1. Darrelle Revis- Revis is easily the best cornerback in the NFL right now, and he breaks up almost as many passes as receptions allowed.

2. Nnamdi Asomugha- Despite a poor 2011, I still believe in his ability as a pure cover guy. However, Nnamdi is awful in run support and can't tackle.

3. Champ Bailey- I bet this guy could still be a premier cover corner into his late 30's.

4. Tramon Williams- He was so beast last season that only a "decent" 2011 doesn't detract from how great he was in coverage in 2010.

5. Brandon Flowers- Flowers shows us that you don't need height to be an elite corner.

6. Charles Woodson- Has had a poor season this year against the run and as a pass rusher, but he's starting to come around. Woodson is still playing solid- as always- in coverage.

7. Ike Taylor- Only Darrelle Revis has been better in coverage statistically, but stats don't tell the whole story. However, this physical corner has still been very good in 2011.

8. Asante Samuel- Samuel can't play the run or tackle at all, but he is still a top corner in this league.

9. Antoine Winfield- He can do it all, and his top ten ranking is a result from some really good pass rushing- for a corner- and run stopping.

10. Jonathan Joseph- Joseph was one of the best free agent signings, and he is having a shutdown year and playing at the high level he did in 2009.

11. Carlos Rogers- Have you seen him this year? The best signing of 2011.

12. Leon Hall- I miss it when he and Joseph ruled the world in 2009.

13. Jabari Greer- When will he ever have an injury-free season?

14. Joe Haden- Haden is proving that he was the better rookie from last year's class.

15. Brent Grimes- You don't need to be tall to be an effective corner.

16. Charles Tillman- But this guy disagrees.

17. Chris Gamble- Has been one of the best corners this season.

18. Devin McCourty- I'm going to patiently wait for a bounce-back, but he won't move into the top 15 until he shows he can be consistently good beyond his rookie year.

19. Antonio Cromartie- He gets beat, but he's still a good corner.

20. Cortland Finnegan- He's starting to turn it up again this season.

21. Vontae Davis- He's having a down year, and this is the reason why he isn't in the top 20. But look for him to start climbing up in the future and possibly getting into the top ten one day.

22. Josh Wilson- Wilson was a terrific signing for the Washington Redskins, even though he has been a little bit disappointing this season after a really good year that went under the radar in 2010 with the Ravens.

23. Corey Webster- I miss his 2008 greatness, but he's still a solid player.

24. Aqib Talib- A great talent when he is at his best, but that's usually tough to come by.

25. Chris Houston- He's having a a breakout year and is one of the main reasons why the Lions are where they are at.

26. Ladarius Webb- Has taken the place of Wilson to become the Ravens best corner.

27. Alterraun Verner- Makes up one of the best trios in the NFL with Finnegan and Jason McCourty, and Verner is a 2010 rookie corner who is largely overshadowed by Haden and McCourty.

28. Captain Munnerlyn- Underrated speed demon who can definitely hold down the fort.

29. Chris Culliver- An extremely underrated rookie corner who combines with Rogers to make one of the better cornerback duos in the league.

30. Stanford Routt- Nnamdi's replacement is overpaid but is still decent.

31. Seth Smith- He is in the midst of an awful year, but Smith is still one of the better corners in the league.

32. Brandon Carr- Might be a little low, but it's because he doesn't really blow me away and is more of a solid player.

33. Chris Carr- Another solid corner who needs some more playing time.

34. Quentin Jammer- Physical corner who has been a little disappointing this year, but not as much as last year's breakout Antoine Cason.

35. Ron Bartell- Easily the best cornerback on the Rams roster.

36. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie- Loads of talent, but really nothing to show for it because he plays like he doesn't care.

37. Sheldon Brown- Doesn't give up many catches, but they end up being big plays when he does.

38. Leigh Bodden- I will never get why the Patriots released him, because he's an underrated player who is one of the best players in zone coverage; he was in the midst of a solid season amidst poor play from most of the other corners (McCourty).

39. Jason McCourty- Don't sleep on the "other" McCourty.

39. Terrence McGee- It's sad to see a perennially underrated corner going on the decline "thanks" to age and injury.

40. Sam Shields- He really impressed me last season and is one of the better slot corners in the league.

41. Patrick Robinson- Watch for him to shoot up the rankings soon, but I'm not totally sold on him yet.

42. Richard Marshall- He doesn't give up that many catches, but- despite his speed- gets a burned way too much.

43. Chris Cook- The off the field trouble mars some talent that isn't talked about quite enough.

44. Tracy Porter- Everybody remembers him for being a Super Bowl hero, but he has been struggling of late. However, Porter is still a decent corner who can make plays when needed.

45. Mike Jenkins- Jenkins is one of the most talented corners in the league, but he gets burned a lot.

46. Richard Sherman- I'm really starting to believe in this rookie, and he is an underrated player who is easily the Seahawks best corner.

47. Rashean Mathis- The veteran has really improved from an awful 2010 season.

48. Antoine Cason- I really can't take him seriously after what has happened this season, but he is another guy who is primed to move on up.

49. Nate Clements- Plays the run as well as any corner in the league, and he isn't terrible in coverage either.

50. Derek Cox- He has the potential to really shoot up this list with some more improved play.

His 2008 season was a wonder to behold

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL, NFL Rankings, CBs, Devin McCourty, Antonio Cromartie, Darrelle Revis, Seth Smith, Vontae Davis, Terrence McGee, Jonathan Joseph, Alterraun Verner, Cortland Finnegan, Jason McCourty, Ike Taylor, Leon Hall, Nate Clements, Joe Haden, Sheldon Brown, Chris Carr, Ladarius Webb, Antoine Cason, Quentin Jammer, Brandon Carr, Brandon Flowers, Champ Bailey, Stanford Routt, Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Nnamdi Asomugha, Corey Webster, Mike Jenkins, Josh Wilson, Captain Munnerlyn, Chris Gamble, Jabari Greer, Patrick Robinson, Tracy Porter, Aqib Talib, Brent Grimes, Charles Woodson, Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Chris Houston, Charles Tillman, Antoine Winfield, Chris Cook, Carlos Rogers, Chris Culliver, Richard Marshall, Ron Bartell, Richard Sherman, Leigh Bodden FA

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2011 NFL Kick-off preview

September 7th 2011 16:40

As I sit here in my comfortable abode on an all too crappy netbook typing this post out while blaring Tool, my mind is busy contemplating the rigorous ahead of us (NFL fans). The parity in the NFL makes predicting a difficult task, but I do know one thing for sure; this is going to be one hell of a season. Don't believe me? Well, why don't you just take a look at the season's first game between the Packers and Saints? I don't need to tell you how great these two teams are, and just how great these two teams will be in February. Oh wait...this is the NFL, where crazy happens.

The Eagles, Falcons, Saints, and Packers are the NFC's undisputed Big Four heading into the season. They have very little questions surrounding their teams, and these are the guys who you put your sports' dignity on the line when you make your predictions. But with a full season looming ahead, injuries, poor execution, and the usual unexpected twists and turns that happen during 16 weeks of football will make the guessing game an even more difficult affair. For now, I'll just stick to one game and break down how I think things will end up between the Packers and Saints.

Last year, I did an opening day preview that also involved the Saints, but they were playing against a different marquee franchise; the Vikings. My preview was right on, but the Vikings' season was far from a planned occurance. They were one of the biggest disappointments in football, and they gave rise to the surprise Bears. I don't think either of these two teams will have an epic collapse, but the important thing is that this is definitely the game to be watching.

Everybody raves about the Saints offense, and that's definitely for good reason. Drew Brees is unquestionably one of the elite quarterbacks in the game right now, and he has seven legitimate receiving threats to help him out. Jon Stinchcomb was a huge liability at right tackle, and Zach Strief should be an upgrade over him. Strief is relatively unknown, and he is an underrated player who you should become familiar with soon.

As far as the other parts of the line, Jerome Bushrod is a poor left tackle who was one of the two reasons- Stinchcomb was the other- why Brees had more picks than he should have last season. The man was constantly on the run because of pressure from the outside, but the interior remained calm thanks to one of the top guard tandems in the National Football League. The veteran Olin Kreutz replaces Jonathan Goodwin at center, and there really won't be a noticeable upgrade or downgrade at the position.

Defensively, I don't think the Packers line is going to win their battle against the Saints O-Line. Clay Matthews should be able to get some pressure on Brees, but I think the Saints interior should be able to get the better of the Packers D-Line. There isn't a huge disparity between both lines, but I like the Saints just a little bit better.

While the Saints have a plethora of receiving weapons, the Packers have enough talent in their secondary to mitigate their opposition's passing attack. Great passing offenses always beat great secondaries, but I honestly don't expect this to be a game where Brees completely rips the Pack apart. What should worry Saints fans the most is if Matthews forces Brees to make bad throws downfield that can get sucked in by Nick Collins, Tramon Williams, or Charles Woodson. And heck, Sam Shields isn't a guy you want to mess with either.

People talk too much about Gregg Williams's complex blitz schemes, and they don't realize that the Saints just don't have much of a pass rush at all. Roman Harper and Cameron Jordan are their only two legit QB threats who are healthy, and Harper is a safety who won't blitz all the time. I pointed out his ability to force quarterbacks to make mistakes in last year's preview against the Vikings, and a Harper hit on Favre caused a key interception for the Saints. And really, that's all the Saints want when they blitz; they want to make the opposition give them a gift (so to speak).

However, Aaron Rodgers doesn't waiver under pressure. It's yet another reason why I believe that the-guy-who-needs-a-way-bette r-nickname-than-A-Rod is the best quarterback- nay- best player in the game today.

While I do think that the Saints secondary is a tad overrated, they're still pretty good at the back with guys like Jabari Greer and Malcolm Jenkins. However, I do think that Rodgers will rip these guys apart because there are way too many weapons to cover.

These are two great teams and picking a winner between the two of them is a daunting task, but it has to be done otherwise this whole post is pretty pointless. Aren't you glad I didn't say "moot"? Man I hate that word, and it also reminds me of Fred Smoot. If you actually know who that is, then I think you need to stop being like me and get a life.

Anyway, I see the Packers taking this game in a relatively close game. I still think the Packers are the best team in the NFL, and that has a lot to do with the fact that they have Aaron Rodgers leading this badass bunch. My final prediction is 30 Packers 21 Saints with Aaron Rodgers being the game MVP.

Other Week Predictions

Titans over Jaguars
Texans over Colts
Bengals over Browns
Chiefs over Bills
Steelers over Ravens
Falcons over Bears
Eagles over Rams
Lions over Bucs
Panthers over Cardinals
Seahawks over 49ers
Giants over Redskins
Chargers over Vikings
Cowboys over Jets
Patriots over Dolphins
Broncos over Raiders

Best player in football

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Predictions, Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Colts, Texans, Jaguars, Titans, Steelers, Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders, Eagles, New York Giants, Cowboys, Redskins, Panthers, Saints, Cameron Jordan, Drew Brees, Gregg Williams, Jabari Greer, Jerome Bushrod, Jon Stinchcomb, Malcolm Jenkins, Olin Kreutz, Roman Harper, Zach Strief, Bucs, Falcons, Packers, Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews, Nick Collins, Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Lions, Bears, Vikings, 49ers, Jonathan Goodwin, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, Fred Smoot, Brett Favre

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3/5 NFL News: Discussions and Mike McCarthy Extended

March 5th 2011 15:30

Well, we all know that the discussions for a new CBA have been extended for seven days. Free agency is still frozen and teams cannot re-sign their own players. They can only talk to the agents of their own players, but no deals can be done. However, at least both sides are willing to talk and want to come to an agreement. The extension of talks actually happened because the owners were scared and didn't want the Players' Association to decertify, so they caved into the demands of at least extending talks.

Mike McCarthy was given an extended deal, which comes as no surprise after he led his team to Super Bowl victory in the midst of injuries to several key players. McCarthy did a nice job this year, and he was a better coach in 2010 than Bill Belichick. The AP can say whatever they want. Zach Miller and Michael Bush were tendered by Oakland. Miller is a mainstay for the Raiders, and he is pretty much their entire passing game. Although it wouldn't be big news if Reggae Bush wasn't retained, he still is important if Darren McFadden- who has an injury history- was to be injured. Bush is a capable backup.

Kevin Smith and Julian Peterson are two poor players that don't give the Lions much these days, and it's no surprise that they were not re-signed. Smith had a decent rookie year, but he has been terrible of late. Julian Peterson was one of the best pass rushing outside linebackers in his prime. Nowadays, he is just some old JAG.

Plaxico Burress' time in prison was decreased due to good behavior, and he will be released in early June. Burress was actually a hard worker, but the media just never cared to look at him in that way. He made one very stupid decision, and he has paid for it. I would take a chance on him because another Michael Vick like redemption story could blossom.

As expected, teams wanted AJ Hawk right after he was released by the Packers; but they didn't know that he was going to be re-signed again. Hawk and the Packers were never going to part ways. Hawk loves the team, and he was a huge leader for them last year. Hawk would have made 10 million dollars extra had he not been released, but Hawk doesn't care about the money. It has to do with him helping the team win another one. Unlike quite a few players out there, Hawk isn't narrow-minded. He cares about his organization. The only reason why the Pack released him was to save cash. Hawk just wants to play, money or not.

Anyway, there are rumblings that Nick Barnett is now expendable. The top run-stuffing interior linebacker missed a huge chunk of the season with a wrist injury last year. Barnett could get traded because of the emergence- and extension- of fellow ILB Desmond Bishop. Barnett could also be released if nobody wants to trade for him. I really think a team like the Lions should go hard after Barnett. That would be a huge addition for a team with their horrible core of LBs.