Simply the best
PFW rates the top NFL players of the ’99 season
By Joel Buchsbaum, Contributing editor
As published in print Jan. 24, 2000
1-25 | 26-56
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Rams QB
Kurt Warner
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This article does not list the best or most coveted athletes in the NFL. Instead, it
lists the players we feel had the best seasons and contributed the most to their teams. We
compiled this team with the help of many NFL insiders. All comments are from insiders, who
requested anonymity, and most of the grades are based almost exclusively on input from the
experts.
The grade scale we used was from one to five, with 5.0 being a perfect grade. We also
used a curve that accounted for the position a player plays as well as his importance to
his team. Thus, a punter’s actual position grade tends to get curved down, while a
quarterback’s grade may be curved up.
| Grade scale |
More than 4.5 — Had an MVP/Player of the Year type of season.
4.1-4.5 — Had an All-Pro season.
4.0 — Not quite an All-Pro but worthy of playing in the Pro Bowl. |
| 1 |
QB Kurt Warner
St. Louis Rams |
|
| "He is a combination (of) Joe Hardy (from ‘Damn
Yankees’), Johnny Unitas and Dan Fouts." … "Throws the ball like Fouts
did in his prime and has Dan’s poise and toughness but is a better athlete and
runner." … "I doubt (Warner) will ever come close to matching this year,
but no quarterback has played better since Dan Marino in his second year (1984)."
… "Kurt Warner is why we need developmental leagues like (NFL) Europe and the
(Arena) league to allow young quarterbacks to develop. I saw him in Europe, and right now
he is 100 percent better than he was (then). Even if the Packers (who signed Warner out of
college) had given him every chance to make it way back when, I don’t know if he
would have been good enough then. He just did not have the same awareness, poise or
confidence then." … "Give the devil his due. I’ll bet he is a one-year
wonder, but I don’t know anyone who had a better year." … "He is
great, but don’t forget about all the speed and talent around him. He has an all-star
supporting cast." |
Grade: 4.9 |
Top of page
| 2 |
QB Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts |
|
| "Great intangibles and accuracy. Has a remarkable
ability (of) knowing just when to release the ball so he gives his receivers enough time
to run their routes (while) not getting sacked." … "No second-year
quarterback ever played better from a mental standpoint." … "Put somebody
like Rob Johnson behind the Colts’ line, and he probably would have been sacked 50
times (Manning was sacked only 14 times), and Rob Johnson is a pretty good NFL
quarterback." … "(Manning) is better than I thought he would be from the
neck up and far, far superior to anything I imagined from the neck down." …
"He makes everyone around him much smarter and better, starting with the GM and going
all the way down to the No. 3 quarterback." |
Grade: 4.8 |
Top of page
| 3 |
RB Marshall Faulk
St. Louis Rams |
|
| "He may have had the best all-purpose-back year of
anyone since Gale Sayers was with the Bears, and I am talking about Sayers before he hurt
his knee." … "(Faulk) is the most gifted runner and the most gifted
receiver out of the backfield in the game." … "A healthy Marshall Faulk is
better than a healthy and happy Barry Sanders." … "(Faulk) is the best
runner in football and the best runner after the catch." … "Getting
Marshall Faulk for a second- and fifth-round draft pick is one of the best deals in NFL
history, and if he keeps playing like this, it could be the best." |
Grade: 4.8 |
Top of page
| 4 |
RB Edgerrin James
Indianapolis Colts |
|
| "One of the best rookie backs I have ever seen. No, make
that one of the best backs I have ever seen." … "The thing that puts him a
notch above almost everyone else is his speed. He is a power back with great breakaway
speed who is at his best when he gets outside." … "Ricky who? I doubt Ricky
Williams could carry this kid’s jock strap." |
Grade: 4.6 |
Top of page
| 5 |
DT Warren Sapp
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|
| "He was the biggest difference in the Buccaneers’
defense this year. He had his ups and downs, but when he was up, the Bucs’ defense
was the best in football." … "He can be an immature kid, but he also can be
a great leader, (as) he was in 1999." … "(Sapp) has Alan Page’s
quickness, some great moves and more size and power than Page had." |
Grade: 4.4 |
Top of page
| 6 |
DE Jevon Kearse
Tennessee Titans |
|
| "Had the most impact of any rookie defender since L.T.
(Lawrence Taylor)." … "Barring injury, he will be the defensive player of
the next decade." … "If Fred Dean were 6-4, 265, (instead of) 6-1,
240, he would have been Jevon Kearse." … "He is the Randy Moss of the
defensive set, only he is a lot more mature and better-focused." |
Grade: 4.4 |
Top of page
| 7 |
WR Marvin Harrison
Indianapolis Colts |
|
| "(Has) great speed, work ethic and ability. Of all the
great receivers who came out in 1996 (including Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eric
Moulds), (Harrison) has turned out to be the best." … "He had a great,
great year, but I still think you can get physical with him and change the way he plays
the game." |
Grade: 4.3 |
Top of page
| 8 |
DE Kevin Carter
St. Louis Rams |
|
| "For a left end to get as many sacks as he got is
incredible." … "He is one great pass rusher who also can play the
run." … "Carter is a player who has gotten better and better every year.
Plus, he never has missed a game with injury." |
Grade: 4.3 |
Top of page
| 9 |
OT Tony Boselli
Jacksonville Jaguars |
|
| "He is the cornerstone of the Jaguars’
franchise." … "A super blue-chip left tackle." … "Don’t
get me wrong: (Boselli) is a perennial All-Pro, but he is no Anthony Munoz." …
"(Has) excellent ability and (an) even better work ethic." |
Grade: 4.3 |
Top of page
| 10 |
OLB Kevin Hardy
Jacksonville Jaguars |
|
| "The reason the Jaguars are as good as they are is they
made their first two (top) picks Tony Boselli and Kevin Hardy." … "Unlike a
Lawrence Taylor or Jevon Kearse, Hardy is an example of a player who just got better and
better every year, going from a good player to a great player thanks to better skills,
better conditioning, maturity and landing with a coach who could best utilize his entire
(array) of talents." |
Grade: 4.3 |
Top of page
| 11 |
WR Cris Carter
Minnesota Vikings |
|
| "It is not just what he does; it is what he does for
those players around him." … "Cris Carter and Dennis Green are the two
biggest reasons Randy Moss is a star and not a bigger problem than talent." |
Grade: 4.2 |
Top of page
| 12 |
LB Junior Seau
San Diego Chargers |
|
| "I just can’t believe Junior Seau did not make the
Pro Bowl." … "The best ’backer in football, period." |
Grade: 4.2 |
Top of page
| 13 |
RB Stephen Davis
Washington Redskins |
|
| "I don’t know if he is a good back who had a great
year or a great back." … "Imagine: the Redskins’ new owner (Daniel
Snyder) tried to trade Davis and a first-round pick for Jamal Anderson, and Dan Reeves
said no." |
Grade: 4.2 |
Top of page
| 14 |
WR Isaac Bruce
St. Louis Rams |
|
| "Having a healthy Isaac Bruce makes all the difference
in the world to the Rams’ passing game." … "Not the biggest or fastest
receiver, but has a rare knack for avoiding hits and getting separation from the
defender." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 15 |
WR Jimmy Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars |
|
| "Look at how many passes he catches and how many yards
he gains every year. Last year was his best season." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 16 |
CB Sam Madison
Miami Dolphins |
|
| "For the past two years, he may have been the best
cornerback in the NFL, when you take into account all the time Deion Sanders has missed
with injuries." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 17 |
MLB Ray Lewis
Baltimore Ravens |
|
| "The cornerstone of what may be the most gifted and
talented young defense in the NFL, or at least in the AFC." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 18 |
RB Curtis Martin
New York Jets |
|
| "With Vinny Testaverde out, (Martin) had to carry the
Jets’ offense, and he did." … "Everyone keyed on him, and look
what he did." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 19 |
RB Eddie George
Tennessee Titans |
|
| "Instead of dropping off this year, he got stronger and
stronger late in the year." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 20 |
OT Jonathan Ogden
Baltimore Ravens |
|
| "(Ogden) could be another Anthony Munoz if he always
played up to his ability level. Over the second half of last year, Ogden — not
Boselli — was the best tackle in football." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 21 |
CB Samari Rolle
Tennessee Titans |
|
| "I just don’t think people realize how well this
kid played last year. He should be starting in the Pro Bowl." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 22 |
OLB Derrick Brooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|
| "Makes plays all over the field and covers like an extra
defensive back." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 23 |
CB Shawn Springs
Seattle Seahawks |
|
| "A blue-chip cornerback who is getting better but still
gives up some big plays." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 24 |
OG Larry Allen
Dallas Cowboys |
|
| "A better guard than Boselli is a tackle, but guard is a
less vital position, and (Allen) missed a few games with injuries." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
| 25 |
WR Randy Moss
Minnesota Vikings |
|
| "The rarest of rare athletes, but (Moss) loses focus too
often, and the way he quits on some plays is just appalling." |
Grade: 4.1 |
Top of page
On to 26-56
Editor's note: To get the ultimate Super Bowl XXXIV guide, look for
the Issue 30 print edition at your local newsstand or subscribe
today |
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