Quote Originally Posted by RuthlessBurgher View Post
Ben never had to be a vocal leader before, because Ward and Farrior were always there. When Hines and Potsie retired, guys like Clark and Foote stepped up as vocal leaders, while others like Troy and Heath were more "lead by example" types. It's okay for your veteran strong safety or veteran tight end to lead by example instead of being vocal leaders, but it's important for your quarterback to become a vocal leader now that he's a veteran. Glad to see him stepping up to the plate.
I kinda think it's hard for Ben to be a vocal leader. He can definitely inspire with his play and toughness. But what's he supposed to say to guys? Whatever won't sound authentic. Ben makes his best plays when stuff breaks down and when he's not on the same page as the coaches. So the things he's gotta say to guys are not the same way he plays. It's different for a Farrior or Ward who have to work hard and do little things better than everyone else.

But guys like Ben and Troy too play so far on their own level that I'm not sure they can connect with the other guys no matter how perfectly they try.

It's the same for almost all sports. The truly great ones don't always connect with the other players because they're set apart. And then you have the whole angle of the media promoting the star/me first players and you never really hear positive encouragement toward leadership. For example, Lebron James used to get blasted for sharing the basketball with his teammates at the end of games trying to set up the best shot and being unselfish. He's not the normal star player though.

Lebron's got a Sidney Crosby type thing going on where you can just see how much he loves the game he plays. I think Crosby is the exception to this rule. The kid's the perfect leader. The kid's got passion and excitement like the sport is a game. He's the best player on the ice from a pure skill perspective, but then he also hustles more than any hockey player I've ever seen. His style of play is contagious. And then you can tell everyone genuinely loves the kid. And everyone wants to play with him.

Maybe the Rooney's should have adopted Ben and had him live with them early in his career like Mario did for Sid.

There's just something missing with Ben. For some reason, he's just not one of the guys. He is the guy. But in contrast, even though Sid is the guy, he's turned himself into one of the guys. I guess all I'm trying to say is Ben needs to become a hockey fan and learn from the kid.