(S2) - Weekend PT #6 - Childhood Hero

[Admin]

This PT will run for the weekend only.

Every young player looks up to a professional player in one way or another. They may be on their favorite team, be the best at their position, or just be a player they met once who was nice to them.

Your Task:
Written: Write about your favorite player growing up. Why were they your favorite?. Must be at least 200 words

Or

Grafx: Create a signature featuring your favorite player growing up.

Gain
2 TPE for completing the task in full

Deadline: Sunday night, 11:59PM PST

[Admin]

Growing up, Josh Gardens favorite player was easily Jerry Rice. It shouldn't be any secret why a young receiver would look up to not only the greatest receiver to ever play the game but also the greatest single player to ever play the game. Josh Garden watched Jerry Rice play well past the age that any other receiver could at a high level. Age didn't matter, Rice still dominated. While Josh Garden may not have followed the work Rice did to a tee, he still learned many lessons from watching the great one play. Jerry Rice's work ethic was second to none and his desire to not be beaten drove him to greatness. While Garden didn't find the work ethic until after he had been removed from several leagues he always shared Rice's desire to win. Garden takes pride in how much he despises losing and will work his tail off in order to be the best player he can be, to not be beaten by the opponent he is facing. This has been the biggest reason to Josh Gardens' success, and now that he has found the worth ethic to match his talent and his desires he is showing what he is truly capable of.

206 words

[Muford]

Vincent Sharpei’s childhood hero is one that not a lot of people know about. Willie Roaf was someone that touched Sharpei’s heart at a young age. Vincent was always bigger than the other kids, and was always just in the way sort of. On Sundays though Vince could just sit back and watch his Idol go to work while he played for New Orleans, and then Kansas City. Roaf always just stood out to Sharpei, and someone he would end up modeling his game after. They are both the same size, standing at 6’5 and both weigh roughly the same, with Sharpei at 315 and Roaf at 320. Roaf earned the nickname “Nasty” during his time in the NFL, and just watching his old film, Sharpei could see why. This is the man that has shown Sharpei the way to the Line, and something that he will be forever grateful to watch. Roaf was a leader on those lines he anchored for years, and it that stood out to Sharpei more than anything. Not the work ethic, or the desire to win, but the simple fact that he was a voice to be heard and a leader on the line for many years. One day Vincent hopes he can meet his idol, and pick his brain for more information on how to be great like Willie.

(226 words)

[4D Chess]

Growing up in the early 2000's as a Lions fan was anything but easy. Just ask CA Chess, current WR of the Arizona Outlaws, who grew up fanatically following the Lions. Detroit seemed to always have players that would fill you with hope and promise and potential only to descend into obscurity at a unprecedented rate (looking at you: Charles Rogers). The 0-16 season, Orvlosky's safety, the bullshit possession call against the Bears, the weak ass flag Dez begged for in the playoffs, for all of those moments Chess looked on -- his dreams crushed each time.

There was only one player in those years worth rooting for. He was consistent, loyal, hard working and an expert at his craft. Calvin Johnson? No. Barry Sanders? No. Those two players were great but Chess admired the Kicker Jason Hanson who was the model of loyalty and expertise. His number 4 jersey was about the only thing a Lions fan could look forward to seeing on Sunday afternoons. In fact, Chess used to get up and get a snack or use the bathroom anytime the Lions would attempt a field goal because he was so unbelievably certain that Hanson would nail the kick. It's hard to believe that such an athlete would look up to the kicker, but ask any kids who grew up watching the Lions during those "lean years" and they'll tell you unequivocally that Jason Hanson belongs in Canton.

239 words

[Ltsmashie]

Luke Tiernan grew up as a fan of the San Francisco 49ers, so no real surprise that the Irishman looked up to "the inconvenient truth" frank Gore as his idol.

Indeed he has credited the superstar Running Back as part of the reason why he started off his life as a running back with Notre Dame, he wanted to emulate the man that wowed him as a child.

During his ten seasons with the Red and Gold of the 49ers, Frank Gore only failed to pass 1000 yards rushing on two occasions, famed for his work ethic and his tenacious style of running, Gore is destined for the Hall of Fame when he eventually hangs up his cleats.

Tiernan has never got to meet his hero, however they do frequently trade messages on Twitter, however this has dropped off slightly since the Irishman moved position from Running Back to Linebacker.

Rumour has it that Gore put Tiernan in contact with his former teammate Patrick Willis as soon as news came out that Tiernan was looking to switch positions to Linebacker, with the now retired Willis flying into Colorado to have a meal with Tiernan. Nice guy that Frank Gore.

[Noppadet]

[Daybe]

Alas, Daybe was a young lad one day, as he was watching the Seattle Seahawks play on a rather uneventful Sunday so far. The date was January 8, 2011. The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks were preparing to take on the heavy favorites, the 11-5 New Orleans Saints. Daybe was a believer, he thought the Seahawks could win it against the odds. He knew the Saints were a good team, and knew it would have to take a great performance to stop the Saints quarterback Drew Brees. That hope did not fade away after several miscues, including Olindo Mare starting off the game by kicking the ball off out of bounds. He watched the game attentively as it went on.

Fast forward

It was 34-30 with the Seahawks hanging on. 2nd & 10. About four minutes left to play. Hasselbeck handed off to Lynch. Lynch broke a tackle. Lynch avoided another. Lynch cut up field! LYNCH WAS GOING TO SCORE! DAYBE WAS GOING WILD! LYNCH WITH ONE MAN TO BEAT! STIFF ARMS HIM TO THE GROUND! THE CROWD IS GOING WILD! LYNCH SCORES!

Later, the Seahawks won 41-36. Daybe was extremely happy that day. Even if the Seahawks lost their next game, Daybe would always remember that game.

206

[sapp2013]

In 2010 one player stood out above everyone else, and it was 10-year vet, Jay Feely. You may say, "why a kicker?" well, for most of the season, he was the Arizona Cardinals Offense. Even though they only went 5-11 on the season, Jay's play really stood out to me and had me realize that I could really be a factor for my team no matter what position I play. Jay's biggest accomplishment that season was scoring 35 consecutive points for the Cardinals between weeks 11 and 14. thats right, no one else on the cardinals team touched the ball in the endzone during that time period. endzone? yes, feely even scored a touchdown because the offense was just that incompetent. He also set the record for most consecutive points in a single game, 22 points to start off against the denver broncos in which he would eventually add another fieldgoal to his performance. This loss was so devastating for the broncos, that they sat Kyle Orton for the remainder of the season and started Their 27th overall rookie, Tim Tebow, at quarterback. If that doesnt tell you how magical Jay Feely was, nothing will. He ended the season by having his 3rd best kicking performance, nailing just over 88% of his fieldgoals and making all 29 of his extra points.

(222 words)

[Dangles13]

I like to think this has been covered at length but my favourite player growing up was Weapon X. Brian Dawkins. It wasn't just that he played for my local team growing up or that he was one of the most dynamic players in the league. It was that he the working mans hero, he worked his butt off and he always remembered to give back to those that made him what he was. Dawkins was a frequent in schools and hospitals and was not afraid to mix it up with the lower class families of Philly. Now that being said I absolutely love the man we call Weapon X or Wolverine because he was one bad motherf***ker on the field and people feared him. Anyone remember that hit on Alge Crumpler? He popped him so hard that play was stopped for several minutes because he had the shit knocked out of him. A safety made a tight end regret his decision to play football and for that he earned the love and adoration the Philly faithful. The final and often most under looked part of Dawkins skill set though was his abilities as a cerebral player. He was so damn smart and knew who was doing what and when they were doing it. He is my hero and I hope I can be half the man he was when all is said and done.

[RedCydranth]

Marc Spector was not one of those kids who was drastically into sports. He was more of a thinker and a brainiac and idolized guys like Nikolai Tesla and Carl Sagan. When he did watch football, on the rare occasion that it was, he was drawn to Wide Receivers. Marc played Wide Receiver in high school and was always a huge fan of the underloved players.

Being in the New York area, guys like Wayne Chrebet and Ike Hilliard appealed to him. They didn't carry a me first attitude like the Terrell Owens or Chad Johnsons of the NFL. Guys who showed up, did their best every week and didn't complain or cry after a loss. It was those men who Marc had tremendous respect for. It wasn't always about the stat lines, but about doing what they could week in and out to get their teams a win. When Marc decided to become a player in High School he modeled himself after them and that type of work ethic.

When he switched to Cornerback in college, he had begun watching a lot more tape from NFL seasons past. Champ Bailey, from the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins stood out as a guy who could really do everything Marc wanted to on the field. He studied his tape and emulated his game after Bailey's. Even still he has a small sticker with the number 24 in his locker, as inspiration to be as much like Champ as he can.

(249 words)