Over at ESPN's AFC East blog, where Tim Graham holds court, a series identifying the Top 25 players in the AFC East has been running. The first Buffalo Bills player has cracked that list, with wide receiver Stevie Johnson coming in at No. 19 in the division.
Graham cites Johnson's out-of-nowhere production (82 receptions, 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns) for the slotting, as well as the fact that Johnson was clearly the team's go-to receiver, as he was apparently targeted 142 times in 16 games. Graham also notes that Johnson may have ranked even higher on his list had he not had very obvious issues with his propensity to drop passes.
Of the players that Graham has put on his list to this point, I don't have a problem with Johnson being ranked ahead of any of them - except for one. Don't get me wrong, folks. Stevie Johnson is awesome, and a potentially great player and legitimate star. But right now, there's no way I'd consider him a better football player than Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who has long been a terrific run-stuffing linebacker overshadowed by more glamorous teammates. Otherwise, Stevie ranks just about where he should in a list like this.