Chargers tight end Antonio Gates had 71 catches for 924 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Peter Read Miller/SI
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TIGHT END (Antonio Gates)
Gates vs Tony Gonzalez, whom I've always liked, and Kellen Winslow Jr., who had the most catches. An easier choice. None of them had the effect on the defense that Gates did.

TACKLES (Jammal Brown, Jonathan Ogden)
I graded only five and I gave up on one of them after four games. Offensive tackles usually are ranked on avoidance of negatives, in other words, on the fewest times his man harassed the quarterback. The booming drive blockers, who used to populate the position, are scarce now. Jonathan Ogden is one of the better ones, but various leg problems have limited his effectiveness in years past, and his balance has been a problem. I almost didn't grade him because I was so resentful of the fact that he always makes the Pro Bowl, no matter how badly he plays. But I did anyway, and he was back to a high level, not where he once was, but good enough.

Everyone whose opinion I respect told me the Saints' Jammal Brown was the best and smoothest of all of them. I have to admit that I saw a good, functional young player, but not an eye-popper. Under my system, though, he scored high enough to win the other spot. My other three started with Walter Jones, the perennial from Seattle. He's getting older and his pass blocking is not what it once was, but, oddly enough, his drive blocking picked up this season. Nevertheless he graded No. 3. I was rooting for the Bills' Jason Peters, whom I would have loved to pick, but he isn't there yet. Very athletic, but not enough of a roughneck. My fifth guy was the Cowboys' Marc Colombo, who got rave reviews because he actually became a functional player in the Dallas system. Competent, yes, but after four games I packed it in on him, because I realized he would never achieve the same level the other guys would.

Finally, there was the rookie who really firmed things up for the Chargers, LT Marcus McNeill. Yes, he held up just fine for the season, but sometimes he got a bit erratic. I can see him making it down the road.

GUARDS (Mike Goff, Logan Mankins)
I always have a mob of them, and I try to go strictly on the grades. I did work-ups on nine, and a partial work-up on an intriguing 10th guy, Jason Brown of Baltimore. He became a starter when Edwin Mulitalo got hurt, so I don't have as many games on him. A drive-blocking powerhouse. I saw him knocking people off the ball. His pass blocking? Not as good, but a lot of them fall down a bit in this department, particularly when the defense is running stunts and twists at them. Strictly by the grades (4.9, and you'll see that they're lower this year because I am now factoring in the subtractions made for negative plays) he would have been a runaway all-pro, but I had a hard time believing he was really this good, so I made a few calls to members of the Ravens' coaching staff, who have been helpful in the past.

The unanimous decision was no, not yet. Lots of promise, but the offense was a bit limited in what they could do with him because of lack of experience. So I agonized over it. What to do? Finally, I went against my own grades and bowed to greater knowledge. But he's definitely someone to watch in the future-or the post-season.

Here's the way the rest of them graded out, with the two highest scorers as my all-pros. You won't find a former choice of mine, Alan Faneca, on the list, because I just didn't see the same punch and precision in his game this year. If I would have graded him, I knew he'd have finished somewhere in the middle or lower middle of the pack, and part of the fun of this whole grading thing is finding surprises, exploring the unknown. Thus other old standbys, such as Will Shields, also did not go through the grading process:

Logan Mankins, Patriots 4.4; Mike Goff, Chargers, 4.24; Pete Kendall, Jets, 4.22; Eric Steinbach, Bengals, 3.4; Shawn Andrews, Eagles, 3.3; Cooper Carlisle, Broncos, 3.2; Brian Waters, Chiefs, 3.0; Justin Smiley, 49ers, 2.7.

Have you spotted the missing name? Right, the Vikings' Steve Hutchinson, everyone's all-world guard and an all-pro of mine three years ago. I didn't like what I saw this season. He seemed clumsy, like he was getting in people's way. An all-pro? C'mon now. But I was curious to see how he would grade out under my system. He came in at 2.0. Pass blocking, OK, but too many guys beat him to the point and got to the ball carrier early.

Mankins, incidentally, was one of those surprises who just kept getting better and better. A real battler. Goff, very smart on his pick-ups and reads, is a repeater from last year.

CENTER (Tom Nalen)
Please don't grade high, I kept pleading, as I recorded the week to week performance of Denver's Tom Nalen. I really didn't want to pick him. Hates writers. Makes sure the Denver offensive linemen don't talk to any. Hey, Jack, talk to yourself, I don't care, and I'll be damned if I'll pick you to...oh oh, an absolutely spectacular game when the Broncos lost to Indy, and two real good ones in the losses to the Rams and Chargers the first time. I mean, does the guy play well only in losses? Uh, no, here's a good one when they beat the Bengals and another fine performance against some really tough studs on that Baltimore D-line when the Broncos won. Can't avoid it. Nalen's the pick again...for so many years now that it makes me sick.

The grades -- Nalen, Broncos, 4.3; Brad Meester, Jacksonville, 3.9; Jeff Saturday, Indy, and Nick Mangold, Jets, tied at 3.6; Jamaal Jackson, Philly, 3.3; Casey Weigmann, KC, 2.9; Dan Koppen, Patriots, 2.8; Jeff Faine, New Orleans, 2.4.

I got the biggest kick out of watching Richie Incognito of the Rams. A wild man. Backed down from no one, even the monster nose tackles. Actually went after Jamal Williams of the Chargers. But out of control. Would make the same mistake over and over. A penalty machine, as well. But what a punch!