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Top 20 Players of Super Bowl XLIX

Nothing seems more natural than watching a game because of its stars, and the top players in the Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks may be the most compelling collection of athletes playing against each other this year. Taking a look at who those players also happens to be one of the best ways to truly get a feel for the matchup and how each team arrived to play in one of the biggest sports events of the year.

20. LeGarrette Blount, Running Back, New England Patriots

It may be the case that Kevin Williams and Rob Ninkovich play a larger role on Sunday than LeGarrette Blount does, but in terms of the talent Blount displayed in the field for New England this year, it’s hard to leave him off the list. Ninkovich should play a crucial run defense role, especially with regards to his high-level awareness against a scrambling quarterback, but Blount can keep the offense on pace against a stultifying defense.

Blount is a hard-to-find kind of player that doubles as a power running back and kick returner, and he displays the agility and vision of a back you’d expect to receive more plaudits. His ability to run in any situation is becoming more difficult to find every year in the NFL, which is why he earns a billing on this list.

19. K.J. Wright, Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks

Courtesy of Fansided: Wright is among the most underrated players in this game.

Courtesy of Fansided: Wright is among the most underrated players in this game.

Wright’s work all year has been underrated and exemplary. Playing well in all three of his responsibilities as a rusher, coverage defender and run stopper, Wright is a uniquely versatile player in a defense designed around specialized parts. Playing cleanup duty for a defensive line that often seeks to redirect runners, Wright plays the weakside role to a T.

While Bobby Wagner can play the heat seeking missile role as well as anybody, Wright is seemingly built for it. That he can beat offensive linemen anywhere along the line to get to the quarterback is a pretty good cherry on the cake, and since Week 6, only one 4-3 outside linebacker has allowed fewer receptions per snap in coverage or yards per cover snap despite the fact that quarterbacks constantly look his way to get away from the Legion of Boom.

18. Julian Edelman, Receiver, New England Patriots

Formerly appreciated for his versatility as a returner/defensive back/quarterback/receiver, Edelman is a force in his own right purely at receiver (though his quarterback skills did end up on display in the playoffs). While not in the “elite conversation” that seemingly 15 other receivers are in, Edelman’s contributions go underrated. He’s known for his quickness and excellent route-running, but he also helps the offense by playing large and is a chain mover for the New England offensive set.

17. Sebastian Vollmer, Offensive Tackle, New England Patriots

One of the best right tackles in the NFL, Vollmer’s ability to prevent not just sacks, but pressure, has helped the Patriots overcome some of the talent deficiencies they have at skill positions, giving quarterback Tom Brady the extra moments he needs to let a receiver break open. Vollmer takes advantage of his length and superhuman balance in ways other offensive linemen simply can’t, supplementing that with surprising strength for a pass blocking specialist. Vollmer’s been helpful in the run game as well, and that may figure to be important against Seattle’s legendary secondary.

16. Vince Wilfork, Defensive Tackle, New England Patriots

Courtesy of Boston.com: Wilfork will need to help stop Marshawn Lynch come Sunday.

Courtesy of Boston.com: Wilfork will need to help stop Marshawn Lynch come Sunday.

Once known as the prototypical 3-4 nose tackle, Wilfork has transformed himself into a versatile defender that serves as the lynchpin to New England’s variable front seven looks and therefore the driver of almost everything they do on defense, even with players like Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty in the secondary. Wilfork has aged well and keeps playing like one of the best players in the NFL at either two-gap nose tackle or one-gap defensive tackle. With his help, he and Brady won’t be the only ones on the team with Patriots Super Bowl rings.

15. Michael Bennett, Defensive End, Seattle Seahawks

Bennett is a perfect example of the kind of play that brought both defenses to the Super Bowl, embodying the cornucopia of ability that players across both rosters bring to their defenses—it’s Dave Wannstedt’s nightmare. Bennett was already one of the better 4-3 defensive ends in the league before coming to Seattle, but in his role as both an interior and edge rusher, he’s virtually elite. Enormous penalty issues push him down the list, but he’s been nearly pitch-perfect against both the run and the pass this year.

14. Chandler Jones, Linebacker, New England Patriots

Take away outlier performances in the first two weeks (his worst performance of the year, followed by his best performance of the year), and Jones grades out to be not just one of the better pass rushers in the NFL, but a consistent, complete player who played at virtually the same level the entire season. Coming back from a serious hip injury by Week 15, Jones reestablished his importance to the defense immediately. On a per-snap basis, Jones’ pass-rushing ability is top-ten in the NFL, but the notable thing about him is that he doesn’t sacrifice run defense to do it. A combination defensive end/linebacker, Jones figures to play a big role in the upcoming game.

13. Max Unger, Center, Seattle Seahawks

Unger’s impact was better felt by his absence, where during the regular season Seattle’s rush DVOA (a Football Outsiders metric that adjusts for opponent and reward success rate as much as raw yards) dropped from 40.3 percent (the best in the NFL by a factor of four over second place) to 22.6. The success rate of those runs dropped from 60 percent to 44 percent and the yards per carry dropped from 6.3 to 5.1. Unger is one of the best centers in the NFL, but missed too much of the season to prove it once more, and remains the only truly reliable linemen Seattle has. He’ll play a critical role stemming the complex Patriots defense and their likely opaque pass rush.

12. Kam Chancellor, Safety, Seattle Seahawks

Courtesy of Huffington Post: As a member of the Legion of Boom, Chancellor doesn't get the credit he deserves.

Courtesy of Huffington Post: As a member of the Legion of Boom, Chancellor doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

In the conversation among the best strong safeties in the NFL, Chancellor’s role may expand beyond its normal scope in this game given the presence of Rob Gronkowski. Chancellor’s size gives him unique ability, and his speed, technique and attitude make him one of the hardest hitters in the NFL, having thrown offensive tackles off of blocks to make the play. While the same technique that increases his hitting power sacrifices his tackling ability at times, he’s still one of the best defenders over the middle—linebacker or safety—in the NFL, and his high-level instincts make sure that his coverage responsibilities stay on par with his run defense ability.

11. Dont’a Hightower, Linebacker, New England Patriots

As an inside linebacker for the Patriots (and often kicking outside), Hightower may be the most consistent player on either side of the ball. Arguably without a single bad game in the season, Hightower has had nearly 1000 snaps of high-level play. Hard to lock up on blocks, Hightower is a crucial member of the run defense, but his pass coverage ability may be what saves the day for New England, having the ability to blank one of the only threats in the passing game, tight end Luke Willson.

10. Bobby Wagner, Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks

A speed demon, Wagner immediately upgraded the already formidable defense when he joined as a rookie and has been improving in the two years following. Wagner combines speed, quickness and instincts, a deadly combination at any position, but especially linebacker. Adaptable to the combination two- or one-gap fronts Seattle likes to use, Wagner is adept either at taking on blocks or navigating through them to make the play.

9. Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks

When extracting Wilson’s play from his running back and defense, one finds an exceedingly efficient quarterback despite a maddening improvisational style that requires an unusual feel for the defense and extraordinary chemistry with his receivers. Wilson has been effective and a big-play magnet despite a situation that would scream for a game manager—something he can do as well. Not just a nimble and fast runner, Wilson is smart and patient with regards to his scrambling with great pocket awareness. Some early season struggles have given way to a strong stretch of late-season play, and Wilson can thread the ball with accuracy anywhere on the field.

8. Jamie Collins, Linebacker, New England Patriots

Courtesy of the Boston Herald: Collins is right up there with Wright among the most underrated LB in the NFL.

Courtesy of the Boston Herald: Collins is right up there with Wright among the most underrated LB in the NFL.

Rounding out the linebacker corps for New England, Collins can play as a pass rusher or traditional linebacker, Collins joins Hightower in having unnaturally consistent play throughout the season, but with an even greater impact and higher highs. Though not used as often as a pass rusher as Hightower, he’s still a force there and has an argument to be the best inside linebacker pass rusher in the NFL. Despite only rushing the passer 81 times, he has four sacks, six hits and 16 hurries according to Pro Football Focus. Collins freak athleticism put him part of the way there, but solid implementation of technique combined with quick reaction times has made him indispensable to the New England defense.

7. Devin McCourty, Safety, New England Patriots

Combined with Revis, McCourty has enabled a variety of coverage combinations that either one of the defensive backs alone would not be able to achieve, playing with extreme range and fantastic ball skills. The only better free safety in the game is playing for the other team, and McCourty happens to be a fantastic cornerback, too. His range and coverage instincts put him up there with the best the NFL has to offer and his ability to play man to man or in a deep zone means the Patriots can roll with exotic schemes to confuse even the most prepared quarterbacks. While McCourty hasn’t matched his interception totals from previous years, he was also the second-least targeted safety in the NFL despite rolling over the corner opposite Revis.

6. Earl Thomas, Safety, Seattle Seahawks

If the discussion is about range or instincts, McCourty’s may be elite but Thomas is historic. His ability to play the deep zone is the straw that stirs the drink of the Seattle defense and it allows their cornerbacks to play far smaller zones than traditional for a Cover-3 setup, allowing them to push the sidelines—meaning they don’t patrol a third of the field, they patrol a quarter of it, while Thomas takes the middle half. Despite covering a zone half again as large as most safeties, Thomas remains a leader in yards allowed per snap in coverage and targets per snap in coverage.

5. Darrelle Revis, Cornerback, New England Patriots

Perhaps Revis has lost a step after aging and injuries, but given his elite speed beforehand, he’s hardly lost any coverage ability. He doesn’t play the lynchpin role he did with the Jets, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a critical part of the defense. Often playing outside of his strengths as a zone corner, he’s merely great instead of transcendant, but it’s enough to help carry New England through some tough games. He allows vanishingly few receptions in his coverage despite that and his technique at cornerback is perhaps the best in the game.

4. Marshawn Lynch, Running Back, Seattle Seahawks

Courtesy of Huffington Post: An enigmatic personality, Lynch's on-field success cannot be denied.

Courtesy of Huffington Post: An enigmatic personality, Lynch’s on-field success cannot be denied.

For all the ire Lynch causes NFL media, he’s a favorite to watch. His unmatched running style and unusual footwork, combined with raw power, balance and leverage, make him one of the toughest running backs to tackle at this level. Combining that with vision, patience and deception, Lynch has established himself as one of the premier running backs in a league and a driver of the offense. It’s sometimes difficult to figure out why exactly defenders peel off of him, but they do and it will happen again. Averaging 4.7 yards a carry and ranking 5th in success rate according to Football Outsiders, as well as number one in DVOA, Lynch is the perfect combination of explosive and consistent to keep the offense on schedule.

3. Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots

The rumors of Tom Brady’s decline have, it turns out, been greatly exaggerated. While he’s not playing at a level that matches his 2007, 2010 or 2012 self, it’s clear that Brady has asserted his place back on top of the quarterback heap. Accurate with a lightning release, Brady’s control of this offense—one that has gone through half a dozen different identities—has carried it through serious struggles. Playing New England’s famed complexity against Seattle’s frustrating simplicity will require the highest level of skill

2. Richard Sherman, Cornerback, Seattle Seahawks

The debate over whether or not Richard Sherman would struggle in another system is irrelevant, because this is the system he’s in right now and he’s the best. He’s allowed the fewest receptions in coverage of any cornerback, the second fewest yards per snap in coverage and has been targeted less often than anyone else. The margin between first and second place in targets per snap in coverage is the margin between second and 17th, and that second place is Darrelle Revis.

Despite a schedule that included Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Tony Romo, he’s allowed the third-lowest passer rating when targeted. That’s against the top two in passer rating, three of the top four and four of the top eight. His length and football intelligence have allowed him to define games, and he’s changed NFL gameplanning as a result.

1. Rob Gronkowski, Tight End, New England Patriots

It’s probably not surprising that the Super Bowl features a number of players who are the best at their position and have a conversation that marks their place in history while they’re at it, but no amount of hyperbole can accurately capture Gronkowski’s impact on the field and skill as a tight end. An athletic marvel blessed with innate football ability, Gronkowski shrinks the defense and expands the field in a way few can. He doesn’t have to be the dominant receiving tight end to make his mark on the game, either, blocking as well as the best of them and using his dominant strength against some of the strongest players in the NFL.

The former Arizona player doesn’t just take over games, he owns them. No team has really been able to take him away; the fewest receptions he’s had in games without a touchdown is four—he’s either going to rack up catches or points, and probably both. He’s papered over inaccurate throws, and let himself be the fulcrum of the offense. An unmatched catch radius with fantastic hands and incredible strength make him a player Seattle won’t be able to stop, only hope to contain.

Photo: USA Today

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