Introducing: My Guys

Every year, right before the NFL season starts, I go to all my friends and loved ones and ask a particular question: “If the [insert favorite team] were guaranteed not to win the Super Bowl, who do you want to win?”

And every year it’s met with a flurry of answers. Sometimes massive underdogs, sometimes it’s due to a partner or friend’s favorite team, but more often than not, it just comes down to a player or two someone likes on a certain team.

For me personally, I’m a lifelong die-hard Commanders fan, and all other iterations of the team I guess, and when it comes to competing for Super Bowls the Commanders have not done a great job. So, come January I usually have to find another way to root for a team to win. Now I can force some of this interest through an ancient technique called “gambling”, but often, a more organic approach can net a much more intense response to wins and losses.

I say all of that to say that this is the My Guys collum. Every week on Monday I’ll be putting out a collum centered around My Guys and how they did. We’ll hand out awards, talk about the game tape, mourn over injuries, discuss trades, and maybe even occasionally power rank.

To make up the list, I went through every team’s roster on Sunday and made a preliminary list. Then I pared that down to a more manageable amount just by asking myself “Do I want to see this guy win a Super Bowl?” Then I pared it down even further by eliminating every player on the Cowboys, fuck you, Jerry Jones.

So without further ado, and after droning on for about 295 words too many, let’s look at the list:

The My Guys List

Now I have some thoughts about the list so let me come to the defense of a few spots here:

1. Yes, I know I put too many Commanders on it for a list that’s supposed to be centric around liking a guy regardless of team. I watch those 53 guys like a hawk every week so of course there will be more guys on my team that are my guys.
2. I know the list can skew pretty young. A lot of rookies and such are still riding high on my draft priors and I have a lot of stock built up from texting “Anthony Richardson will be the best QB in the draft.” and sometimes from saying that on a podcast.
3. All the defensive players skew towards the secondary. I like what I like. Pass rush is fun but interceptions are more fun.
4. I Specifically was looking to keep any Super Bowl winning players off of the list so please yell at me in the comments if I managed to keep a player with a ring on the list.

And with that, we have the My Guys list. Tune back in here at TalentAlone.com on Monday every week through the Super Bowl for the weekly update and see what weird stuff I’m getting into.