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Being Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson has become the hot name in sports, thanks to his win in the 2012 Masters. But Watson has developed a loyal following for his style of play, which has been described as unorthodox (to put it mildly) to out of control. The truth, as they say, probably is somewhere in the middle.
So with that in mind, we look at some of the top plays of the 2011 NFL season and put them on the Bubba-o-meter (which now is a real thing).
What's interesting to note here is both Cundiff and Watson hit the same hook. Only Bubba's landed in the middle of the green, and Cundiff's nearly hit a cheerleader on the sideline.
Bubba likes trying to atone for your mistakes with a reckless play. That's what Bubba is all about. Only Bubba makes the shot. He doesn't fumble it away.
A golden rule of punt returns: Don't let the ball get near you if you're not going to field it. And letting it hit your knee? That's not Bubba.
Icing the kicker? That's kind of Bubba. Icing your own kicker? That's not Bubba.
Losing the ball "in the lights" -- or whatever excuse you want to come up with -- on a pass that could have ended the Giants' season? Not Bubba at all.
When you are clutch most of the day, but you start shrinking when the game is on the line ... not Bubba.
Being whistled for a safety to start the Super Bowl? We appreciate your reckless style here, but still, that's not Bubba.
The Giants were cleared of any wrongdoing here, so we have to assume it's legitimate. And if that's the case, it's right down the middle.
Dropping all of those passes isn't Bubba. But coming up with the grab to beat your rivals? That's a little Bubba.
Hey, even though you can't throw a football more than 30 yards, you don't let it slow you down. That's totally Bubba.
Being stopped in a line-of-scrimmage scrum? That's totally not Bubba. Scoring the touchdown is sorta Bubba. But capping it off with Skittles? Now we're talking totally Bubba.
Did Simpson really need to do a flip into the end zone here? He did if he totally wants to be Bubba.
The old adage on punt returns is you plant your feet on the 10-yard line and don't go backward. You know what? That's not Bubba. Being Bubba means you field the punt nearly at the goal line and return it for a touchdown in overtime.
The 49ers were deep in Saints territory, and they could have played it safe by running out the clock and kicking a field goal. But that's not Bubba at all. Being Bubba is forcing a throw you don't need to make for the winning score.
Does Manning just blindly heave the ball into the air for his receiver to make a play? Sure he does, but look at the results. Much like how Watson brags about never taking a lesson or watching his swing on video tape, you get the feeling Eli takes the same preparation.
