If you were starting a franchise tomorrow, which player would you choose? You're down four points on your own 20-yard line with less than two minutes on the clock. Which quarterback would you want leading the offense? Who is the most physical defensive player?
These are all debates many football fans have had while sitting on a barstool, and they're also questions that were asked as part of a poll conducted recently by NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
As part of the poll, Jeremiah reached out to 20 different player personnel officials from 20 different teams and asked them to each answer 20 questions — the respondents were told to avoid picking their own players and teams. The results were pretty much what you'd expect, with guys like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Aaron Rodgers and Calvin Johnson emerging as the leading vote-gettings in some noteworthy categories. There were a few surprises, though.
Since only 20 officials were polled, the sample size isn't much. However, it's still interesting to see what's going through the minds of those working inside the game on a daily basis.
The leading vote-getters in each category are listed below, with the number of votes (out of 20) listed in parentheses.
1. Who will win the AFC?: Patriots (10)
2. Who will win the NFC?: Packers (9)
3. Who will win the Super Bowl?: Packers (6)
4. Who will win the MVP?: Aaron Rodgers (9)
5. Who will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year?: Andrew Luck (13)
6. Who will be the Defensive Rookie of the Year?: Luke Kuechly (6)
7. Who will be Coach of the Year?: Bill Belichick, Ron Rivera (3)
8. If you were starting a franchise tomorrow, which player would you choose?: Aaron Rodgers (10)
9. If you were starting a franchise tomorrow, which coach would you choose?: Bill Belichick (5)
10. You're down four points on your own 20-yard line with less than two minutes on the clock. Which quarterback would you want leading the offense?: Tom Brady (10)
11. Who is the most explosive offensive player?: Calvin Johnson (12)
12. Which offense is the most explosive?: Packers (12)
13. Who is the most physical defensive player?: Patrick Willis (5)
14. Which defense is the most physical?: 49ers (7)
15. Five years from now, who will be the best offensive player?: Andrew Luck (13)
16. Five years from now, who will be the best defensive player?: Jason Pierre-Paul (7)
17. Who is the biggest overachiever?: Victor Cruz (4)
18. Who is the biggest underachiever?: Dez Bryant (5)
19. Which team is the biggest underachiever?: Cowboys (10)
20. Which team will make the biggest jump in 2012?: Seahawks (6)
