We've reached the end of the yellow brick road on the NFL Network's The Top 100 Players of 2014* countdown.*
On Wednesday night, players 10 through 1 were revealed. The Around The League team offers up our own top 10 selections. Please note that NFL players had zero input in the creation of these lists. We bring glad tidings and overt sanity.
Where's that voiceover lady NFL Network uses? Try to read this post in her sly intonation if you have that ability.
» I refuse to put Manning anywhere else than No. 1. He's mastered the game and is coming off the best season in the history of the position. He's getting old, yes, but I'll have to see him play that way before I drop him from top spot.
» It came down to Shady vs. Jamaal Charles for the No. 10 spot here. Probably could've flipped a coin, but McCoy gets the slight edge for his sustained success and impressive durability (366 touches last year).
»Richard Sherman is going to find a home in the top 10 on NFL Network's The Top 100 Player's of 2014 list, but Earl Thomas is the most important piece of what was a historic defense last season. There's a reason the Seahawks' brass took care of their safety before their cornerback.
» I wrote about my bottomless respect for J.J. Watt's game right here. He has the potential to be an all-time great. If Jadeveon Clowney is the real deal, Houston's rebuilding period might be shorter than expected.
» Brees' (relative) struggles outside the Superdome keeps him from being quite in the same class as the other QBs here. Still, we're talking about a guy polishing up a Hall of Fame resume. Respect.
» Call it a hunch, but I'm convinced a hyper-motivated Darrelle Revis will reclaim his title as the World's Greatest Cornerback this season. With Brady doing his thing on one side and Revis shutting down half the field on the other, feel free to book another 12-4 in Foxborough.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" ranked the top quarterbacks in the NFL today.