Players that have won you over

Reason · Post by **Reason** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:12 am

aka players you used to hate but now either respect, like, or love

my first one:

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ThaJim2 · Post by **ThaJim2** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:28 pm

Emmitt Smith here too well before he went back down for his awful post career work.

I used to be a Barry Sander's guy but the most I got into what actually works in football the more I came to reaslise that Smith was much more valuable he really was than Sanders*. Its better to get that 4 to 6 yards nearly every time with very under 2 yard runs than it is to have a bunch of 9 plus runs and a bunch of under 2 runs. The only RB I have in the last 20ish years above Smith at this point is Faulk who really is under appreciated for how great he was. Faulk had the least amount of bad runs of anyone in recent history plus he was the best pass catcher out of the back field and a very good to great at blitz pick up. LT2 is close to Smith and another guy I came around too I really thought he was going to bust.

*Granted there were a couple of years where Sanders boom bust was so much more boom than bust he really was producing the most value.

pennsylvania jones · Post by **pennsylvania jones** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:37 pm

As a Cowboys fan, I always heard the "But Smith had that massive O-line". I never denied that. But the man could run as well. And he played TOUGH and HURT. People always liked to compare Sanders and Smith. Why would you? Barry was the better pure runner. Smith was the better all around back. I love Barry Sanders, but Smith is Smith and he did what he did.
You can't take that away.

BRAZ · Post by **BRAZ** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:56 pm

Tom Brady

alpha · Post by **alpha** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 4:14 pm

Some NHL Love.

Sidney Crosby, the "kid" has finally come back from a bad concussion. He's said all the right things and he's shown a maturity on the ice that was lacking earlier in his career. The NHl needs him.

also,

Patrick Marleau, a name few may know. But a man who shows up for work and does his job. His on-ice game can be maddening at times but a class act I respect after calling for his head 2 years ago.

Positive A · Post by **Positive A** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 4:44 pm

I've got to ditto Sid too. NH. I was never a fan and tried every way possible to say he wasn't the best in the league.

But he's head and shoulders above everyone. Brilliant, all time player.

Reason · Post by **Reason** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:42 pm

^^
can some of yall elaborate on why sidney is so special? i ask out of ignorance and also as a layman i would see the statistics and be more overwhelmed by ovechkin for example, even stamkos

alpha · Post by **alpha** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 7:55 pm

Reason wrote:^^
can some of yall elaborate on why sidney is so special? i ask out of ignorance and also as a layman i would see the statistics and be more overwhelmed by ovechkin for example, even stamkos

some could argue ovie is better. stamkos maybe someday. sids skating, vision, passing and ability to make his teammates better is top notch. edit: the way sid was playing last year he was the best. sid is the most hated

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Sat Nov 26, 2011 8:26 pm

alpha wrote:
Reason wrote:^^
can some of yall elaborate on why sidney is so special? i ask out of ignorance and also as a layman i would see the statistics and be more overwhelmed by ovechkin for example, even stamkos
some could argue ovie is better.

I don't think anyone can make that argument anymore. I don't think Ovi is better than crosby at any facet of the game anymore.

Tweak Da Leak · Post by **Tweak Da Leak** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:00 am

I realize I start to like superstars that enter the twilight of their career

hated shaq on the magic/lakers started to turn around during his run with the heat.

Despised Duncan through his championship years, turned around on him around 4 years ago.

Everybody knows I always ragged on kobe, but now I appreciate bean bryant, even making room for him at #10 of the all time greatest list.

ThaJim2 · Post by **ThaJim2** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:26 am

Tweak Da Leak wrote: Despised Duncan through his championship years, turned around on him around 4 years ago.
.

I have to ask how can you hate Duncan? Isn't he kind of too boring to hate?

ric · Post by **ric** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:20 am

i respect brady more than i used to. hes still a system little bitch, but he constantly works on his game and achieves tangible results in a way few qbs do. for example, this season he doesnt rattle so easily when pressure comes and he rothels it up a little bit, (see miami(?) game recently). i can respect the mans unending drive to work on his weaknesses. of course, its easier to feel better about yourself when you get to stand around 95% of the time.

Positive A · Post by **Positive A** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:21 am

an-also wrote:
alpha wrote:
Reason wrote:^^
can some of yall elaborate on why sidney is so special? i ask out of ignorance and also as a layman i would see the statistics and be more overwhelmed by ovechkin for example, even stamkos
some could argue ovie is better.
I don't think anyone can make that argument anymore. I don't think Ovi is better than crosby at any facet of the game anymore.

Ovechkin is nothing compared to sid.

Stamkos benefits from playing with ballin ass marty st louis.

Sid sees the ice and thinks seconds ahead like gretzky did. He can skate majestically like denis savard or power ahead like messier. He can score from anywhere and is as good on his backhand as he is on his forehand. He will mix it up in front of the net like cam neely, will get dirty in the corners and along the boards, and is not intimidated by anyone. He throws the body and can punish silly skaters.

He is turning into the best captain in the game. I cant see how anyone wouldnt want to play with him and wouldnt like him as a teammate/leader.

Although iginla did the dirty work, sid scoring the gold winning goal was storybook.

No matter what the box score says, sids finger prints are on the outcome of every single game. He scored 4 pts in his first game in like 320 days. Nobody was surprised by that.

Gregg Popabitch · Post by **Gregg Popabitch** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:08 pm

ThaJim2 wrote:
Tweak Da Leak wrote: Despised Duncan through his championship years, turned around on him around 4 years ago.
.
I have to ask how can you hate Duncan? Isn't he kind of too boring to hate?

Everyone hated Duncan because he was boring.

It drove me insane.

an-also · Post by **an-also** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:14 pm

dirk Nowitzki. Looking back, I'm not even sure why I hated the dude. The guys great, funny and quirky. No reason to hate.

alpha · Post by **alpha** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:40 pm

Positive A wrote:
an-also wrote:
alpha wrote:
Reason wrote:^^
can some of yall elaborate on why sidney is so special? i ask out of ignorance and also as a layman i would see the statistics and be more overwhelmed by ovechkin for example, even stamkos
some could argue ovie is better.
I don't think anyone can make that argument anymore. I don't think Ovi is better than crosby at any facet of the game anymore.
Ovechkin is nothing compared to sid.

Stamkos benefits from playing with ballin ass marty st louis.

Sid sees the ice and thinks seconds ahead like gretzky did. He can skate majestically like denis savard or power ahead like messier. He can score from anywhere and is as good on his backhand as he is on his forehand. He will mix it up in front of the net like cam neely, will get dirty in the corners and along the boards, and is not intimidated by anyone. He throws the body and can punish silly skaters.

He is turning into the best captain in the game. I cant see how anyone wouldnt want to play with him and wouldnt like him as a teammate/leader.

Although iginla did the dirty work, sid scoring the gold winning goal was storybook.

No matter what the box score says, sids finger prints are on the outcome of every single game. He scored 4 pts in his first game in like 320 days. Nobody was surprised by that.

I retract the ovie statement. HEY GUYS LETS EDUCATE RZN ON HOCKEY. OK!!!

Sylissez · Post by **Sylissez** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:29 am

I will never like or respect Sid. He's a faggot and a pussy and flopping crybaby. Fuck him and his concussion.

I hate to be obvious, but I'm starting to turn around on Tebow (nh). I didn't like him in college, but I really didn't like the hate he was getting, considering he was just a kid. I don't care if he runs every single play, I've been rooting for him to win just to shove it down the haters throats. Yeah, the God stuff gets old, but shit, compared to players who thank their hands and their agents, I'll take Timmy thanking the big man.

Cash Rulz · Post by **Cash Rulz** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:26 pm

Tom Brady.

LT2.

Website · Post by **Random Sample** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:35 pm

Crosby is a master at every part of the game. He is essentially a grinder with insane offensive skills and vision. The only guy that can come close to him with his all around game is Datsyuk. Ovechkin and Stamkos are great offensive players, but they don't have the vision or all around game that Crosby has.

Speaking of which Datsyuk is the guy I now respect. I hated the Red Wings for years now. I can't deny how good Datsyuk is though. Dude is a magician on the ice.

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an-also · Post by **an-also** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 2:28 pm

I'm glad you brought up Datsyuk. Watching him day in and day out, I'm still amazing at the things he does every game. People don't realize how good and tough he is on the ice. Its because he a quiet guy. Him and Chara were going at it pretty good all game last week.
Here was the amazing goal he scored vs the bruins after hitting Boychuck
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naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 6:02 pm

Very surprised Noah is not mentioned in this thread...

Gregg Popabitch · Post by **Gregg Popabitch** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 6:20 pm

Kobe Bryant won me over since his petty days during the Shaq years which peaked with his snitching on Shaq. He has his selfish spells but he's a fucking baller.

Zach Randolph - the way he played this year was epic. I can't completely forgive him for the way he played on the Knicks when he was here but he's done a 180.

Amar'e - I always knew he didn't play defense and didn't rebound well for his position. That became even more glaringly obvious when he signed in NY. But I have a lot of respect for the way he carried the team until Melo got traded here.

Mike Conley - I thought he was done after his first couple years but he had a pretty solid season last season that made me change my mind on him.

alpha · Post by **alpha** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 8:17 pm

an-also wrote:I'm glad you brought up Datsyuk. Watching him day in and day out, I'm still amazing at the things he does every game. People don't realize how good and tough he is on the ice. Its because he a quiet guy. Him and Chara were going at it pretty good all game last week.
Here was the amazing goal he scored vs the bruins after hitting Boychuck
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Pavel is the fucking man. One of my favorite players to watch in the entire game.

Trademark · Post by **Trademark** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:42 pm

Tim Tebow....fuck you all...

naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:46 pm

ric wrote:i respect brady more than i used to. hes still a system little bitch, but he constantly works on his game and achieves tangible results in a way few qbs do. for example, this season he doesnt rattle so easily when pressure comes and he rothels it up a little bit, (see miami(?) game recently). i can respect the mans unending drive to work on his weaknesses. of course, its easier to feel better about yourself when you get to stand around 95% of the time.

I don't want to get in a Tom Brady discussion with you again, but that is crazy. He has had one of the best pocket presences of any QB in the league for a while now, this is nothing new.

Also, being able to stand around 95% of the time is just dumb.. NE pass protection has not been the best this year, there O line is full of injuries. Pass protection is Ranked 11th in the league and only reason they are that high is cause Brady is so good at avoiding sacks and getting the ball out of hands if possible. I wish I could find QB knockdown stats.

ric · Post by **ric** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:01 am

i thought it was generally accepted that the way to beat the pats was to get to brady and cover just long enough to do it. nyg? nyj? any other number of teams? who, when they to brady kill drives beyond the sack drive?

great in the pocket. not great bouncing back from a sack. not great at dealing with constant pressure.

naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:15 am

Do you understand what great in the pocket means? You are contradicting yourself. Him being great in the pocket is saying he is good under pressure and does not get rattled.

And yea, putting pressure on Brady and getting to him early and fast is a great plan.. As it is with every other QB in history. All of those games are more fault of O-line then Brady.

When you think about Tom Brady's pocket awareness, he's not very mobile, but, at the same time, he's elusive in the pocket. He really shows off his moxie by making a side step or fake to throw off the rush while keeping his eyes downfield looking for a short intermediate route.... Brady will maneuver effortlessly in buying himself more time to find receivers. -- Marcellus Wiley

Brady is not a scrambler, if that is what you wanted to say.

ric · Post by **ric** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:28 am

no YOU are contradicting yourself and that is not what i wanted to say. dont have a heart attack because someone is pointing out a flaw in your favorite qb (EVEN WHEN THAT PERSON IS APPLAUDING HIM FOR GETTING BETTER)

When you think about Tom Brady's pocket awareness, he's not very mobile, but, at the same time, he's elusive in the pocket. He really shows off his moxie by making a side step or fake to throw off the rush while keeping his eyes downfield looking for a short intermediate route.... Brady will maneuver effortlessly in buying himself more time to find receivers. -- Marcellus Wiley

this IS what im talking about. he moves well and feels it out. he just doesnt bounce back, and has problems when things break down, which is NOT something the quote even discusses. rothels, on the other hand, is an example on the polar opposite in that sense. dude was and still is getting sacked huge every year (although part of it is his fault some of the time) and manages to play with a wierd, rothels style consistency.

what i said and meant before is that i havent seen brady really scramble around when things completely break down, and bounce back with the calmness, like he has been able to do sometimes this season, and isnt that laudable, among many other things he works to improve?

stop

Reason · Post by **Reason** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 2:06 am

STOP. we're not turning this into a shitfest, folks. one warning only, next is deleting posts. back to the topic. you guys got a full argument in before i dove in so no more.

binary · Post by **binary** » Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:29 am

Dirk, Kobe, Alex Smith.....yes, Alex Smith.