NFList

Aging vets Cox, Bishop rank as toughest to replace

By Joel Buchsbaum, Contributing editor
As published in print Nov. 5, 2001

Titans S Blaine Bishop

Some older players who are on the downside of their careers will be very hard to replace when they finally retire, in large part because of the intangibles they bring to the table. With this in mind, we asked NFL insiders to name the aging veterans who will be the most difficult for their respective teams to go on without. All comments were made anonymously.

1. LB Bryan Cox / Patriots — "He can no longer run under 5.0 in the 40, and some of his antics and tantrums are legendary, but he brings a large degree of toughness and a don’t-say-die attitude to every team he has ever played for."

2. S Blaine Bishop / Titans — "He runs the defense for the Titans on the field and knows it about as well as the coaches. Plus, he was the one that called Kevin Carter on the carpet when Carter was dogging it."

3. CB Aeneas Williams / Rams — "At one point, he was a terrific cornerback. Now that he has lost a step, he is still a very good one, and he is the clear-cut leader of a young Rams secondary and is teaching the team’s young pass defenders what it takes to succeed in the NFL."

4. DE Trace Armstrong / Raiders — "Before Armstrong’s injury, the Raiders were counting on Armstrong to get Darrell Russell out of his funk and to show him what it took to be a top player."

5. WR Cris Carter / Vikings — "He has a huge ego and may be a half-step slower than he was a couple of years ago, but he also has taught players like Randy Moss and Jake Reed how to succeed in the NFL."

6. WR Jerry Rice / Raiders — "Any young player can learn how valuable going the extra mile all the time can mean to a player’s career by watching Rice during practice and working out during and after the season."

7. OL Bruce Matthews / Titans — "Football’s answer to Cal Ripken."

8. S LeRoy Butler / Packers — "At one point, he was the star and focal point. Now, with his speed diminishing, he is the leader and director and a big reason Darren Sharper has gone from a liability to a star."

9. C Frank Winters / Packers — "His intangibles are the only reason he started the past two years and are the biggest reason he’s still a Packer, despite being beaten out for a starting job this year. A Conrad Dobler type of player."

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2001 - 2002 Season