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Sheldon Richardson Declares Himself Best Player in the NFL 2014


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Jets' Sheldon Richardson says he was best player in NFL in 2014

 

Dom Cosentino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Print Email Dom Cosentino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Dom Cosentino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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on June 08, 2015 at 12:05 PM, updated June 08, 2015 at 1:03 PM

 

 

 

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According to Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson, the NFL's best player last season was Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson.

 

 

Asked why Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson felt that way, Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson said simply, "I'm him."

 

 

Which, in the mind of Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson, pretty much settles the matter.

 

 

Richardson crowned himself during a segment that aired last week on the NFL Network. The segment, incidentally, was to announce that Richardson's peers had voted him No. 55 in the network's Top 100, which is being rolled out in a weekly format that ought to wrap up sometime around the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (Muhammad Wilkerson previously came in at No. 74, and Jets receiver Brandon Marshall is No. 57, though that was based on his play last season with the Bears.)

 

 

Richardson is the best quote on the Jets, and he's rarely one to bite his tongue. He's also no stranger to public expressions of self-confidence:

 

 

1. Though taken No. 13 overall in the 2013 draft, Richardson told reporters by December of that year that he would have been the top pick in a re-draft of that class. He later won the league's defensive rookie of the year award.

 

2. Just after the '13 season, Richardson responded to a question about whether he was the league's top defensive rookie by saying, "I am that."

 

 

 

3. In an interview with ESPN.com late last season, a sad-sack 4-12 campaign for the Jets, Richardson compared himself to Texans all-everything defensive end J.J. Watt by saying he creates "the same type of disruption." Richardson did go to the Pro Bowl in 2014, albeit after he was passed-over at first in favor of Rams rookie Aaron Donald, which produced a memorable reaction from then-Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who was about to get fired anyway.

 

 

4. Back in April, Richardson left little room for ambiguity when he told the team website: "We strongly feel like we're going to be the top defense in the league—and top team in the league, not just defense."

 

 

 

 

Conversations about Who's The Best are fill-in fodder for sports-talk radio and shameless websites (thanks for reading!) that go fishing for internet traffic during whatever's left of the NFL's ever-shrinking offseason. And while plenty of people will scoff at Richardson's suggestion, Pro Football Focus did grade him as 2014's second-best defensive end (behind Watt), and 15th-best player overall. He's unquestionably one of the league's best players.

 

Also—and this bears repeating every time a Jets player says something like this (such as when Dee Milliner last summer said he was the league's best corner)—but what elite pro athlete doesn't believe he's the best? And shouldn't fans want players on their favorite teams to feel as Richardson does?

 

Richardson was in and out during the voluntary portion of the Jets' offseason program; he hasn't been around when there's been media availability, and he declined to talk to reporters Friday night at Wilkerson's charity bowing event in Linden. But the Jets' three-day minicamp runs from Tuesday through Thursday of this week, and it's mandatory. I'm pretty sure I speak for every other reporter who covers the Jets by saying I can't wait to welcome Richardson back.

 

Dom Cosentino may be reached at dcosentino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @domcosentino. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.

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As much as I think he should shut up...I'm fine with this.  I saw the episode.  They asked him "who's the best player in the NFL" he said, "Me".

 

Good.  He should think he's the best.  That's the attitude of greatness.  You cant think someone is better than you.  He's not the first person to say something like this and wont be the last.  This is the least of the outspoken sh*t he's said that I'm concerned about. 

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As much as I think he should shut up...I'm fine with this.  I saw the episode.  They asked him "who's the best player in the NFL" he said, "Me".

 

Good.  He should think he's the best.  That's the attitude of greatness.  You cant think someone is better than you.  He's not the first person to say something like this and wont be the last.  This is the least of the outspoken sh*t he's said that I'm concerned about. 

 

Unfortunately we had an identical conversation about Milliner last year.

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Now he's gotta walk the walk.

Betting on himself.

He's gonna be a MONSTER this year playing on that line with a revamped secondary.

No more pump faking QBs facing the Jets this year.

Pump....pump....SACK!

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Richardson is a great player.  Will be interesting to see how this self laudatory public talk is going to sit with Bowles. 

 

We'll see

He was fine with Colon publicly chastising his QB, I doubt he'll care that Richardson thinks he's the best, instead of just really, really good.

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He was fine with Colon publicly chastising his QB, I doubt he'll care that Richardson thinks he's the best, instead of just really, really good.

 

No he wasn't good with that at all.   Watch the video.    He came out and said, "IMO a player should never criticize a team  mate.  If you don't have some thing good to say, don't say anything."  Then he back tracked a bit, and said I'm sure Willie didn't mean it the way it sounded.

 

he made it clear he wasn't good with it.

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I would think he means it & believes it.

Keep improving to back it big man! ... If a legit argument can be made as the second best defensive player behind Watt once the season is over we'll all be thrilled.

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love sheldon, but im worried when his contract is up. i feel like hes going to be a bigger pain in the ass then revis was 

Exactly my feelings. 

 

Love the guy but is not going to be shy about declaring what he thinks he's worth.

 

The guy's maybe missing OTA's because his friend is in contract negotiations, what's he going to do for himself?

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Ass hat deeee-lux.  Love him on he field, can't friggin' stand it when he opens his mouth.  Time for Sheldon to shut his pie hole for good.  Him going into silent monk-mode would be the best thing that can happen.  That way his innate ignorance won't show.

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