The #1 guy overall is going to be whichever guy just gets a hair up his ### in the offseason and regular season, or goes for that big contract, or goes after his first playoff/Superbowl win, or decides he can set a record. Whether it's forcing a pass into coverage, or staying at the gym a little later, or sleeping with the playbook, or watching video until you see double, or maybe sneaking the clear and the cream, it's the behind the scenes stuff that we'll never know about that makes these guys blow up. We all go through ebbs and flows in our working lives, and these guys are no different. And it's not just them - if the coach feels like they need to lean on their star, they'll act differently than if they know that they have a quality backup to turn to. Ask Adrian Peterson if he got as many carries as he would have if Chester Taylor weren't there.
Guys who have a shot? At quarterback, Brady may try to prove he's back, but I don't think he'll set a record again. Palmer and Hasselbeck may just be dying to get back into the upper echelon conversation. A guy like Brees may try to go after the record after getting so close he could taste it, but I think last year we saw his absolute best. I'm not sure he can sustain it. Same thing goes with Aaron Rodgers - he played with a chip on his shoulder last year. This year, he may dial it back a little.
DeAngelo blew up last year when he finally got a shot and the team drafted a replacement in the first round. A lot of people expect a regression, and IMO that's realistic, but mostly because the team doesn't need to lean on him, and he isn't quite as worried as he was before. At running back, Adrian Peterson may go hard after that 2000 yards. That's a real goal, and if he gets off to a good start, I'd expect him to put absolutely everything into it down the stretch. Jones-Drew? I don't think he's got the same motivation. He might be an excellent player, and I don't know him from adam, but all I know is that he got annointed the starter because the guy he'd been working so hard to outshine over the years finally left. Chances are pretty good that we saw the results of him trying real hard, and we're about to see what it looks like when he can finally ease off the throttle for a while. Julius Jones is a guy I like to try to prove he can do it. Steve Slaton was as motivated as could be, but I don't know how he'll handle it now that there's nobody pushing him. He's got a great situation, but he could be in for a sophomore slump. A guy like Westbrook, on the other hand, may see the writing on the wall with McCoy and realize he needs to bust his hump to keep his job. A guy like McGahee or Rice might work a little harder, knowing that he has to worry about the other. I'd love Addai this year to try to beat out the rookie, but the rookie looks good, he's failed to rise to the occasion before with Rhodes, and the coaches have already spelled out their roles, which is just stupid IMO.
At receiver, I kind of think Terrell Owens might be the guy early on - he sure was with Philly. But then we hear reports that he's kind of slacking off in Buffalo, and I'm not so sure. Most WRs are really reliant on their QB and teammates, which means that even if they're trying hard, they might fall off. I love Wes Welker, but I kind of worry that his production will dial back now that New England has Galloway, Lewis, and even this Edelman kid who can take some pressure off him. I love Royal, and he rose to the occasion the first time he was the #1, but that team is such a mess and I don't know if it was him or Cutler.
A couple guys I think have the motivation to take a shot at the best year of their career? At RB, I mentioned Adrian Peterson, of course, but also Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, Julius Jones, Marion Barber, Ronnie Brown, Brian Westbrook, Darren McFadden, Reggie Bush, Cedric Benson, one of Rice/McGahee, and one of Ward/Graham. At QB, Palmer, Hasselbeck, Trent Edwards, and on a lesser scale, Jason Campbell, may all surprise this year. They must be dying for their shot. At WR, it's a little trickier, but I think one of 85/Coles/Henry may actually try hard this year (who knows which one), Randy Moss, Colston, Lee Evans, Devin Hester, Deion Branch, and maybe Torry Holt could all blow up this year.
That's not to say I'd change my draft strategy to get all those guys, but I'm looking for guys who didn't exactly blow up last year, have shown signs of having the talent to blow up but for whatever reason haven't reached their potential or have had roadblocks of some sort, and who have some perceived slight, or somebody pushing them, or some new opportunity, but nothing handed to them. I'm sure there are others.