On Monday night, NFL Network wrapped up their annual Top 100 Players list with the 10-1 season finale. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the list, the Top 100 Players is a show carried out each year by NFL Network. The list is voted on by 150 players around the league and most of those players will get interviewed talking about who they voted for and what not.
Personally, I’ve never put much stock into this list and for obvious reasons. First off, by having the players vote on themselves, teammates, and fellow players around the league, it creates bias right from the get-go. Players will be more inclined to vote for teammates or divisional opponents that they see twice a year. It’s a fun idea to get more viewers, but it’s nothing ground breaking.
Unlike most years, this year I decided to keep a close eye on the rankings. I wanted to see if players around the league respected the Eagles as an elite team. Because if we’re being honest, the national media hasn’t given the Eagles as much love as they deserve. They’re still talking about the Patriots and the controversy between Brady and Belicheck, and the Malcolm Butler benching, and how they’re not a “fun” organization blah blah blah. The Pats get the same treatment as the Cowboys when it comes to the national sports media; it doesn’t matter how bad things are going, they will always get the spotlight.
There were a handful of Eagles players early on in the list. Malcolm Jenkins and Lane Johnson came in at 96 and 95, then Fletcher Cox and Zach Ertz came in at 69 and 68. And then there wasn’t another Eagles until Carson Wentz at number 3.
So, according to players around the league, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles only have 5 of the top 100 players in the league. And the highest-ranking player, Carson Wentz, didn’t even play in the playoffs or Super Bowl.
This list was just another example of the Eagles getting little to no respect, and I seriously don’t get it. The fact that the team still won the Super Bowl after losing the 3rd best player in the league (according to the players) further proves how great this team was. There’s no way anyone can convince me that the second-best player on the Eagles is the 68th best player in the league, which is what the players ranked Zach Ertz.
For the record, I don’t even think Ertz is our second-best player. I would put Cox, Lane, Kelce, and maybe even Brandon Graham over Ertz, and two of those players I just mentioned (Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham) weren’t even ranked! WHAT?! Arguably the best Center in the league and the guy who made the game-winning play in the Super Bowl aren’t amongst the top 100 players in the league? Give me a break.
I’ve always thought of this list as nothing more than a popularity contest amongst players and this year’s list cemented that status for me. I know the Eagles are well aware of their rankings and I’m sure it will be just add to their motivation heading into this season.