Leon Halip/Getty Images Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions. Peyton Manning arrives in the Denver locker room, stands agilely by his arrest and anxiously adorns himself with his gameday blues. His pants are white, like afresh caked milk, and apprenticed adjoin his Herculean thighs. He looks about at his teammates. He is ready. He recites the Rifleman's Creed:
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"These are my weapons. There are abounding like them, but these ones are mine.
My weapons, afterwards me, are useless. Afterwards my weapons, I am useless. I already rowed a baiter afterwards Wes Welker, and I was like, 'Ugh, what's even the point?'
My weapons and I apperceive that in football what counts is not my 700 canyon attempts, how far down the acreage I can bandy or the seventh touchdown canyon if we're already up 24 points. What calculation is commutual A SIMPLE SHOTGUN SNAP ON THE VERY FIRST PLAY.
Before Roger Goodell, I affirm this creed. My weapons and I are the defenders of Denver. The masters of the AFC West. The saviors of the NFL."
Last season, with Manning as its Gunnery Sergeant, the Denver Broncos' breach set an NFL almanac for a lot of credibility scored. The (then) 37-year-old QB aswell set single-season annal for casual yards and touchdowns, en avenue to his fifth MVP Award. Manning was the architect, the gamer that masterminded Denver into getting a near-unstoppable abhorrent force.
But, like the Canon says, he'd be annihilation afterwards his weapons. Acceptable affair he's got affluence of them…as my attending at the top accomplishment players in the NFL for 2014 proves.
Top 5 WRs
Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions A advanced receiver is usually advised acceptable if he assets 1,127 yards in a individual season, but what if I told you that aback 2011, that's how abounding added yards that Johnson has than added player?
The man nicknamed "Megatron" is affidavit that conceivably a apprentice can become the greatest receiver of all-time. One can alone admiration how abounding David Boston's they had to accomplish afore they created him.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals Green is one of alone three players in NFL history to put up at atomic 1,000 yards in anniversary of his aboriginal three seasons, and his 260 career catches are the a lot of anytime for a amateur through his aboriginal three years.
But even added absorbing than all of that: He's fabricated admirers pay absorption to the Bengals. Hell, they adeptness even win a playoff bold one of these years, too.
Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos I'm apparently not the alone being who believes Eric Decker's numbers are traveling to be actively abandoned by arena with the New York Jets. The absolute mix of admeasurement and ability, Thomas is aggregate you'd achievement for from a above aboriginal annular pick, and clashing Decker, he'll apparently abide to be acceptable afterwards Manning retires. But Manning isn't retired yet, so why anguish about it?
Andre Johnson, Houston Texans The Texans were a absolute blend endure season…well, not totally total. Despite arena with some of the affliction quarterbacks in the league, Johnson still managed 109 catches and 1,407 yards. He has three seasons with at atomic 1,500 yards accepting in his career, something that alone Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison accept anytime done. His 5 100-catch seasons are angry for the a lot of in NFL history.
Johnson capital to be traded to a playoff aggregation beforehand this year. Hint: I anticipate he's already on one.
Julio Jones, Altanta Falcons Jones has alone played in 34 able games, and he's already gone over the 100-yard mark 12 times. He may accept been on his way to accepting the best analysis of any receiver endure year, but a bottom abrasion shut him down afterwards just 5 games. Despite his bound resume, there's little agnosticism Jones belongs on this list, because he, like the added four, could still be the best in the alliance at any accustomed time.
Top 5 RBs
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings I accept the NFL alive aback position is boring dying. At atomic as far as accepting a individual "workhorse back" that carries the bedrock 300-400 times a year. Single-back teams are array of like the ball beam advance of the NFL: They were the courage for so abounding years, but you're demography a above accident by relying on one today.
How abounding alive quarterbacks do you see traveling into the Hall of Fame? How abounding alive advanced receivers? OK, now, is there a individual alive alive aback besides Peterson that looks like a lock for the Hall of Fame?
Steven Jackson? Willis McGahee? Frank Gore?
Appreciate Peterson while you can, he may be a part of the endure of a dying breed, the football agnate of 2 Broke Girls.
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs Charles is accurately fascinating, account watching every week. He's one of alone 12 players in history to almanac at atomic 1,200 hasty yards and 70 catches in the aforementioned season. And he did it on an breach area no added accomplishment amateur would acceptable able the top 25 on these lists.
Here's to his predecessors Priest Holmes and Larry Johnso- NO WAIT, NOT THEM, NOT THEM! HE'S STILL SO YOUNG.
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles The NFL hasty appellation was so abuse askew endure year – McCoy had 268 added yards on the arena than any added amateur – that he could accept sat out the endure two amateur binging on Breaking Bad and still won it.
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks Is he the lynchpin of the Seattle breach or do I just feel like he is because of the arresting chat coincidence? Let me attending up the concordance analogue of lynchpin just in case …
Yeah, I do feel like he's a pin acclimated to authority a caster assimilate an axis. Not even just in a emblematic sense. I took my Volvo into the boutique endure February just to accept the Marshawn Lynchs replaced on my wheels.
Lynch has rushed for 35 touchdowns in the endure three years, a lot of in the NFL. If he can play three added seasons at this level, the four-time Pro Bowl, ancient Super Bowl best may be the next abutting affair to an alive Hall of Fame alive back. I anticipate Russell Wilson is apparently the lynchpin of the Seahawks at this point, but Lynch is a abutting "ignition switch."
DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys It's harder to accomplish any account afterwards some controversy, but Murray's admittance may could cause added aching active than the time you wrestled "Dirty Scalp Stevie" in the third grade. But the actuality is, Murray had 5.2 yards per backpack endure analysis and was the aboriginal Cowboy aback Emmitt Smith in 1995 to blitz for at atomic 1,100 yards and almanac at atomic 50 catches in the aforementioned season.
He's actual acceptable and a countless of injuries beggarly he's still actual fresh, with alone 542 career carries (I'm an optimist!) He could become the league's arch alive aback in 2014…or just addition kid that cipher wants to play with.
Top 5 TEs
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots There are apparently a lot of lists that Gronk would top about the league, but this is one of the few that are in fact flattering. Thanks to a countless of injuries, he's alone played in 18 amateur over the endure two seasons, but they've been 18 really, absolutely acceptable games.
The Patriots accept managed to abide acceptable afterwards Gronkowski, but they could be more-than-good and win the Super Bowl this year with him. He's the Steve Carell to their American adaptation of The Office. But can he break healthy?
2. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
Some may altercate that he deserves to be the amount one bound end, but Graham himself spent months arguing that he wasn't even a bound end at all. So what's it traveling to be? He's a Steve Urkel aggravating to be a Stefan Urquelle.
Graham is an aristocratic accepting option, but several teams, including the Patriots, Rams and Seahawks, were able to absolutely yield him out of the game. Gronkowski is a bigger acquaintance and a bigger pass-catcher if healthy, and Graham has a means to go afore he can be advised the top TE in the game
3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
He gets absent amidst a sea of bound ends that are putting up brainless numbers appropriate now, but Davis played in the league's toughest analysis endure year, with something like one added accepting advantage for a lot of of the year, and still came abroad with 850 yards and 13 touchdowns. He's aswell possibly still one of the 5 "freakiest" athletes in the NFL.
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys Even admitting he's alone 32, and could play six added seasons afore he alcove the age that Tony Gonzalez is now, Witten is like Chevy Chase on Community. Young admirers are like "Who is this guy and why do we charge him?" and the earlier admirers are like "Why is Chevy Chase on NCIS? Wait this isn't NCIS. Who took the clicker?"
An accomplished blocker, a reliable canyon catcher and he hasn't absent a bold aback the third time Chevy's career hit the fan.
Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos It came down to Thomas or the Browns' Jordan Cameron, but like the old aphorism says: Between the "surprising bound end that catches passes from Manning" and the "surprising bound end that adeptness be communicable passes from Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel," consistently yield Peyton.
Though he had beneath yards endure analysis than bound ends like Cameron, Antonio Gates, Gonzalez, and Greg Olsen, Thomas has affluence of allowance for advance this accessible season. Like the endure band of the Canon says:
"This is my bound end. There are abounding added like him, but this one is mine. Unless we adjudge to use Virgil Green. He is aswell mine."