I’ve wondered for quite awhile now about why we here in the Delaware Valley don’t celebrate all of the youngsters who grow up here and go onto success in professional sports.
It’s almost like once they make it for another team in the league, they become the enemy. I wanted to point out some youngsters I have had the pleasure of knowing as they developed here in the area.
The Delaware Valley will be well represented in today’s AFC and NFC playoff games.
The Jets have gotten a huge lift in their run for a Super Bowl championship from Winslow Township, New Jersey native and New York rookie running back Shonn Greene. This youngster is as tough a ball carrier as there is in the National Football League.
He’s built low to the ground and runs the football with authority. The youngster has run for a total of 263 yards in the first two playoff games of his career.
If he can have a big game today, he could help the Jets pull off the unthinkable, which would be a trip to the Super Bowl and a possible championship.
The area is very well represented on the Colts defense as they try to slow down the running of Greene.
Their starting middle linebacker is Glassboro-native Gary Brackett and a key contributor on the defensive line is North Philly’s Raheem Brock.
Brackett who may be the fastest middle linebacker in the league, has had a great season and will be asked to tackle Greene and his running mate Thomas Jones.
He’ll need his defensive line to do the job in front of him and Brackett will have to stay in position to make plays behind them.
If Saints Pro Bowl guard and North Philly native, Jahri Evans and his teammates on the New Orleans offensive line can open holes for the team’s running game, they could be heading to the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks.
The Vikings know they’ll have to be ready to slow up Drew Brees and the Saints passing attack but if their running attack does some damage it will make the job of the Minnesota defense nearly impossible.
Evans will be trying to spring Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas loose to attack the Minnesota defense, while they’re focusing on the Saints passing game.
