Top 10 Most Badass NFL Players of This Era

An anonymous New York Giants fan once said that this top ten list is the worst NFL list ever constructed although there are 4 Giants players (some are ex Giants players) on the list. Well, that might be true to some people. My subjectively created list will never please every single NFL fan, of course. But you know what? I like it all the same and won't change anything about it. Although my number 2 badass made quite an embarassing public appearance after his team lost in the playoffs last season, I have decided to forgive him once and keep him on my list anyway.

Burress has been a real badass since the day his mom named him "Plaxico!" Seriously, what kind of name is that? The media used to call him "Plaxiglass," claiming that he was a feeble and breakable player. But they were wrong. Big time wrong. Plaxico has proven himself to be one of the most durable and valuable players of the New York Giants. In the Super Bowl XLII, he caught the game-winning pass in the last minute, which made the score 17-14 in the Giants' favor.

Before the Super Bowl, Plaxico had created controversy by boldly predicting that the Giants would beat the Patriots by the score 23-17. To this, the Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, sneered at the idea that his undefeated team would "only" score 17 points. As it turned out, they actually scored less.

Lil Wayne, a rap singer, predicted Plaxico's 2008 success in his song "Outstanding". At the very end of the song, Lil Wayne sings: "Red Giants Jersey if you know what I mean, Give me Plaxico Burress, the number seventeen."

One goofy fact about Plaxico: He has a sock fetish!

Being half-Korean, half- African/American, Will is bilingual and very proud of his Asian heritage. His ability to speak two languages fluently, however, is not the only advantage of being a mixed blood. He's got his father's dark skin and his mother's Asian facial features, which makes him have quite an interesting look. In other words, he is freaking GORGEOUS! That's why he's been doing a side job that most NFL players can't do (even if they tried to); modeling. Also, he made an appearance in Letoya Luckett's hot music video, Torn, and his home in San Diego was featured on the MTV show, Cribs.

Unsurprisingly, there's a bunch of manically voracious groupies prowling and begging for his attention. In Essence magazine (September 2007 edition), he gave this badass comment about them: "I've had my share of fun with these types. I've flown beautiful women with agendas to big games. I've wined and dined them at the fanciest restaurants knowing I could've shared my bed with three at a time. They hang in packs like vultures posed with breasts spilling out their shirts. In the end, I know these women can never fufill a need beyond my libido."

Besides being one of the best NFL wide receivers, Chad is also one of the most badass touchdown celebrators of all time. Accordingly, he is one of the players who have been fined by the NFL most often as well. The following are some of his hilarious pranks:

After scoring a touchdown early in the year 2005, against the Chicago Bears, he performed his goofy version of the "river dance" (Irish step dancing).

Later that year, in a game against the Indianapolis Colts, he kneeled down on one knee and gave a mock proposal to one of the Bengals' cheerleaders, who cooperatively accepted his faux proposal, despite the fact that he didn't even know her name!

On October 25, 2006, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, he announced he would prefer to be called, "Ocho-Cinco." In the October 29, 2006 game against the Atlanta Falcons, just four days after his strange announcement, he wore "Ocho Cinco" instead of "C. Johnson" on the back of his jersey during warm-ups. According to ESPN, he was fined US$ 5,000 for the stunt.

On November 25th, 2007 against the Titans, he pushed a cameraman aside and pretended to film the players, which drew a 15-yard penalty.

Brian is definitely the most badass bear in Chicago (according to me), yet according to a Sports Illustrated poll, he is the second most overrated player in the league, behind Terrell Owens.

Besides gaining fame as a great NFL defensive player, he has also excelled in other kinds of sports. For example, he set a weight lifting record at the University of New Mexico, and wrestled in TNA wrestling, under the alias "The Worm."

During the interview for Sports Illustrated's "First Person" feature in 2004, when asked about his relationship with Paris Hilton, he said, "We met, had a good time in Vegas, and she came to a game. That was about it. She's a nice girl. And a busy girl -- she goes all out. I don't know what the big deal was. I was single, and we hung out for a while. I didn't even see the [infamous] video, man. I should've watched it; I heard it was pretty good."

Although Warren Sapp has run into trouble with the NFL referees quite frequently and been the source of some controversy due to his occasional verbal outbursts, we've got to admit he is a man of badass charisma, who's never afraid to speak his mind. Even though sometimes his frank and blunt remarks put him on the hot seat, he still deserves a 10 for being sincere and sassy.

On November 24, 2002, at Raymond James Stadium, after Sapp zapped the Greenbay Packers' Chad Clifton to the ground during an interception return by the Buccaneers, Clifton was sent to the hospital with a pelvic injury, which ended his season. Packers' coach Mike Sherman approached Sapp and said to him "What you did was wrong." Sapp's response was: "If you think you're so tough, why don't you put on a jersey?"

In 2003, unhappy that the NFL had warned him against skipping through the Indianapolis Colts' pregame warm-ups, he blasted the NFL authorities: "It's a slave system. Make no mistake about it. Slave master say you can't do it, don't do it. They'll make an example out of you."

When questioned what he thought about Terrell Owens, Sapp said, "Chicks dig the long ball. The wide receivers have always been prima donnas and pretty boys. They are big-time players. The thing with Owens is he makes so much noise, it's like an empty wagon going down the road. Just go play."

One fun(ny) fact about Warren Sapp: He was seen using a tiny, pink Baby Phat i830 cellphone!

On March 5, 2008, Sapp's retirement became official. He wrote just two words on his website: "I'm done."

Some said Jeremy is just a smashmouth, dimwitted athlete who needs to learn how not to put his foot in his mouth. To most Giants fans, however, he is one of the most esteemed players, due to his fervent competitiveness and his devotion to the team. In every home game at Giants Stadium, we usually see quite a lot of fans holding up signs that read "Throw it to Jeremy." Bottom line, it's true that Jeremy has a lot of haters, but in New York he is a beloved badass.

During week 3 of the 2006 NFL season, he made a belligerent remark about a loss against the Seattle Seahawks: "We got outplayed, and we got outcoached. Write that down". He apologized, nonetheless, for the comment after speaking with the Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin.

In an interview with New York magazine, he straightforwardly disparages Bill Parcells, an ex-Giants head coach: "Let's see how much Parcells wins this year. I'll make him pay when we play them. The homo. Parcells is not my kinda guy. He says he quits then he wants to come back and coach. Do something! Stay in commentary or stay in football or get the hell out of everybody's life."

Rumor has it that he briefly dated Vida Guerra, a bootylicious swimsuit model who has won the Best Butt Award twice from FHM magazine. He was also spotted at a Knicks game and a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert with Tara Reid, a star from American Pie (and now unemployed actress).

In an interview with Maxim magazine, he opened up about his sexual fantasies and said that his biggest sex fantasy is "a threesome with a mother and her two twins!" As a Maxim reporter asked him, "Tell me one thing that nobody knows about you," Jeremy answered: "I'm a titty man, I love titties. Love em."

Look at this picture of Randy. Badass hair, ain't it?

Throughout his career, he has always been such a character and is unarguably one of the best wide receivers in the NFL history. Humility, however, is not one of his traits. He once said to the media, "What I have done in my nine year career was just a glimpse of what I can do."

On January 9, 2005, in an NFC wildcard playoff game against the Packers, he was extremely outstanding, finishing the game with 4 catches for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 31-17 win. After the second score, he ran to the end zone goalpost, then feigned pulling down his pants and pretended to moon the Green Bay fans. "Just having a little fun with the boys," Randy told a Fox reporter as he left the field. "I hope I don't get in trouble by it, but if I do I'll take the heat." Days later, the NFL fined him $10,000, for being "unsportsmanlike".

In August 2005, during an interview with Bryant Gumbel, Randy admitted that he has smoked marijuana during his NFL career "every blue moon."

Some of his nicknames (given by his fans) - Superfreak, Randy the Great, Crazy Legs

He is the king of trash talking who loves to bare his belly and taunt other teams during warm-ups. Joey is prone to having conflicts with other players and league officials. It seems like he really enjoys pissing people off. Trash talking, according to him, is not foolish and unprofessional at all. He explained: "If I'm doing all this talking and not performing, my teammates will be like, 'Joey, shut up and start playing. You're letting them get you out of your game.' Or vice versa: If I'm making him so mad to where he's going out of their scheme to get me -- he doesn't care if he needs to block the safety behind me, he just wants to come after me -- that's a win for me."

Joey Vs. George W. Bush: Leading up to the Steelers' traditional Super Bowl champions visit to the White House in 2006, Joey generated headlines by saying that he would criticize President Bush. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted him: "Yeah, I got something to say to Bush, I'm going to have a swagger when I walk in there, too. I'm looking forward to it. I have something to tell him, too. I don't like the way things are running right now. I feel like he has to give me some of my money back, so I got something to tell Bush." When the big day finally came, however, Joey was put as far as possible from the president and wearing sunglasses the whole time.

In 2006, he was named the "Most Feared Man In the NFL" by Sports Illustrated. His real nickname is Peezy, but John Madden, a renowned NFL announcer, likes to call him the "Gun Totin Thug."

T.O. is probably better known for his antics outside the white lines than his accomplishments on the field. He has done all kinds of NFL misconduct from inappropriate touchdown celebrations, whining that he doesn't see the ball enough, to forcing the hand of management with threats and demand. But still, he is an awesome athlete. T.O. trains constantly - even doing push-ups in between shots while playing pool. He never loafs or takes off a snap. He is strong enough to muscle smaller cornerbacks and fast enough to outrun bigger ones. Being 6-3, 226 pounds, he leaps well and has terrific hands. Once he catches the ball, his opponents know they are in big trouble.

Some of his goofy touchdown celebrations:

• On December 15, 2002, in a game against the Green Bay Packers, he scored a touchdown and ran to a row of cheerleaders beyond the endzone. He borrowed two pompoms from a cheerleader, then playfully shook them and performed his brief spontaneous routine before dropping them to the ground.
• After catching a touchdown from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, during a game in Cleveland, he ran through the end zone and tore down a hand-made sign which read, "T.O. has B.O.".
• After scoring his 100th career touchdown in Philadelphia, he pulled a towel from his waist, folded it over his arm, and then placed the football in his palm. Holding it over his shoulder, he pretended to serve it up to the opposing team the way a waiter would present a meal.

Watch T.O. Cry Baby Video

And the no. 1 Badass Award goes to the sack master, Michael Strahan!

During his 15-year career, Michael's badass qualities have never faded. He has been consistently phenomenal both on the field and in the media. Although the New York Giants have some good dental plans to offer him, he is too proud of his gap-tooth signature look to go see an orthodontist. Besides, he loves to make self-depreciating jokes about his own teeth.

On September 30, 2007, he broke Lawrence Taylor's career record for sacks in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Later he made a humble comment about the greatest defensive player, Lawrence Taylor: "I love the guy, I loved watching him as a fan, I loved playing with him as a player. In my mind there is never going to be another L.T. I could have 500 sacks, but there just will never be another Lawrence Taylor. He revolutionized the game. Best defensive player to ever play and that is why I was a school kid the first time I saw him play and I still am like that around him because he just has that presence about him. He is a great guy."

Michael Strahan in the media:

• In late 2006, Michael did a Subway commercial with corporate image Jared Fogle.
• He also appeared in a Snickers commercial, where a Dallas Cowboys fan says to him, "How 'bout them Cowboys!" A voice-over responds, "Forgetting you're in New York: another unfortunate side-effect of hunger," then Michael charges toward the rival fan.
• In the 2007/2008 NFL season, an NFL commercial featured a story of a crazed Giants fan who got Michael's autograph tattooed on his arm. The commercial is highlighted by Michael's description of his favorite meal at IHop (where he met the fan): "Gonna soak down some pancakes, some bacon, and some eggs" - with a heavy emphasis on eggs, "Eyyygggzzaahhhh".
• On October 9, 2007, he made an appearance on the Late Night show with Conan O'Brien. He delightedly told a gap-tooth joke to Conan: "On my right tooth, there's a sign pointing to my left tooth, saying 'Next tooth one mile.'"