People may consider an awe crush a man-crush, however, I do believe they are a bit different. When people use the term “man-crush”, I get the feeling people are crazy enough to be a servant to a celebrity and do absolutely anything they ask. Anything. An awe crush has more to do with respect. I respect these athletes because they are the best at what they do. If you don’t respect the absolute best then your value system may be a little skewed and that’s perfectly acceptable. Everyone has different perceptions of what the best is or what they like, but liking mediocrity says something about yourself. However, liking a guy like Reggie Evans or Rasheed Wallace just shows how closely you follow your sport and your idea of awesomeness, which is almost better than liking the best. Back to the point, the following list are not men that I actually have a crush on but who I admire because their ability is a level above everyone else. I may actually use this idea for another post but for now we’ll stick to football.
Tom Brady
His personal life has nothing to do with why I like him although it is still interesting enough to put him over the top. He ended a relationship with Bridget Moynahann shortly after he found out she was having his baby and then started dating Gisele Bundchen while Moynahan was pregnant. That is such a bizarre move to find out you impregnated a hot chick and then leave her for another supermodel during the process. That aside, I salute Tom Brady for what he does on the football field. His passes are accurate and sharp and he rarely throws interceptions. He brings an aura of confidence that is hardly found in any QB aside from maybe Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning. My feeling is that he’s the smartest player on the football field at all times. In 10 seasons he’s been to the Superbowl 5 times, won 3 times and probably should have won the other two. He went from an approx 2:1 TD to INT ratio for the first 6 seasons of his career to a few staggering totals in recent years:
2007: 50-8
2009: 28-13
2010: 36-4
2011: 39-12
2012: 30-6
Tom Brady just owns life.
Cam Newton
I like Cam strictly for Fantasy value. I tout Cam as the best fantasy QB and I was glad to see him finally live up to expectations at the end of the year. Cam’s ceiling is higher for fantasy points than practically any other QB. Sure the Panthers suck and he has a major attitude problem but one thing is for certain, this guy wants to win. I think it’s great that he cops a major attitude when he loses games. Somebody who doesn’t give a shit that they are always losing isn’t the guy you are looking for to run a team. I’m not arguing that Cam is that guy because he showed how inconsistent he can be early in the season. I just think this guy has the ability to be around for a long time and will put up numbers that will break NFL records. He’s young and will continue to dominate.
Adrian Peterson
A-Pete is the best running back in the league, period. I heard that on third and fourth and 1, when the other team knows he is getting the ball, he was averaging about 8 yards a carry. The guy is unstoppable. He has a speed unlike other backs in the league. Once he gets in the open field he is gone. He’s also amazing at making something happen on plays that look like they should have ended. The fact that he was trying to chase down the single season rushing record is amazing after, hold on, he recovered from a torn ACL/MCL at the END OF THE LAST SEASON. He is unquestionably the best back currently and potentially of all time if he keeps it up.
Other guys who are shooting up my list and a few who have fallen off:
Rising Stars:
Dez Bryant
Michael Crabtree
Russell Wilson
Colin Kapernick
Percy Harvin
Fallen Off:
Jamaal Charles – He’s still great but he’s too hit or miss. Get him on a better team and he’ll prevail.
Darren McFadden – The injuries just prevent me from liking him too much.
Antonio Brown – I still expect big things out of Antonio but an injury plagued season never helps.
Perhaps watch this on MUTE – but I think Peterson has some stiff competition. He may be the closest player to Sanders in a long time. But just like Sanders, he is mired on a team with no real direction to be competitive during his career. Both create from scrimmage – not screens or misdirection. There is a fundamental difference between a scheme/play confusing a defense enough to create space – versus literally running into them and confusing them (and creating space) with your ability. Barry may be the only reason the Lions retained their Thanksgiving Day game prestige over all those dismal years for the franchise.
http://youtu.be/UUVFZYYzHPU
I will openly admit I have an Awe Crush on Tom Brady. I can’t help but root for the guy in every situation just because I want to tell younger generations that I witnessed one of the best ever. This is the same reason that I root for Kobe.
I thought I had a man-crush on Ryan Braun (for fantasy baseball purposes), but you’ve helped me realize the proper term for this. Thank you.