TOP 5: Corners

Since the Super Bowl is a little less than a week away, and two of football's best corners are playing in it...I present my top 5 corners in the NFL today.

Cornerback is my favorite position in football. The amount of skill and technique that it requires is interesting. I've always said if I played football, I'd either want to be a wide receiver or corner. And lately, I've just really taken an interest in the cornerback position. I've been studying and analyzing it a lot the past 2 seasons. What really sparked my fascination with corners? Deion Sanders. Loveee Prime Time. One of the best to ever do it. 

Good corners, the best of the best, can shutdown the most lethal offensive weapons and make them a non-factor. The elite corners can essentially cut the field in half. They always seem to be one step ahead of the receiver, pick up routes quickly, and can read the quarterback well. Who came to mind when you read that? Most likely Richard Sherman or Darrelle Revis. Which makes sense. But to me, Sherman isn't head and shoulders above every other corner in the league, like he seems to think...

My top 5:
5. Antonio Cromartie: Cro31's ability to kill receivers (& their routes) at the line is what gives him an edge and makes him stand out. He can be sloppy at times, allowing receivers to get the best of him, but 8 out 10 times, the 6ft 2 corner locks it down. With Peterson and Cromartie continuing to evolve, Arizona could potentially have the best cornerback-duo in the NFL. 
4. Joe Haden: the worst thing about Joe Haden is the teams he's been on. He's such  a good player, but Cleveland's last few seasons kind of disguise all he's done and all that he's able to do. Arguably one of the most dynamic corners we've seen in the past decade, Haden is constantly frustrating receivers and disrupting plays. Exactly what you want a corner to do. I mean, after all, that is what he's getting paid to do. Joe Haden plays his best when he's up against big, physical offensive weapons (he tends to struggle against smaller receivers...much like our guy, Browner). He's got the speed to keep up with just about anybody. He's just 25 years old...give him a good team, or a good defensive minded coach, and he quickly emerges in talks of the best corner in the league. 
3. Patrick Peterson: Patrick Peterson is one of, if not THE most, athletic guys in the league. He consistently shuts down any receiver - short, tall, big, fast...and he can do it on either side of the field. He doesn't come up with a ton of interceptions season in and season out, but his ability to do literally anything else (ehem, return punts for touchdowns) makes up for it. Not to mention his football IQ and understanding of the game is out this world. I'd gladly take a secondary with Patrick Peterson. 
2. Revis: #24 can effectively cover both sides of the field. He consistently shuts down opponents' best weapons. 6 time pro-bowler and 4 time All Pro. He gets it done. I really don't think I need to say anything else about Revis. His stats (minus his Tampa days) speak for themselves. Let's get him that ring, next week! 
1. Sherman: as much as it pains me to put Sherman at #1...especially since we play them in the biggest game of the season in exactly a week..I have to give credit where credit is due. (Honestly, it's more of a superstition thing, right now).  Sherman definitely runs his mouth, but he can back it up. I think the simple fact that quarterbacks around the NFL are literally scared to throw in his direction says enough. The main thing that keeps me from wanting to put him at #1 though, is the fact that he doesn't play both sides of the field very often. He has occasionally, but most of the time, he stays on the left side. Which he can do, because thanks to Seattle's crazy good Legion of Boom, Sherman doesn't have to cover the top WR every game. Essentially, he's asked to do a little bit less than the other guys on this list. Revis, Peterson, and even Haden are asked to cover the best receiver every game, with little to no help from safeties. Truth be told, I'll personally take Revis or Peterson over Sherman any day. 

Honorable mentions:
Brandon Flowers: before getting banged up, he was a solid corner. But over the past couple seasons he hasn't been able to shut down No. 1 receivers. His days in Kansas City featured some of the best plays at corner we've seen in years. 
Brandon Boykin: he started out being used primarily as a kick returner. But Boykin took full advantage when given the opportunity to shine in Philly's defense. Forced fumbles and picks are becoming his specialty. The 4th-round pick out of Georgia has a chance to become one of the best at his position. 
Charles Tillman: back in the day, he was about as good as they come. Arguably the best corner in Bears history. He was always overlooked and out of most "top corner" discussions, but when allowed to get physical and play man-to-man, he was scary good. Over the years, though, father time has caught up with Tillman and his seasons have been plagued by injuries. Unfortunately, I think his NFL days are over. Peanut Tillman will always one of my favorites. 
Talib: he might make my top 5 if: 1) he wasn't always getting banged up in THE most important games and 2) he wasn't a trader. But that's okay because we got Revis.

Runners up:
- Brent Grimes
- Tim Jennings
- Dee Milliner -- I know, I know. I put a Jets player on here. No need to freak out. It's a once in a blue moon type thing. But the 23 year old is pretty darn good. 
- Xavier Rhodes -- let's just say the Vikings made good use of their 1st round draft pick in 2013. I've loved Xavier Rhodes since his days at Florida State, and I'm happy to see that his productivity has carried over into the NFL. 
- Vontae Davis 

That's all for now. Big week coming up. I honestly doubt I'll be able to eat or sleep or even focus on anything other than the Super Bowl. I wish I was kidding, hahaha. 

As always, Go Pats!