A basketball player comes into the NBA, takes the league by storm, and quickly becomes a superstar, only to be derailed by injuries and never again return to that form – what could have been? This career arc has played out in the Association countless times during the league’s history, with recent notable examples including Penny Hardaway and Brandon Roy – both were versatile, all-around players who quickly rose to All-Star/All-NBA status in their early to mid-20s, but were never the same explosive player after a series of knee injuries. Looking back on these big “what if” players, let us compare the pair and ask:
Old man gnar at English Wikipedia, Bdawk, CC BY 3.0080210-N-4965F-
HONOLULU, HI
(Feb. 10, 2008)
Admiral Timothy J. Keating, commander, U.S. Pacific Command, joins the National Football League’s 2008 Pro Bowl Referee, Bill Carollo, and players at mid-field for the coin toss during the National Football League’s (NFL) 2008 Pro Bowl game at Aloha Stadium. The National Football Conference (NFC) defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) by a score of 42 to 30.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl (Released)
As literally the last line of defense (hence the name “safety”), an intimidating safety can not only keep points off the board, but can also instill a sense of fear in the opposing team’s offensive players. During the 2000s, a number of great safeties roamed the NFL’s defensive backfields (Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, etc.), including a pair of hard hitters in Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles and John Lynch of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both defensive stalwarts were known for bone-crushing tackles, as well as intensity and leadership on the field, thus embodying the proverbial “heart-and-soul” type player any team would be lucky to have. The career parallels run even deeper, as Dawkins and Lynch both coincidentally concluded their NFL playing days with the Denver Broncos – thus, let us look at these two great safeties of the early 21st century and ask:
The stolen base has become a lost art in the game of baseball – case in point, during the 2019 MLB season, teams averaged 226 home runs, but only 76 stolen bases; in contrast, going back to the heydays of speed in the 1970s and 1980s, there were individual PLAYERS stealing 76 bases in a season! While Rickey Henderson is widely regarded as the greatest base-stealer ever (he is the only player with more than 1,000 career stolen bases and is nearly 500 ahead of #2), two other prolific speedsters from this era were Lou Brock and Tim Raines. One was previously the career record-holder for stolen bases and the other was overshadowed in his prime by Henderson, but likewise incredible on the basepaths – with similar career profiles and statistics, both can stake a claim to being the second-best base-stealer of the modern era, thus the question is:
In the late 1970s and during the 1980s, the NHL saw the rise of two new dynasties in the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers – both teams were blessed with a plethora of Hall of Fame forwards (e.g. Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy for the Islanders, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri for the Oilers, just to name a few), star goalies (Billy Smith in New York, Grant Fuhr/Andy Moog in Edmonton), and on the blue line, offensively gifted defensemen in Denis Potvin (Islanders) and Paul Coffey (Oilers). With multiple Norris Trophies and over 1,000 career points apiece, these two Hall of Fame blueliners are among the greatest defensemen in league history – from their jaw-dropping statistics to individual accolades to team successes, it is only natural to compare the pair and ask:
Though it has become devalued in the NFL in recent years, the running back position used to be the centerpiece of a football team’s offense, with many franchises using top draft picks on potential workhorse backs. Before he became infamous as an alleged murderer, O.J. Simpson was a #1 overall draft pick and would go on to become the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season; a few years later, another #1 overall pick in Earl Campbell would take the league by storm with his bruising and powerful running style, and nearly match Simpson’s 2,000-yard season. As two of the greatest #1 overall picks ever, running backs of the 1970s, and running backs in NFL history overall, let us set aside off-the-field issues and compare these two Hall of Famers to answer the question:
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