email		login
password		subscribe
forgot password?

Rookie Meter

Pro Football Weekly

Playmakers. It's a term tossed around ad nauseam by NFL coaches as both a noun ("We need to find some playmakers!") and a verb ("We need to start making plays!"). Just what defines a "playmaker" or "making plays" is intentionally ambiguous, but because we've yet to hear any coach actually define the most overused term in their daily media briefings, we're at liberty to say that numerous rookies looked the playmaker part in Week Four.

For some rookies, Sunday marked their first foray into the playmaking world as pros. Giants WR Hakeem Nicks, who'd yet to make a catch the first three weeks as he was slowed by injury, was equal parts bull and tightroper on a stunning 54-yard TD reception down the left sideline against the Chiefs. Up in Minnesota, Packers OLB Clay Matthews had to have made his old man proud by snatching an Adrian Peterson fumble out of the air and returning it to the house.

For others, like Bears dynamo Johnny Knox, who went the distance on a 102-yard kickoff return, their playmaking prowess this past week has been on display from the start.

Alas, play-to-play consistency is also required to make a dent in our weekly rookie rundown, so let's wait for guys like Nicks and Matthews to do a little more than make good on a singular snap before anointing them as future greats.

1. OLB Brian Cushing, Texans (first round, 15th overall)
Look, it was a pretty down week for most of the top rooks, which is why it's only fair for the top spot after a mere four weeks to go to a guy yet to have a down afternoon. For the second consecutive week, Cushing was the premier defensive player for a unit featuring two of the league's best at their positions in DE Mario Williams and MLB DeMeco Ryans. His backside pursuit in taking down Justin Fargas for a safety showed off his instincts and quick-twitching agility.

2. OT Michael Oher, Ravens (1, 23)
Oher moves up from the No. 3 spot despite an afternoon vs. the Patriots that was far from his finest showing. But what's got to have John Harbaugh feeling good was how Oher, who'd played exclusively right tackle before last Sunday, admirably filled the OLT post after Jared Gaither's scary neck injury. Considering questions surrounding Oher's ability to digest an NFL playbook was among the reasons he slipped in the draft, his sudden, in-game adjustment is inspiring stuff.

3. QB Mark Sanchez, Jets (1, 5)
Pretty boy looks a little uglier after that choke job in New Orleans. He was due for a nasty outing after a sterling three-game start, and now it's critical he shake it off as a one-game aberration and not the start of a trend.

4. WR Percy Harvin, Vikings (1, 22)
For the first time this season, Harvin failed to reach the endzone in Monday night's downing of the Packers, but Harvin still showed off some concentration and fearlessness in making a nice adjustment to a high Brett Favre bullet over the middle.

5. RB Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (1, 12)
Moreno's slowly establishing himself as the top guy in Denver's crowded backfield, getting 14 carries in Sunday's win over the Cowboys, while Correll Buckhalter was limited to six attempts. He's certainly played a significant role in Kyle Orton's quick start.

6. OLB Rey Maualuga, Bengals (2, 38)
Throughout his career at USC, Maualuga was always the guy who'd knock the snot out of even the strongest and biggest of running backs, only to whiff going for the kill shot against smaller and sleeker backs. Hence, why he failed to do his part against the Browns' Jerome Harrison as Jamal Lewis sat hamstrung.

7. WR Johnny Knox, Bears (5, 140)
Kid's fast. Scary-fast. Like, we're talking, dare we say, Devin Hester-fast? We dare.

8. MLB James Laurinaitis, Rams (2, 35)
You wouldn't know it by the Rams' downright dismal showing overall against the 49ers, but Laurinaitis certainly got the best of fellow rookie Glen Coffee as he replaced Frank Gore in the Niners' lineup.

9. OLB Aaron Curry, Seahawks (1, 4)
For as well-rounded as Curry's game is, he still has work to do covering tight ends. True, Dallas Clark has a tendency to make a lot of defenders look bad, but slowing down tight ends is among the chief responsibilities of all 4-3 strong-side linebackers.

10. RB Donald Brown, Colts (1, 27)
It looks like we can put to rest the idea of Brown possibly overtaking Joseph Addai as the Colts' featured back. But we can also forget about the possibility of Brown merely being a change-of-pace guy to keep Addai fresh. The Colts have become a truly egalitarian backfield with these two.