Also from Sports Illustrated: The nicest player in the NFL, the trade that shaped the Division Series and Brandon Jennings’ Twitter hoops tour
Posted: October 5, 2011 Filed under: Lee Jenkins, Players Poll, Tom Verducci, Weekly Issue | Tags: brandon jennings twitter, curtis granderson, desean jackson bullying, mlb division series, NBA Lockout, nicest nfl player, tim tebow, troy polamalu, yankees tigers diamondbacks trade Comments Off
You’ve seen all three of this week’s Oct. 10 covers and read about the rise of both the Lions and Alabama’s defense and seen our NHL predictions. Here’s what else is in this week’s issue, on newsstands now.
SI PLAYERS NFL POLL
Who is the nicest player in football? (page 17)
- Troy Polamalu, Steelers S….8%
- Drew Brees, Saints QB….6%
- Peyton Manning, Colts QB….4%
- Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals WR….4%
- Matt Hasselbeck, Titans QB….3%
[Based on 272 NFL players who responded to SI’s survey]
FAST FACTS: Polamalu, the 2010 Defensive Player of the Year, is known for his devastating hits (any chance Joe Flacco voted for him?), but he has clearly made an impact with his personality as well. He, Eagles CB Nnamdi Asomugha (2%) and Broncos S Brian Dawkins (1%) are the only defensive players in the top 15. (Eight of those first 15 are QBs.) In a Facebook poll Broncos QB Tim Tebow (39%) was the fans’ pick for Mr. Nice Guy.
Editor’s Letter from Terry McDonell: How We Get Those Stories
Posted: August 31, 2011 Filed under: Editor's Letter, Peter King, Terry McDonell, Tim Layden | Tags: nfl preview, sean payton, troy polamalu Comments OffNote: This Editor’s Letter appears in the Sept. 5, 2011, issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands now.
Reporting is the essence of journalism, the one thing that has to be right, the place where knowledge meets heart. Here is Peter King reporting on the NFL’s new hybrid defenses (page 46), interviewing Saints coach Sean Payton, who gets out of his chair and challenges King to come up with the single word that best characterizes the NFL in 2011:
“Here’s what happens in the game today,” Payton said, ticking off the play clock. “Quarterback breaks the huddle at 17. He goes to the line. Sixteen, 15, 14, 13. He’s probing the defense. ‘Purple 57! Purple 57! SetHUT!!’ That’s not a snap count. It’s information gathering. [The offense] knows he’s not snapping on a dark color. For some teams it’s a color, for others it might be ice cream flavors—just as long as the offense knows and the defense doesn’t. On defense they’re thinking, ‘Hold it, hold it, hold it. Don’t show the quarterback anything.’ The offense is saying, ‘Who’s who? Who are we blocking? How do we attack it?’
“Twelve, 11, 10, 9. Quarterback sees some movement on the defense; he knows it might be phony. Eight, 7, 6. ‘CHECKCHECK! Yellow 36! Yellow 36!’ Now it’s the real thing, an audible. Quarterback’s guessing what he sees. For the defense it’s still ‘Hold it, hold it, hold it.’ Five, 4, 3. ‘SetHUTHUT!!’ Now he snaps—and he has to read the defense while he’s figuring where to go with the ball against guys trying to make sure he has no idea what they’re playing.”
