The
Best Players in Super Bowl XLII
January 25, 2008
by Hal Clarke
Boston may be the recipient of yet another
professional sports champion in the form of The New England Patriots.
ESPN.com currently
has an article listing the top players heading into Super Bowl
XLII. Patriots QB Tom Brady and Patriots WR Randy Moss are #1
and #2, respectively, followed by three defensive ends (Giants’
Omenyiora, Pats’ Seymour, and Giants’ Strahan), and
another wide receiver (Giants’ Burress). At #7 is the first
position we find anyone on The Patriots’ offensive line
and quite frankly, it is a travesty.
The top 5 players heading into Super Bowl
XLII are The Patriots' offensive line. Without them,
Brady would crumble in a heap all game long every game, Pats’
RB Laurence Maroney would have run for about 400 yards this season,
and The Patriots would not be playing in this Super Bowl. To give
them minimal due proves once again how misguided sports analysts
are when it comes to why a team is so successful.
Without question, the five men of The Patriots’
O-line, OG Logan Mankins (#7 on their list), OT Matt Light (#14
on their list), C Dan Koppen (#17 on their list), OT Nick Kaczur
(#36 on their list), and OG Stephen Neal (#38 on their list) make
good skill position players seem like the greatest superstars
of all-time. Everyone in the NFL is extremely talented,
but these five guys make offensive position players Tom Brady,
Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Troy Brown, Laurence Maroney, Ben Watson,
and the rest look like gods. Moss pretty much is a god
after dominating on crummy teams but the rest aren’t what
they might seem. In regard to Moss, now that he has a quarterback
who receives ten years each play to throw the ball, Moss has an
easy hand at coming back for all of Brady’s under thrown
passes. Don’t get me wrong, Brady is a good quarterback,
but I’d love to see the guy currently in the conversation
as the greatest QB of all-time standing behind a different ensemble
of offensive lineman. The so-called experts will surely disagree
with me, but I suspect the results will be tremendously different
if that scenario ever plays out. As for the other position players,
they are all good players, but it is the offensive line buying
them time that makes them look like the best in the league.
I am not going to get into the how and why
of The Patriots’ current ascension to greatness, everyone
involved has contributed tremendously, but I will advise anyone
and everyone who watches Super Bowl XLII to pay close attention
to The Pats’ offensive line. Watch the gargantuan holes
that appear in The Giants’ defense, the astounding amount
of time Brady has to throw the football each and every play, and
the way this offensive line seems to never tire even when they
have been on the field nearly the entire game. It is truly a thing
of wonder and beauty, one that has for too long gone with only
minimal mention, and that’s a crying shame.
If The Patriots are to complete the perfect
season, as everyone seems to think they will, my hope is that
these five men finally receive the kudos they deserve by collectively
receiving The Super Bowl MVP Award. There are numerous reasons
The Patriots have risen to the edge of immortality, but Mankins,
Light, Koppen, Kaczur, and Neal are without question, the biggest.
It’s time they got their due.
—————————————————————————
Want to tell Hal Clarke he doesn't know anything
about anything? Or maybe you agree. Email him at halclarke@undependentmedia.com
Back to Sports
Back to Commentary
Back to the Main Page
———————————————————————
|
