Tampa Bay at Carolina, Week 14
Monday, 8:30 p.m.
With a pair of 9-3 teams battling for divisional supremacy and the inside track to a first-round playoff bye with only four weeks left in the season, the Monday nighter is a Big Game. But it may well be decided by a pair of Little Guys. Tampa Bay and Carolina feature the league's premier players who, by NFL standards, are startling small in physical stature: Warrick Dunn for the Buccaneers and Steve Smith for the Panthers. Dunn, listed at 5-feet-9 and 180 pounds, is the granddaddy of the current crop of Little Guys, having been drafted way back in 1997. That year saw the selection of backs like Tiki Barber, Corey Dillon, Duce Staley and Antowain Smith, but it's the smallest of them all who's the only one still playing professional football. Tampa Bay got nine games out of Earnest Graham before losing him to an ankle injury and it recently has had Carnell Williams come back from a severe knee injury, but it has been able to rely on Dunn all season. The 33-year-old (which is positively ancient for a running back) leads the team with 640 rushing yards on 145 carries, a very healthy 4.4 yards-per-carry average, and two touchdowns. Dunn also has 244 yards on 31 catches, making him the Bucs' third-leading receiver. "Some things you can't put into words, like that guy's toughness," linebacker Derrick Brooks told the St. Petersburg Times.
Certainly, no one is doubting Smith's toughness, or his talent. The Carolina wide receiver checks in at only 5-feet-9 and 185 pounds, but he is universally hailed as one of the NFL's most dangerous players. Smith leads the Panthers with 52 receptions for 958 yards and four touchdowns. His receptions are good for sixth in the NFL and his 18.4 yards-per-catch average has him fifth among players with at least 22 catches. Just last week, Smith more or less won the game for his team with a leaping, twisting grab at Green Bay that put his team at the 1-yard line with 1:30 left to play. Oh, and the play came against Charles Woodson, one of the league's top cornerbacks. "That's the great Steve Smith," defensive end Julius Peppers said afterwards. "He does that. He does those things. We see that all the time."
But the Bucs and Panthers aren't the only teams enjoying the services of Munchkin-like dynamos. A list of players who contribute regularly to their teams' offenses (even if their primary role is a special-teamer) while standing no more than 5-feet-9 and weighing no more than 205 includes: Bears WR Rashied Davis (5-9, 187); Bills WR Roscoe Parrish (5-9, 171); Browns RB Jerome Harrison (5-9, 205); Chargers RB Darren Sproles (5-6, 181); Colts RB Dominic Rhodes (5-9, 203); Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw (5-9, 198); Jets RB Leon Washington (5-8, 202); Ravens RB Ray Rice (5-8, 205); Saints WR Lance Moore (5-9, 190); and Texans RB Steve Slaton (5-9, 203). The Patriots, always at the forefront of any effective NFL trend, have not one, but two Little Guys: RB Kevin Faulk (5-8, 202) and WR Wes Welker (5-9, 185).
And we have to give a shout-out to some of the Little Guys who paved the way, such as Lionel "Little Train" James (5-6, 171), Dave Meggett (5-7, 180) and Joe Morris (5-7, 190). And last but certainly not least, we can't go without mention of the greatest Little Guy of his, or just about any other, time: 5-foot-8, 203-pound Barry Sanders.
And in case you doubt the value of the Little Guy, consider that the bottom six teams in the NFL -- the Lions, Bengals, Rams, Seahawks, Chiefs and Raiders -- with a combined record of 10-61-1, have no one who qualified for the list, although Seattle would have had one (and might have a better record) if Deion Branch (5-9, 192) had stayed healthy enough to have had more of an impact.
Also, for fans of a certain local team who might be wondering, Santana Moss is listed at 5-10. Close, but not little enough!
By
Desmond Bieler
|
December 4, 2008; 9:00 AM ET
| Category:
Crime
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Game Previews Week 14
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