A double-entendre never hurt anybody.

At TFG, we’re firm believers that ranking players means absolutely nothing. How can you say Tom Brady is #1 and Peyton Manning is #2? How can you say Brian Westbrook is #6 and Willie Parker is #7? Or even that Ernest Wilford is #93 and Mushin Muhammed is #94?

Simply, you can’t. Rather, there are the top-tier players, and those aspiring to be top-tier players. For this reason, instead of ranking players, we’ll choose our 8 Men in the Box for each position. These are who we feel are the 8 top-tier players at each spot.

Next are the Wide Receivers. Later this week will be the Tight Ends, then after will be the Running Backs and Quarterbacks, before moving onto the defense.

8 Men in the Box: Wide Receivers

(Players listed in Alpha. order)

Larry Fitzgerald-ARI–

Larry Fitzgerald has played 4 seasons in the NFL. Already, he has two seasons with 1400+ yards, 10 TDs, and 100 catches. With Fitzgerald’s strong play last season, he has proven himself the Cardinals’ best receiver—although Anquan Boldin is very good as well.

Marvin Harrison-IND–

If it turns out that Harrison’s knee is a serious, career-ending-type injury, this slot will open. Until that is confirmed, however, Marvin Harrison is cemented onto this list. Harrison has had four separate seasons with 100+ catches, as well as a streak of eight straight seasons (ending last year) with 10+ TDs. Playing with Peyton Manning can’t hurt too much either.

Torry Holt-STL–

Torry Holt has played on some ridiculously explosive offenses during his time in Saint Louis. Widely known around the league as one of the best and most crisp route-runners, Holt is the all time leader for receiving yards per game.

Chad Johnson-CIN–

Its a shame that Johnson’s words get so much attention. If you look at his career stats, Johnson has put up such consistently good production that he has a chance to be an all-time great (at least statistically) when all is said and done, with over 1100 yards receiving each of the past 6 years.

Randy Moss-NE–

Moss is the perfect mix of athleticism and skill. He can outrun, overpower, and even hurdle most Defensive Backs. You have to overlook that his production dipped in Oakland, as he had one of the worst combinations of an offense and coaching staff in the history of the NFL around him.

Terrell Owens-DAL–

Terrell Owens is clearly a top talent in the NFL. However, it has been well-documented that Owens has a mouth larger than his production. Luckily for him, his big talk tends to lead some people to ignore his true greatest weakness: playoff production. In his last 4 playoff games, Owens has averaged 58 yards per game, has one TD total in all 4 games, and has lost every one.

Steve Smith-CAR–

For a top-tier receiver, Smith’s numbers aren’t that lucrative. On the other hand, he is the most deadly player in the league when he is angry. Just ask the Chicago Bears. His playoff performance is very good as well, with career averages of over 100 yards and a Touchdown per game.

Hines Ward-PIT–

First of all, there isn’t any #1 receiver left who has incredible stats and cannot be left off the list. Here’s my case for Hines. Buckle down, this may be lengthly.

For most teams, passes aren’t thrown for more than 40-60% of possessions. Because of this, a dynamic receiving threat only can make his impact on 60% of the plays at the very most.

Now, this isn’t true for everybody. Randy Moss can scheme a deep route every play and bring two guys down the field with him. However, Moss may be the only guy who can do this, as he is the only top-tier receiver whose best asset is his ability as a deep threat—most of the best are best at running after the catch.

Most top receivers can block adequately on those 40-60% of plays that are runs. Most block well enough to at least give their RB a chance to make a move and beat the D-Back.

Ward is not most receivers. He is actually a great asset in the running game. If you watch Ward closely, he is making plays in both the pass game and the run game. He can not only block Corners, but lay out safeties and even Linebackers on occasion. Because of this, Ward’s complete game earns him a spot on the top-tier.

Outside the Box–

Anquan Boldin-ARI

Plaxico Burress-NYG

Donald Driver-GB

Braylon Edwards-CLE

TJ Houshmanzadeh-CIN

Greg Jennings-GB

Andre Johnson-HOU

Brandon Marshall-DEN

Reggie Wayne-IND

Roy Williams-DET

Getting Cut–

I didn’t put Boldin, Wayne, and Houshmanzadeh on the list because I had trouble calling players I feel are the second best on their teams top-tier. Both Greg Jennings and Donald Driver made very strong cases—actually, Driver was the hardest omission. However, I feel Driver is on the downside of his career, and Jennings’ career is on the upswing. In a few years, Jennings, Brandon Marshall, Braylon Edwards, Roy Williams and Andre Johnson will all likely make strong cases to break into the box. Plaxico Burress was omitted due to his lack of consistency as well.

A double-entendre never hurt anybody.

At TFG, we’re firm believers that ranking players means absolutely nothing. How can you say Tom Brady is #1 and Peyton Manning is #2? How can you say Brian Westbrook is #6 and Willie Parker is #7? Or even that Ernest Wilford is #93 and Mushin Muhammed is #94?

Simply, you can’t. Rather, there are the top-tier players, and those aspiring to be top-tier players. For this reason, instead of ranking players, we’ll choose our 8 Men in the Box for each position. These are who we feel are the 8 top-tier players at each spot.

Next are the the big money guys. The 300-pound ballerinas. The Offensive Tackles.

8 Men in the Box: Offensive Tackles

(Players listed in Alpha. order)

Flozell Adams-DAL–

Adams, playing vs. the extremely good defenses of the NFC East, has done very well for the Cowboys. His protection from the blind side even allowed for Drew Bledsoe (the human mannequin) to quarterback the Cowboys to a winning record in 2005. Although he struggles at times to keep up with the foot speed of the quicker ends, Adams can kill guys coming off the line and does a great job in the run game.

Walter Jones-SEA–

Jones, at 34, has yet to slow down. He has dominated for a large portion of his career, as evidenced by his 8 Pro Bowl selections and 7 All-Pro selections. Its tough to say much more about the guy who many consider to be the most intimidating blocker in the league.

Jordan Gross-CAR–

The only Right Tackle on our list, Gross is a mauler on the right side who is dominant enough to warrant attention in an NFL where the Left Tackles tend to get nearly all of the attention. Gross is far and away the best Right Tackle in the NFL, as evidenced by the Panthers placing the Franchise tag on him—with which they will pay him Left Tackle-like prices.

Matt Light-NE–

Its no accident the Patriots had one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history. Tom Brady was given incredible amounts of time in the pocket to sit back and pick apart opposing defenses, and Matt Light is as good as they come protecting the backside.

Orlando Pace-STL–

Orlando has battled injuries for the past two years. However, the former 1^st overall selection has proved to be beastly when healthy. He has 7 Pro Bowls, all consecutive, and 6 All Pro selections on his resume. His only weakness appear to be his triceps—although they’ve managed to slow him down quite a bit.

Jason Peters-BUF–

One of the least well known players on our list, Peters is a Free Agent whom Buffalo signed as a Tight End in 2004. Peters is one of the most athletic players in the entire league, originally only making the roster for his great Special Teams play. A 340-pounder who was clocked at 4.94 in the 40, Peters will clearly be a top-tier Tackle for years to come.

Chris Samuels-WAS–

Samuels is a realatively unknown player, despite having made the last 3 Pro Bowls, 6 Pro Bowls over his career, and 1 All-Pro selection. Unfortunately, Samuels is probably best known for a tantrum he threw after Cardinals DT Antonio Smith allegedly spit on him.

Joe Thomas-CLE–

In only his 1st season in the NFL, Thomas has established himself as a top-tier Tackle. Derek Anderson gets a lot of credit for coming out of nowhere to have success as the Browns QB. However, credit should also be given to Joe Thomas and the Browns O-Line, which allowed a mere 19 sacks in the entire season.

Outside the box (Alpha)–

Willie Anderson-CIN

Jammal Brown-NO

Marcus McNeil-SD

Mark Tauscher-GB

Getting Cut–

Left outside the box are a pair of Tackles from each side. Jammal Brown and Marcus McNeil are both extremely talented, young players that will very likely break into the box within a couple of years. Willie Anderson was probably the toughest omission from the box, and we strongly considered putting him in over a couple other guys. Mark Tauscher out of Green Bay gets a mention—he went his first 5 years in the NFL without a holding penalty.

A double-entendre never hurt anybody.

At TFG, we’re firm believers that ranking players means absolutely nothing. How can you say Tom Brady is #1 and Peyton Manning is #2? How can you say Brian Westbrook is #6 and Willie Parker is #7? Or even that Ernest Wilford is #93 and Mushin Muhammed is #94?

Simply, you can’t. Rather, there are the top-tier players, and those aspiring to be top-tier players. For this reason, instead of ranking players, we’ll choose our 8 Men in the Box for each position. These are who we feel are the 8 top-tier players at each spot.

Quarterbacks come first, right? Wrong. See, we’re bold.

We’re starting with the Interior Offensive Linemen. Later today will be Tackles, to round out the Offensive Line.

8 Men in the Box: Interior Offensive Linemen

(Players listed in Alpha. order)

Shawn Andrews-PHI–

A 1^st round pick, rare for a Guard, Andrews has proven himself to be a top-tier Guard in his four NFL seasons. Andrews has already earned 2 Pro Bowl births and an All-Pro selection, blocking for some extremely productive seasons by Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.

Matt Birk-MIN–

The best football player to ever come from Harvard, Birk, a Center, is pretty much the only continuity associated with the Vikings. In eight years starting for the Vikings, Birk has blocked for 4 different 1,000-yard rushers, 7 different season-leading rushers, 7 different starting Quarterbacks, and 3 different coaches, while totaling 6 Pro-Bowls and 2 All-Pro selections.

Alan Faneca-PIT/NYJ–

His big payday from the Jets was not without reason. The Steelers’ offensive line has been one of the top in the league for the past half-decade, and Faneca has been near-perfect at guard. Another 1^st round pick at Guard, Faveca blocked for some lucrative seasons by both Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis.

Steve Hutchinson-MIN–

Steve Hutchinson has spent 7 years in the NFL. Excluding the 2002 season, in which Hutchinson only played 4 games, the leading rusher for Hutchinson’s teams have rushed for over 1200 yards every single year. Hutchinson has proved to be, by far, the most dominating Guard in the league at times—an All-Pro the past five years.

Olin Kreutz-CHI–

Kreutz, the longest tenured member of the Chicago Bears, is probably one of the best (if not the best) offensive players in Chicago, regardless of position. As a Center, he is one of the biggest Offensive leaders for the Bears.

Logan Mankins-NE–

As the 2^nd Patriots Offensive Lineman I consider to be top-tier, it shouldn’t be a mystery why the Pats were so dominant this season. Mankins, a Guard, got a brief moment in the spotlight when he scored a Touchdown off a fumble recovery in the 2006 AFC Championship game. Mankins, although young, has put up two-straight extremely impressive seasons for the Pats.

Shaun O’Hara-NYG–

O’Hara is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. Despite playing in the giant market that is New York for the past four years, he has not a single Pro Bowl selection nor an All-Pro selection in his entire career. O’Hara is a conversion, a player who played Guard in Cleveland for the first four years of his career before signing with the Giants and switching to Center. He is the leader of a New York Giants line that has fought injury over the past few years, and has played with legendary toughness and a well documented mean-streak.

Jeff Saturday-IND–

Saturday, another Offensive Lineman to score in that 2006 AFC Championship game, is a large part of the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive success. Despite not getting much attention for the first part of his career, Saturday has been selected to an All-Pro team and the Pro Bowl for all 3 of the past 3 years. He is also the only player on this list to have attempted a pass in an NFL game.

Outside the box (Alpha)–

Larry Allen-SF

Kendall Simmons-PIT

Kevin Mawae-TEN

Jeff Hartings-PIT

Getting cut–

Larry Allen was the hardest omission, as he is one of the most celebrated and accomplished linemen in the league. However, as of late, his ability has regressed and he is not nearly the crusher he once was. Simmons and Hartings of Pittsburgh both have been impressive players for the Steelers, but Faneca clearly separated himself as the more talented player over the past few years. Kevin Mawae would have made this list for sure a couple years ago. However, like Allen, Mawae was a much better player 2-3 years ago than he is now.

-”8 Men in the Box” Player Rankings.

-The TFG All-BAMF Team

-Post-Draft Predictions

-Speculation on the biggest stories in the NFL

To start out, we’re going to post, rapid fire, 8-Men in the Box position rankings. Who made the cut, and who’s left thinking outside the box? Check back in a while.