Flacco #100 on PFF's Top 101 of 2012 (and why it's ridiculous)

[Sirdowski]

I am going to go ahead and back track a bit for the sake of argument. I can conceed any reasonable point you want about how great Peterson is and especcially was last year. I still like Jamal 2003 a little more or many of Barry Sanders seasons a little more but just preference not decernable difference.

20.5 sacks and more deflections than a corner. Who does he have as a supporting cast last year. An 8 or even 9 man front for a RB is no worse than a committed double team on a DT. Both guys are getting equal prep time in the coordinator meetings. Coaches are inventing ways to get the QB to throw around him, he is double blocked and he still made ton of plays. More than anyone I can ever remember at the same position in one season. Maybe he was not Reggie White or anything, but maybe Peterson was no Barry Sanders or OJ Simpson. The point is there is plenty of room for debate and variety of opinions, but the stats Watt put up put him right in the middle of the discussion, especcially if he takes it up a notch or even follows up with another few seasons like that. IMO that is why Jamal and 2003 was over looked last year. He did not have the consistancy of a Peterson so his season was easily over shadowed, like the guy who lost the single season sack record to a Favre sacrifice to Strahan.

Well said JW, and I agree that it's certainly open for debate, and regardless, it comes down to opinion.

To me, AP last season was every bit as dominant as the best of OJ and Barry. To come 9 yards short of the all time rushing record while averaging 6.0 ypc is one hell of a feat. That week 17 game against green bay was one I'll remember for a long time.

Oh and let's not forget... The man suffered a sports hernia in week ten at Detroit. At which point he went on to rush for over 1,000 yards the next 7 games.

[psuasskicker]

Jamal's season was fantastic but it took him almost 40 more rushes to still finish with fewer yards. Peterson averaged more than half a yard more per carry. Ponder was better than the garbage the Ravens had at QB that year, but not by a ton, and it would be a ridiculous assertion to say that teams respected Ponder more than they did Boller/Wright. Peterson averaged six per carry despite the fact that he faced 8-10 in the box every single play.

Watt's season was great, but you guys remember they played defense before sacks started being recorded in '82, right? Mean Joe Greene would crush like Watt did. Sapp had a 16.5 sack season the year the Bucs won the SB.

I'm not really committed enough to Watt's season not being a GOAT to argue that much, that's more splitting hairs. But ultimately I don't think there's much to argue that Peterson's season was better than Watt's.

- C -