10. Julius Peppers

Adrian Hasenmayer's Top 10 NFL Divas

Peppers is one of the league's best players — that is, when he feels like, you know, playing. With focus. His roller-coaster production does little justice to his actual skills. Nobody's denying his other-worldly talents, but those are quickly overshadowed by accusations that he's taken plays and even games off — or at least hasn't given them maximum effort. This offseason, he has been focused, all right — but his focus has been on forcing a trade so he can A) make record-breaking dough and B) play in a 3-4 defense, because more sacks equal more money. What ever happened to love of the game? -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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10. Julius Peppe... Peppers is one of the league's best players — that is, when he feels like, you know, playing. With focus. His roller-coaster production does little justice to his actual skills. Nobody's denying his other-worldly talents, but those are quickly overshadowed by accusations that he's taken plays and even games off — or at least hasn't given them maximum effort. This offseason, he has been focused, all right — but his focus has been on forcing a trade so he can A) make record-breaking dough and B) play in a 3-4 defense, because more sacks equal more money. What ever happened to love of the game? -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
9. Brandon Marsh... Marshall clearly has all-world talent, but he is quickly becoming a big-time headache. First, there was his shady broken arm (which he initially attributed to putting his arm through a TV set while horsing around). Then, there was the string of concerning off-field allegations involving significant others. The WR has already been suspended once for his behavior, but he still continues to deny any incidents have taken place off the field, despite mounting evidence. Notice a large collection of negative news building up? The player's probably a diva. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
8. Cedric Benson The former high first-round pick flamed out in Chicago after three disappointing seasons. First, he ruffled teammates' feathers with a long holdout as a rookie; then upon returning, he acted as if the starting RB job was a birthright. It got so bad that FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer once reported that Benson's own teammates intentionally tried to hurt him in team practices. His release from Chicago was overdue, and it came not for his attitude but in retaliation for a pair of alcohol-related incidents, both within weeks of each other during the summer of '08. In true diva form, the current Bengals RB still won't acknowledge those incidents with more than a shrug. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Tony Tribble
7. Larry Johnson Johnson was more or less called a "baby" by former Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil during the diva's early years in the NFL. The name-calling was in reaction to one of the frustrated RB's many trade demands, all because he was tired of riding pine behind Priest Holmes. But even after two dominant 1,700+ yards seasons in 2005 and 2006, Johnson kept whining — this time for a contract extension. Apart from his demands, Johnson achieves diva status by racking up a suspension by his own team and even an arrest. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Dick Whipple)
6. Jeremy Shocke... For a tight end, this guy knows how to cause a stir. A media darling and social butterfly in New York during his rookie year with the Giants, Shockey wore out his welcome with his QB Eli Manning, and his entire organization for that matter, thanks to constantly throwing on-field tantrums, clamoring for the ball from Manning and refusing to train or practice with his teammates in the offseason each year. To top things off, after one invisible season with the Saints, Shockey made the headlines by passing out poolside at a Vegas casino this spring. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
5. Jay Cutler Cutler — who shares an agent with another high-profile, high-gambling (on-field) QB, Brett Favre — should be enjoying high heaven as the star quarterback in a high-powered Denver Broncos offense right now. Instead, he ignited a feud with his new coach, Josh McDaniels; ignored his long-time owner, Pat Bowlen; and pouted his way out of town. Instead of heaven, the fickle QB finds himself in purgatory, rebuilding the Bears and one of the worst offenses in 2008. We'd be better able to dismiss this behavior as an anomaly if it weren't for further evidence of the diva inside: Cutler's sometimes embarrassing tit-for-tat exchanges with fiery Chargers QB Philip Rivers. What a shame the two aren't in the same division any longer. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
4. Vince Young You have to give it to Young for his ambitious diva chart climb, achieved through a recent rash of bizarre comments resembling passive trade demands — or ultimatums, rather, if he didn't get to "play ball" soon. This after 22 TD passes vs. 32 interceptions in his three seasons. And recall that he allegedly failed to enter a game briefly last season before he suffered that season-ending injury — an injury that also led to a wild "Where is Vince?" search party, with some worrying the QB was actually suicidal. Regardless of his mental stability, the one-time franchise QB has proven he can be awfully shaky in the resolve department. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
3. Chad Ochocinc... Your first clue: The guy legally changed his name to "Ochocinco" to match his uniform No. 85 (we'll ignore his incorrect Spanish). Though his TD celebration hijinks initially were fun and colorful, "8-5" also has made himself a terrible distraction in Cincy at times — such as when he allegedly threw a locker-room tantrum at half time during the 2005 playoff loss to Pittsburgh, or when he pleaded publicly to be traded ... during the entire 2008 offseason. "Good Chad" appears to be back this offseason — at least until the first losing streak. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
2. Terrell Owens None of the controversies Owens has faced are his fault — at least from his point of view. Obviously, the folks in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas failed to grasp how T.O. simply speaks the truth, and is not at all a problem in the locker room. And yet, the WR has left behind a trail of battered QBs, from Jeff Garcia in San Fran (T.O. ripped his arm and masculinity) to Donovan McNabb in Philly (remember, it wasn't T.O. who got tired in the Super Bowl) and Tony Romo in Dallas (don't forget the locker-room spat regarding the number of passes directed at Romo's road roomie, Jason Witten). Good luck to Buffalo with the ultimate diva. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Mike Thomas)
1. Brett Favre This guy has been waffling about retirement for half a decade now, even holding several hostages along the way in the form of Green Bay, New York, Tampa and Minnesota. We've already lived through two official retirement press conferences — one tearful but none believable. Yet he keeps coming back because of the spiteful torch he carries for his former team. It's so intense that Favre's been romancing the Packers' most-hated rival for two straight years, generating enough double-talk from his agent James "Bus" Cook to fill all 32 NFL stadiums with hot air. Clearly, unless Brett gets what he wants, he will never go away. -- Adrian Hasenmayer (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)