Great Nice player or Great Mean player?

[arglebargle]

I agree. I'll take guys like Lee Roy Jordan who was as tough as they come on the field and as nice as could be off it. He was very intelligent and was the key to the "Flex Defense" because of his smarts. He was the leader on defense and NO ONE messed with Lee Roy.

I never met him but I did see him smiling and joking with some kids while signing autographs after a game once. It just stuck with me how he could be so mean and tough on the field and so nice off it.

Indeed! Just like as nice as Mike Singletary is off the field, few wanted to meet him on the field.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Great Nice player or Great Mean player?

Just give me a great player.

 

[Clove]

Roy williams is the ultimate nice/mean player i've seen. So meek and soft spoken off the field, and on the field, he's a menace and a national threat to all Receivers, Tightends, Running backs, and Refs that cross his lunge to destroy motion.

 

[tyke1doe]

I guess I should ask what does "mean" mean?

Does that mean "yelling," "someone who wants to rip your head off" "someone who is always snarling"?

And what is a nice guy on the field, for that matter? Is it someone who helps you up when he tackles you? Is he someone who will go easy on your if he knows you're in a vulnerable position?

I really could careless if they're nice or nasty as long as they do their job. Some players are very nice off the field, but when they get on the field, a switch flips and they put on their game face.
I think the "mean" vs. "nice" player is overblown and, IMO, a way to demean players with nicer personalities (sort of the "nice guys finish last" kind of mentality prevalent in our society today).

Note: I am not saying that's the perception of anyone in this thread, just my perception of the general debate.

Reggie White was a nice guy off the field, but when he was on the field, he was an intimidator. So was Dick Butkus, who is really a nice guy off the field.

And do I even need to mention Walter Payton. Had the highest pitched voice and was one of the nicest men in football history. But the way he played was quite intimidating, even as a running back.

Now there's a positive side to "appearing" mean. I think you can see the results in the Jeremy Stevens-Joey Porter hype before the Super Bowl.

Joey Porter came off as "mean" and, IMO, intimidated Stevens even before the game started. But that may have been more Stevens insecurities and not being a focused player than Porter's intimidation. But it worked on Stevens.

There's also a downside to the "mean" player, if by "mean" I mean a player who wears his emotions on the field. That player can be baited into a penalty or a bonehead play.

 

[Clove]

I guess I should ask what does "mean" mean?

Does that mean "yelling," "someone who wants to rip your head off" "someone who is always snarling"?

And what is a nice guy on the field, for that matter? Is it someone who helps you up when he tackles you? Is he someone who will go easy on your if he knows you're in a vulnerable position?

I really could careless if they're nice or nasty as long as they do their job. Some players are very nice off the field, but when they get on the field, a switch flips and they put on their game face.
I think the "mean" vs. "nice" player is overblown and, IMO, a way to demean players with nicer personalities (sort of the "nice guys finish last" kind of mentality prevalent in our society today).

Note: I am not saying that's the perception of anyone in this thread, just my perception of the general debate.

Reggie White was a nice guy off the field, but when he was on the field, he was an intimidator. So was Dick Butkus, who is really a nice guy off the field.

And do I even need to mention Walter Payton. Had the highest pitched voice and was one of the nicest men in football history. But the way he played was quite intimidating, even as a running back.

Now there's a positive side to "appearing" mean. I think you can see the results in the Jeremy Stevens-Joey Porter hype before the Super Bowl.

Joey Porter came off as "mean" and, IMO, intimidated Stevens even before the game started. But that may have been more Stevens insecurities and not being a focused player than Porter's intimidation. But it worked on Stevens.

There's also a downside to the "mean" player, if by "mean" I mean a player who wears his emotions on the field. That player can be baited into a penalty or a bonehead play.

Intimidation. The Cowboys intimidated teams in the early nineties. Before they even stepped on the field, the Cowboys won the game.
When I think about Carpenter, I think intimidation. A player that will not back down from anything, and a player that will just go all out bust you up and thinking nothing about it.

A player that will have 12 tackles in a game, and two knees to the stomach at the bottom of dog piles.

I don't want all my players to be that way, but I want one of my stars to be that way. I want one or 2 on defense, and 1 or 2 on offense. Intimidation is apart of the game, and if you don't think it is, re-watch the games when Roy Williams had knocked someone's block off, and then watch how the receivers re-act when coming into Roy's zone.

 

[littlewebs]

So was Dick Butkus, who is really a nice guy off the field.

I'm pretty sure Butkus was into Shakespeare acting.

 

[bayarealightning]

All you have to do is look at the players eyes buring the introduction and you will know who is tough and mean on the field. Some guys are quiet to opposing players on the field, but do not mistake that for a lack of toughness. That same quiet player to the opposing team, could be fire and brimstone to his own players wanting them to match his intensity (and I don't mean hollering and screaming). I am reminded of watching the Raiders vs. Washington in the Super Bowl, and Washington players were mugging for the camera and a little jovial. When the Raiders came out (and I despise the Raiders) they were all business. You could tell that they were ready to play.

Edit: I think that you mean very intense players versus mean guys. Some mean guys can get taken out of their element by losing their tempers. Intense players just bring it!

 

[dwmyers]

You know, there once was a guy named Jerry Kramer, who played against two defensive tackles named Merlin Olsen and Alex Karras.

Merlin was obviously a nice guy. Karras was an animal on the field.

Do you guys remember what he said about those two? To my mind that's the alpha and omega of the nice guy/mean guy debate.

David.