NFL: Cam Newton and 10 of 2011's Most Surprising Players

We are roughly halfway through the 2011 NFL season, and we've seen some guys come out and shock everyone with how well they're playing.

Naturally, the same could be said of the 2009 Broncos after six games, but let's stick to the point.  A lot of the players on this list caught a lot of heat, and experts weren't sure they had anything (or, anything left) to give to the game.

It seems that we have athletes like this all the time, and that makes football so exciting!  While we fantasy owners wish we could learn all the secrets before everyone else, it just doesn't work that way and it's those secrets that keep us coming back every year.

Moving towards the natural point, these 10 players have been shocking the NFL more so than anyone else this season.

10. Calvin Johnson

Megatron—or Calvin Johnson if you needed clarification—has always been a good player.  That fact is not disputed.

The reason he's featured on this list is because of the magnitude of his play this season.  He's already collected 804 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns.  That puts him on pace to demolish his already impressive career highs.

Let's put those 11 touchdowns into perspective—his career high is 12, and he's done it twice.  With half a season still in front of him, it's believable that Johnson could catch 20 touchdowns.

Don't sit there and tell me that you thought Megatron would be the guy to accomplish such a feat.

9. Pat Angerer

The Indianapolis Colts have very little to be happy about this season, but Pat Angerer can be one of the few reasons to be excited.

The second-year linebacker out of Iowa has collected 90 tackles so far this season.  Just to put that into perspective, he had 88 all of last season and 90 is 22 tackles better than the next player behind Angerer.

He puts out a fierce attitude on the Colts' defense, which the athletes surrounding him could learn a thing or two about. 

He's the only man offenses should fear on that horrid defense.  Given the picture, Aaron Rodgers definitely knows how big a surprise this monstrosity is.

8. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Most of the speculation was that the Buffalo Bills were going to select Blaine Gabbert with the third overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Clearly, that did not happen.  They stuck with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who's mostly been a career backup and journeyman, filling in for quarterbacks who'd been through injuries.

In 2011, Fitzpatrick has amassed 1,739 yards while having a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. 

While last season wasn't bad for Fitzpatrick (3,000 yards, 23 touchdowns), no one could have foreseen this man being one of the Bills' saviors. 

His throws have been on the mark and he's actually working with a lot of guys who aren't big names.  Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson are really the only exceptions.

After painful years of quarterbacks ranging from J.P. Losman all the way to Trent Edwards, it appears the Bills have finally found their main man.

7. Beanie Wells

Well it appears that the injury bug has gotten to Beanie Wells yet again in 2011, but for now, his stats are still shocking.

Wells came into the season without many expectations, but he's had a decent six-game stretch.  On the ground, he's run for just over 500 yards and has scored seven touchdowns, thus tying his career high.

While the 500 yards are not currently good for a top ten spot in the category, we'd have to assume that if he stayed on the field for all seven games, he'd at least be at 600, which would get him there. 

If Wells can get away from injuries, he's beginning to look like the guy that Arizona thought they were getting when they drafted him in 2009.

6. Alex Smith

Alex Smith is not having any sort of spectacular season, but he's been good enough to be a key part in the 49ers' 6-1 start.

He's only thrown for 1,267 yards, but he's got nine touchdowns and only two picks.  This comes from a guy who once threw one touchdown and 11 picks in a season.

His passer rating of 95.7 is far above his career high.  What's different now is that Jim Harbaugh now knows how to utilize his quarterback, and that's something that other coaches in San Francisco didn't know how to do. 

A lot of pressure is applied to Frank Gore, as this is a running team for the most part.  However, you won't get by in the NFL with a quarterback who can't throw.  Smith is finally beginning to step up to be the leader that a top overall draft pick should be.

5. Matthew Stafford

Many of us expected Matthew Stafford to step up and be the leader of the Detroit Lions at some point.  There were even talks of a possible playoff berth in 2011.

Now let's see how many of us thought Stafford would have 19 touchdowns in eight games.  Anyone that can honestly say they thought Stafford would be on pace for nearly 40 touchdowns in 2011?

Yeah, even if you did raise your hand, I'm not buying it.  Stafford has been prone to injury his entire career and most of us weren't sure what to expect from him.  Eight games in, Stafford is well over 2,000 yards, and the 19 touchdowns are well above his former career high.

It appears that the Lions finally have something to work with.

4. Eli Manning

After Eli Manning's Super Bowl triumph over the undefeated Patriots a few years ago, we all thought he was finally going to step out of his brother's shadow.  That has not happened, even though Peyton is sitting on the sidelines.

Eli has thrown for 2,127 yards this season with 13 touchdowns and only five interceptions.  All those put together give him the third best passer rating in the NFL. 

How many of you saw that coming from the man who perceives himself to be just as good as Tom Brady and Peyton?

You may not like Manning, but you have to give him the credit: he's led these Giants to a very impressive start.  If the season continues to roll at this rate for Eli, he could wind up being nearly 5,000 yards by the year's end. 

3. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green

These two men could've gone on this list individually, but most of their success stems from having the other on the field, so I'll group them as one.

Andy Dalton is on pace to throw for just over 3,000 yards in his rookie campaign.  While that may not seem like much in a passing league, it's a miraculous feat considering how young and inexperienced these Bengals are.  He's thrown nine touchdowns.

As for A.J. Green, he's caught 33 balls for 516 yards and five touchdowns.  He is on track to have an incredible rookie year, as he should collect 1,000 yards and double-digit scores.

These two together are on track to break rookie records for a combo like this.  Is this the beginning of a new Manning-Harrison connection?

2. Fred Jackson

As of today, Fred Jackson has gathered 721 yards on the ground.  That is accompanied by six touchdowns.

Jackson is on pace to shatter every career high he has, and he's already set a new career high with the six touchdowns.  Keep in mind, this was the man C.J. Spiller was supposed to be replacing. 

He's still in the top five in rushing yards and is one of the quickest backs in the game.  Combine that with the power that he gets when he builds a head of steam and you've got yourself a pretty scary running back.  Jackson has been absolutely key in the Bills' shocking 5-2 run.

Before the season, I would've ranked Jackson in the 20's in terms of the league's best backs.  He's since climbed into the top 10.

1. Cam Newton

Say what you want to say about Cam Newton, but you have to admit that he can play in the NFL.

This was shocking to a lot of people, myself included.  I was comparing him to a combination of Vince Young and JaMarcus Russell, which stemmed from him getting roughly 20 carries a game at Auburn.

I didn't think he had a great arm.  He's answered all of his critics by throwing for nearly 2,400 yards (good for second in the league behind Aaron Rodgers), has thrown for 11 touchdowns, and has also collected seven touchdowns on the run.

His passer rating may not be in the top five and the Panthers may be 2-6, but try to tell Panthers fans that they don't have a reason to be optimistic.  Their issue right now is a putrid defense, average running backs (at best), and their only reliable receiver is an aging Steve Smith.

Newton is the stunner of the league in 2011, and don't expect him to let up anytime soon.