The premiere of the NFL Network's "Top 100: Players of 2012" did not go off without it's share of controversy. Chris Johnson, whose 1,047 rushing yards came up relatively small when measured against his 2,003 rushing yards in 2009 -- earned the "Donovan McNabb honorable mention" spot at No. 100.
Rosenthal: 'Top 100' absurdity
There were a few ridiculous aspects to NFL Network's "Top 100: Players of 2012" on Sunday. Gregg Rosenthal takes a look at a few of the more noteworthy selections. More ...Meanwhile, Packers fullback John Kuhn crashed the party at No. 92, one spot ahead of Tony Romo, leading us to wonder if that says more about Kuhn's perceived worth in an uber pass-happy offense or Romo's tumble from No. 72 last year.
Then there's Tim Tebow, listed at No. 95. Tebow Time was must-see TV last season, so it should come as no surprise that the people upstairs found a way to get Tebow on the show's premiere episode. With a little help from NFL.com Senior Associate Editor Aron Angel, we unveil another edition of He Said, He Said to debate Tebow's place on the list.
| Rosenthal: Tebow doesn't belong You can make an argument that Tim Tebow deserves to be on "The Top 100: Players of 2012." It's just not the right argument. It all comes down to how much credit you give Tebow for Denver's late season run. While he was a big part of their wins, we'd credit the team's defense and running game as much or more than Tebow. Was Tebow a big part of that running game? Of course. He was also a huge part of the reason the team needed to come from behind late in games. He was the biggest reason the team gagged three straight miserable games to end the regular season. 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. Tony Romo is barely ahead of Tebow this 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. We'll say this much for Tebow, however: He belongs more than John Kuhn does. |  | Angel: Tebow should be even higher After what Tim Tebow did for a punchless Broncos team in 2011, he deserves to be on "The Top 100: Players of 2012." I argue he should've been even higher. You can point to Tebow's statistical deficiencies as reason why he shouldn't be included. A 46.5 completion percentage would normally be grounds for expulsion from the NFL, let alone a top 100 list. But there's more to being a quarterback than taking the snap. Certainly more to this quarterback. While Kuhn was opening up holes for the Packers' 27th-ranked rushing attack, Tebow was breaking tackles. It's no coincidence the Broncos went from the 26th-ranked rushing team in 2010 to the best one in 2011. This was a one-win Broncos team (coming off a 4-12 season) that was so bad they turned to their backup QB in Week 5, a move that paid off for one reason: Their backup was a gamer. Not only did Tebow lead the Broncos to wins in seven of their next eight games, but five of those were dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks. That's not mentioning the fact that Tebow threw two touchdowns and ran for another in an overtime playoff win over the defending AFC champs. That alone should be enough to get Tebow on this list. |
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