Dec 30, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (46) stiff arms Dallas Cowboys safety Eric Frampton (27) during the second half at FedEX Field. The Redskins won 28 – 18. Credits: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

In today’s NFL, younger is considered better. Rookies from kickers to quarterbacks come in and start right away.  Many of these players are under 25 years old and have at least one year under their belt – they could be primed for a breakout season. Others, such as Julio Jones (age 24), have already had their breakout years.

In this younger, faster NFL, which players under 25 stand out? I’ve compiled a list of the top 15 players that have proved to be worthy of making this list. In order to qualify for consideration, a player must be under 25 by the season opener on Sept. 5.

Without further ado:

1.  J.J. Watt, DE, Houston:  Watt was arguably the most dominant player in the NFL in 2012.  His 20.5 sacks led the league last season, along with a mind-blowing 16 passes defended – 5 of them led to interceptions.  This was all while Watt was wearing a brace on his left arm, still recovering from a dislocated elbow.  The thought that Watt was not 100 percent last year should scare quarterbacks around the league.  The best defensive player in the league earns the number one spot.

2.  Von Miller, OLB, Denver:  Pass rush is all about speed in today’s NFL. Von Miller’s combination of a relentless motor and speed to get to the quarterback should give opposing offensive lines and coordinators nightmares. Miller has cemented himself as premier pass rusher along with J.J. Watt.

3.  Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis:  What did Luck not do on the field last season?  He led his team on seven(!) game winning drives, led his team to a nine-game improvement from the previous year, and took the Colts to the playoffs, playing a majority of games under an interim head coach. This was with the 26^th ranked defense and the 22^nd ranked rushing game in the NFL. Luck is the best and most clutch quarterback under 25 in the game.

4.  Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta:  Normally, scouts don’t grade drafts until three years after that draft has taken place. But if there was to be a winner of the 2011 draft, that team would have to be the Atlanta Falcons, making a blockbuster trade to select Julio Jones.  His combination of speed, ball skills, and route-running ability make him one of the best receivers in the NFL.  He and A.J. Green (who will be 25 before the season starts) are the next wave of top-tier receivers in the league.

5.  Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington:  Just like Andrew Luck, what did RGIII not do last season? He resurrected a moribund franchise and, like Luck did, took his team to the playoffs. Although durability may be a concern, he has the willingness to learn and protect himself in the future. Griffin possesses a perfect skillset, one that effectively combines his world-class speed, accuracy, pocket presence, football intelligence, and intangibles. Griffin and Luck, as well as Russell Wilson, are the next wave of great quarterbacks.

6.  Aldon Smith, DE, San Francisco:  Smith would’ve placed directly after J.J. Watt and Von Miller on this list had his production not slipped when Justin Smith was injured. However, he is a solid, young player who should only improve under arguably the best defense in the league on the Pacific coast.

7.  Joe Haden, CB, Cleveland:  Just like Aldon Smith, Haden could’ve been higher on the list.  He was suspended four games in 2012 for use of Adderall and missed time due to injury. Haden is only 24, though, and during the time that he has been able to stay on the field, he has quietly established himself as a shutdown corner.

8.  Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle:  “He’s too short.  He’s too dang short.” In 2012, Wilson proved every scout wrong.  Wilson has all of the aspects of a great quarterback except the height, but he compensates for that with his mobility and football intelligence. Aided by a great running game and one of the best defenses in the league, Seattle is a legitimate contender in 2013 with Wilson at the helm.

9.  Cam Newton, QB, Carolina:  He is ranked behind Luck, Griffin, and Wilson solely because he hasn’t been able to elevate his team like the three second-year quarterbacks have.  2013 could be the year that he does – he possesses all the physical tools a quarterback could wish to have.  Newton needs to make the right decisions on the field and stay cool, calm, and collected. If he does, the Panthers are in for a big year.

10.  Patrick Peterson, CB/PR, Arizona:  He’s fast, versatile, and durable. Peterson is a dangerous returner and skilled cornerback who can stay with any receiver. He is towards the bottom of this list because of his slight drop in production last season, but this is partly due to the fact that Arizona’s offense couldn’t stay on the field. Peterson is poised for a breakout year in 2013.

11.  Luke Kuechly, ILB, Carolina:  Kuechly is a tacking machine inside for the Panthers. As a rookie, he led the league – yes, the league – in tackles, with 164. He led a much-improved Panthers defense in 2012. In 2013, Kuechly has the chance to establish himself as one of the best linebackers in the league alongside Patrick Willis with Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher leaving the game.

12.  Eric Berry, S, Kansas City:  Berry bounced back nicely in 2012 after his 2011 campaign was ended when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He is a hard-hitting player who drew comparisons to late Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Berry is one of the best at his positions and should continue to grow and improve on a team that can only improve after having the first pick in the draft in 2012.

13.  Randall Cobb, WR/KR/PR, Green Bay:  Cobb is a versatile player who has the ability to make good things happen when the ball is in his hands, whether that is throwing a smoke screen to him or simply handing the ball off.  Cobb’s agility and lateral quickness impress, and he should only improve and receive more touches with Greg Jennings out of the picture in Green Bay.

14.  Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England:  Gronkowski falls to number 14 because of his durability concern. When healthy, he is as good as any pass-catcher in the game, but he needs to find a way to stay on the field. Gronkowski should be back for the start of the 2013 season and could evolve into Tom Brady’s primary target after losing Wes Welker to free agency.

15.  Alfred Morris, RB, Washington:  Many experts degrade Morris because they think he can only excel under a Mike Shanahan-run system or because they think his numbers are skewed as a result of the zone-read option the Redskins run. However, Morris is a powerful running back with great vision and excellent cutback ability, one that can thrive under any system.  Morris completes this list of the top 15 players under 25 years old.

Honorable Mentions:  Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York; Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay; Trent Richardson, RB, Cleveland; Earl Thomas, S, Seattle; Aaron Hernandez, TE, New England; Bobby Wagner, ILB, Seattle; Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas.

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III attempts a pass in a week 4 game of the 2012 NFL season against the Buccaneers.

The hourly “RGIII Injury Update” needs to stop.  In this day and age of Twitter and other internet up-to-the-minute news, we need to find a balance between too little and too much.  It’s time to recognize this problem that has been going on since December – the Robert Griffin III obsession.

And this problem is not Griffin himself.  It’s the media and how they’re handling him.

The 23-year old Griffin handles himself perfectly in public – no, he’s not perfect, but nobody is.  However, when he is criticized for posting a picture of his wedding gifts, something is wrong.  Griffin is simply trying to be a normal person, which is what he is.

Before last year’s draft, an anonymous source said Griffin had a “selfish streak.” Each year, former coach Jon Gruden hosts quarterbacks on in his film room known as “Gruden’s QB Camp”, and often gives gifts, such as shirts, to the invited quarterbacks. Griffin was the only quarterback out of 19 that had previously been on the show to give Gruden a gift – he gave him socks – so it is not understandable how anyone could possibly call the second-year pro selfish.

The criticism will always be there, but Griffin exhibits great poise and patience on and off the field – he knows what is best for him to say and do. He shrugs off everything negative said about him in the blink of an eye – not because of his words, but because of his actions and deeds.

Doug Williams, former Redskins quarterback and the only black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, has had several conversations with Griffin. “To see all the things that are going on with him and how big this thing has become… you’re not talking about some jackass here. All he did was play and everybody else makes a big to do about what he’s doing and what (he) should be doing and what he shouldn’t be doing,” Williams said.

Griffin took some heat when signing autographs near Redskins Park, with people criticizing as to why he was signing during his rehab. “So he’s supposed to rehab the knee 24 hours a day?” said Williams on the matter.  Williams has a point, and his argument says one thing:  leave the man alone.

So, the media wants to disparage a kid that’s just trying to be normal, who was born in Japan to a military family, graduated high school early, was class president, was ranked seventh in his graduating class, is a world class athlete in two sports, won the Heisman trophy two years after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament, graduated college early, and single-handedly re-energized a tired fan base? Please.

Everyone somehow associated with Robert Griffin III needs to simply take a step back, let the man breathe a little, and let him do his thing.

July 26, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins players

Yesterday, I wrote that the Washington Redskins should embrace the resolution put forward by the D.C. Council to change its team name to the “Washington Redtails.” Redskins is a pejorative term that is archaic, hurtful, and insensitive to an entire class of American people. Some people disagree with this sentiment, but I have not found any of the arguments in favor of keeping the name particularly persuasive. Then I read this editorial from The Washington Times and suddenly other defenses of the Redskins name did not seem so bad.

“We should put aside concerns about crime, decrepit schools, perpetual parking and traffic chaos and an unending series of corruption scandals in the District of Columbia government. The D.C. Council is poised to decide what a private business should call itself.”

I’ve never understood this argument. Our government is supposed to handle many different issues at the same time- taxes, education, health care, and yes, regulations on private businesses. That’s why politicians have staffers. The editorial seems to argue that David Grosso, the man who put forward the proposal, is only working on this resolution and has done nothing else. Plus, the Washington Redskins are worth approximately $1.6 billion dollars and are the fourth most valuable sports franchise in the world. There are on-going  conversations to get the team to move back into the district as a way of promoting D.C. business. The D.C. Council should concern itself with the Redskins brand.

“David Grosso, an “independent” at-large councilman, says he will introduce a resolution demanding that Dan Snyder change the name of his Washington Redskins to the “Washington Redtails,” presumably to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, the black fighter pilots who wrote tales of heroism across the skies above World War II battlefields.”

Why is Grosso’s independence in quotes here? And how does one “write” a “tale” of “heroism” “across the skies”? Presumably that is harder than writing an editorial for a dying newspaper.

“The tails of their planes were painted red, and they terrorized the enemy like a linebacker going after a running back.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were truly the Terry Tate of World War II.

“Mr. Grosso, a composer yet, says the team’s popular anthem can be easily modified — “Hail to the Redtails” — and “you can still keep the feather.” Hooray.”

I was not a journalism major, but I don’t think a sarcastic “hooray” is the best persuasive writing technique. Unless you are a fourth grader.

“But if “Redskins” demeans Indians, why wouldn’t “Redtails” demean fighter pilots?”

Wow. Deep breaths. Ok. Let me try to explain this one. The reason that Redtails does not demean Tuskegee Airmen is that fighter pilots embraced the name because it was a reflection of the color of paint on their planes. In contrast, Native Americans are not pleased with the term “Redskin” because it was used as a slur meant to evoke negative racial stereotypes.

To the author of this piece, I offer an experiment to highlight the difference. Go find a group of World War II veteran pilots and say, “How are you Redtails doing?” Then, walk into an Indian reservation and ask, “How are you Redskins doing?” I think this might shed some light on the confusion.

“The first-term councilman doesn’t appear to have any particular connection to football.”

Now we want our councilmen to have football backgrounds? Would his words have more weight in this issue if he was a long snapper in college?

“His official biography reveals him to have been a public relations executive at CareFirst BlueCross/BlueShield, where he “provided in-depth analysis” of Obamacare for his employers, and for a time served on the staff of an earlier councilman.”

You might think it is a bit odd that a writer would shoehorn a reference to healthcare in an editorial about the Washington Redskins. Keep in mind that Washington Times writers get paid by the number of references to Obamacare they make.

“Mr. Grosso might not know that “Redskins,” as they have been called for 80 years, was actually adopted to honor its second coach, Lone Star Dietz, who was descended from American Indians, before “Indians” became “Native Americans” (which is what most of us are).”

There are other names that people used 80 years ago that are not appropriate now. I can think of many. Whether Lone Star Dietz felt honored by the name because his mother was allegedly a member of the Sioux tribe is a question lost to the annals of history. Still, I think it is silly to suggest that the name can’t be changed now because of the original intent in the 1930s.

Nice job sneaking in the “Native Americans” comment in parenthesis at the end. See Indians? We were born in this country too and we as white males from middle class suburbia aren’t offended by the name!

“Mr. Grosso says Democratic council members Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) and Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5) have signed up so far for his crusade. This issue bubbles and squeaks from time to time because certain politicians are more concerned with getting their names in the newspapers than with the pain of the masses who are not offended by a name honoring the bravery and fighting spirit of the original Americans.”

A name which honors their bravery and fighting spirit…by making a stereotype of their skin color. Native Americans seem so appreciative!

“A D.C. councilman’s life can be a lonely one.”

The word “Redskins” is like Grosso’s personal version of “Rosebud.”

“The Redskins are a private business enterprise, and the owner has the right to call his team whatever he likes. If Mr. Grosso really believes in the cause of municipal propriety, there’s much to do within the District Building, where propriety is honored mostly in the breach. A manufactured controversy over the name of a football team is a convenient way to direct attention away from scandal and sordid behavior. He should leave the management of the Redskins to those who actually know what they’re doing.”