Tuesday, May 29

The Best: Player I'd Start a Franchise With

As preparation for my job with ESPN 17 in the year 2046, I'm following along with ESPN's "The Best" series, playing out on the worldwide leader through June 8th. I'm making a concerted effort to name a fifth player, shying away from those already chosen, unless they throw out 'coach I'd most like to see run the ball,' in which case I'd have no problem throwing some more votes on for King Andy.

As for the player I'd start a franchise with, I'll take Richard Seymour in an amphetamine heartbeat. There is no more dominant, disruptive force on either side of the line. Seymour controls the crux of the game, taking with him a minimum of two o-lineman. He's also relatively young, heading towards his 28th birthday, and appears to be nearing his peak talent. Seymour, not Brady, was the singular talent that snatched victory from us in the 04 Super Bowl (although you could make a strong case for McNabb here). Of all the garbage that Andy Reid has fed the media through the years, the one thing I've become convinced of more than any other is that you must build your teams from the inside-out. And with my second choice, I select, from the Mishawaka School District, WR Freddie Mitchell.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

QB, by far. Sure, I understand building a team off of an over-achieving LB, a guy who will be a force in the lockeroom and a leader on the field. Defenses win superbowls when you get to the playoffs, but you don't get to the playoffs without an explosive offense. In the end, its the QB who makes or breaks a team. You need a guy who can stay mentally tough throughout the entirety of the game. A guy like Montana could throw an int one possession, then drive down field and score on 12 plays on the following possession. Guys like Grossman and #5 have long term memories, and botched plays or ints tend to stick with them.
but....here I'll also defend my Donovan. I'll use an example from what I saw tonight. Trailing late in the 4th Q of the 02 championship game, on the goal line, Donovan took on two LB's and a safety and barelled across the goal line. We lost that game, but Donovan was able to shake off the stagnation of the second half and drive the offense down field.
Defense wins championships, but it all starts with the QB.