NFL players crowned their No. 1 on NFL Network’s “The Top 100 Players of 2011″ on Sunday night, completing a 10-week voyage that generated as much controversy as it did consensus before coming down to yet another battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. This time, it was Brady’s hour.

Cracking the top 10 of NFL Network’s “The Top 100 Players of 2011″ list isn’t easy. Just ask Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers.

In the weeks before Arian Foster was revealed as the No. 25 player on NFL Network’s “The Top 100: Players of 2011″ list, the Houston Texans running back tweeted that he didn’t want to be on the list, instead insisting his offensive line deserved the recognition.

A group of 10 elite running backs have earned their place on NFL Network’s “The Top 100 Players of 2011″ series. Kansas City Chiefs blazer Jamaal Charles (No. 33) and St. Louis Rams mainstay Steven Jackson (No. 38) were revealed in Sunday night’s telecast. NFL Network analyst Marshall Faulk, one of the greatest running back to ever suit up for the Rams, thinks Jackson deserved to be higher. The rankings are based completely on votes from NFL players. “When you look at what he brings to the table, he’s a complete back,” Faulk said on Sunday night’s “Top 100: Players of 2011 Reactions” show. “He can take it the distance, he gets the tough yardage, and yes, he carries the [...]

Based purely on pedigree, Jeff Saturday might be the last player you’d expect to appear on NFL Network’s “The Top 100 Players of 2011″ series.

No position is better represented on NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players of 2011″ than wide receiver, with 18 making the cut as voted by players. On Sunday, 10 more players were revealed, including two wideouts — Miles Austin (No.70) and Brandon Marshall (No. 61). Austin and Marshall join fellow wideouts Terrell Owens (91), Josh Cribbs (84), Mike Williams (83), Santonio Holmes (76), and Greg Jennings (74) with 11 more to come. NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp believes Marshall would be higher on the list with more stability at the QB position in Miami. “I think that might have a little something to do with the quarterback that was throwing him the ball,” Sapp said. “Normally when you have a good [...]