Who's the nastiest of them all?Â
Sports Illustrated took pains to explore the topic, polling NFLÂ players to get their take on the league's meanest competitor -- and the winner shouldn't surprise a soul.
Based on feedback from 287 NFL players who responded, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was the runaway winner, receiving 35 percent of the votes.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis came in second (15 percent), followed by Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (5 percent) and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour (4 percent). None of these guys are friendly on the field, agreed.
Yahoo.com reported that Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, Washington Redskins safety Laron Landry and two receivers -- the Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith and the Steelers' Hines Ward -- are also among the top 10.
And get this: four quarterbacks were named. Our guess: Ben Roethlisberger's among that group -- maybe Philip Rivers. Probably not Eli Manning.
One bizarre sidenote: Lions kicker Jason Hanson snagged a vote. A kicker as the NFL's meanest player? At least in Detroit, we know that's not the case.
