Chad Spann: the Next Antonio Brown?
Special Pre-Game by PalmerSucks
As some of you know, I was yapping about Antonio Brown long before last season. That�s because I watch a lot of MAC football.That�s why I was struck as I watched a name scroll across the waivers: Chad Spann, running back. Like Brown, Spann was a MAC standout � in fact, he was once the conference�s offensive player of the year. Spann�s finest hour came against Big-Ten Minnesota, when he shredded the Gophers for 223 yards. Considering he was playing for NIU, that�s quite an achievement.
Thanks to injuries to Mendenhall and Moore, Spann will now get a shot with the Stillers.
I don�t know if Spann will see any playing time Sunday, but if he does, here�s what you�ll see: a fireplug who plows through holes and tacklers, and is faster than he looks. He�s also really football smart, as this piece shows: http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/q-and-a-with-chad-spann-underrated-rb-prospect/
Spann�s been compared to backs like Priest Holmes, but there�s another guy I think he resembles: Ray Rice. He can catch the ball, and provides a nice change of pace to the jumbo duo of Redman and Clay. Watch for him as the Stillers playoff run goes on � and maybe even beyond.
--Palmer