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September 5, 2006
Under Pressure
As the 2006 NFL season embarks upon us, there are many
players who are more important to their respective team than others. With their
importance also comes pressure from their coaches, teammates, ownership, media,
and maybe the biggest source of pressure, the fans. It is how these players
handle the situations that they are in will be a key in the success of their
team. Here are the top ten players with the most pressure on them for the
2006-07 season.
10. Larry Johnson
Johnson is coming off of a monster season. He stepped in
last year for an injured Priest Holmes and never looked back. Johnson has
quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s elite running backs and for you
fantasy geeks, he is rated as the top player by many fantasy football sources.
In reality, Johnson is going to be the focal point of
Kansas City’s
offense under new head coach Herman Edwards. If Johnson is able to run wild
again this year, the Chiefs should be contending for the AFC West crown.
However, if Johnson is shut down, the Chiefs will be sitting at home in January.
9. Peyton Manning
Say what you want to about the greatness of Peyton Manning,
but the bottom line is this guy has not got it done during the playoffs. This
year, Manning will be without All Pro running back Edgerrin James, who signed
with the Arizona Cardinals. Manning will have to lead the Colts without an
established running back, which should suit him just fine, as he is the best
passer in the league. When it comes to a pressure situation, Manning has folded
in the past, but will look to change history this season.
8. Daunte Culpepper
The list of quarterbacks since Dan Marino left has been
ugly. Culpepper, coming off of a severe knee injury, changes all of that. He
is the best quarterback to hit the field in
South Florida since the Hall
of Famer, Marino, retired. Culpepper has the ability to throw the deep ball to
deep threat Chris Chambers, as well as to move around in the pocket. After
having a solid season under first year head coach Nick Saban last year, Miami
has the look of a team that is ready to take over the New England Patriots as
AFC Champions. All of this will depend on how Culpepper performs.
7. Terrell Owens
I know everyone is sick of hearing about T.O., but he will
be very instrumental in
Dallas’
success this season. There is no questioning Owens’ talent as he is one of the
best receivers in the game. No doubt, if Owens is out on the field, the Cowboys
will be better. The worry for Dallas is whether or not T.O. can behave himself,
meaning to not destroy the locker room chemistry. Now if Owens can keep his
mouth shut, he will have a tremendously positive impact for the Dallas offense.
6. Ray Lewis
Every year the Baltimore Ravens are hyped up to have a
great, Super Bowl caliber team with a dominating defense. Every year they seem
to disappoint in both aspects. There has been a ton of talk this year that with
the addition of Steve McNair at quarterback that the Ravens will once again be
in the AFC playoff picture. In fact, McNair commented that Lewis and the
Ravens’ defense will not be on the field nearly as much as they have been.
Whether they are or not does not matter. What does matter is Lewis’ play. It
has clearly been slipping over the past few seasons and a lot of people are
seeing that except for Lewis and the fans of the team. It should be expected
that McNair will make
Baltimore better, but if Lewis slips, as the leader of their defense, the Ravens
will once again be out of the playoff picture.
5. Eli Manning
The New York Giants are a legitimate Super Bowl contender
this season. Much of that, though, will hinge on the play of third year
quarterback Eli Manning. Manning showed star potential last season with his
yardage and touchdown numbers. His interceptions and passing percentage leave a
lot to be desired. If Manning struggles with those two categories again this
season, the Giants will still have a solid, playoff team, but they will not be
able to contend for a Championship.
4. Reggie Bush
There has not been a more hyped player coming out of
college in a long time. Reggie Bush is expected to be a great playmaker. He
has had comparisons to Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders. Bush has not played a
down in the NFL yet. While he did show some potential in the preseason, Bush
will be going against starting caliber players come week one. Also, one of his
biggest assets, speed, will not be as much as an advantage in the pro game as
NFL defenses are much faster than college defenses. In addition to having to
handle the hype, Bush is also a part of a
New Orleans team that is
rebuilding from the devastation of the hurricane last year. He is expected to
add some excitement for the people of New Orleans. That may be more pressure
than leading the Saints to wins, at least for this year.
3. Mario Williams
Do not blame Mario Williams for being the top selection in
this year’s draft. In fact, you should congratulate him. Put blame on the
Texans for not selecting Reggie Bush. Even though Williams did not make the
decision to be the top overall pick, although I am sure he does not mind the
money, Williams will have the constant pressure of being the guy that was taken
instead of Bush. Week-to-week Williams will be compared to Reggie. If Bush
makes a highlight reel run or scores a touchdown, Williams will be put down.
Williams will have to put up at least a sack of game for people to get off of
his back, but that is unrealistic. Mario can have a solid season, stopping the
run, causing disruption on the line, putting pressure on the quarterback, plus
sacks and forced fumbles. However, many of those stats will go unnoticed.
While Williams did not call for this pressure, he will have to face it and not
let it bother him if he wants to succeed.
2. Jake Plummer
Everybody’s favorite player is the backup quarterback.
This is especially the case when the backup is a first round rookie. Jay Culter
had a solid preseason that has Broncos’ fans excited. Despite leading
Denver to the AFC
Championship game last year, Plummer has the pressure of Cutler that will
constantly be pushing him. He has to win this year or else he will be sent back
to the bench, or more likely shipped out of town at the end of the season.
1.
Carson
Palmer
The Bengals made the playoffs for the first time in a long
time last season, but their hopes and dreams were ended by the eventual Super
Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Star quarterback, Carson Palmer, was injured
in that game and made a speedy recovery to be ready for the season opener. The
Bengals offseason was cluttered with distractions though, mainly arrests of a
lot of players.
Cincinnati also failed to address needs on their defense. Palmer will have to
forget about his knee as he will be needed to outscore their opponents. This
team reminds me a lot of the old Colts, before they addressed their defense.
Will Palmer choke like the Colts’ Manning did, or will he handle the pressure of
being able to lead his team in pressure of big game situations? This season
will be a good test for Palmer.
Spectacle of the 2006 draft
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