by Laddie Morse
I’ve about had it with these rankings. Isn’t it time for the 2021 NFL season to begin yet? Please! That appears to be the only real relief from having to read another Ranking of players, coaches, offenses or defenses, past or present, to beyond infinity and beyond. However… wouldn’t it be nice to rank these rankings? I mean, c’mon man, when enough is enough, let’s just go for “piling on.” [Is that even a penalty anymore? Well, it should be!]
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To begin with, there are far too many rankings and some of them have gotten seriously idiotic. So, let begin with one of those I find of the idiotic nature (thus, the number is blackened).
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NFL Channel’s Top 100 Games
NFL Channel’s Top 100 Games– The NFL Channel, and their producers, have the October 2003 game in which Dante Hall baffles every Bronco on the Punt Return of the Century, and they have that game ranked as the 62nd best game of all time? Not in my book. It’s top 25 with me. Next, they have Super Bowl IV, the “65 Toss Power Trap” game ranked as the 74th best game? The Kansas City Chiefs have based the first 50 years of their mojo on that game and that play. That would also be in the top 25 in my book. On top of those errors on their part, they left the Derrick Thomas Seven Sack game off the list? Come on, even 20 years after his death, he’s still in the top 20 sack leaders of all time (DJ is 17th)… and you leave his best game ever off the list?
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Sure, K.C. lost that game, but that’s part of what makes it one of the best games ever! And they leave it off the list?! How about the Chiefs vs. the Rams two seasons ago when they lost — once again — but played in one of the best and highest scoring games of all time… and NFL Channel leaves that game off the list? [I’m sensing a rend here…]. SB Nation once wrote a piece called: “12 numbers that prove the Chiefs-Rams shootout was a freakin’ football masterpiece” and they offer a long list of incredible numbers making that make that game memorable… and, once again, NFL Channel leaves it off their list? Geez! Some other Chiefs games they could have considered making a part of their list include:
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- The Joe Montana to Willie Davis at the Goal Line game– A Win!
- The 4.38 speed of the Nigerian Nightmare — Christian Okoye — running over any defensive players, in any game
- The game where Priest Holmes scores an NFL record 26th and 27th TDs against the Bears and his second TD, broke Marshall Faulk’s record
- It’s kind of hard to ignore the Titans-Chiefs AFC Championship game which got K.C. back to their first Super Bowl in 50 years
- Plus, what about the Chiefs 24 point comeback after falling that far behind, then outscoring the Texans 51-to-7.
- How about the longest game in NFL history, on December 25, 1971, between the Dolphins and the Chiefs.
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The NFL Channel blew it big time. There’s just not other way to say it.
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The rest of these rankings I cover, will be some of my favorite rankings. First, here’s a list of just some of those rankings that are available out there, but not a complete list by any means:
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The list is obviously endless, but here are at least 32 Rankings to choose from. Let’s continue with my #9 Ranking of the Rankings, one I like:
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Ranking the Top Ten Kickers
Ranking the Top Ten Kickers – Harrison Butker had some lapses in 2020, otherwise he may have ended up at the top of this list. It’s credos to Brett Veach for scavenging him off of Panthers PS as Butker, for the most part, has been stellar ever since!
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| 10. Daniel Carlson, Raiders | 5. Mason Crosby, Packers |
| 9. Younghoe Koo, Falcons | 4. Josh Lambo, Jaguars |
| 8. Wil Lutz, Saints | 3. Chris Boswell, Steelers |
| 7. Jason Sanders, Dolphins | 2. Harrison Butker, Chiefs |
| 6. Jason Myers, Seahawks | 1. Justin Tucker, Ravens |
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Ranking the Top Ten NFL Safeties
Ranking the Top Ten Safeties – CBS Sports has maybe the largest listing of rankings out there. If you Google “NFL rankings” you’ll see a ton of them are written by writers who are likely CBS Sports interns. Nevertheless, here’s one offered by Tyler Sulivan:
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| 10. Derwin James, Chargers | 5. John Johnson III, Browns |
| 9. Adrian Amos, Packers | 4. Jessie Bates III, Bengals |
| 8. Harrison Smith, Vikings | 3. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers |
| 7. Marcus Williams, Saints | 2. Tyrann Mathieu, Chiefs |
| 6. Marcus Maye, Jets | 1. Justin Simmons, Broncos |
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I won’t be at all surprised to see the Chiefs other starting Safety, Juan Thornhill, make his way onto this list in the coming seasons. When healthy, and in tip top shape, he’s that good!
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Ranking the Top 30 NFL Stadiums
Ranking 30 NFL Stadiums – CardsWire of the USAToday fame, have Arrowhead (GEHA, rhymes with yee-haw) Stadium, ranked the 7th best overall. While I’d like to see Arrowhead ranked a little higher, because there is no other stadium who ranks close to it for providing that special Tailgating experience (and unless you’ve actually experienced the Arrowhead Tailgating experience, you can’t possibly understand what that feels like or what it means to Chiefs fans), so I’d have Arrowhead rated higher. Here’s their Top Ten out of 30.
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| 10. Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis Colts | 5. AT&T Stadium, Dallas Cowboys |
| 9. Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Raiders | 4. Lumen Field, Seattle Seahawks |
| 8. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Falcons | 3. Lambeau Field, Green Bay Packers |
| 7. Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs | 2. State Farm Stadium, Arizona Cardinals |
| 6. Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1. U.S Bank Stadium, Minnesota Vikings |
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Ranking the NFL’s 10 best coaching
matchups in the 2021 regular season
Ranking the NFL’s 10 best coaching matchups on the 2021 regular season schedule – We’ll at least CBS Sports got one thing right here: Andy Reid made the list twice. Where he ranks is another thing. Any Game between him and say, that guy from New England, should be el numero uno on your list… but since K.C. doesn’t face N.E. — in the regular season — this year, I’ll let that one slide. Here’s their top ten list.
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| 10. Urban Meyer vs. Pete Carroll (Week 8: JAX at SEA) | 5. Bill Belichick vs. Mike Vrabel (Week 12: TEN at NEP) |
| 9. Kevin Stefanski vs. Mike Zimmer (Week 4: CLE at MIN) | 4. Frank Reich vs. Kyle Shanahan (Week 7: IND at SF9) |
| 8. Mike Tomlin vs. Sean McDermott (Week 1: PIT at BUF) | 3. Matt LaFleur vs. Sean McVay (Week 12: LAR at GBP) |
| 7. Bruce Arians vs. Ron Rivera (Week 10: TB at WFT) | 2. Andy Reid vs. John Harbaugh (Week 2: KCC at BAL) |
| 6. Andy Reid vs. Sean McDermott (Week 5: BUF at KCC) | 1. Bill Belichick vs. Sean Payton (Week 3: NOS at NEP) |
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If Andy Reid currently, and consistently, ranks as the best head coach in the NFL, it makes sense to feature games he’s coaching in. My question is: why aren’t there more?
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Peter King’s NFL 2021 Power Rankings
Peter King’s NFL Power Rankings Ahead of 2021 – There are a limited number of national pundits whose opinions I value more than others, and in that grouping is Peter King. He has the Chiefs listed at the top of his Power Rankings going into the 2021 season. He includes this about K.C.:
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“This is such a well-coached, well-run team. I remember doing this list last year and trying to force myself to find any reason to pick another team number one after the Super Bowl win, and I couldn’t. Same after the Super Bowl loss now. KC lost to Tampa because the Bucs got on one of those can’t-stop-‘em rolls, but also because Andy Reid’s offensive line was tattered due to injury and opt-outs….”
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PFF: 50 Best NFL Players Right Now
PFF50: The 50 best players in the NFL right now – Like many “best player” rankings, DT Aaron Donald is ranked #1. While it’s hard to argue with that assessment, there’s no denying that the number one most valuable player in the league, since he came into the league, is QB Patrick Mahomes. That may be why they list him as their #2 best NFL player. Their top five looks like this:
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1. DL, AARON DONALD, LOS ANGELES RAMS
2. QB, PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
3. TIGHT END, TRAVIS KELCE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
4. OG, QUENTON NELSON, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
5. WR, DAVANTE ADAMS, GREEN BAY PACKERS
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I hope they’re not inferring that by having Kelce show up at #3, that he is “The” reason Mahomes is so high on this list. I agree, Travis Kelce is one of the best players in the NFL, and so is Tyreek Hill… but are they great because Patrick Mahomes is great… or vice versa? I’d say that Mahomes makes everyone around him better. Not just by his play, but by his demeanor, focus, and leadership. Which leads me to…
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Ranking the NFL’s Top QBs
Ranking the Top Ten QBs Currently in the NFL – There are lots of QB rankings out there. Patrick Mahomes shows up at the top of most of those rankings. Here’s their top five:
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1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Tom Brady
3. Josh Allen
4. Aaron Rodgers
5. Dak Prescott
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While I don’t necessarily agree that TB should still be listed in the top five, or that Dak Prescott should either, I can understand why they’d make those calls. TB is coming off of another SB victory (not so much because of him, but because of his teammates), and Dak Prescott played lights out last year before being hurt on October 11, 2020. Rodgers should probably be #2, after all, he did win the league MVP last year and even though we don’t know if he’ll even play this year, he’s still a threat to any team that faces him, regardless of who he plays for. Another QB who probably deserves to be on this top five list more than TB, is Russell Wilson.
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2021 NFL Head Coach Rankings
2021 NFL Head Coach Rankings – CBS Sports, along with many other ranking services, got this one absolutely right. While there are a few ranking services holdouts who are determined to put Bill Belichick ahead of Andy Reid, most recognize what we all recognize is Reid’s genius and superiority. Here’s the top ten of their 32 HC rankings:
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| 10. Mike Tomlin (Steelers) | 5. Sean McDermott (Bills) |
| 9. Matt LaFleur (Packers) | 4. Sean Payton (Saints) |
| 8. Bruce Arians (Buccaneers) | 3. John Harbaugh (Ravens) |
| 7. Pete Carroll (Seahawks) | 2. Bill Belichick (Patriots) |
| 6. Sean McVay (Rams) | 1. Andy Reid (Chiefs) |
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The best argument I’ve heard for placing Reid ahead of Belichick was offered by 810 Radio Sports Talk Radio host, Soren Petro, who said on the KSHBTV show “Sunday Sound Off” (and I paraphrase):
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Compare Andy Reid and Bill Belichick’s record when they had no “Hall of Fame” QB behind center, going back to Belichick’s Cleveland days and Reid’s Philly days, and you’ll see that Reid’s record is much better than Belichick’s.”
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Then you consider Belichick’s record last year without TB, and that’s enough to convince me. Andy Reid is an Offensive savant and while he’s not perfect, he’s the closest thing to it in the game today. Plus, K.C. is fortunate to have a man of character like him.
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The Best Offensive Line in the NFL
The Best Offensive Line in the NFL – While K.C doesn’t have the very best OL in the league, the one they will be fielding in 2021, is ranked consistently high by these four ranking services, and so it wins the #1 spot on my, ranking of the rankings. Especially since it is by far the most improved position group in one offseason in the Andy Reid era, IMNSHO.
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Pro Football Network has the Chiefs OL at #7. Here’s their top ten OLs List:
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The Undroppables has the Chiefs OL ranked at #6 and looks like this:
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The Huddle has the Chiefs Offensive Line ranked at #7 as well. Here’s their full list:
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PFF, Ranking All 32 Offensive Lines – Here’s their top ten OLs:
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It’s pretty darn exciting to see Kansas City getting respect along the OL. Could K.C. have a top five OL by year’s end? I say why not? While this may not be the best OL the Chiefs have ever had — that designation probably belongs to the Chiefs 2003 OL — it’s certainly the deepest and I think that was exactly what Brett Veach and Andy Reid intended when this offseason began: to build the deepest OL ever. That way, Patrick Mahomes is not only protected, but there will never be a repeat of SB LV again. Ever. I think we’ve seen them lock that goal down, completely.
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Before closing this Ranking of the Rankings List, I’d like to point to the top Edge Defender Rankings: The 32 best players entering the 2021 NFL season, which does not — I repeat, does not — include any Chiefs DE. At all. Free Agent DE Melvin Ingram III, is on this list at #25, and is still out there for the taking, or signing. Anyone who doesn’t believe the Chiefs have a concern at DE is probably lying to themselves. David Bell has been saying this for months now, and seeing these lists has me more convinced than ever: K.C. needs to go out and get Ingram, now. One of the most impressive aspects of all of these top ten lists is: K.C. has a top player at every position, except DE… and… K.C. also doesn’t have a LB on The 32 Best LBs list either. However, there, I believe the new grouping of Gay, Bolton, and Hitchens, will be much improved over last year’s crew.
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What do you think?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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