So now that we know how his fellow players believe DeMarcus Ware stacks up in the league's talent hierarchy for the coming year, it's worth hearing from Ware himself.
Ware joined the NFL Network for reaction after he was announced as the league's sixth-best player, according to his peers, and said the same thing he said in 2011, when he came in at No. 12 on the list.
"You're never happy until you're No. 1," Ware said.
Last year, when Ware came on the NFL Network after his name was called, former Colts and Rams running back Marshall Faulk was very direct with Ware that he believed Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney should've been ahead of him, while Ware maintained he thought he was the top player overall.
In 2011, Ware wasn't even the top pass-rusher, coming in two spots behind Chicago's Julius Peppers.
Ware said he was happy to be named the top pass-rusher in the league this year, but didn't change his stance when Deion Sanders asked him where he should rank overall.
"No. 1," Ware said. "You know that. Because the thing is, I'm at the top of what I do, and it's all about, with me, getting pressure to the quarterback. The offensive guys are usually the guys that are No. 1, the quarterbacks, but you've got to give some defense some love."
Ware didn't want to take anything away from Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the 2011 MVP, who was voted No. 1 overall.
"He played well last year," Ware said. "He's a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, so you can't argue with that."
