When The NFL And MLB Collide
By Editorial Staff
Since football season is over, and baseball is rapidly approaching, I have decided to entwine both together. If football players played baseball, what positions would they be? This takes all the major NFL positions, and puts them into each baseball position.
Pitcher- Quarterback
Catcher- Offensive linemen unit
First base- Wide Receiver
Second base- Linebacker
Short stop- Running Back
Third base- Defensive lineman
Right field- Kick/Punt returner
Middle field- Kicker/Punter unit
Left field- CB/S
Designated hitter- Huge playmaker from any position
Manager- Head Coach
At pitcher, I have Tom Brady. With the WRs he has, he is somehow able to dominate. He’s the man I want throwing the ball.
For catcher, I put the New England Patriot’s offensive line. They are able to give Brady plenty of time, and can open up holes for the various Patriot running backs.
My first baseman would be Calvin Johnson. In my opinion, he is the best receiver in the NFL. He can catch balls with two, even three, defenders covering him. His natural abilities and stats are amazing.
The second baseman would have to be Clay Matthews. Even though he doesn’t put up the stats of other linebackers, if you really watch him, he is in on just about every play and consistently applies pressure to the quarterback.
At short stop, I put in Ray Rice. Between his run and catch abilities, this guy is almost unstoppable.
My third baseman is John Abraham. With almost no help on the D-line, he is able to get pressure and shut down the run for Atlanta. He is also very good at forcing fumbles. Abraham is the heart and soul of the Falcon’s defense.
The player at right field is Patrick Peterson. I’ll probably catch heat for this, because some would say he’s only a rookie, and doesn’t have the stats or put fear in teams like Hester does. But Peterson has insane punt return ability, and I would choose him to return punts for me over Hester any day.
At middle field, I would definitely pick the 49ers’ unit. David Akers is arguably the best kicker in the NFL today, and Andy Lee proved to be the best punter in the league.
Left field was an easy choice for me. There’s no doubt I would have Darrelle Revis. He has a great combination of speed and awareness, which has made him a house hold name and an icon in the NFL, even though he is still young.
For the designated hitter, I have had to think about this one for a long time. It’s a tough choice, because with all the great playmakers on both sides of the ball in the NFL, how can you pick just one that could step in at any time and hit a home run? With that being said, I have decided on Jared Allen. This guy is an absolute beast at defensive end. He almost set the NFL record for most sacks in a season, but fell just short. For third base, I almost put him in over Abraham, but I think Abraham is just a little bit more of a complete player.
Finally, my manager would be Jim Schwartz. This was another tough choice, but it came down to Bellichick or Schwartz. I chose Detriot’s head coach because of the way he has completely turned around the Lions. With Stafford now healthy, Jim Schwartz could lead the Lions to the Super Bowl.