Dolphins left tackle Jake Long is still considered one of the top players in the NFL by his peers. But inconsistent play and injuries in 2011 bumped Long down a few spots among the game?s elite.
Long, who missed the first action of his career in 2011 when he sat out two games with back and biceps injuries, was revealed to be the 59th-best player in the NFL in the NFL Network?s list of Top 100 players of 2012, as voted on by the players.
It was a drop of 31 spots for Long, who in 2011 was ranked by his peers as the game?s top left tackle and 28th-best player overall. Long allowed five sacks in the Dolphins? first seven games ? his career high for a season is six ? but didn?t allow one for the rest of the season before succumbing to injuries.
This time around, we don?t know where Long will ultimately rank among left tackles (the network still has its top 50 players to reveal, and is revealing 10 per week), but Long probably won?t be the highest-rated tackle. So far on this year?s list, Long ranks ahead of Joe Thomas, Joe Staley and Donald Penn.
Long may also be the only Dolphin represented on the list, given the team?s poor record last year and the trade of Brandon Marshall to Chicago. Last year, only Long, Marshall (61st) and Cameron Wake (63rd) made the list, and Wake is no sure bet to make it again this year, as his sack numbers dropped from 14 to 8.5 in 2011. Reggie Bush could also sneak onto the list after rushing for a career high 1,086 yards last year.
Tags: Brandon Marshall, Cameron Wake, Donald Penn, Jake Long, Joe Staley, Joe Thomas, Reggie Bush
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