Comparisons

I hate to do it but I really can't help myself. I think that it's wrong to compare football players. Every player is different. Like snowflakes. Around draft time, prospects are always compared to established NFL veterans. The comparisons are done simply to help us better understand the skills of the youngster. I remember Ashley Lelie being compared to Randy Moss. Tall. Fast. Why not? It's no real stretch to say that Lelie, while a decent receiver, never lived up to the comparison. As much as I hate comparing players in this manner, I routinely do so. Sometimes I do it without even realizing that I'm doing it. "Hey, that elusive back reminds me of a young Barry Sanders." I suppose that it can be an honor to be considered the standard for a skill or a position. It really does the youngster no good to suddenly be saddled with the expectations that come with these comparisons. Young players with terrific skills probably still enjoy these comparisons. No matter how much they hope to make their own mark they likely don't mind being seen with NFL potential or similar to an NFL star.

Still, I find myself always doing what I claim to despise. I see John Randle in Geno Atkins. I see some Derrick Thomas in Von Miller. I see a very chatty Lester Hayes in Richard Sherman. I can't help myself.

I love it when a player comes along that defies comparisons. A player that brings a new mold for his unique skills. Heading into the 2013 NFL Draft, I saw an entire article comparing Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones. At that point I hadn't seen enough of Patterson to agree or disagree with the comparison. I knew that the two pass catchers have similar size and speed but that was about it. I've come to realize that now Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is a new kind of football player. I know of no other receiver, past or present, that is 6'3" and 220 lbs with Patterson's movement skills. He runs with the ball like a smaller receiver. He may have the size of Julio Jones but he moves more like Percy Harvin and Randall Cobb. He leaves defenders grasping at air like no other receiver his size. He's a unique football talent. If he keeps working at it he could become a very unique football player. I may even, reluctantly, compare young football players to him one day.

Another unique football talent is Adrian Peterson. He's unlike any back that I've ever seen.