The Best Players In The NFL By Position 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 12:17AM Joe Simmons 
In the NFL we often hear of who is the best player or who is doing well, but what does it mean to be the best at your position? Today at Bull City we will take a look at the players who are arguably the best in the game at their position. Some may be disputable and others are not.
We aren’t talking fantasy points, we are talking production. I get arguments all the time and most people are talking about what people did for their fantasy team. That’s all fine and good but because a man ran 3 touchdowns from the one yard line and has 27 carries for 29 yards doesn’t make them the best at their position.
Before you call me biased let me be the first to state that there isn’t one player on the list from either of my two teams that I follow. I let the numbers and players respect for the players speak for me on this one.
Take a look at the list:
Offense
Tackle – Joe Thomas – Cleveland Browns
Thomas is by far the most dominant of the NFL tackles. This explains why his pockets got lined so well by the Cleveland Browns this off season. Thomas just does it the way you are supposed to do it on a routine basis. Very rarely will he be the cause of a penalty or a sack.
Guard – Josh Sitton – Green Bay Packers
Shows off rare strength in the way he absorbs contact in pass protection. He also moves supremely well in the run game and dictates direction once he locks onto a target. Sitton rarely if ever gets beat and rarely blows an assignment. He is the quintessential offensive lineman in the league.
Center – Nick Mangold – New York Jets
Take a look at the Jets without their offensive anchor. They have been slightly mediocre. Mangold opens up the middle and directs traffic for the Jets. He gets the job done regardless of the talent in front of him.
TE – Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers
Finley is the new standard of tight ends in the league. He will have to battle to hold on to his best title but he has done very well for a man who has battled injuries most of his career. He should be looking over his shoulder though since Vernon Davis, and a slew of young tight ends are gaining ground.
WR – Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions
Year after year you can argue who is the best receiver and a different name will come up. For the last seasons and a half in the NFL it has been Calvin Johnson who has held the crown. Johnson is a rare combination of size and speed that still has the ability to stop on a dime and run out of the cut. He may not hold the title for long but he does hold the title.
RB – Arian Foster – Houston Texans
Foster is the new dimension of back. He is a combination of Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders. He can make you miss and he can go the distance. Foster may not hold this crown for long as there are many exciting backs in the league.
QB – Tom Brady – New England Patriots
Brady happens to be the premier passer in the league. He always finds a way to carry his team to 12 or 13 wins while making throw after throw that makes you scratch your head about how he did it. He better enjoy this title this year, because a couple of young guns (Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees) are breathing down his neck and are ready to wear the crown.
Defense
DT – Ndamukung Suh
Suh is an immovable object. He is a one man gang against the run and the pass. Teams design plays to make sure he is constantly double teamed and that just adds to his value. Never have we seen a man that big and fast move so well and still be effective. The man has only been in the league one year but he plays like a grown man already.
DE – Jarred Allen – Minnesota Vikings
Allen is the top choice here because of all the havoc he wrecks on opposing defenses. There are some guys who do a lot but he stands out on a team with 3 candidates who could make the list. Maybe it’s the system or maybe it’s the player, but Allen gets the job done.
ILB – Patrick Willis – San Francisco 49ers
If you have ever seen Mr. Willis play, you wouldn’t even bother to question this selection. He is a man child. He does it all. You can’t run lead at him and try throwing a pass in his zone and you will get your head knocked off.
OLB – Clay Matthews – Green Bay Packers
This one is tough because I felt the DeMarcus Ware is just as deserving. Matthews gets the edge since he has done it in the playoffs and the Super Bowl as well. Matthews is a sack machine, but he has some coverage skills as well. Not bad for a guy who has only been in the league 3 years.
CB – Darrelle Revis – New York Jets
Last year I gave this crown to Nnamdi. All Revis did was prove that he was really the man. So far Revis has done nothing to dispel this title. Revis just takes them as they come and shuts them up on his island of loneliness. Not bad for a guy who no one knew would be this good.
S – Ed Reed – Baltimore Ravens
I wanted so badly to put Troy P back in this slot because I think he makes the Steelers go. I thought better after watching Ed’s importance to the Ravens last season. If Ray Lewis is the heart and soul of the Baltimore defense, then Ed Reed is the arteries and veins because he seems to be all over the field when he is out there. Seriously it looks like everyone on defense has on number 20 when the Ravens are playing.
There you have it. That’s the best players in the NFL at their position. You are probably looking for kickers and punters or even kick returners, but we are talking about players not specialist. Ok I am ready… do you agree or disagree? Let me have it in the comments section.
Stay Breezy ~ I’m Out!
Reader Comments (3)
I still like Rodgers over Brady. I also like Troy over Reed. But I'm a little biased in that category
You got Allen over Peppers....that's unsettling for me (esp. because we did the Top 10 with me and you had Peppers #1) but ok. I want to dispute the outside linebacker one...but I feel like Harrison and Ware ain't quite what they used to be. Good shit here.
-Ed.
Great list but I got to big up my boy down in tampa.. Left Tackle Donald Penn is a man amongst boys. Last year he was pro bowler. This year he's faced .. Jared Allen, John Abraham and Dwight Freeney and has only given up one sack that wasn't even his fault. He's a beast.. But great list.