[h=1]Ten most impressive players[/h][h=3]Adrian Peterson leads offensive players; J.J. Watt tops defense[/h]
By Herm Edwards | ESPN Insider
As we head into the final week of the NFL season and toward a new year, it's a good time to look back over some of the big questions we had before the season. Would Peyton Manning be the same quarterback he was in Indianapolis? Would Adrian Peterson ever be the same running back he was before tearing his ACL and MCL last December? Did the Seattle Seahawks make the right decision starting Russell Wilson at quarterback?
The answers to these questions are now apparent. And that's why Manning, Peterson and Wilson are among the 10 players who have impressed me the most this season.
[h=3]Offense[/h]Adrian Peterson | RB | Minnesota Vikings
What more can this guy do? Coming off his horrific knee injury, remember that many people didn't think he'd even start the season on the active list. Instead, he has 1,898 rushing yards on 6 yards per carry. And he has been a workhorse -- on pace to have the second-most carries he's had in his career.
<offer>Peterson's work ethic is second-to-none, and he can set the tone of a game as a running back in a passing league. He's a powerful north-and-south runner, has tremendous vision and is extremely difficult to bring down. You can tell he's back because he's delivering blows to defenders again. He deserves to be in the MVP discussion as well as the conversation for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Peyton Manning | QB | Denver Broncos
Such is always expected of Manning, the future Hall of Famer, but this season uncertainty surrounded him as he returned from his neck surgeries. No uncertainty remains. Manning has 34 touchdowns (second-most in his career) and leads the NFL with a Total QBR of 82.7. Meanwhile, the Broncos have won 10 games in a row. Earlier in the season, the offensive players had to adjust to Manning's tempo, but now this offense is difficult to stop. They will be fun to watch in the playoffs.
Robert Griffin III | QB | Washington Redskins
RG III couldn't have gone to a better system in Washington, and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has been terrific in calling plays for him all season. Before the season, very few people thought this team would be going into Week 17 with a chance to win the NFC East. But RG III has brought life to not only the Redskins organization but Washington, D.C., as a whole. He is versatile and can beat teams with the read-option, running on the edge, and has tremendous accuracy down the field. Although he has lost eight fumbles and needs to be careful of taking big hits, perhaps his most impressive statistic is that he's thrown only five interceptions on the year.
Russell Wilson | QB | Seattle Seahawks
Wilson has been answering questions about his size (5-foot-11) his whole career. I think it's time to put those to rest. The Seahawks have done a tremendous job expanding the playbook for Wilson over the course of the season, giving him only as much as they thought he could handle. He has terrific poise, is extremely accurate down the field and has led the Seahawks to road victories in Chicago and Buffalo before blowing out San Francisco on Sunday. In the red zone this year, he has 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Calvin Johnson | WR | Detroit Lions
The Lions have been a disappointing team this season, but Johnson's performance is certainly a bright spot. On a team without a threat at running back or tight end (or even at wide receiver outside of Johnson), Johnson is the only player whom teams have to stop. Defenses have even tried bracketing him like he was a gunner on a punt return. None of it has worked. Johnson now owns the single-season receiving record (1,892 yards) with one game to play.
[h=3]Defense[/h]J.J. Watt | DE | Houston Texans
Watt is simply a game-changer on defense. He's unique in his ability to line up on the inside and outside along the Texans' 3-4 front. He does the little things very well and is more than just an outside pass-rusher, though he's plenty good at that with a league-leading 20.5 sacks. A complete defensive player, Watt understands passing concepts and is one of the best players in the league at reading a QB's drop and getting his hands up to bat down passes. Despite being double-teamed, he still seems to be constantly in the opposing team's backfield.
Aldon Smith | DE | San Francisco 49ers
Less of a complete player than Watt, Smith was drafted in 2011 to be a pass-rusher for a dominant 49ers defense -- and that's exactly what he's done. With 19.5 sacks this season (and 14 last year), Smith has great length and an impressive bull rush for a defensive end. He has the ability to dominate a game and has great body lean to get the edge on opposing offensive tackles.
Charles Tillman | CB | Chicago Bears
The Bears were at it again, forcing turnovers on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, and Tillman was in the middle of it, as he has been all season. With 10 forced fumbles on the season, he's the best stripper of the ball in the secondary that I've ever seen. But more than that, he's a complete corner who can play bump-and-run, man or zone coverage. And he has the ability to shadow an opposing No. 1 wide receiver.
Geno Atkins | DT | Cincinnati Bengals
Atkins sets the tone for an impressive Bengals defensive line and has 13 sacks on the season, a striking total for a defensive tackle. A dominant player on the inside, Atkins might be the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in the league right now, but he's also stout against the run. He has really come on this year and deserves to be a Pro Bowl player.
Casey Hayward | CB | Green Bay Packers
I watched Hayward play at Vanderbilt and came away impressed with his ability to understand passing concepts. He had great eyes, soft hands, good anticipation and showed an ability to make plays on the football. That has carried over to the NFL, as he is tied for fourth in the league with six interceptions. Forced into playing the slot role once Charles Woodson went down, Hayward has excelled under pressure. A strong tackler, he reminds me a lot of a young Ronde Barber.
[h=3]Honorable mentions:[/h]Richard Sherman | CB | Seattle Seahawks
Although his status for the playoffs is uncertain, Sherman has had an excellent season. A smart player, Sherman is very physical at the line of scrimmage and has great change-of-direction and ball skills, especially with his back to the quarterback. He has selective memory, which is important as a cornerback, and doesn't fear anyone. He has evolved into a true shutdown corner.
Andrew Luck | QB | Indianapolis Colts
Luck has had an amazing rookie season and plays on a less talented team than RG III. He extended his rookie record for fourth-quarter comeback wins on Sunday (seven) and has carried the team on his back throughout the season. It's nothing short of remarkable that the Colts are in the playoffs.
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By Herm Edwards | ESPN Insider
As we head into the final week of the NFL season and toward a new year, it's a good time to look back over some of the big questions we had before the season. Would Peyton Manning be the same quarterback he was in Indianapolis? Would Adrian Peterson ever be the same running back he was before tearing his ACL and MCL last December? Did the Seattle Seahawks make the right decision starting Russell Wilson at quarterback?
The answers to these questions are now apparent. And that's why Manning, Peterson and Wilson are among the 10 players who have impressed me the most this season.
[h=3]Offense[/h]Adrian Peterson | RB | Minnesota Vikings
What more can this guy do? Coming off his horrific knee injury, remember that many people didn't think he'd even start the season on the active list. Instead, he has 1,898 rushing yards on 6 yards per carry. And he has been a workhorse -- on pace to have the second-most carries he's had in his career.
<offer>Peterson's work ethic is second-to-none, and he can set the tone of a game as a running back in a passing league. He's a powerful north-and-south runner, has tremendous vision and is extremely difficult to bring down. You can tell he's back because he's delivering blows to defenders again. He deserves to be in the MVP discussion as well as the conversation for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Peyton Manning | QB | Denver Broncos
Such is always expected of Manning, the future Hall of Famer, but this season uncertainty surrounded him as he returned from his neck surgeries. No uncertainty remains. Manning has 34 touchdowns (second-most in his career) and leads the NFL with a Total QBR of 82.7. Meanwhile, the Broncos have won 10 games in a row. Earlier in the season, the offensive players had to adjust to Manning's tempo, but now this offense is difficult to stop. They will be fun to watch in the playoffs.
Robert Griffin III | QB | Washington Redskins
RG III couldn't have gone to a better system in Washington, and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has been terrific in calling plays for him all season. Before the season, very few people thought this team would be going into Week 17 with a chance to win the NFC East. But RG III has brought life to not only the Redskins organization but Washington, D.C., as a whole. He is versatile and can beat teams with the read-option, running on the edge, and has tremendous accuracy down the field. Although he has lost eight fumbles and needs to be careful of taking big hits, perhaps his most impressive statistic is that he's thrown only five interceptions on the year.
Russell Wilson | QB | Seattle Seahawks
Wilson has been answering questions about his size (5-foot-11) his whole career. I think it's time to put those to rest. The Seahawks have done a tremendous job expanding the playbook for Wilson over the course of the season, giving him only as much as they thought he could handle. He has terrific poise, is extremely accurate down the field and has led the Seahawks to road victories in Chicago and Buffalo before blowing out San Francisco on Sunday. In the red zone this year, he has 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Calvin Johnson | WR | Detroit Lions
The Lions have been a disappointing team this season, but Johnson's performance is certainly a bright spot. On a team without a threat at running back or tight end (or even at wide receiver outside of Johnson), Johnson is the only player whom teams have to stop. Defenses have even tried bracketing him like he was a gunner on a punt return. None of it has worked. Johnson now owns the single-season receiving record (1,892 yards) with one game to play.
[h=3]Defense[/h]J.J. Watt | DE | Houston Texans
Watt is simply a game-changer on defense. He's unique in his ability to line up on the inside and outside along the Texans' 3-4 front. He does the little things very well and is more than just an outside pass-rusher, though he's plenty good at that with a league-leading 20.5 sacks. A complete defensive player, Watt understands passing concepts and is one of the best players in the league at reading a QB's drop and getting his hands up to bat down passes. Despite being double-teamed, he still seems to be constantly in the opposing team's backfield.
Aldon Smith | DE | San Francisco 49ers
Less of a complete player than Watt, Smith was drafted in 2011 to be a pass-rusher for a dominant 49ers defense -- and that's exactly what he's done. With 19.5 sacks this season (and 14 last year), Smith has great length and an impressive bull rush for a defensive end. He has the ability to dominate a game and has great body lean to get the edge on opposing offensive tackles.
Charles Tillman | CB | Chicago Bears
The Bears were at it again, forcing turnovers on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, and Tillman was in the middle of it, as he has been all season. With 10 forced fumbles on the season, he's the best stripper of the ball in the secondary that I've ever seen. But more than that, he's a complete corner who can play bump-and-run, man or zone coverage. And he has the ability to shadow an opposing No. 1 wide receiver.
Geno Atkins | DT | Cincinnati Bengals
Atkins sets the tone for an impressive Bengals defensive line and has 13 sacks on the season, a striking total for a defensive tackle. A dominant player on the inside, Atkins might be the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in the league right now, but he's also stout against the run. He has really come on this year and deserves to be a Pro Bowl player.
Casey Hayward | CB | Green Bay Packers
I watched Hayward play at Vanderbilt and came away impressed with his ability to understand passing concepts. He had great eyes, soft hands, good anticipation and showed an ability to make plays on the football. That has carried over to the NFL, as he is tied for fourth in the league with six interceptions. Forced into playing the slot role once Charles Woodson went down, Hayward has excelled under pressure. A strong tackler, he reminds me a lot of a young Ronde Barber.
[h=3]Honorable mentions:[/h]Richard Sherman | CB | Seattle Seahawks
Although his status for the playoffs is uncertain, Sherman has had an excellent season. A smart player, Sherman is very physical at the line of scrimmage and has great change-of-direction and ball skills, especially with his back to the quarterback. He has selective memory, which is important as a cornerback, and doesn't fear anyone. He has evolved into a true shutdown corner.
Andrew Luck | QB | Indianapolis Colts
Luck has had an amazing rookie season and plays on a less talented team than RG III. He extended his rookie record for fourth-quarter comeback wins on Sunday (seven) and has carried the team on his back throughout the season. It's nothing short of remarkable that the Colts are in the playoffs.
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