Being the guy after the guy is no easy gig
This week's campaign coverage:
- Hench: Spygate scandal a year later
- Marvez: NFL's power brokers
- Czar: Who has juice?
- Schein: Campaign spoilers
- Hasenmayer: Swing votes
- Schrager: This year's dark horses
Previously on the trail:
- Hench: Parcells vs. Cheney?
- Schein: Leaving office behind
- Hench: NFL's first ladies
- Schrager: Fantasy campaign planning
- Fantasy: 2008 electoral math
- Marvez: No Spin zone
- Czar: Liberals vs. conservatives
- Schrager: Running mates
- Hill: Party platforms/trends
- Bleacher: Best fan bases
Debates:
Ah, to be the "guy after the guy." In the world of dating, you're considered "the rebound" — not always a bad thing. In sports? Well, it's a little tougher than that. To fans, you're usually just "not the guy," and no matter what you do or accomplish in your tenure in that city with that team, you probably will never be embraced as anything more than "the other guy's replacement."
Of course, that's not always the case. Tee Martin led the Tennessee Volunteers to a BCS Championship a year after Peyton Manning graduated. Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and a host of others carried the load in the Giants backfield last season, helping ease any pain felt by fans after Tiki Barber's retirement with a Lombardi trophy. Carl Yastrzemszki replaced Ted Williams; Mickey Mantle replaced Joe DiMaggio.
Is Aaron Rodgers the next Mickey Mantle? Eh, probably not. But he probably isn't the worst quarterback to suit up for Green Bay, either.
Rodgers isn't the only "guy after the guy" in the NFL in 2008. With a rare amount of player movement for NFL stars this off-season and several future Hall of Famers hanging it up and calling it quits, the list of "guy after guy" replacements is unusually long.
Let's highlight three worth watching as the start of the regular season rapidly approaches.
1. Guy Replacing the Guy: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
The Guy: Brett Favre
In what could be viewed as a cruel joke by the football gods, the very same evening Brett Favre looked as sharp as ever in one quarter of preseason action with the Jets, Aaron Rodgers struggled mightily under center for the Packers. In a half of football against the Niners, Rodgers was sacked four times, did not get the Packers into the end zone once, and called signals for an offense that gained just 46 yards in two quarters. Meanwhile, out in Jersey, Favre was all smiles, Giants Stadium was abuzz, and the Jets O was sizzling.
Rodgers will have to get used to this. The "while Brett's doing X, Aaron did Y" highlight package will undoubtedly be a prominent piece of sports highlight shows across the country on Sundays throughout this season. You can already hear Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick cracking wise and rolling over in laughter over the brilliance of their own quips with Bob Costas.
If Favre had been in Mississippi this season, doing whatever the retired Brett Favre does, the expectations and media scrutiny would have been tough on Rodgers. But now, with how the whole circus went down and the Packers ultimately choosing Rodgers over Favre, it could all become insufferable for the kid. For every interception thrown by No. 12 in green and yellow, there will be a highlight running somewhere of No. 4 in green and white, barking orders and marching his troops downfield successfully. After perhaps the most bizarre summer any first-year starter's ever had to endure, Rodgers now has to do more than just play well. He has to deliver. The Packers may not play the Jets until the year 2014, but in the fans' eyes, Rodgers will be up against Favre every week of the season. They say you make your bed and you lie in it. The Packers front office ultimately chose a 27-year-old bed from California over the cozy and beloved one from Mississippi. Sleepless nights for several parties may be the end result.
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In short, the stakes are high. Rodgers knows this. In a conversation earlier this month at Packers camp, he told FOXSports.com, "I know the pressure on me just following a legend. When you're in this situation — following a quarterback who's played for 16 years here and amassed the kind of numbers, records and things that he has — obviously the standards are high. I have high expectations for myself. I know my teammates have high expectations for my play. So does the coaching staff and personnel department. I know I'm expected to play at a high level, and I expect to do just that."
Perhaps the most poignant message regarding the Favre-Rodgers situation came from a young fan's sign caught by the TV cameras at the Packers' preseason opener with Cincinnati last Monday.
The sign, held high by a young Cheesehead in a No. 4 jersey, said, "Dear Aaron: Please Don't Suck. Sincerely, Packers fans."
He'll give it his best shot not to, kid.
2. Guy Replacing the Guy: Justin Tuck, New York Giants
The Guy: Michael Strahan
Though nobody knew it at the time, Super Bowl XLII marked a passing of the torch of sorts in New York. In what ended up being Michael Strahan's last game in a Giants uniform, third-year man Justin Tuck — his ultimate successor on the defensive line — had a national coming-out party. Tuck was a terror that evening, spending the majority of the game in the Patriots backfield, giving the New England offensive line fits. The Patriots had not been held below 20 points all season; they scored just 14 that night. Tom Brady was knocked down 23 times. Tuck recorded five tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble. He was the best player on the field.
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| Justin Tuck introduced himself to Tom Brady several times at the Super Bowl. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP / Getty Images) |
After months of deliberation, Strahan hung 'em up officially and retired in early June. He'll go down as one of the most beloved Giants in franchise history, but fans aren't exactly making funeral arrangements for their defensive line in '08. In truth, the D-Line — the team's greatest strength in '07 — is still one of the league's best.
Tuck, who signed a contract extension just prior to the Super Bowl last season, will cause fits for opposing offensive lines throughout the league this season. Having played mostly at DT over the first three years of his career, the former Golden Domer will be the successor to Strahan at the left defensive end spot. He'll join Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora in what could be the league's best pass-rushing duo at defensive end.
No one's expecting Tuck to be Strahan. Six-time All-Pros do not grow on trees and replacing the franchise's all-time leading sacker (yes, that includes Lawrence Taylor) will be no easy task. But if Tuck plays at somewhere even close to the level he did in last season's Super Bowl, he should have no problem serving as a worthy "guy after the guy".
3. Guy Replacing the Guy: Jared Gaither, Baltimore Ravens
The Guy: Jonathan Ogden
Offensive linemen don't tend to get much individual attention. That is, of course, until they screw up. Everyone knows Eagles third-year tackle Winston Justice. Not for his great collegiate career or superior play in the 2007 preseason, but because Osi Umenyiora terrorized him en route to six sacks on national television last year.
So, if all goes well, you'll never hear Jared Gaither's name mentioned this season.
Slated to replace Jonathan Ogden at left tackle in Baltimore, the second-year kid out of Maryland will do his best to fill the shoes of a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. Ogden's resume — 11-time Pro Bowler, 9-time All-Pro, Super Bowl ring — is quite the body of work. Gaither, who like Ogden is a towering figure at 6-9, doesn't have the luxury of easing into those enormous shoes, either. After a strong rookie season in which he exceeded expectations, he'll be thrown into the fire in 2008, starting at the all-important LT spot.
The word out of Ravens camp is that Gaither's ready and should be just fine. But that Baltimore offensive line is anything but a sure thing. It's littered with youngsters and journeymen, like second-year guys Marshal Yanda and Ben Grubbs, a banged-up Adam Terry, and Jason Brown, potentially playing out of position at center. The depth chart reads like an article in the Onion — you're not sure if it's a joke or not.
Yes, the offensive line has the potential to be a nightmarish situation in Baltimore. And with the Kyle Boller/Troy Smith/Joe Flacco trio not exactly lighting it up this preseason at quarterback, there's reason to be skeptical of the state of the Ravens offense in '08.
But who knows? Maybe Gaither and the other kids on the O-Line deliver.
Jared Gaither won't be the next Jonathan Ogden. No one in Baltimore ever will. But perhaps he can survive the season without anyone knowing his name. He — and Ravens fans across the country — would be more than happy with that.
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