BillyC

There's been a lot of talk about intangibles and leadership. I'd like to know who y'all consider the greatest leader of a sports team ever? You can pick any sport. I'd also like to know what makes you think that person is a great leader?

I pick Michael Jordon. To me Jordan was capible of taking a game over by himself, but, beyond that, he raised everyone else's game around him to another level. Also, he wouldn't tolerate mistakes and losing.

BrooksMustGo

Aaron Brooks

His ability to be lackadasical and smile after game killing mistakes helps to remind the rest of the team that football is just a game. No need to get all worked up over something as minor as a game. Besides, we all just love him, hate him and then love him again.

But seriously, I\'d say Johnny U. No one else in football history even comes close.

BlackandBlue

Too tough a question to answer. You can take Jordan\'s name out and put Gretzky, if you so desired, he had the same effect on the teams he played for.
A better question would be, \"Who is the leader on the Saints?\" As important as having a leader on a team is, surely someone has stepped up to bat. Shockingly, I\'d say we don\'t have one, on either side of the ball. We don\'t have a Ray Lewis, or a Michael Irvin, or a Brett Favre- someone that will get in a teammates\' face and call him to the floor. I was hoping it would be Howard, but it\'s hard to be a field general when you\'re injured. Maybe he can do it, maybe he can\'t. But we need someone on this team that has the ability to almost \"will\" his team to win, when it matters.

The waiting drove me mad....
I don't want to hear from those that know...
Everything has changed, absolutely nothing's changed

Eddie is a....draftnik?

WhoDat

Vince Lombardi, hands down. If we\'re talking player... Joe Montana is probably still the best I\'ve seen. Jordan was maybe the most dominant athlete I\'ve ever seen, but that doesn\'t necessarily make you a good leader. He was a better leader with the Wizards than he ever was in Chicago. In Chi-town he was selfish, but unstoppable.

WhoDat

Oh, and I agree BnB. I wouldn\'t trade Deuce for anyone, but I do wish he was a little less subdued and a little more vocal. That would help a lot. I think it\'s easy to see the guy puts his heart and soul into the game, I just wish he vocalized that desire and drive too. But hey, who needs a leader when you have Aaron Brooks? Good thing we got rid of that good for nothing Jake Delhomme. LMAO.

saintz08

Since we are in a football forum I will go with football .

Liked the Johnny U pick and Montana should certainly top every list but for my money I have to go with one player who played and excelled at his position but gave his due along the way to God and Country . A leader on and off the field in his time and a respected player among all . Roger Staubach .

What we need is the all time favorite United Way commercial . Mine has to be without a doubt , La Roi Glover and the cake ....

[Edited on 13/1/2004 by saintz08]

D_it_up

Darren Howard\'s commercial holding the kid up while he shouted \"I\'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!!!\" was pretty funny, too.

BillyC

B&B said the exact thing I was thinking, which is, we don\'t have a leader on offense or defense. I also don\'t feel like Haslett is a true leader. I thought the best decision Haslett made was when he told Brooks to quit fumbling or else. After that, Brooks played as well as anyone could ask.

I believe Haslett needs to be more firm and more demanding of ALL the players. I feel since we don\'t have a true leader on this team, that Haslett needs to assume the leadership role, until a true leader emerges. I also think Haslett needs to help put some player(s) in more of a leadership role.

I think when Haslett keeps letting a player make the same mistakes over and over, that it\'s not setting a good example and that a leader is not going to emerge because of that.

Bottom line is that we need a leader on this team and it\'s Haslett\'s responsibility to make that happen!!

WhoDat

BC, I want to ask a simple question to clarify something. By these statements, I take you to be implying that Haslett gave AB special treatment:

I guess you could be talking about the entire team here b/c they were all pretty much mistake prone all season, but was that an allusion to AB?


Overall, I have to agree about Haslett. Of the teams in Championship games this season, only Indy has a true leader ON THE FIELD in Peyton Manning. Carolina seems to rally behind Jake, but I don\'t see him as Joe Montana or Johnny U quite yet. Philly\'s premier player is McNabb, but is he really a great leader on the field? I see Reid as the leader there. Same with Belicheck in NE - that was definitely the case with Dallas and Seattle. Denver too.

The point I\'m trying to make, somewhat inarticulately at the moment, is that I think it is more important to have a strong leader at head coach than it is to have a Favre, Manning, Ray Lewis, or Warren Sapp type player on the field. While it certainly helps to have a guy, or a few guys, on the field who are real leaders, having a Parcells or Belicheck type coach is more important to a team\'s success. That\'s just my opinion. Once a coach loses that respect from his players and can no longer be a leader, it doesn\'t matter how good he is, it\'s all over. Dan Reeves is a good example of that this season. Callahan, Fassel, etc. These guys aren\'t bad coaches, they just lost their teams. I think Haslett lost this team in late \'02. I\'m doubtful that there is much that he can do to get it back.

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

BillyC

I don\'t know if Haslett gave AB special treatment. What I do believe is that he coddled AB too much. I think it comes a point in time when you have to take the kid gloves off and hold a man accountable. QB\'s are a little different breed than other players, IMO, and I especiallty believe that with YOUNG QB\'s. So, special treatment? I don\'t know. Coddled, yes!!

WhoDat -- The rest of what you posted, I COMPLETELY agree with. Haslett is not a leader!! He makes me nerveous as hell, just watching him on the sideline. He certainly doesn\'t ooze confidence, and instead looks panicked all the time. Anway, I couldn\'t really add anything to what you said. You\'re right on the money!!

[Edited on 13/1/2004 by BillyC]