The Denver Broncos feature a highly talented trio of secondary defenders, yet not one of them made it onto the NFL Network’s NFL 100 list in 2015.
Undoubtedly, between T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, at least one of them deserved to make the list, yet when all 100 players were announced, all three had been forgotten.
This snub isn’t being received well, to say the least.
The NFL 100 list is one that is advertised as being 100 percent put together by NFL players themselves, who fill out a form and send it in to NFL Network. Many have publicly and privately wondered if the entire thing is a sham, but the network stands firm that the list is legitimate.
With that in mind, the snub stings all the more, considering it’s their peers who disregarded their excellent play.
“I was talking to Talib about the upcoming season and how they left all three of us off the top 100, so we have a little chip on our shoulders,” Ward said Monday, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. “We didn’t appreciate that. And that’s from our peers.”
Ward, Talib and Harris combined for nine interceptions in 2014. All three played at an extremely high level, and Harris specifically has been lauded for his spectacular individual play.
Pro Football Focus graded him as its No. 4 overall player and top cornerback, which didn’t really come as a surprise to those who study the game.
Mr @ChrisHarrisJr apparently wasn't worth including in the NFL's Top 100. Was #4 in the PFFTop101: https://t.co/VoZH4izkY5
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) July 2, 2015
“If you grade out No. 1 by Pro Football Focus and you’re all-pro,” Talib said, “you definitely had to be one of the top 100 players.”
Couldn’t agree more with Talib, here.
While most understand this list is purely a platform for the NFL Network to make lots of money based off of the incredible amount of buzz it creates, players take it seriously nonetheless.
After being burned by their peers, Denver’s secondary is going to play the 2015 season with the intention of proving everybody wrong. And don’t for a second think this snub will not be a topic of conversation during games, when Talib, Ward and Harris are dominating their opponents on Sundays.
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