For NFL fans

[rainblade]

The way I see it: Tom Brady is so compelling because he's a moderately talented man of a large stature, but most of all he is a focused, ceaselessly driven individual. He is the consummate professional (a lawyer, for example) playing a game that is preoccupied (perhaps less and less) by people who are essentially teens or even younger children in terms of their mental development. Tom Brady carries a briefcase to work while most others carry a football. (Of course, Tom has footballs at the arena, so why would he need to carry one there?)

I could be way off-base, but I tend to find the most successful athletes are the ones who take the game the most seriously, like Tom and Bill do with their jobs. There is no room for bullshit, no room for rogue 'mistakes,' no room for celebrity in the locker room or around coaches or in front of the press. Some light banter between coaches and staff is allowed, but you have to earn it on the field.

I listen to WEEI so much more than I should. I used to commute to and from Durham every day, and I often drive long distances to get to where I need to go since I'm on the edge of the middle of nowhere. I love football and the Patriots culture. I love the rivalries Brady adopts as his own. I'm not a fanboy or anything, just sort of absorbed by it since I've grown up here my entire life. I'm always pessimistic when it comes to big games. I figured they would lose against Seattle and they probably will again if they play them in the Super Bowl. They should have lost the last one, anyways.

[Hugh]

That's cool. Lots of people hate Sherman. I think he's been huge for the game and lots of players. Tons of players owe a lot to him, and some of them probably don't even know it.

[Sanosuke]

Sherman is super intelligent and is a top 5 CB, top 10 DB active in the nfl

[rainblade]

That's cool. Lots of people hate Sherman. I think he's been huge for the game and lots of players. Tons of players owe a lot to him, and some of them probably don't even know it.

He is the QB-equivalent of that defense. He is like me when I play video games: he barks commands and orders to teammates and is focused to the point that it probably sometimes annoys his teammates all the things he tells them to do. That is a rare thing, to be able to focus on the game you yourself need to play, and to simultaneously focus on other things in the game that others needs to do. An example would be a basketball player who knows to shoot the ball instinctively upon reception of a pass, and so they call for the pass, except in football it's a lot more complex and difficult to keep track of all the things your teammates need to do since there are so many moving parts on the field. I think Sherman is an exceptionally gifted athlete, and a lot of his teammates are either inspired or motivated by him and presumably many of the things he does in practice/games.

[Maverik]

pretty sure bludz has mentioned it before, but I think Chancellor and Thomas are both more important to SEA than Sherman is (I should probably phrase this past tense since I haven't watched any SEA games this year)

Sherman is just the loudest

there are a ton of strong pieces on that D, so its hard to say how one would play without their complements since obviously their job is to play as a unit

[Hugh]

You might be right. We haven't seen the legion of boom without Earl Thomas until recently, and what we saw wasn't good. Also not a fan of how we look without Kam. Completely different.
But if I had to pick one player on defense to keep, all things considered, it would be Sherman. He's irreplaceable. I think he's the most important player to what Seattle does. His play, his attitude, his voice, his personality. Everything.

[Maverik]

that's fair, and I would probably pick likewise if I was starting a new team

from my understanding, both Chancellor and Thomas are more reserved players, despite their huge skill-cap, and you always need that voice in the locker room

[rainblade]

You say "is just the loudest," but I think communication is a critically important part of effective teamwork. Being the loudest might be a huge asset to any team. That's like saying, "He just encourages productivity and alertness the most."

[Maverik]

you don't have to be loud to be an effective communicator

[The Professor]

Still think Earl Thomas is their most important player. No offense to Sherman who is great, but Green Bay torched Shead all game because they knew they could attack without worrying about help or they could go through the middle. As fearsome as Kam is with hits, Thomas can hit just as good and his ability to fly all over the field is beyond impressive.