Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001

In need of a charge

Lack of 'alternator' kills car, could kill some NFL teams

By Andy Hanacek, Associate editor

To my surprise, I never made it to Subway. My car decided that enough was enough with my 45-mile commute, and it needed a break. I knew immediately something was severely wrong with the battery or the alternator (for you non-gear heads, the alternator very basically is the mechanism that keeps your car's battery charged). That was easy to notice since the dash lights were much dimmer.

Now, I've had my fair share of trouble with cars through the ages. Recently, the driver-side window got stuck in the down position in a driving rainstorm. Not fun, but I could still drive the thing. That problem was not crippling, as this one is.

So, while waiting for the tow truck, I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if I can write a column about some of the NFL's best "alternators" — the guys who keep their teammates charged up and, hopefully for them, winning. Guys without whom their teams would be hard-pressed to keep going strong. Maybe it's a stretch of a comparison, but I'm taking creative license here. Plus, it was better to think about football than my lousy luck.

The first name that came to mind was Patriots LB Bryan Cox. Cox was almost single-handedly responsible for the Patriots' first win over the Colts earlier this year. He kept the team fired up after laying a huge hit on a Colts receiver on the second play of the game. Cox will certainly be missed by the Patriots this year, and not just because he was second on the team in tackles. He was much of the motivation for the defense, which will now need someone such as Lawyer Milloy to step up and take a vocal role.

Next, I thought of Vikings WR Cris Carter. Now, before you jump on me about Carter, let me clarify. Carter is the equivalent of sugar in the fuel tank when the Vikings are losing, but when Minnesota is clicking, no one on that team can motivate the troops more than Carter. Some will call him selfish and annoying (and most of the time, I agree), but if you look at how his teammates rally around him, you have to say he's a certifiable "alternator" the Vikings can't do without.

Several coaches fall into this category too. The first ones to come to mind are Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, Browns head coach Butch Davis and Saints head coach Jim Haslett. These are players' coaches who have had a lot of success in motivating their players by connecting with them in a fiery fashion.

Those, of course, are just a handful of some of the more obvious guys who motivate the troops and would be missed via their leadership roles. So, as I sit and contemplate how I'm going to pay for a new alternator for my car on my wonderful journalist's salary, you can think about your team's "alternator" — a guy whom the team likely couldn't do without because they'd be far less charged up and would lose an edge that way.

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