Does one player make a difference?

[McBoog]

I keep hearing and have so for decades that "one player does not make a team" and teams should have the depth to "have a guy step up and fill in' and blah, blah, f'n blah, ad nauseum

 

There are quite a few examples of how this is BS and I'm calling it out, here and now. One player CAN, and DOES make a difference to a team and their season if that player is truely one of the uber-elites in the game.

 

Love these guys or hate them, here are two examples of players that could be considered as the NFL's NON-Players of the year. Their presence, or lack thereof could alone could very well mean the difference between playing in or watching the Super Bowl this year.

 

1) Tom Brady. Come on, the Pats are obviously a different team with him than without. Taking it beyond the simple and obvious, I don't care who their back-up QB is. Tell me ONE team in the NFL who has a guy sitting behind their starter that the Pats could use to replace Brady?!?! NONE. Most of the starters in the NFL could not go in and replace Brady. You see that game last night and it is clear to me that the Pats would have probably won that game with Brady on the field. Cassell is really gaming, but he ain't no Tom Brady. I have no "man love" for the metro-sexual or his team, but if you cannot put aside your emotions for logic and see this...

 

Let's look at the other side of the ball.

 

2) Shawn Merriman. As a Charger fan, I had hoped that the depth at LB would be enough to overcome his loss to an extent. You don't just plug in any guy to replace a dominant pro-bowl player without expecting some drop off. BUT, what has happened to the San Diego defense is astounding. Merriman is a guy, like LT1, that had to be accounted for on every play, adjusted to, schemed against and you still couldn't neutralize him. Even on his bum knee against the Panthers, he was more effective than anybody the Bolts have tried to use since. As a result, no pressure, few sacks, fewer turnovers, struggling team. Sure the Chargers went 4-0 when Merriman served his suspension, but they also had a team that could run the ball and play keep away. With LT hurt early, and now an apparent shift to a more passing oriented offense, Merriman is missed more than ever.

 

In our idealistic world of pundit about depth and over coming injuries, it is clear to me, now more than ever, that there are a few guys out there that cannot be replaced and their loss is devastating to a team. It is also realistic when these dominant players go down to be able to honestly say, "Well, there goes my team's season".

[McBoog]

I'll throw another guy in here too, and he is still on the field. Big Ben's bum shoulder is clearly effecting the way the Steelers are playing. The difference between him healthy and him gimpy has been very evident over the last month or so.

[tazinib1]

I'll add a couple:

 

Carson Palmer--would the Bungles be this inept at offense if he were not injured?

 

Bob Sanders--As Sanders goes, the Colts have traditionally followed.

[Randall]

What idiot would have Cassell back up Tom Brady.

 

Explain that one to me, especially after how he played in the pre season before Brady was even hurt. The guy wasn't even a starter in college.

 

Pitt at least has a real NFL QB.

[detlef]

I'll add a couple:

 

Carson Palmer--would the Bungles be this inept at offense if he were not injured?

 

Bob Sanders--As Sanders goes, the Colts have traditionally followed.

I actually do think the Bengals would have sucked rather mightily even if he was healthy. Maybe they score a few more points but I don't think that addresses McBoog's question. I mean, obviously when your starting QB goes down, the O is going to be less productive. But Palmer was not what made the Bengals go because, well, nothing it seems makes the Bengals go.

[Qball86]

What idiot would have Cassell back up Tom Brady.

 

Explain that one to me, especially after how he played in the pre season before Brady was even hurt. The guy wasn't even a starter in college.

 

Pitt at least has a real NFL QB.

 

Yeah no kiddin, who wants a backup that could throw for 400 yards, 3 TDs and run for 60+ more yards. I know SF, DAL, CHI, DET, TB, CIN, KC, SEA and MIN must think the Pats and Bill B are absolute morons. They have MUCH better backups don't they.

[DMD]

I would not argue that Brady did not bring something special to the Pats but Cassel threw for 400 yards, 3 TDs and no turnovers last night. How much does a guy have to do? It was the NE defense and special teams that blew that game.

 

I think that when you talk about defensive players, they bring even less overall importance to a team than their offensive counterpart because offenses will direct plays around them if they are truly that dominating or assign more blocking and prevent them from stopping the offensive progress.

 

Case in point - Peyton Manning has played all year and the Colts have struggled - how is that different than what the Pats might have gone through with Brady?

[McBoog]

I would not argue that Brady did not bring something special to the Pats but Cassel threw for 400 yards, 3 TDs and no turnovers last night. How much does a guy have to do? It was the NE defense and special teams that blew that game.

 

I think that when you talk about defensive players, they bring even less overall importance to a team than their offensive counterpart because offenses will direct plays around them if they are truly that dominating or assign more blocking and prevent them from stopping the offensive progress.

 

Case in point - Peyton Manning has played all year and the Colts have struggled - how is that different than what the Pats might have gone through with Brady?

 

I can see and agree with this to an extent.. What is interesting though is that we have been talking about the closing window of the Colts, on the defensive side of the ball, and maybe even more so the same for the aging Pats D.

 

But I still think there are some players, that when they bring not only their physical presence to the field, they bring an intangible to the field that cannot be measured, even by 400 yard passing performances. Brady makes the whole team better because they know he will find a way.

 

Merriman brings an emotional component that is infectious and genuine. His team mates feed off of that and raise their level without knowing. It just happens.

 

I saw Shawn Phillips doing the same pre-game "fire-up" chant that Merriman did last year. You could tell it was not the same. Don't get me wrong, there have been many reasons beyond Merriman that the Chargers have struggled, but they may not have been as profound without his injury.

[tazinib1]

I actually do think the Bengals would have sucked rather mightily even if he was healthy. Maybe they score a few more points but I don't think that addresses McBoog's question. I mean, obviously when your starting QB goes down, the O is going to be less productive. But Palmer was not what made the Bengals go because, well, nothing it seems makes the Bengals go.

 

Sirens?

[detlef]

Sirens?

[Randall]

Yeah no kiddin, who wants a backup that could throw for 400 yards, 3 TDs and run for 60+ more yards. I know SF, DAL, CHI, DET, TB, CIN, KC, SEA and MIN must think the Pats and Bill B are absolute morons. They have MUCH better backups don't they.

 

 

He finally had a good game.

 

Stats aside Tom Brady brought things to the team that Cassel could not. Players like Brady make others around him play better. That is something that can't be debated with numbers.

[MTSuper7]

He finally had a good game.

 

Stats aside Tom Brady brought things to the team that Cassel could not. Players like Brady make others around him play better. That is something that can't be debated with numbers.

 

Cassel is half way through his first full season as an NFL starter. I say we cut him some slack. He has been steadily improving this season.

 

As for whether or not one player makes a difference, two words: Lawrence Taylor.