can maintain the same level of production this season.

Vick has a high chance of getting injured or throwing a lot more interceptions, which will make him a disappointment in 2011.

1. Charles Johnson

The Carolina Panthers’ four-year veteran defensive end only earned the starting job in 2010 after they shipped Julius Peppers out of town.

He didn’t record a sack his rookie year and combined for ten in his sophomore and junior campaign. It was only last year that he was able to make a name for himself and get to the QB 11.5 times.

Now I’m not sure if the Panthers were that pleased with one year of production, or if Johnson held up their front office with a ski-mask, burlap sack and shotgun, but somehow he made out of there with a $72 million dollar deal.

There is no way he lives up to this ridiculous contract. The Panthers overcompensated for the loss of Julius Peppers and rewarded a guy who has not done anything more than have one good season with a future Hall of Fame caliber contract.

This is one of the worst deals in the NFL and the Panthers will soon find out that Johnson was not worth it.