Sports Betting Articles
In the Box: NFL Week 13
By Seth Doria
John Madden was talking about Steelers guard Alan Faneca on Sunday night, and he called him "a taker." In other words, if Madden were building a team from scratch, he would take Faneca.
(Actually, Madden might have been talking about Hines Ward since he loves him so much. I'm not sure.)
Anyway, it got me thinking: if I had to coach a football team with my life depending on the outcome, who would I want on it? No salary cap. No contracts. Just 60 minutes of football and a gun to my head. Call it the "All-Please-Win-So-I-Don't-Die Team."
On offense, I'm playing a three WR, one TE, one RB formation the entire game. On defense, I had to go with a 4-3.
Offense
QB: Tom Brady, New England — Ask Brian Billick who he would choose.
RB: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota — If the game's in poor weather, I need a workhorse who can put the team on his back. I've seen LaDainian Tomlinson shut down too many times this year. Peterson is the most consistent defense-killer in the league right now.
TE: Kellen Winslow, Jr., Cleveland — One of the top-five most enjoyable players to watch play in the NFL.
Outside WR 1: Andre Johnson, Houston — Great hands; great speed; Reggie Wayne would have been the pick two months ago, but he's been dropping some big passes lately. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are more explosive, but I wouldn't bet my life on their attention spans.
Slot WR: Hines Ward, Pittsburgh — Toughest omission on the team was Wes Welker. Ward gets the nod with physicality, experience, and leadership. Donald Driver also deserves mention.
Outside WR 2: Steve Smith, Carolina — Toughest guy at the position; need at least one guy on the team with bordering-on-insanity competitive fire.
LT: Walter Jones, Seattle — Great in the run or pass game; I am afraid he'll hold out, though. Just in case, San Diego's Marcus McNeill is on stand-by.
LG: Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota — Best in the league.
C: Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis — Great technique; Great at making the line calls to set the protection.
RG: Logan Mankins, New England — The one and only time I'm switching a guy's position. Mankins played both RT and LT at Fresno State, so I don't feel bad moving him from LG to RG for these purposes.
RT: Jon Runyan, Philadelphia — He's big, powerful, durable, and has a quality mean streak. A bit past his prime, but a hell of a competitor. Last year, it would have been New Orleans' Jammal Brown, but he's been playing LT this year and I didn't want to make another exception.
Defense
LDE: Aaron Kampman, Green Bay — Aaron Schobel from the Bills is high on the call sheet, but Kampman has been nearly unstoppable so far.
LDT: Jamal Williams, San Diego — As dominant a run-stuffer as there is in the league. Has to be double-teamed every play; even if he does get knocked off the line of scrimmage, the guard-center aren't going to be able to get to the linebackers. I'd have to see Albert Haynesworth play like he has this year in a non-contract year to put my life in his hands.
RDT: Kelly Gregg, Baltimore — Go ahead. Try to run the ball inside with Williams and Gregg in the middle of my line. I dare you.
RDE: Jared Allen, Kansas City — A machine off the corner.
LOLB: Mike Vrabel, New England — Smart; gets to the ball; yackles well; can play TE in a pinch.
MLB: DeMeco Ryans, Houston — I went back and forth between Ryans and Brian Urlacher. In the end, I wanted to infuse a little youth in the defense.
ROLB: Donnie Edwards, Kansas City — A glue guy; you want to know how the KC defense got so much better this year and the Chargers got worse? Edwards is the answer. In a game of this magnitude, you need somebody who's always going to be in the right place.
LCB: Asante Samuel, New England — Great instincts; almost never gets beat; really good tackler.
FS: Ed Reed, Baltimore — Can cover like a corner, hit like a linebacker. Plus, he can return kicks if needed.
SS: Adrian Wilson, Arizona — A play-maker; If he can't come back from surgery in time for the game, Bob Sanders gets the call.
RCB: Leigh Bodden, Cleveland — Maybe not the greatest lock-down cover corner, but has a great ability to make a big play. With Samuel on the other side, I can shift Reed over to Bodden's side, freeing Bodden to cut underneath the routes.
Special Teams
K: Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis — Hasn't been the same since he left Foxborough, but if I'm betting my life on a game and it comes down to a kick, A.V. is the guy I want kicking it. Plus, I named my son after the guy, so I kind of have to pick him.
P: Shane Lechler, Oakland — A lot of good ones, but Lechler's been the best for a while.
KR/PR: Devin Hester, Chicago — Easiest pick on the board.
So there it is. My team if my life depended on it. And I had more fun making up that list than I did watching sports this weekend. (It really was an ugly weekend.)
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