Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
In an effort to decide which team will win the NFC South in 2013, I’ve decided to rank the four players in the division at each of the 11 positions on offense, 11 on defense, punter, place kicker, and one specialist. Each team will have one representative at each position and will be given points based on where their player lands in relation to the others who play the same position in the division. The best player in the division will receive four points while the worst will receive just one. We will then tally the points up, and come up with the a ranking of the four teams in the NFC South.
Now we look at the men with possibly the toughest job in the division, shutting down the South’s top WR’s. It’s the top cornerbacks.
#1 – Darrelle Revis – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 4 points
The man has his own island. I understand he’s coming off a major knee injury, but less than a year ago he was the unquestioned best CB in the NFL. Revis is on top of this list easily. It appears as though he’ll be ready to go for Week 1, and by the looks of what we’ve seen, he should be 100% healthy than day too. If he does in fact get back to where he was, Julio Jones, Steve Smith, and Marques Colston‘s jobs all got a lot tougher two times a out of the year.
#2 – Asante Samuel – Atlanta Falcons – 3 points
Samuel used to be a top 2 or 3 DB, but he’s dropped off slightly. He’s still an excellent corner and makes life difficult on whoever he draws every given Sunday. Asante can be expected to continue his decline due to age catching up with him, but he’s still well above average. The days of his four consecutive Pro Bowls are gone, but he’s still good enough to be number two in this group.
#3 – Jabari Greer – New Orleans Saints – 2 points
I like Greer a lot, well, when he’s not picking off Josh Freeman which he did twice last year. He’s a solid reliable corner that’s part of a brutal secondary. Greer has the ability to be a top flight guy, but it simply hasn’t shined through in New Orleans. He has to take a little heat for being a part of such a awful unit, but I honestly think this is one guy in that group that can really play.
#4 – Captain Munnerlyn – Carolina Panthers – 1 point
Nice player, but not a top cornerback. He’s still getting better, and I think he’ll eventually become a more reliable player, but right now, I don’t think he can be trusted against elite wide receivers. When the Bucs play the Panthers, I expect a big game from Jackson. That’s not a good sign if you are expected to be a team’s lockdown corner.
The rankings are now complete. Be sure to check out the NFC South Position Rankings roundup to see point totals and observations based on the rankings.
Offense – QB | RB | WR1 | WR2 | TE | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | X
Defense – LDE | LDT | RDT | RDE | SLB | MLB | WLB | CB1 | CB2 | SS | FS