Jul

20

Gridiron Gab Roundtable – What One Current NFL Player Would You Choose to Start a Franchise?

Posted by Matt Loede under Cleveland Browns, Gridiron Roundtable, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers 

Joe Thomas

Jean-Paul Bergeaux – Saintsgab.com

Peyton Manning QB Indianapolis

There are three keys to winning. O-line, D-line and QB. If you get those three right, you have a solid team. Peyton Manning, therefore, is the one guy that makes a difference on the field. It is no secret that he is the offensive coach on the field, calls his own plays often and single handedly makes the Colts a top 5 team every year. Even at 32 Peyton has several good years left. He’s too smart to get hurt, he will age like a fine wine, getting better even as his physical skills start to fade.

John White – Catcrave.com

Tom Brady QB New England

There are a number of factors that would play a role in my decision making process. A franchise player should not only have the physical tools and the athletic ability to make plays consistently but should also be young enough to remain with the franchise for a number of years. Therefore, I’m ruling out the Peyton Mannings, Tom Bradys and LTs of the league. I want a guy who is this side of 30 – preferably no older than 28.

This leaves me considering a number of younger players – Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, etc. Still, I would prefer a quarterback since that is not only the most critical position on the field but is also the hardest position to fill. But frankly when eliminating signal callers 30 and over, I’m not left with a whole lot of true franchise players. I don’t see Carson Palmer, Derek Anderson, Jay Cutler or Philip Rivers as the kind of players you build a franchise around.

Though Ben Roethlisberger is young enough (26) to fit the bill, I have concerns about how erratic he can be as witnessed in ‘06. Tony Romo has also played well at times but his penchant for distractions is a major problem – especially in the playoffs. Eli Manning is young and just won a Super Bowl and has played extremely well at times but was aided in his playoff run last year by a tenacious defense.

So, I’m back where I started. And I start my franchise with a guy who is exactly 30 and who will help me win more games early on than I would win with the other 99% of the QB’s out there – Tom Brady. Sometimes, age really doesn’t matter. The guy can win and he’s a leader.

Matt Loede – NFLGridironGab.com

Joe Thomas OT Cleveland

I have always believed that you win with winning the line of scrimmage, and last season the pick of Joe Thomas with the 3rd pick in the draft begun a change of the mindset of the Browns, and look at how it’s worked out so far. Thomas is already one of the best tackles in the game, and this season he’s only going to get better. He was a main reason Derek Anderson had time to throw, and at the same time was able to open up holes for RB Jamal Lewis. It’s tough to pass on some very good playmakers like Adrian Peterson or Carson Palmer, but if I’m sticking to my idea of winning with building the lines first, there’s no better choice than Thomas.

Brian Miller – Phinphanatic.com

Patrick Willis LB San Francisco

If I were building a team around 1 guy, I would want LB Patrick Willis to be that player. His dedication and prep work was evident in game one of his rookie season…and he did it on a poor team at that. Young and eager, Willis has shown a determination to get better each week. While a veteran QB like Manning or Brady would be the most logical, common sense tells me that when this team is ready to compete, they will be ready to retire.

They defenses win championships, and the attitude thus far of Patrick Willis shows the signs of a championship mind set. Something you can’t teach. Willis could easily be a leader and more important a teacher. Building a strong defense starts on the front 7, building a championship caliber team starts on defense. A veteran QB with no supporting cast will do little to score you points, a leader on your defense can inspire a unit to not give many up…allowing for a revamped offense to come together.

Russ Loede – Bearsgab.com

Adrian Peterson RB Minnesota

3 Things that come to mind you need to consider in making the decision for your franchise player:

1. (Go Offense) – Is he a playmaker, game-changer/breaker, and does he have the impact to influence the way teams defend (drawing attention)?

2. It’s very important that he’s young enough to play for the next decade.

3. Does he sell season tickets, does he help put fans into the seats (Excitability factor)? Does he have that something “special” that makes him one-of-a-kind, like no other at his position, and is he able to dominate and excel when his team needs him to succeed the most?

Where’s The QB Love: The debate here is do you go RB or QB (throwing any defenders out the door). QB obviously is the most important position in the NFL and after that you can put in your votes for the OL atop the list as well. Well, there is a bit of concern with the top two signal callers and their age when the ‘08 season kicks off into high gear, with Brady (31) and Manning (32) on the wrong side of 30. Though both are durable, I’d rather look elsewhere at a younger offensive difference maker. Speaking of difference makers, you want to start your team off right with a difference maker, and while the offensive line is a big part of a team’s success and it’s key to get some big uglies up front to battle in the trenches, the maulers are just nowhere close in terms of importance when you compare them with the workhorses (RB) and the masterminds/leaders (QB). Quite frankly, there is no offensive lineman who is head and shoulders above another offensive lineman to even consider starting a franchise with.

Can’t Pass Talent, Too Hard To Overlook: With that being said, you might ask me why RB? Why Mr. Record Breaker? Isn’t the big, premiere play in an “NFL theatre near you” exclusively showing the box office hit “2 Backs Is The Way To Go” for the viewers nowadays? Why invest in a superstar back when the past 7 Lombardi Trophy Winners have obtained the bling-bling going en route a two-back formula of success. The last team to rely or use an elite RB heavily was the ‘00 St. Louis Rams with Marshall Faulk. Even then you can point out “The Greatest Show On Turf” won it with a timely, opportunistic defense and a legitimate powerhouse aerial attack led by Kurt Warner. So maybe the QB is the way to go? Does the RB’s performance hinge on the play of his offensive line? Doesn’t defense win championships?

A.P. Without A Doubt: All are interesting points, valid enough for me to re-think my #1 franchise player. All in all aside, in the end I had to go with Adrian Peterson – the most electrifying, explosive, and intimidating offensive weapon in the game today. Sometimes it’s unfair as he unleashes his game changing ability, the breakaway speed that makes you watch in awe, and a killer instinct (ask: Bears/Chargers defense) a.k.a. “I can take it to the house anytime I touch the rock” mentality which sets him apart from his peers. I want a player on my team that can dominate and impose his will during any given Sunday. Peterson can do just that and his presence alone strongly influences/impacts the way teams defend him. Peterson is the complete package and the most talented player on either side of the ball, as he possesses a can’t miss combination of strength, toughness, and power. But wait that’s not it… not only can A.P. make a man miss, but he has the vision and instincts to turn a 5-yard loss into a 25-yard gain ala Barry Sanders. His skill set is a mix between a throwback power runner (Earl Campbell), a speed threat (Bo Jackson), and a terror in the open field (Gale Sayers). The reality: he’s the best RB the NFL has to offer (Sorry L.T.) The scary part: he has made this unfathomable, mind-boggling impression in just 14 games at the age of 23, with a mere year under his belt we’ve just seen the start, a beginning of something special, his greatness is yet to come, and to think he has already eclipsed 220 rushing yards twice (3 TD’s in each) and broke the single game rushing yards record as a Rookie! Wait until this season – he’s only going to get better, he has lots of room to improve!

Chance To Be The Greatest Back Of All-Time: There has not been another RB that I’ve seen, who can take over a game so quickly, like the way he does. Peterson crushes any hope a team has in stopping him, giving the defense no chance when he darts down the sidelines with his defining moment “SportsCenter” highlight-reel breakaway touchdown runs. Whether this former Oklahoma Sooner outruns the opposition in the open field, dismantles a defender with a punishing stiff arm, spin, or juke move; linebackers, defensive backs, and defensive linemen all alike have one thing in common when going up against the Offensive Rookie of the Year: they are either too slow, too weak, or too tired to chase him around; meaning, they are defenseless in their pursuit of stopping the 1-man wrecking crew. The more Adrian touches the ball, the more chances Adrian has to dominate, and with his excellent stamina and tremendous physical condition – this means trouble for anyone who stands in the way of his path to the end zone. Like all great backs, he gets stronger as the game progresses and as he gets the ball more, A.P. will feast on a worn down (helpless), exhausted defense. He keeps goin’ and goin’ like the “Energizer Bunny” and besides the Windy City Flyer (Devin Hester) he is the most entertaining player in the NFL, as he puts on a personal clinic, a show that rivals the 4th of July – he is his own fireworks, game in and game out. Make a case for the standout gunslinger, the hole-opening, pancaking-loving lineman, or any All-Pro defensive intimidator – Two words is all I have to finalize this discussion with: All Day.


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