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NFL Network's Rankings are Bogus!

It is a known among Ravens fans that NFL Network's Top 100 NFL players is bogus, but in case you needed more proof, look where they ranked All-Pro Marshal Yanda this year...

By Yitzi Weiss

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Marshal Yanda is the best guard in the NFL- why is that so unappreciated?

The fact that they only have one guard in their top 100 players is one indication that their rankings are ridiculous. The fact that PFF had him 5th overall and that he was rated the TOP Offensive lineman in the NFL in the 2014 season furthers the pathetic sham of a top 100.

Yanda has been a stud his whole career,and after a slight down year in 2013, put up a season for the ages in 2014. Pro Football Reference has his 2014 AV (Approximate Value) as 17- his career high before that was 11 AV.

Here is what Gordon McGuinness of PFF said about him in their top 5 ranking:

Where he really dominated, however, was as a run blocker. We’ve seen Evan Mathis destroy opposing defenders in the run game in recent years, and that’s exactly the level Yanda was at in 2014. He dropped off somewhat in the final few weeks of the season, but his efforts in the first 14 weeks included some of the finest run-blocking performances we’ve ever seen from an offensive lineman. When all was said and done nobody came close to him in 2014, with Yanda’s +34.2 run-blocking grade far ahead of Mike Iupati’s +18.5 in second place.

Overall, only Mathis’ 2012 and 2013 single season overall grades were better than Yanda’s 2014 (+43.4), with that first three quarters of the season as good as you’ll see.

One of the best seasons ever by a Guard, and his run blocking grade was almost double the player behind him, Mike Iupati. To go with his elite run blocking, was also top 10 pass blocking. Per McGuiness:

A solid pass blocker, Yanda had the seventh-best pass-blocking grade of all guards in the regular season, allowing one sack, five hits and 10 hurries in 2014. Coming on 543 pass blocking snaps, that gave him a Pass Blocking Efficiency Rating of 97.7, 11th at the position.

So, there you have it folks, apparently our All Pro Guard who just put up one of the 3 best seasons for a guard can't even crack the top 75 in these sham rankings. I cannot think of more than 10 or so players I would trade him for, so there is no justification for this joke of a ranking.

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