The big names of the NFL obviously attain these attributes. However, some lesser names may not immediately come to mind when sorting out the most trustworthy players in the league. There’s the premier crop of players we already know about – the Tom Bradys, Peyton Mannings and Chris Johnsons of the NFL – but there’s a fair share of not-so-household names to start believing in.
Hakeem Nicks
I was a vehement Nicks fan during his college stint at North Carolina. Multiple facets of his talents as a wide receiver stood out more than others in the NCAA ranks. His hands are humongous, and his speed was virtually unparalleled to any other college receiver with his size. The size and speed combination is always something to marvel at the college level, because it’s essentially an uncommon blend for an 18-22 year-old. Even his route running and run-after-catch abilities were astonishing. Almost every quality Nicks portrayed as a wide receiver at North Carolina made you think: “This guy was born to be an NFL wideout.” But he dropped to the second round of the draft and never received any preseason rookie buzz. Not even this catch perked NFL scouts’ ears up enough.
Now Nicks has slowly become Eli Manning’s number one target, one of the Giants’ best offensive players, and one of the most dependable wide receivers in the league. His size allows him to make catches across the middle of the field with ease, he can make defenders miss and gain valuable yards after the catch on bubble screens, has an uncanny ability to make moves on defenders before he catches the ball and still hauls in passes and gains extra yardage, and is a legitimate threat in the redzone when running fade routes. Oh, and he’s third in the league in receiving yards (735), tied for first in touchdowns (9), and second in catches for over 20 yards (16 total).
In other words, start believing in him. He’s a star in the making.
Arian Foster
By now, Foster has become a household name (especially if you’re a fantasy user), but his abilities outside of racking up monstrous fantasy numbers aren’t acknowledged as much as they should. In fact, Chris Johnson is the only NFL runner more suited for a zone blocking scheme than Foster. He’s exceptionally patient, doesn’t run towards the sidelines unless he has to, and quickly hits holes as soon as he sees them open up. Zone blocking schemes have a way of making offensive lineman look good – rather than the contrary – and Arian Foster is making his offensive line look very good. The only person he can’t make look good at this point is Texans head coach Gary Kubiak.Peyton Hillis
You know you can believe in someone when he’s leading the Browns to wins over teams like the Patriots and Saints, and keeping things close for his team against the Jets. Not to mention that he’s breaking color barriers as a white running back in 2010 and running guys over like a bulldozer. He’s basically the reincarnation of Mike Alstott with a little less power and a little
more speed. Because of him, the Browns are a frisky team that has proven to be capable of winning any given week no matter what team they face. Hillis has rushed for 726 yards and eight touchdowns this season, and is more than on pace to rush for over 1,000. The last white running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season: Craig James in 1985 for the New England Patriots. I think it’s about time we start believing in Peyton Hillis.Darren McFadden
If you read last week’s column, you know exactly why McFadden is a running back to believe in. To put it simply, he’s altered the entire complexion of the Oakland offense. Moreover, he’s probably one of the most exciting runners to watch in the NFL. Contrary to his first two years in the league, he finishes off every run with conviction and has found a way to continuously reach the second level and utilize his dynamic open-field speed. As goes McFadden, so do the Raiders; and mark my words: Run-DMC will be a top-4 NFL running back within the next two seasons. Believe in THAT!
Roddy White
Let’s get this out of the way: 70 catches, 934 yards receiving, seven touchdowns, and 227 yards after the catch through nine games. That’s first, second, fifth (tied), and sixth in those categories for wide receivers, respectively. That, itself, is extraordinary. What’s most astounding when watching Roddy White is the fact that he’s possibly the most skilled wide receiver in the NFL. But don’t take it from me; take it from my friend Matt, who offered me White and some scrub for Andre Johnson before the fantasy football season. I quickly shot down the proposal, so Matt immediately jumped on the Roddy White bandwagon and decided to start sending me “So, did you check out Roddy White’s box score?” texts every week. Now he’s trying to convince me that he’s the best receiver in the NFL. If I were to do it all over again, I probably would have done the same thing and stuck with AJ. I still think he’s one of the two best wide receivers in the league and is the most dependable, outside of Larry Fitzgerald. Does that mean I don’t like Roddy White? Not even. He’s become a top-5 NFL wideout on a 7-2 team, and might enter the top two if Johnson’s durability starts becoming and issue and Fitzgerald doesn’t find anyone to play quarterback for him. If that happens, I’ll hand out some lofty considerations. Let’s just say I won’t be getting any trade proposals including Roddy White in the upcoming years.Josh Freeman
At first glance, Freeman had some raw talents similar to Ben Roethlisberger during his rookie season. His 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame makes him virtually impossible to sack, which complements his stunning arm strength. He may not put up huge numbers or look fancy doing it, but Josh Freeman simply finds a way to win games for his team. The Bucs are 6-3 and in favorable position to snag a playoff spot, despite having a nonexistent running attack and a squad similar to last season’s 3-13 team. However, the most shocking revelation when assessing Freeman: Of his eight career wins, six of them have been fourth-quarter comebacks.Marinate on that for a second. In his second year in the league at 22 years old, Josh Freeman already knows how to lead his team to victory and display resiliency at its finest. If that’s not enough, maybe his 90.1 passer rating, 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions is. Or the throw at the end of this highlight. Or this throw. Or the fact that he has vast room for improvement with a newfound legitimate runner behind him in LeGarrette Blount. Or the fact that he, along with head coach Raheem Morris, is all but single-handedly reversing the dismay in Tampa Bay. Or the fact that he’s a quarterback you can believe in come playoff time.
Mark Sanchez
Ok, he may already be a household name, but Mark Sanchez wasn’t necessarily a quarterback you could depend on before this season. This year, he’s led his team to three fourth quarter wins in the last four games, put up big numbers in key games (most notably, his 21/30, 220-yard, 3-touchdown, 0 interception performance in week 2 against the Patriots), and it took him six games to throw his first pick. Sanchez is no longer the offensive mediator in front of a relentless rushing attack.
So far this season, the Jets have had a tendency to stall offensively. In turn, it’s resulted in close games against seemingly inferior opposition. This could be viewed as a problem, and it probably is, but this problem has become a blessing in disguise in some ways. In games against the Broncos (recently becoming a valiant home team), Lions (intermittently explosive offensively, play with immense heart), and Browns (can win any given week against any given team), the Jets pulled out victories in multiple fashions involving their star quarterback.
Sanchez showed prudence with his throw to Santonio Holmes in week six against the Broncos, inducing a pass interference penalty and sealed a win in a game in which he played poorly.He portrayed resiliency against the Lions in week nine, as he completed a 4-minute drill, down 20-10, to tie the game in regulation. The Jets eventually claimed the overtime victory in a game in which they fumbled five times and couldn’t find any offensive rhythm.
Then they met up with the frisky Browns, and Mark Sanchez displayed his fearlessness and ability to make the big throw in the big moment. His immaculate throw on a slant pattern with less than a minute remaining in the overtime period put Santonio Holmes in position to make a move on the safety and race into the endzone.
The Jets may be squeaking out victories, but Mark Sanchez is aiding them in finding ways to post them in any way possible. That’s what elite teams do, no matter what the opposition may be in this parity-filled league known as the NFL.
Mike Vick
It’s hard not to believe in Michael Vick at this point. Forget that he currently has the highest passer rating in the NFL (115.1); has thrown 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions this season; is posting a completion percentage higher than 60% for the first time in his career; is averaging 56.8 rushing yards per game; and broke a single-game record by passing for 300+ and rushing for 50+ with four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns last week.
Mike Vick is doing more than posting stats. He’s commanding a team that had “lackluster team in transition” written all over it before the season. He looks as agile and speedy as he did when he was captivating fans in his days in Atlanta, and has actually become a polished pocket passer for the first time in his career. He’s found himself towards the top of the NFL MVP race on a playoff-caliber team.But most of all, Vick is gradually doing what nobody thought he could ever do. He’s inspiring onlookers with his comeback story, grabbing positive attention when it seemed as though dog-lovers and PETA advocates would engulf him off the field, and mesmerizing fans as if he was never on hiatus. If the Eagles make the postseason, I’ll be rooting for Mike Vick, and I don’t think I’ll be alone. He’s the one to start believing in most.
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