2007's Most Feared NFL Players (So Far)

POSTED BY Matt Marquez, 07 November 2007

With half of the 2007 NFL season already in the books, it’s time to take a step back and acknowledge the most feared NFL players of the year so far. You might be surprised to see who made the list.

Watch Brady shine.

Tom Brady
Not many quarterbacks can overshadow Peyton Manning but Tom Brady has been up to the task all year long while leading his Patriots to a perfect 9-0 record. Last week Brady threw his league leading 33rd touchdown and suddenly even Manning’s single season touchdown record is looking shaky with the Patriots clicking on all cylinders. Tom Brady is a man on a mission and he’s ready to shatter records and opposing defenses.

Don't worry, he's just biding his time.

Trent Green

This guy is like the T-1000 from Terminator 2. He’s been face-slammed, kneed in the head, and concussed to within an inch of his life – and he still wants to come back for more! Defenders may have an easy time kicking the crap out of Trent Green, but somewhere in the back of their heads, defensive players must be wondering if the frequent on-field catnaps are simply a facade for a robotic killing machine.

Ray's just happy to be a free man.

Ray Lewis
We're not saying Ray Lewis is the premier linebacker in the league anymore, but he has the kind of reputation that opposing players can’t ignore. Lewis is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, but that honor is peanuts compared to the rep earned from two deaths by your hands. Ray Lewis was never charged as a murderer but if players are smart they’ll treat him like one.

They say prison changes a man. Perhaps Vick will change into a man who can throw accurately.

Michael Vick
No NFL athlete is more athletically gifted than Michael Vick, and now that he’s going to prison, Vick is entering the rarified air of feared prison athletes previously occupied by the likes of Mike Tyson.

Nobody can outrun the law like O.J.

O.J. Simpson
On or off the playing field, you don’t mess with The Juice. We’re not legal experts, but all we know is that wherever O.J. is, people get robbed or worse. Take our advice and return all your O.J. paraphernalia now before he comes after you because the U.S. legal system can’t hold this guy down for long.

Peterson leads the NFL in rushing yards and nicknames based on biblical figures.

Adrian Peterson
An innocent rookie running back may seem out of place on this list of rogues, murderers, and unstoppable killing machines, but Adrian Peterson is no ordinary rookie. You don’t get a nickname like “Purple Jesus” without breathing new life into a dead franchise. Peterson leads the league in rushing yards with 1,036 and currently holds a downright ferocious 6.6 yards per carry average. The “Purple Jesus” may not have killed anyone yet, but there are still plenty of games left in the season and Oakland is coming up in a couple of weeks.

This list is by no means exhaustive so in the comments section go ahead and make your own nominations to 2007's Most Feared NFL Players.

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