ESPN Ranking: Roethlisberger Best Player in Super Bowl XLV

Matt Williamson of Stats Inc. recently took on the kind of Herculean task of ranking each of the 106 players participating in this year’s Super Bowl by “current performance”, and “play throughout the season” and posted it on ESPN.com for our viewing pleasure.

Players are divided into “elite players,” “blue chips,” “core players,” “solid contributors,” “clear backups and special teams players,” and “bottom of the roster players.”

According to Williamson--and probably most anyone else--quarterbacks Big Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers are the best players on each of their respective teams. Roethlisberger gets the nod for the top spot over Rodgers based on experience on the ever massive stage of the Super Bowl, but points out that currently, Rodgers doesn’t really have any visible flaws.

Aside from Rodgers and Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh defenders James Harrison (3) and Troy Polamalu (5), as well as Packers’ outside linebacker Clay Matthews, were deemed elite by the ranking.

Of course, not everyone could be so lucky. Of the 20 players labeled as “bottom of the roster,” Packers’ cornerback Josh Gordy was deemed the worst. As the article says, “Someone has to be no. 106.”

For the entire ranking, go to ESPN.com. Or click this link here.