A Bro Bowler represents a player that exemplifies teamwork above all. Although he is not on this year’s team, the idea was mostly inspired by Earnest Graham. When injuries forced their starting fullback out of the lineup, Graham offered to play fullback, giving up his starting halfback position, which he was doing quite well at. It gave him the opportunity to block for Warrick Dunn, and during that span, the Bucs remained successful. Unfortunately, Graham was hurt in Week 11 and lost for the season, which was a big factor in why a team that started out 9-3 didn’t make the playoffs. Earnest, I salute you for doing exactly what a Bro Bowler would do. With that said, I now announce to you the team (and I’m sorry there’s no offensive lineman or defensive players, but seriously, how do you differentiate them when it comes to this? You can’t, you just cant).
QB Chad Pennington- Need I really say anything? The guy gets dumped by the Jets and is sent off to the Dolphins and somehow turns a team that only won game last year to a team that wins the division that the Patriots also happen to be in. To do something like that out of nowhere, you really have to be a team player and leader. The image of the Dolphins changed the day Pennington signed, and though few people noticed it at first, we all know what a solid team this is now.
RB DeAngelo Williams- The Pro Bowl can snub you but I would never do such a thing DeAngelo! There’s no reason to ramble off his stats again, that has nothing to do with this team. In fact, I would have never imagined putting someone with such crazy stats on this team. But I do so for a reason. And it’s not because I love him for being my fantasy football hero. I do it because of every time I saw Jonathan Stewart score, thus obviously taking one from DeAngelo, the first guy out there to celebrate and congratulate him is DeAngelo himself. The guy never needed the spot light or the touchdowns, as evidenced by the first month of the season when Stewart was getting all the goal line carries and looked like the back of the future. But after that, DeAngelo still managed to put up huge numbers because, well, he realized he was that good and decided he could score from anywhere on the field. More importantly, their solid running back duo is what makes them one of the NFL’s best teams going into the playoffs.
Fantasy Football MVP, Bro Bowler... who needs the Pro Bowl?
FB Spencer Larsen- The rookie was thrust into the starting line up due to injuries… at two positions! The fullback started there when Peyton Hillis had to move to halfback, and was also forced to play linebacker as well, the other position he tried out for during training camp. Now that is a guy who wants to help the team win (even though the Broncos forgot how to at the end of the season).
WR Anquan Boldin- The guy put money issues during the off season behind him to focus on helping this team win. He also has one of the top receivers in the league opposite him, but I have yet to see any conflict between the two. Watching Boldin play is like watching a fullback play receiver (he happened to be a college QB at Florida State) with the way he hits and attacks the defenders when he has the ball. On any given day, it’s always obvious which player wants to win the game the most just by watching his fierce persona.
WR Wes Welker- Wow, two Pro Bowl receivers on the Bro Bowl team… wasn’t expecting that. But seriously, these guys are breaking the mold from your usual star receiver. Welker is overshadowed by fellow receiver, Randy Moss, but it’s Welker who does all the dirty work with the short passes, making the sort-of-rookie, Matt Cassel’s life easier. Had three TDs compared to Moss’ eleven but is one of the most important factors to the success of this team.
TE Vernon Davis- I could have easily have chosen a starting tight end who is always visibly outperformed by the backup who is more of a pass catcher (Alge Crumpler and Daniel Graham), but I seriously almost fell asleep at the thought of that. As for Vernon Davis, I would have never thought I’d be saying this at the beginning of the season. But after his little confrontation with Coach Mike Singletary, he’s really turned things around, and the team has followed. Singletary has really gotten the exact player he wanted in the one that first pushed his buttons the wrong way, which has triggered 49er wins and hope for the 2009 season. Plus, Singletary says Davis is the best blocking tight end he’s ever seen. And those eyes have seen a lot.
Now that is wind power.
Wildcard Weekend Picks
Colts over Chargers: Wow, an 8-8 team hosting a 12-4 team. That means that out of all of the teams playing this weekend, the team with the worst record has homefield advantage over the team with the best record. Still not enough for the Chargers. But you never know… and that’s why I love the NFL playoffs.
Ravens over Dolphins: I’m rooting for the Dolphins, but yeah, not too confident about this one (even though the only team the Dolphins beat last year was the Ravens!).
Eagles over Vikings: Even though the Eagles were the big longshot to make the playoffs going into the last week, I’m still surprised the Vikings are in the playoffs. Man, that one tie actually ended up helping the Eagles, after all. I ALWAYS have confidence in McNabb (unlike Andy Reid).
Falcons over Cardinals: I’m still not sure how the Falcons are so good, I just accept that they are. And the Cardinals are really falling apart. Their only hope is following the lead of a certain Bro Bowler.
Notice anything? I’m picking all of the Wildcard teams! And of course, I can’t go through all of this without mentioning how the Patriots missed the playoffs despite winning eleven games. Of the eight teams playing on Wildcard Weekend, only one has a better record (three have the same amount… and once again, the Chargers are 8-8!). Word for the wise… never mess with the football karma gods. Oh ya, one more thing Billy the Hood… the team that beat you in the Super Bowl last year only had ten wins in the regular season. Ouch.
Fun Fact
Guess how many receptions the Raiders leading wide receiver had this season? I’ll give you a hint, it’s Johnny Lee Higgins. Not enough? Another hint… it’s Wes Welker’s total receptions minus Anquan Boldin’s. One more hint? Welker had 111 receptions and Boldin had 89. Do the math and that number is good for 159th in the league.
