(S2) - Weekend PT #6 - Childhood Hero

[JBLAZE_THE_BOSS]

[Bzerkap]

You know who Akselsen's favorite player was growing up? It doesn't matter! Childhood heros are for losers! Akselsen only has respect for the greatest players at his position of present day.

The man he has most respect for in this game is Marshal Yanda, Ravens guard. The reason for the respect is two-fold. The man is tough as nails, playing through any and all injuries. He played through a torn labrum almost all of last season. As anyone who has played OL knows, a torn labrum does not allow you to be your best. You can't generate a good punch with that hand, and the punch is key in pass pro. Yanda was still the best guard in the NFL last season.

The second part of the respect is the insane technical knowledge he possesses. There is no one quite as technical at the guard position as Yanda. He pulls on power moves and times his steps to the exact moment he wants to engage his blocks. His footwork is a thing of pure ecstasy. You will not see another guard with quite that level of technical knowledge. Except maybe Larry 'War Daddy' Warford.

This is why Marshal Yanda is the man Akselsen respects.

[Kendrick]

My favourite player growing up was Donald Driver. A close second would be Marvin Harrison. Donald Driver had some of the most nimble toes to grace an NFL field. He would tight rope the sidelines on every catch. As Brett Favre's main target he put up impressive numbers and was largely underrated. Driver was not one of those receivers who trash talked or stared down defenders to make a point. He caught the pass and looked for the down marker. He was instrumental in the Packers last Super Bowl win and was a chain gain mover throughout his entire career. The reason I listed Marvin Harrison as well is because he had some of the softest hands that I have seen from a receiver in professional football. Harrison was the main target for Peyton Manning when they won their last Super Bowl and that combo was untouchable it seemed. They may still hold the record for most touchdowns between a quarterback and a receiver in National Football League history. Watching both these players made me want to become a receiver and try to take little parts of both their games and adapt them to my current talent. I still have photographic memory of some of their touchdowns.

[sabills]

Bruce Smith was the greatest defensive lineman of all time. Full stop. Period. End of story.

You can tell me great things about Reggie White. Wax poetic about Mean Joe Green. Talk about how Deacon Jones played before they even kept sack records. But Bruce was it for me.

We're taking 6'4", 265 pounds of pure muscle. Seriously, the dude had less than 10 percent body fat. And let us go no further here without saying: 200 sacks, the most in the history of the NFL. He was big, and strong, and MEAN.

That was the man I wanted to be growing up. He's the reason I chase the ball instead of catch it or throw it. I wanted teams to be double teaming me before I made a play. I wanted them to game plan for me every game, like they had to with Bruce. I wanted every one on that field in the wrong colors to have to know where I was every second of every play, because they knew I'd make them pay for it if they didn't. I wanted them to fear me.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to live up to that. I don't know if anyone really can. But every day before I hit that field I think about Bruce and the things he did out there. Bad things, man. Bad things.

[XxpurplepurpsxX]

Davis definitely had a favorite player while he was developing his own career. Although this player is not even that much older than himself he had a large impact on his development and the shaping of the player Davis was striving to be. Davis was in high school watching college football when he began to take notice of Tyrann Mathieu. As a young safety himself Davis saw something great in Mathieu as did many people and when Tyrann was disciplined for his weed problems Davis was upset that one of his favorite players was being punished and would eventually have his draft stock severely affected by the incident as many teams thought that Mathieu would be unable to not be a distraction to an NFL team. When Mathieu got drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, Davis was stoked that his hometown NFL team took a chance on such a potentially great player. As most people know now Mathieu is one of the best safeties in the league if not the best, and after being slept on in the draft and getting taken in the third round nonetheless. It was a real inspiration for Davis watching the story of Tyrann coming up through the NFL as such a great player despite the circumstances surrounding his career.

[ErMurazor]

My childhood inspiration was Michael Strahan. Obviously Michael Strahan is an excellent football player. He had a hall of fame career that carried him all the way to the NFL Hall of Fame. Michael Strahan’s most memorable season was obviously his record-setting most sacks in a single season year in 2001. However, some of Strahan’s other most exciting highlights are him in the role of a leader. If you watch any documentary on the Super bowl Giants, players on those teams, or even young Eli Manning you’ll find aspects of Strahan’s leadership touching the rest of the team and driving them to achieve greatness.

Even more impactful are videos of Strahan preparing for the Super Bowl, dealing with Brady and Belichick, and driving the Giants emotionally to a world championship. Strahan’s leadership style was fiery, cocky, and inspiring. Michael Strahan was always able to demonstrate a great combination of passion for the game, trash talk, and emotion that made him suited for leadership on and off the field.

Strahan has further demonstrated his charisma and people-skills with his success after a football in various media roles for both football and non-football fans. As an up and coming defensive end I try to channel Strahan in my aggressive play on the field and leadership off of it.

[Gwdaja]

The entire reason I love football, the root that inspired me to play and to want to run the ball and be a running back, all goes back to watching Barry Sanders play. Barry was unlike any other player to ever set foot on the field. His speed and explosiveness was truly unrivaled. Any time that he touched the ball, your heart was in your throat, because there was a legitimate chance that he could score on any given play. People could not catch him or keep up with him. He could stop on a dime and change direction in an instant, returning to full speed in the blink of an eye. The way he moved looked inhuman. I still haven't seen someone move like him to this day. Despite him being one of the most astonishingly athletic players of all time, he was at all times the most humble guy on the field. He almost never showboated, always thanked his linemen and was a soft spoken personality in the public eye. You really couldn't ask for a better athlete to look up to, especially for running backs like me. I've always tried to emulate his moves and his running style since I was young, and while it won't ever be possible, the idea of it and what he accomplished keeps me progressing to be the best player I can be.

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[Apache_Chief]

Who better to be a fan of than the greatest defensive player of all time? Franklin Harris grew up a big and fast, so defense just seemed like the best choice when it was time for him to start playing football. On his youth football team, he was made a linebacker; that's when his love for LT began. He asked his dad who the best linebacker was, and of course the three-time DPOY was the only answer he could provide. Ever since, Harris has built his game around the style of LT, being ruthless and beating the hell out of the QB; minus all the coke though. On his 18th birthday, his family all Pitched in and got Harris a signed LT jersey; which he still keeps proudly displayed in his Orange County home. While LT's character was somewhat questionable and his drug use even more-so, nothing could stop Harris from idealizing the man who helped shape him into the player that he is today. Harris has always dreamt of meeting LT and getting him to teach him the secret to becoming the DPOY. He has a long way to go, but Harris hopes he can become just like his idol, Lawrence Taylor.

[Deusolis]

As a hybrid safety/linebacker, albeit one with a linebacker's measurables, the moneybacker revolution came a little too late to give AC Hackett someone to look up to. Guys like Deone Bucannon, Mark Barron and Su'a Cravens are less role models and more peers, considering they're all around Hackett's age. That said, there is one converted safety who came around early enough for AC to grow up on, Georgia's very own, Thomas Davis.

Davis played both linebacker and safety for his hometown Georgia Bulldogs, en route to a collegiate career that featured two All-SEC appearances. Even though he was drafted as a safety, the Carolina Panthers immediately moved him to the linebacker spot, aiming to maximize his coverage ability while also taking advantage of his toughness.

Even though Hackett had played linebacker essentially his entire football career, he still felt a sense of kinship with Davis. Neither of them were old-school tackling machines and they both were better-suited for the more pass-oriented modern game. Unlike some people, Hackett never actually got a chance to meet his idol growing up, but he managed to change that once he made it into the NSFL. When AC goes down to Georgia to visit family, he makes a point to go by the gym where Davis trains.

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[Aenir]

Growing up, one of Chris' favorite players was Jim Miller, he was the quarterback for the first season Chris really paid attention to, (2001 Chicago Bears) and that kept his attention on football from an early age. He went 228/395 (57.7%) for 2,299 yards, with 13 TDs and 10 INTs and a 74.9 QBR in that season, and then later on when part of the post game show, he brought a bunch of humor and an interesting perspective to the game, which only further increased his interest and fondness of the game its only by sheer coincidence that Chris was able to be a QB like the player he admired so long ago. Another player that always had Chris' attention would be Charles Tillman (notice a theme yet?) Tillman was not always the fastest defender, or the strongest, but he studied the game, and was always working on his technique, hence the famed Peanut Punch, with which he forced 44 fumbles as a cornerback. It is this ability to study and work on the in game smarts and technique that Chris wants to emulate, that no matter what he does, he will be putting 100% effort forth into scheming and finding out opponents weaknesses

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