CBS Puts Todd Gurley Ahead of Tom Brady in Their Super Bowl Power Rankings
Pete Prisco – It’s rare that you will not see a quarterback atop my rankings of the starters in the Super Bowl, which is something I’ve done for quite a few years here at CBSSports.com.
It’s even tougher to believe that’s the case this year when you consider the greatest quarterback of all-time, and arguably the greatest football player ever, is in this year’s game.
But New England’s Tom Brady is not the highest-ranked player in this week’s Super Bowl in Atlanta. … Brady comes in third on my list. …
If you are trying to get a gauge on this week’s game by these rankings, here are some nuggets:
*Six of the top-10 players are Rams.
*The Rams have five offensive players in the top-10 and just one defensive player.
*The Patriots’ four top-10 players are split evenly, with two on each side of the ball.
*Of the bottom 10 players, six are Patriots and four are Rams players.
*The Rams have seven offensive players in the top 20, while the Patriots have five.
I’m not here to argue with Pete Prisco. I’m not angry. So he admit every other Super Bowl the a quarterback will be his pick for best player in the game but this year it’s not. I mean, sure, I could ask what Tom Brady has to do to impress a guy, but I’m not. Aaron Donald is a unique talent. A 290 lb. guy running through much bigger fat men on every down like a car through a car wash to make himself probably the greatest interior penetrator of all time. He deserves all the praise that will most assuredly be coming his way in Atlanta.
Nor do I take issue with Todd Gurley at No. 2. After all, he had 17 rushing touchdowns in a year in which no one else even had 15. So good for him. I suppose I could point out that he was 11th in the league in YPA. Or that Pro Football Focus has him graded out as their 18th best running back:
… just ahead of Adrian Peterson, who now runs carrying a walker with tennis balls on the bottom. Or point out the nerds in Cris Collinsworth’s sweatshop have Gurley at No. 8 in Average Yards After Contact and 12th in Avoiding Tackles. I could casually drop into the conversation that in the NFC title game he had 4 carries and a reception for 13 yards of total offense. But all that would sound like I’m being negative toward Todd Gurley. Which I decidedly am not.
This is just about CBS Sports’ official power rankings, which I have no issue with. Tom Brady might have 691 passing yards in the playoffs, put up 41 points on the Chargers and led three go-ahead touchdown drives in the 4th quarter and overtime on the road in Kansas City. But the NFL is a “What have you done for me lately?” league. And I’m sure Patrick Mahomes or Phillip Rivers or 2013 Peyton Manning would also be ranked behind a running back coming off a 4 carries for 10 yards performance.
What I can’t figure out is why the Patriots continue to insist people are doubting Brady.