ESPN has taken a poll of 304 NFL players to find out the answers to such questions as who they would want on their team if they went to the Super Bowl, what rules are most consequential, and what players are most likely to win future Super Bowls.
Among the players, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady came in for high praise. Nearly half of the players, 44 percent, said they would want Brady as the QB in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl to make one throw into the end zone to win the game. Brady also was the top choice of what player they’d want to play on their Super Bowl team.
The Patriots was also chosen as the team that will make the most Super Bowl appearances in the next ten years.
However, when asked which quarterback would win the most Super Bowls over the next ten years, the players chose Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
As to running backs, the players gave the nod to Seattle Seahawks Marshawn Lynch as theRB they’d most want to carry the ball in the last Super Bowl play that could win the game. The Seahawks disastrously bypassed Lynch in favor of throwing the ball on their final offensive play of last year’s Super Bowl.
The players also expressed their surprise that Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis hasn’t taken a team to the Super Bowl by now.
The desire to win a Super Bowl was also evident with the bulk of players saying they would take a deal to trim three years off the end of their careers in exchange for a Super Bowl win.
A series of technical questions were also asked of the players. Respondents said all referee calls at the Super Bowl should not be reviewed, they hoped the big game wouldn’t be played outside the U.S. over the next ten years, and the catch rule is the one rule that will most impact the game.
Finally, Beyonce lost to pop singer Drake as the entertainer the players would most like to see putting on the halftime show.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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