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Rush Reaction
By Craig Berosh
phillypage2 columnist (10-1-2003)
I don’t believe that the whitey football media (still) inflates black QBs like a blow-up Andre Ware doll, but rather just the opposite. It is my contention the media and fans inflate the ratings of white players in the NFL, especially white players playing certain positions. In my opinion, fans and the media get really excited, overly excited, when a white guy plays the position of running back, wide receiver, return guy or defensive back, positions that are predominantly played (better) by black players. How else do you explain Adam Archuleta being on the All-Pro team last year?
(A thesis paper could be written on this topic if the sport was professional basketball with Wally Szczerbiak, Jason Williams, Austin Croshere, Keith Van Horn, Tom Gugliotta, Bob Sura, any Barry brother and any cracker drafted out of Duke University in the last decade as exhibits A through Y. Sure, there’s the occasional good white player like Stockton or Nash, but most of the White Shadows nowadays are foreigners and they don’t count.)
Hey, I’m a white guy well past his athletic (not sexual) prime who has uttered the phrase, “and he’s white” after some honkey wins a foot race to the end zone or makes an athletic interception. But, let’s be honest, those scenarios happen so infrequently in the NFL (more often in college), it really is a shock when it happens. So, no more theorizing, lets call the accused to the stand. Here’s a few whities who are overrated because of the position they play and the color of their skin.
Defensive Back: Jason Sehorn
First off, you got to give some credit to Sehorn for marrying that hottie from Law & Order and being really good at the Superstars competition (you know, the show in Hawaii where they ride jet skis and do the dreaded obstacle course). He has also had a lot of injuries (did someone say steroids?). However, prior to injury, I always thought that Sehorn was WAY overrated, mostly by the New York media and the fans fascinated by the white guy playing cornerback. I guess the truth came out in the Super Bowl loss to the Ravens when he got burnt (ironically, at least for this article, by another white guy, Brandon Stokley), and hasn’t reached the same level of average-ness since.
Wide Receiver: Wayne Chrebet
This was tough one with Joe Jurevicius and Ed McCaffrey out there. Again, the New York media/hype thing comes into play. Also playing a factor is the underdog, small-time, Hofstra-product, 5-foot, 10-inch thing. He’s Rudy if you want him to be. Chrebet has sure hands and is a nice possession receiver that actually did break a 1,000 yards one year (1,083 on 75 catches in 1998). But I know if I were a J-E-T-S fan (I’m a closet one, I used to serve beers at Giants Stadium and Jets fans have many of the same issues as Eagles fans, think about it), I would rather still have Key-Shawn or Laveranues.
Running Back: Mike Alstott
He’s got a nice number of career touchdowns with 59, runs hard and has an excellent goatee, but his popularity and media attention (Chris Berman actually makes sound effects when showing Alstott’s 7-yard runs) seems skewed for a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, been a featured back, doesn’t blocks very well for a 250 pounder and can’t bet out Michael Pittman for the starting spot.
Return Guy: Tim Dwight
I’m not even sure why I know who Tim Dwight is other than the facts that he’s a white guy who returns punts and kickoffs and runs, or looks like he runs, really fast, especially for a white guy. Truth be told, Dwight has three TDs in six years but somehow is still “very dangerous.”