The All-Anonymous Team
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/549/1/The-All-Anonymous-Team.html
Adam Lefkoe
By Adam Lefkoe
Published on 08/10/2006
Every year certain players arise from anonymity to become bona fide NFL stars. Adam Lefkoe has the early word on which players are going to have breakout seasons. Fantasy football players take note.
Year after year players seemingly rise out of nowhere, exploding onto the NFL stage. Usually fans of this player’s team (and some truly obsessive fantasy football players) see it coming, while everyone else is taken by surprise. Not including rookies, the following is a list of the players (pared down to one per position) that aren’t exactly household names…but may be by season’s end.
Charlie Frye, Cleveland Browns, QB
When Frye entered the NFL as a 3rd round pick in the ’05 draft, many people thought he should have been selected higher. Now he’s out to prove them right. The Browns made a lot of moves this offseason, all of which seemed to focus around installing Frye as their starter. He now has two healthy potentially dominant pass-catchers in TE Kellen Winslow II and WR Braylon Edwards, a stud running back in Reuben Droughns, and a better offensive tackle in Ken Shaffer. There is no doubt that losing LeCharles Bentley is huge, but maybe even bigger is the acquisition of Joe Jurevicius, someone known for making quarterbacks’ lives easier. If Frye can sustain the improvement he showed last season (in the five games he started he had a completion percentage just under 60%, the magic number that defines great quarterbacks), his name will be rolling off the tongues of fantasy owners by midseason.
Chester Taylor, Minnesota Vikings, HB
Like a shaken soda bottle, Taylor has been waiting to explode for quite a while now. Sitting behind Jamal Lewis can do that to a man. When he did play he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and 97.8 yards per game in the four contests in which he had at least 20 carries. There are also three more reasons why Chester Taylor will have a breakout season totally unrelated to his career stats. Their names are Steve Hutchinson, Artis Hicks, and Tony Richardson. With possibly the best guard and fullback in the league in front of him, Taylor’s transformation into a feature back should be a smooth one. (FANTASY ALERT: Moe Williams used to kill the Vikings starter by stealing touchdowns on the goal line. He’s no longer there, so expect Chester to pound it in from close range early and often.)
Ernest Wilford, Jacksonville Jaguars, WR
Wilford is an absolutely huge receiver, now he’s trying to make his career prospects match his size. With Jimmy Smith gone, the Jags will be relying on Wilford to produce solid numbers. He led the team in touchdown receptions last year (with Smith still on the team) and was a starter by midseason. With solid hands and a gunslinger at quarterback, things are looking up for the new #1 in Jacksonville.
L.J. Smith, Philadelphia Eagles, TE
Smith’s breakout season was supposed to be last year. In fact, he was on pace for a MONSTER season before Donovan McNabb got hurt. Even without McNabb, Smith set career highs in receptions (61) and receiving yards (682). Well Donovan is back, T.O is not, and the focus will be in Smith’s direction a lot more in 2006. With his versatility and much-improved blocking skills, L.J. Smith could end up being a top-five tight end this season.
Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills DE
Flying under the radar much of his career, Schobel actually finished fifth in the NFL in sacks last season…yet no one seemed to notice. Known for his constant motor, Schobel can only be helped by the addition of Larry Triplett to the Buffalo defensive line. Triplett will undoubtedly free up Schobel and prevent the constant double teams the defensive end saw due to the loss of Pat Williams in 2005. Schobel had a monster year almost on his own last season; imagine what he’ll do with a solid defensive tackle next to him.
Tommie Harris, Chicago Bears, DT
He made the Pro Bowl last year and still isn’t getting the praise he deserves. He’s the best defensive tackle on one of the NFL’s best defenses. This guy is ridiculous. Coming into his third season, he has now fully grasped the Chicago defensive scheme. His play has freed a lot of his teammates up for success, and people are starting to realize it. There is no doubt that Harris will solidify himself as a top-three defensive tackle this year.
Pisa Tinoisamoa, St. Louis Rams, OLB
He’s always been a stout defensive player who seems to get overlooked because his teams have been poor. He led the Rams in tackles in 2006 with 145 and always seemed to be around the ball. If this team improves, you’ll be hearing his name as much as we heard Lofa Tatupu’s last year
Antonio Pierce, New York Giants, MLB
There are certain players who are bigger than just statistics. Pierce stepped into the middle of the Giants’ defense in ‘05 and immediately became the leader of the unit. With LaVar Arrington now by his side and that great defensive line, Antonio could be leading one of the best defenses in the NFL this season.
Carlos Rogers, Washington Redskins, CB
Everyone knew that when Rogers came into the NFL he had the physical tools to succeed. Now, with some solid playing experience (five regular season starts and two playoff starts), he should be ready to take the next step. Under coordinator Gregg Williams’ schemes, Rogers will always be in position for the big play…the only question is whether he’ll follow through. I’m thinking he will.
Will Demps, New York Giants, FS
I’m just going to come out and say it; I don’t like Will Demps. And yet, for some reason, I like him on this squad. While I was no doubt impressed by that concussion inducing hit on Shockey, I was even more impressed with the excitement he showed afterwards. He still has a lot of Raven left in him and hopefully for the Giants he’ll bring a swagger that this secondary has lacked for years.
Adrian Wilson, Arizona Cardinals, SS
Adrian Wilson is pretty much the reason I wrote this article. It’s an absolute shame that people don’t know how good he is. He literally takes over games; but since the Cardinals are hardly ever televised, he doesn’t make the Pro Bowl. Wilson had eight sacks last year, the most in NFL history by a defensive back since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, leading the team. Larry Wilson, Hall of Fame safety for the Cardinals, helped create the safety blitz and his surname successor Adrian is perfecting it.
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Every year certain players arise from anonymity to become bona fide NFL stars. Adam Lefkoe has the early word on which players are going to have breakout seasons. Fantasy football players take note.
 |
Year after year players seemingly rise out of nowhere, exploding onto the NFL stage. Usually fans of this player’s team (and some truly obsessive fantasy football players) see it coming, while everyone else is taken by surprise. Not including rookies, the following is a list of the players (pared down to one per position) that aren’t exactly household names…but may be by season’s end.
Charlie Frye, Cleveland Browns, QB
When Frye entered the NFL as a 3rd round pick in the ’05 draft, many people thought he should have been selected higher. Now he’s out to prove them right. The Browns made a lot of moves this offseason, all of which seemed to focus around installing Frye as their starter. He now has two healthy potentially dominant pass-catchers in TE Kellen Winslow II and WR Braylon Edwards, a stud running back in Reuben Droughns, and a better offensive tackle in Ken Shaffer. There is no doubt that losing LeCharles Bentley is huge, but maybe even bigger is the acquisition of Joe Jurevicius, someone known for making quarterbacks’ lives easier. If Frye can sustain the improvement he showed last season (in the five games he started he had a completion percentage just under 60%, the magic number that defines great quarterbacks), his name will be rolling off the tongues of fantasy owners by midseason.
Chester Taylor, Minnesota Vikings, HB
Like a shaken soda bottle, Taylor has been waiting to explode for quite a while now. Sitting behind Jamal Lewis can do that to a man. When he did play he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and 97.8 yards per game in the four contests in which he had at least 20 carries. There are also three more reasons why Chester Taylor will have a breakout season totally unrelated to his career stats. Their names are Steve Hutchinson, Artis Hicks, and Tony Richardson. With possibly the best guard and fullback in the league in front of him, Taylor’s transformation into a feature back should be a smooth one. (FANTASY ALERT: Moe Williams used to kill the Vikings starter by stealing touchdowns on the goal line. He’s no longer there, so expect Chester to pound it in from close range early and often.)
Ernest Wilford, Jacksonville Jaguars, WR
Wilford is an absolutely huge receiver, now he’s trying to make his career prospects match his size. With Jimmy Smith gone, the Jags will be relying on Wilford to produce solid numbers. He led the team in touchdown receptions last year (with Smith still on the team) and was a starter by midseason. With solid hands and a gunslinger at quarterback, things are looking up for the new #1 in Jacksonville.
L.J. Smith, Philadelphia Eagles, TE
Smith’s breakout season was supposed to be last year. In fact, he was on pace for a MONSTER season before Donovan McNabb got hurt. Even without McNabb, Smith set career highs in receptions (61) and receiving yards (682). Well Donovan is back, T.O is not, and the focus will be in Smith’s direction a lot more in 2006. With his versatility and much-improved blocking skills, L.J. Smith could end up being a top-five tight end this season.
Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills DE
Flying under the radar much of his career, Schobel actually finished fifth in the NFL in sacks last season…yet no one seemed to notice. Known for his constant motor, Schobel can only be helped by the addition of Larry Triplett to the Buffalo defensive line. Triplett will undoubtedly free up Schobel and prevent the constant double teams the defensive end saw due to the loss of Pat Williams in 2005. Schobel had a monster year almost on his own last season; imagine what he’ll do with a solid defensive tackle next to him.
Tommie Harris, Chicago Bears, DT
He made the Pro Bowl last year and still isn’t getting the praise he deserves. He’s the best defensive tackle on one of the NFL’s best defenses. This guy is ridiculous. Coming into his third season, he has now fully grasped the Chicago defensive scheme. His play has freed a lot of his teammates up for success, and people are starting to realize it. There is no doubt that Harris will solidify himself as a top-three defensive tackle this year.
Pisa Tinoisamoa, St. Louis Rams, OLB
He’s always been a stout defensive player who seems to get overlooked because his teams have been poor. He led the Rams in tackles in 2006 with 145 and always seemed to be around the ball. If this team improves, you’ll be hearing his name as much as we heard Lofa Tatupu’s last year
Antonio Pierce, New York Giants, MLB
There are certain players who are bigger than just statistics. Pierce stepped into the middle of the Giants’ defense in ‘05 and immediately became the leader of the unit. With LaVar Arrington now by his side and that great defensive line, Antonio could be leading one of the best defenses in the NFL this season.
Carlos Rogers, Washington Redskins, CB
Everyone knew that when Rogers came into the NFL he had the physical tools to succeed. Now, with some solid playing experience (five regular season starts and two playoff starts), he should be ready to take the next step. Under coordinator Gregg Williams’ schemes, Rogers will always be in position for the big play…the only question is whether he’ll follow through. I’m thinking he will.
Will Demps, New York Giants, FS
I’m just going to come out and say it; I don’t like Will Demps. And yet, for some reason, I like him on this squad. While I was no doubt impressed by that concussion inducing hit on Shockey, I was even more impressed with the excitement he showed afterwards. He still has a lot of Raven left in him and hopefully for the Giants he’ll bring a swagger that this secondary has lacked for years.
Adrian Wilson, Arizona Cardinals, SS
Adrian Wilson is pretty much the reason I wrote this article. It’s an absolute shame that people don’t know how good he is. He literally takes over games; but since the Cardinals are hardly ever televised, he doesn’t make the Pro Bowl. Wilson had eight sacks last year, the most in NFL history by a defensive back since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, leading the team. Larry Wilson, Hall of Fame safety for the Cardinals, helped create the safety blitz and his surname successor Adrian is perfecting it.
Adam Lefkoe is originally from outside of Philadelphia and is currently a junior Broadcast Journalism major in the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. You can reach him at adam.lefkoe@atomicsportsmedia.com