Rant Of The Week

by Nick Cast on Jun 10, 2011 3:30 AM MDT

In case you haven't heard, the NFL Network is currently showing a series called the "Top 100 players of 2011". As the name suggests, it is a list comprised of the best players from 2011 as voted on by the NFL Players. Due to the lockout, it is the only new NFL-related news coming out. I have been watching since the first episode. It became blatantly obvious that the list was flawed when I saw Donovan McNabb on the list. You know, the quarterback that got benched for Rex Grossman after throwing 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. It got worse as Tony Romo placed 72nd on the list despite not playing most of the year due to an injury. Nevertheless, it is by no surprise that the rankings that got me most upset were the 2 Bronco rankings, but in particular Brandon Lloyd's.

2 Weeks ago, Brandon Lloyd showed up on the list coming in at 58th. If you didn't see the video, here it is. Now, when I first saw where Lloyd was ranked, I was not upset. In his first year of truly breaking out, 58 is a very good ranking considering nobody would have had him in the past 300 if it was based on the years prior to 2010. I thought it was a pretty fair rankings. What changed? Well last week on the top 100 show, Wes Welker and Dwayne Bowe showed up on the list at 50 and 45, respectively, ahead of Brandon Lloyd. I have a big problem with these rankings, particularly Bowe's.

There was no better wide receiver then Brandon Lloyd in 2010. He led the league in receiving yards, 2nd in yards per game, and was tied for 4th in receiving touchdowns. He also made his first pro bowl appearance. He had a year that most wide receivers only dream of having. So why is it that 8 other wide receivers rank higher then Lloyd on this list? Now, as I stated before, the list is obviously based upon more then 1 year as evidenced by the rankings of McNabb and Romo, but the ranking of Ndamakung Suh at 51 shows that last year did play a significant factor in the voting. The wide receivers that I would have ranked over Lloyd are Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, and Roddy White. Nevertheless, the NFLN didn't ask me, but I still believe there is a legit argument that Lloyd deserves to be higher then Welker and especially Bowe. Dwayne Bowe has had a 1,000 yard season before, but last year was his career year. However, Bowe's career year was not as good as Lloyd career year.

In 2011, the stats for Lloyd and Bowe look like this.

Brandon Lloyd: 77 receptions, 1,448 yards, 18.8 average, 11 touchdowns

Dwayne Bowe: 72 receptions, 1,162 yards, 16.1 average, 15 touchdowns.

Some more interesting stats include:

Brandon Lloyd: 72 1st down catches, 93.5% 1st down rating, 23 receptions of 20+ yards, 9 receptions of 40+ yards.

Dwayne Bowe: 55 1st down catches, 76.4% 1st down rating, 19 receptions of 20+ yards, 4 receptions of 40+ yards.

Now, the one stat that Chiefs fans will point out is the touchdowns. Dwayne Bowe caught 4 more touchdowns then Brandon Lloyd, but in that instance, the stats do not tell the whole story.

Dwayne Bowe was the only real receiving threat in Kansas City. Bowe had the most receptions by far on Kansas City with 72. The 2nd person on the list was their tight end Tony Moeaki with 47 receptions, 25 less then Bowe. 3rd on the list was running back Jamal Charles with 45 receptions. Bowe caught 50 more passes then the next actual wide receiver which was Chris Chambers who caught just 22 passes. Basically, when Kansas City threw the ball, most of the time it was going to Bowe. They ran their pass offense, largely through him. That is why he caught so many touchdowns.

On the flip side, Lloyd played for a very pass happy Denver offense which featured 3 wide receivers (including Lloyd) catching more then 50 passes. Jabar Gaffney caught 65 passes for 875 yards and Eddie Royal caught 59 passes for 627 yards. As you can see, Lloyd was in a passing offense that was not run exclusively through him like Dwayne Bowe was. Lloyd had to share catches with 2 other wide receivers while Bowe was the only true wide receiver getting the ball for the Chiefs.

I'm not trying to take anything from Dwayne Bowe. He had a very good year last year, but I do not understand how he gets ranked above Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd had a better year in every major statistical category except touchdowns despite playing in a pass offense that was not run through him. Lloyd was the better receiver last year and should have been ranked above Dwayne Bowe. Lloyd deserves the title of the best WR in the AFC West if not the entire NFL in 2010.

Poll

Based on 2010, Lloyd or Bowe?

Brandon Lloyd

104 votes

Dwayne Bowe

12 votes

I Hate The Lockout

81 votes

197 votes | Poll has closed

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

Tweet Comment 48 comments | 4 recs |

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Comments

I need two votes

One for BL and one to show I hate the lock out.

Good post though Nick and well worth the rant. I can’t figure out how some of these guys got the rankings they did and some of them how they were ranked at all. It sure wasn’t based on last season’s performances in a lot of cases but more on reputation

I have so many friends some I haven't even used yet

by BlobTheMagnificent on Jun 10, 2011 5:04 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.

The artist formerly known as ZAPPA

by Tim Lynch on Jun 10, 2011 8:13 AM MDT up reply actions

Well said Blob.

Some of the guys on that list made no sense whatsoever, but none was more shocking then McNabb and Romo. McNabb got benched at the end of the year and he was plain awful before he was benched. Romo only played a few games before he got hurt.

It is as if the NFL didn’t clarify to all the players that it was a list for just the 2011 season.

Follow me on Twitter: ballinnickcast
Xbox360 gamertag: SnipeMeHarder
"They said I couldn't be a high school quarterback, they said I couldn't get a D1 scholarship. You're not good enough, you're not skilled enough. They said I couldn't win a heisman. They said I couldn't win a national championship. They said I wouldn't be a first round draft pick. They said I couldn't play in the league. Appreciate that." - Tim Tebow.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:31 AM MDT up reply actions

MY VOTE

The NFL Network continues to show it’s worthlessness. Nick how can you watch that crap?

by Clompy on Jun 10, 2011 6:41 AM MDT reply actions

This is a good question. I watch the NFL network as much as I watch Oxygen, Bravo or MLB TV. Lombardi made a mistaken when he joined that group of Jabronis.

Welcome to Denver Von Miller.

by McGeorge on Jun 10, 2011 8:57 AM MDT up reply actions

and hes turning into one

by Clompy on Jun 11, 2011 9:04 AM MDT up reply actions

Players chose

From what I understand these rankings are based on players opinions of who is GOING to be the top 100 next year. I might be wrong but that is what I thought the deal was.

by kimbertr on Jun 10, 2011 9:12 AM MDT up reply actions

Woodard a guest on the show said he never received a ballot and didn't vote and doesn't know any other players who have voted either...

The rankings seem to be a sham made up by the NFL network…I was surprised they let him say that or didn’t delete it out. Something is amiss here…

by bfree2bronc on Jun 10, 2011 10:33 AM MDT up reply actions

We’re in a lockout.

I can’t help it. I’ll take anything at this point…

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:31 AM MDT up reply actions

thats the irony ;-)

also i had it on in the background the other day and seemingly the only commercials were all NFL products.

by Clompy on Jun 12, 2011 7:50 AM MDT up reply actions

I like your rant :)

I hate the lockout!
had to say that since I wasted my vote on Lloyd LOL. That list is a joke as shown by Brandon’s appearance on the show and they discussed the parameters for who should be on the list. I has nothing to do with last year or this coming and so by it’s very title is invalid…..

Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.

by Sean in Pa. on Jun 10, 2011 7:25 AM MDT reply actions

Thanks Sean.

Yeah, there are a lot of B.S. things with the list, but with the lockout going on, it’s all we have.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:32 AM MDT up reply actions

I think the key here is that it was done by the players

Players don’t look at stats like fans do, they look at who is harder to cover, who is more explosive, who has the better attitude. Ranking 1st in yards doesn’t mean much to most players if they feel that you aren’t a threat to score, or if there are other WR’s who they feel are harder to cover. So to me, while I think Lloyd had a better 2010 then some players think, I never met Lloyd or White or Bowe, I’ve never seen them play from the field, I’ve never covered them, but I’m going to trust the players who’ve met these men, who’ve covered them, who’ve seen them in the locker room over stats, just my personal take on it.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Jun 10, 2011 8:28 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs

I like your point

but I’m going to have to disagree about trusting them. Players aren’t true talent evaluators, and clearly the system is flawed as Nick pointed out when they voted for McNabb and Romo. Sure, they may have a better idea then fans, but they aren’t true evaluators and I question how well say a NFC East player knows how good a player from the AFC West truly is.

Also to consider is what of personal grudges? I doubt any Cowboys, old 49ers, or Eagles voted for TO, and I bet there’s a bunch other players who suffered a similar problem. And of course those who will put players on their team higher then they deserve.

I would agree in saying the players would be a better judge then general fans, but I also have questions on the validity of player voted list.

If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.

by DBroncs1414 on Jun 10, 2011 12:23 PM MDT up reply actions

I agree players aren't always great talent evaluaters

But if I have to trust a fan on who is the better WR or a corner who has covered both, I’m trusting the corner. Really, no matter who was asked, fans, players, coaches, it wouldn’t matter, someone, somewhere will be upset with the list, it’s the nature of a top 100 list, you can’t please everyone.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Jun 11, 2011 12:54 AM MDT up reply actions

Hillis on the cover of Madden would be a good example.

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by CPT.Caveman on Jun 11, 2011 12:01 PM MDT up reply actions

Sure I would trust that CB

but whats the percentage of CB’s who actually covered the WR on the list in the entire voting process?

Your right, not everyone will be pleased, it always happens, I just wanted to point out why I wouldn’t trust a player voted system such as this

If you reply to a comment/post/fanshot of mine, I will more likely then not respond to it, unless you come off like a d-bag.

by DBroncs1414 on Jun 14, 2011 11:56 PM MDT up reply actions

Well said Max.

But I still don’t understand how players like McNabb and Romo get on the list.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:33 AM MDT up reply actions

Those are strange ones

McNabb, possibly playing against him is harder then we, or the stats, expect. Romo, no idea since he was injured most of the season. I think a big aspect of it is that players weren’t given specific instructions so they may have let past performances play into their rankings.

I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.

by Topher Doll on Jun 12, 2011 8:22 AM MDT up reply actions

Brandon Lloyd and Moreno have been photoed hanging out around the Playboy Mansion lately so at least someone (Hef) has noticed and recognized a few Broncos.

Welcome to Denver Von Miller.

by McGeorge on Jun 10, 2011 8:59 AM MDT reply actions

You got a link?

Just curious… ahem… I don’t want to see the Playboy mansion. I’m just, um, curious about recent pics of Lloyd and Moreno. That’s all. Yeah.

A pessimist sees the difficulties in every opportunity.
An optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

First (and only, in our lifetimes) team to three consecutive SB wins (perhaps and then some)!!!! ( =

by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Jun 10, 2011 10:15 AM MDT up reply actions

We should start putting that as an incentive in contracts.

“Go to the pro bowl and we’ll send you to the Playboy Mansion for a weekend”

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:34 AM MDT up reply actions

I think Dwayne Bowe should get more credit because he did all this in 15 games. He didn’t even play against Denver in Kansas City.

Oh wait yes he did, he was shutdown by one Roland Bailey. Where was Champ ranked in this list, or has that not been revealed yet?

by RockyMountainThunder on Jun 10, 2011 9:56 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs

Champ was 48th

A pessimist sees the difficulties in every opportunity.
An optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

First (and only, in our lifetimes) team to three consecutive SB wins (perhaps and then some)!!!! ( =

by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Jun 10, 2011 10:15 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

Ironically enough

Bailey ranked worse than Bowe. That should explain how worthless the whole thing is right there.

A pessimist sees the difficulties in every opportunity.
An optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

First (and only, in our lifetimes) team to three consecutive SB wins (perhaps and then some)!!!! ( =

by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Jun 10, 2011 10:16 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Champ rules baby

No save ammunition all bullets in gun now- Bruce Campbell
Stand up straight a man looks more confident when he is erect- Taj
GO BRONCOS

by Taylor K on Jun 11, 2011 5:42 PM MDT up reply actions

That deserves a huge rec from me.

Champ came in at 48…don’t get me started on him lol

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:34 AM MDT up reply actions

Dwayne Bowe was a joke this year.

I had fun giving all my cheifs friends crap about it. They really only did throw it about 1/3 of the time and that was almost always thrown at Bowe. And Bowe also has hands of stone, while Lloyd made top 5 in the league with something like only 2 drops.

by Jake Edmisten on Jun 10, 2011 10:13 AM MDT via mobile reply actions

Do you even watch football?

Bowe was the only WR threat the Chiefs had and the opposing teams knew it. That’s why they threw it his way, not to mention the fact that Haley helped him turn his game around. Bowe had 72 receptions and led the team while T.Moeaki was 2nd in receptions with 47, then J.Charles was 3rd with 45. The Chiefs threw the ball 475 times last year while the Broncos threw it 580 times to multiple options compared to just one viable option for Cassel other than his TE or RB. Bowe was having a great year until teams realized he was the only WR threat and start using safety help on him late in the season.

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by CPT.Caveman on Jun 10, 2011 11:11 PM MDT up reply actions

Kansas city was a joke every year

oh wait they won the west nevermind

No save ammunition all bullets in gun now- Bruce Campbell
Stand up straight a man looks more confident when he is erect- Taj
GO BRONCOS

by Taylor K on Jun 11, 2011 5:42 PM MDT up reply actions

I wouldn’t call him a joke. He had a very good year, but I don’t think it was better then Lloyd’s.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:35 AM MDT up reply actions

Bowe and Lloyd both had a 'breakout' year if you will, because it was their best year of their career...

Brandon Lloyd does so many things that Dewayne can’t and that in it’s self is enough to declare Brandon any winner of who is better. Bowe cannot ever catch some of the passes Lloyd does period. Sure they both have had their troubles in the NFL and sometimes it takes a while to klick, but the bottom line is, Lloyd is a better receiver. Rout running wise and catching wise, hands down. Cassel and Bowe both may have some difficulty this year in missing their OC Weis…We’ll see.

by bfree2bronc on Jun 10, 2011 10:41 AM MDT reply actions

Let me ask you this.

If Lloyd was getting as much double coverage as Bowe did, don’t you think it would have greatly reduced his numbers? I do. I also think that if Lloyd was the only good option at WR for the Broncos we wouldn’t be having the conversation because the numbers wouldn’t have been close. Not to mention the fact that Orton threw the ball Lloyds way a lot of the time no matter what the coverage was, and Cassel look at other options fast if Bowe was being covered tight.

I would however like to check out that list of things Lloyd can do better than Bowe. Another thing i find amusing is that when the Chiefs got Weis as there OC most here said he sucked and now that he’s gone the Chiefs offense has no chance. Dude i could be the Chiefs OC and be affective: 1st down hand the ball to J.C, 2nd down hand the ball to J.C, and so on.

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by CPT.Caveman on Jun 10, 2011 11:35 PM MDT up reply actions

I guess I mis-stated my point...

Both are very good athletes no doubting that as I said they both had a ‘break out’ year. One thing I see is that Lloyd is a more ‘acrobatic’ style of receiver and you can’t deny if you’ve watch his play that he makes catches most in the NFL can’t including Bowe. I think we can all agree that Orton has a better arm than Cassel, but Cassel has better scrambling abilities to allow him to continue the play. We threw the ball 60 something % last year and there wasn’t any balance on offense which hurt our chances of being proficient in 3rd conversions and red zone scoring. With the acquistion of John Fox, I see us running the ball more this year and yes Lloyd’s stats will suffer from it. To be honest stats don’t mean anything if you don’t win and Lloyd has pretty much said the same. I also doubt that Kyle Orton will be around once the CBA get’s settled and Tebow will be the starter for better or worse. Tebow’s style is 180 degrees different from Orton’s and will be a factor in Lloyd’s performance. As for Bowe being double-teamed more? I don’t know the stats on that, but most everytime Lloyd caught a pass there were 2-3 defenders around him…Speaking of Charlie Weis, I was pretty much quoting an article I read about him…Good luck this season CPT Caveman.

by bfree2bronc on Jun 12, 2011 12:02 PM MDT up reply actions

Orton/Tebow and Lloyed may have some difficulty this year in missing McHoodie.

See, we will.

Top 10 defense and another trip to the playoffs!
Tamba Hali, NFL Sack Leader, 2011

by ArrowSpread on Jun 11, 2011 1:37 PM MDT up reply actions

Orton probably won't be on the roster come start of the season...

Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy remains from last year and yes there will be some tweating of the playbook to accomadate Tim Tebow and John Fox’s run first style of offense. Lloyd’s stats will suffer will the new style/scheme and he has stated that stats don’t really matter if your team is losing. All he wants to do is win and doesn’t care how it happens as long as he can be a contributor…P.S. I don’t think anybody is going to miss McDaniels in Denver…

by bfree2bronc on Jun 12, 2011 12:09 PM MDT up reply actions

Nicely put.

I think Lloyd displayed last year just how good he can be. Some of the grabs he made were absolutely breathtaking. My favorites were the diving catch against Baltimore and the catch against the Chiefs.

Talk about “Wow” plays.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:36 AM MDT up reply actions

Yeah, if we had a winning season his catches would be at the forefront of it...

My favorite catch was in the corner of the endzone against Oakland with 2 defenders on him…I still can’t see how he stayed in bounds and caught the ball…

by bfree2bronc on Jun 12, 2011 12:11 PM MDT up reply actions

I'm with ya on the fact that Romo was even on there.

Good rant Nick, thanks for the read, and yeah, I hate the lockout too! Cause I had ta vote Lloyd.

A pessimist sees the difficulties in every opportunity.
An optimist sees the opportunities in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

First (and only, in our lifetimes) team to three consecutive SB wins (perhaps and then some)!!!! ( =

by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Jun 10, 2011 11:14 AM MDT reply actions

Thanks PearlJam.

This lockout is killing me. Hopefully it ends relatively soon.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:37 AM MDT up reply actions

Who really cares!

Picking a top 100 is like pro bowl selections. Guys we think should go don’t and guys who go shouldn’t. It stuff like this that are really a joke. There are so many factors that get so over looked. Trying to pick one over the other is ridiculous and are never where we think they should be. It’s like anything else that we do. It the same in just about every job someone always get more attention than someone else even tho they deserve the accolades a lot more. That’s why MLB all star voting is such a joke. Things like this are more of a popularity issue than based on merit and even then there are too many variables that need to be looked at that don’t.

Sorry for the rant.

btw I didn’t even bother to watch the top 100 players like I said above it’s really a joke.

by papasteven on Jun 11, 2011 6:21 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs

I agree but..

Its fun to see who makes it and who doesnt

No save ammunition all bullets in gun now- Bruce Campbell
Stand up straight a man looks more confident when he is erect- Taj
GO BRONCOS

by Taylor K on Jun 11, 2011 5:52 PM MDT up reply actions

In the grand scheme, it really doesn’t matter at all.

But with the lack of news, I thought I would just write it up.

by Nick Cast on Jun 12, 2011 4:38 AM MDT up reply actions

Sorry if I sounded harsh

I understand the lack of news aspect.
Funny I went into a rant about it but I did read the article. Good write up btw.

by papasteven on Jun 13, 2011 7:51 AM MDT up reply actions

Both WR's did well

Lloyd has always had the potential to play that way, and is a great fit for the Broncos. Lloyd made one circus catch after another for Orton and put up some great numbers last year, especially considering the WR group the Broncos have.
Bowe had a great year as well and the difference to me is the fact that Bowe was the only option, teams knew it, and Cassel doesn’t just throw it up for grabs like Orton did. If Orton was the Chiefs QB last year i think Bowes rec’s and total yardage numbers would have been higher as well as his TD numbers, but that’s the difference between a QB who doesn’t take many chances if any and one that does. With Baldwin in the mix as the #2 WR teams won’t be able to key on Bowe as much and it gives Cassel another big target.

Good post and yeah the rankings are screwed up when Romo makes the list.

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by CPT.Caveman on Jun 12, 2011 10:24 AM MDT reply actions

Hey CPT. how did you guys upgrade your OLine?

I notticed in a couple of games Matt was running for his life. Have the Chiefs done anything to address that in the draft or will they try to get some help in FA?

by bfree2bronc on Jun 12, 2011 12:19 PM MDT up reply actions

Well as you know last year we signed a couple of Vets.

C.Weigmann who was a upgrade over the guy we had, even though his play fell off at the end of the year. R.Lilja was also picked up and a upgrade as well.
Now the Chiefs drafted J.Asamoah G from Illinois last year and i hope to see him as the starting RG before the year is over. Here’s some video of him if you’re interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=989OK1N8Hg0

Then this year the Chiefs drafted R.Hudson G/C from FSU who i believe will be C.Weigmanns replacement in the future and might get thrown into the mix if Weigmann retires. He needs to put on some more weight but his upside is great as well as J.Asamoah. The Chiefs might even move B.Waters to center with Hudson on one side of him and Asamoah on the other.

Adding J.Baldwin WR will make opposing defenses think twice about loading the box and help the o-line. I hope the Chiefs get a RT some one like R.Harris who fits into the ZBS would be a nice fit:P

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by CPT.Caveman on Jun 12, 2011 4:19 PM MDT up reply actions