As a friendly reminder, here is the overrated bracket:
Most Overrated Panthers
1. Jake Delhomme | 16. Jason Baker |
8. Ricky Manning, Jr. | ??? | ??? |
16. Jason Baker | ||||
8. Ricky Manning, Jr. | 8. Ricky Manning, Jr. |
|||
9. Eugene Robinson | ||||
5. David Gettis | 5. David Gettis | 4. DeShaun Foster | ||
12. Na'il Diggs | ||||
4. DeShaun Foster | 4. DeShaun Foster | |||
13. Rocket Ismail | ||||
6. Richard Marshall | 6. Richard Marshall | 3. Mike Wahle | ??? | |
11. Jordan Gross | ||||
3. Mike Wahle | 3. Mike Wahle | |||
14. Doug Evans | ||||
7. Deon Grant | 10. Ken Lucas |
2. Tim Biakabutuka | ||
10. Ken Lucas | ||||
2. Tim Biakabutuka | 2. Tim Biakabutuka |
|||
15. John Kasay |
Today we're finishing the 3rd round with Tim Biakabutuka vs. Mike Wahle.
How they got here:
Tim Biakabutuka defeated Ken Lucas 61%-39%
Mike Wahle defeated Richard Marshall 51%-49% (4 votes!)
Ok, here's the case for Tim Biakabutuka:
Draft position, mainly... and therefore the amount of opportunity he got without really producing anything of value. He had a nasty final season at Michigan, so people thought that it would naturally carry over into the league. It did not.
He played in 50 games over 6 seasons. Any other RB who plays 8.3 games a seasons isn't going to last 6 seasons. It's hard to call a guy overrated when he's hurt all the time, but just the fact that he hung on that long playing in only half the games lends itself to that point.
And the case for Mike Wahle:
Mike Wahle was a big free agent acquisition out of Green Bay. In a busy offseason, fresh off a disappointing SB hangover in 2004, we signed him and CB Ken Lucas. (Sadly, these two are the last marquee free agents we've signed.) Wahle played what, eight seasons in GB?... So he was already 30+ when he came to Carolina. We payed him like an All-Pro, but he was never a top 5 guard in the league.
Wahle basically made the pro bowl after the 2005 season because we were a good team (made it to the NFC-CG), and because of his contract. It was also kind of unfortunate timing for Wahle, because during the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons, we were in between running backs, with an aging/hurt Deshaun Foster on his way out, and a young DeAngelo Williams on his way up.
In other words, he didn't have very much to block for. That aside, he was vastly overrated as a blocker in both phases. His prime was spent in GB, and by the time he got to Carolina (particularly his last two seasons) he was not the same player. The Panthers effectively rewarded him with the contract the Packers didn't want to give him... unfortunately it was the Packers who reaped the benefits on the field in the years leading up to his signing.
Ok. Now that we've made a case for both players, it's up to you to determine which one should move on in the bracket. There's a case to be made for both players and it's a vote that could go either way, but a decision has to be made.
So who do you think is more overrated, Tim Biakabutuka or Mike Wahle? Vote in the poll below, and feel free to discuss your vote in the comments.
Please remember that voting will close in 24 hours, so hurry and get your vote in before it's too late!