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100. Erin Henderson, LB, Minnesota Vikings

A contentious pick, some argued Henderson shouldn’t have made the list because he was limited to a two down role for most of the season. It says something about just how good he was in 2011 that he still earned a spot in our Top 101, helped by finishing fourth overall in our 4-3 outside linebacker rankings. His numbers don’t particularly jump out at you and scream excellence, but when you factor in his more limited snap count, you start to see a very special player

Best Performance: Week 4 at Kansas City (+3.1)

Key Stat: Was the top-ranked 4-3 OLB in our Run Stop Percentage “Signature Stat” that looks at how many defensive stops a player made solely on running plays relative to how many snaps he is on the field for running downs.

83. Kevin Williams, DT, Minnesota Vikings

It’s easy to look at Kevin Williams and think he isn’t the player he was, when he was clearly and demonstrably the best there was at the defensive tackle position. That may be true, but he’s still a fine player and it’s reflected in another year that earned him the fifth-highest grade of all defensive tackles playing over 500 snaps. A complete DT, Williams earned positive marks for his work rushing the passer (+6.6) and playing the run (+12., helping the Vikings cope with the loss of Pat Williams.

Best Performance: Week 14 at Detroit (+3.1)

Key Stat: Ranked No. 5 on the list of combined sacks, hits and hurries of all defensive tackles with 37.

75. John Sullivan, C, Minnesota Vikings

Two seasons of starting had seen Sullivan grade negatively in both. We’d heard the chatter that he played hurt, but given that seems to be a universal excuse for every sub-optimal performance, thought little of it. Then he turned in a career year that had him ranked third in our center rankings. He did this chiefly with his run blocking, where he earned an impressive +16.8 grade for his efforts. Apologies Mr. Sullivan, we were wrong about you.

Best Performance: Week 8 at Carolina (+4.5)

Key Stat: Gave up just 12 combined sacks, hits, and hurries all year.

61. Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings

We often bemoan that as good as Harvin is, the Vikings don’t do a good enough job of making the most out of him. Managed 1,320 yards from scrimmage as well as making a couple of game-changing plays on special teams. Essentially, if you get the ball in his hands he’s going to make something happen, and that’s reflected with his sixth-overall grade in our receiver rankings.

Best Performance: Week 13 versus Detroit (+3.

Key Stat: The seventh-most productive receiver in the league averaging 2.5 Yards Per Route Run.

dead_poet wrote:#100: Erin Henderson

Mothman wrote:That said, why isn't Adrian Peterson on that list? I know he was injured for the last 1/4 of the season but are we supposed to believe he wasn't one of the top 100 players in the NFL last year?

Mothman wrote:This is the kind of stuff that always makes me wonder about PFF. If Henderson is such a special player, why did he sit out there on the market in free agency and end up settling for a one year deal with the Vikings? Were there not enough teams in need of free agent LBs? Were there just too many free agent LBs available on the market to fill those needs? Are NFL scouts just blind to Henderson's ability? We're talking about an experienced player in his athletic prime here. It's just hard for me to buy that Henderson is a "very special player" and one of the league's top 100 based on what I've seen of his play and after seeing the lack of enthusiasm he was met with as an unrestricted free agent.

As Sam Monson explained, Erin Henderson was an incredibly efficient linebacker last season, and in some respects, the most efficient. As Sam so eloquently stated,

“Just looking at tackle figures you might not be drawn instantly to his name, but Erin Henderson made more positive defensive plays relative to how much he was on the field than any other linebacker.”

A bold statement, yet one that is backed up by statistics. Sam goes on to state that Henderson made a tackle on 16.1% of every running play which he was on the field for – the highest mark in the NFL at his position. Some statistics can be a bit inflated, but not in this case. This is cold, hard evidence that Erin Henderson is a ball-hawk who possesses the natural ability to find the ball carrier and take him down. Despite playing in the 8th most defensive snaps for Vikings in 2011, Henderson notched the 5th most tackles with 58 (and missed out on 3rd place by a mere 3 tackles) as well as a pair of sacks. He received an overall grade of +21.7 and a run defense grade of +17.3, both of which were good for 2nd best on the team, in addition to a +2.0 pass coverage rating that was the best among Minnesota’s LBs. Compared to the rest of the 4-3 OLBs in the NFL, Henderson’s overall grade was 4th best, his run defense was 3rd, and his coverage was 5th. Not bad for a first year starter. Not bad at all.

I'm trying to remember: did Henderson even visit another team before re-signing with the Vikes for a year?

I thought Sullivan would end up #1.

Seriously, it's always nice to see Vikes players get recognition for their performances. That said, why isn't Adrian Peterson on that list? I know he was injured for the last 1/4 of the season but are we supposed to believe he wasn't one of the top 100 players in the NFL last year?

Eli wrote: Not according to the stats. At 80.8 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry, he barely breaks into the top 10 running backs in 2011.

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats? ... &Submit=Go

You could say that's a fault of his horrible offensive line, but a few of the guys who had better years didn't really have much better lines. Then there's the fact that he's still not much of a receiving threat, nor a reliable third down back.

dead_poet wrote:Who knows. PFF does pride themselves on seeing some things that not everyone else sees. However, severely dehydrated people claim the same thing, so sometimes you have to wonder.

I think it's a combination of Erin not being QUITE as amazing as PFF seems to think, but also having a lot of free agent linebackers out there and the fact that Erin didn't make a ton of splash plays or have a ton of numbers that might pique the interest of many scouts (due largely to the fact that he wasn't on the field on all three downs). Maybe this will help clarify some things:

Ha! They do love him, too, over there. But if you look at their top 100, they do pick out some interesting players. http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/20 ... -20-to-11/ For instance, on Twitter they are getting a lot of flak for placing Eli Manning higher than Brady and for rating DE Justin Smith as the #2 overall player. If nothing else, it's an interesting read, even if it is controversial.

I'm guessing he's not on the list for the same reason you mentioned: he was injured for the last quarter of the season. But I know where you're coming from. I would think he's a bit better at his position than, say, Erin Henderson.

Mothman wrote:I don't think any of the above makes a very convincing case for Peterson not being among the top 100 players in the league last year or any year. After all, it wasn't a list of the 100 statistically best players...

Eli wrote: Peterson had a very average season. Are you saying that a list of the top 100 players of 2011 should not take into account the season's performances of the players on the list? Then maybe they could have just drawn up the list before the season started.

Cap number upwards of $17 million. Lot of people around the team (players, agents, etc.) wondering how this thing turns out. I can't see Spielman cutting the guy for a variety of reasons, but that sure would give them more cap flexibility. I heard in Indy there were discussions on a short-term extension but I'm not sure when those happened or if they got anywhere. They've planned to handle that cap number if necessary. I have no doubts they'd like to reduce it, but I have a hard time seeing Jared taking a straight pay cut either.