No matter how good a team is, there eventually will be a game that comes down to the wire. In these situations, it is crucial to have a clutch player capable of making the big shots, leading the team down the field, etc. Anyone can throw a football or shoot a basket or hit a golf ball, but not everyone can with millions watching on TV, camera lights flashing, an incredibly loud crowd… you get the picture, and this is where the clutch players come in. Here are the most clutch players in three major sports today:
Football- There are too many positions, so I am just going to stick with the quarterback, who has the single most impact on the game, especially in late situations. The most clutch quarterback in the NFL is Tom Brady. While Peyton Manning may have better overall stats like total passing yards and touchdowns, no one in the NFL is as good as Tom Brady at the end of the game. He has 29 game winning drives and 21 fourth quarter comebacks, with many coming in crucial playoff games, noted by his 3 Super Bowl rings (profootballreference.com)
Baseball- Here I am going to select one pitcher (closer) The closer is clearly Mariano Rivera. The guy has ice in his veins and sweats clutch. He embraces the tight spots, especially where it matters most: the playoffs. He has the record for lowest career playoff era (.74), most saves (39), most saves to clinch series (9), etc. Clearly, there is none like Rivera.
Basketball- I’m assuming your first instinct is to guess Kobe Bryant, but that’s where you are wrong. Kobe may have hit the most, but percentage wise he is nowhere near the top. The criteria here is who is best at hitting game winning shots, and that player is Carmelo Anthony. Of players with over 20 game winning shot attempts, Carmelo stands on top with a dazzling 48% while Kobe hovers at around 33%, a pretty big difference if you ask me. (Statistics from 81games.com)
Clutch players clearly are important players to have, but they can’t do everything. They need a team around them. Take debatably the most clutch athlete ever, Michael Jordan. In key situations he passed the ball to players like John Paxson and Steve Kerr and the Bulls won. The moral of the story is clutch players are key, but they can’t do it themselves.
Football- There are too many positions, so I am just going to stick with the quarterback, who has the single most impact on the game, especially in late situations. The most clutch quarterback in the NFL is Tom Brady. While Peyton Manning may have better overall stats like total passing yards and touchdowns, no one in the NFL is as good as Tom Brady at the end of the game. He has 29 game winning drives and 21 fourth quarter comebacks, with many coming in crucial playoff games, noted by his 3 Super Bowl rings (profootballreference.com)
Baseball- Here I am going to select one pitcher (closer) The closer is clearly Mariano Rivera. The guy has ice in his veins and sweats clutch. He embraces the tight spots, especially where it matters most: the playoffs. He has the record for lowest career playoff era (.74), most saves (39), most saves to clinch series (9), etc. Clearly, there is none like Rivera.
Basketball- I’m assuming your first instinct is to guess Kobe Bryant, but that’s where you are wrong. Kobe may have hit the most, but percentage wise he is nowhere near the top. The criteria here is who is best at hitting game winning shots, and that player is Carmelo Anthony. Of players with over 20 game winning shot attempts, Carmelo stands on top with a dazzling 48% while Kobe hovers at around 33%, a pretty big difference if you ask me. (Statistics from 81games.com)
Clutch players clearly are important players to have, but they can’t do everything. They need a team around them. Take debatably the most clutch athlete ever, Michael Jordan. In key situations he passed the ball to players like John Paxson and Steve Kerr and the Bulls won. The moral of the story is clutch players are key, but they can’t do it themselves.
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