If The Dodgers Played Football…

Well, we’ve reached the pseudo national holiday that is Super Bowl Sunday. Okay, technically, tomorrow should be the national holiday, but that’s a topic for another article

As we wait for today’s big game, the question begs asking: If players on the Dodgers played football, which positions would they play? There aren’t enough players to make up a full roster, but let’s see how we can do.

ICYMI: Concern on Dodgers’ Maeda Warranted

Quarterback: Clayton Kershaw

Really, is there any doubt here? Kershaw’s pinpoint placement from the mound would come in handy against the incredible athletes all over the NFL. Being 6’3″ doesn’t make him a giant in the industry, especially given Cam Newton is participating in today’s game and he’s basically an actual giant, but it’s about league average and makes it fairly easy to see over the line and avoid having passes blocked.

On top of that, Kershaw exhibits all the leadership qualities you’d want from the face of a franchise and captain on the field. This is the easiest choice here, and by a fair margin.

Runningback: Yasiel Puig

Would you ever, in a million years, want to tackle Puig with a headful of steam? Yeah, me neither.

It’s impossible to say whether Puig has the kind of shifty lateral movement a runningback would need as baseball calls for basically none of that, but he’s probably the most explosive athlete on the Dodgers, and, again, tackling him would suck for anyone.

An added bonus is Puig’s tremendous throwing arm for creative plays involving him throwing out of the backfield.

Wide Receiver: Joc Pederson

While so much is made about Pederson’s rough second half of the season last year, his defense is still noteworthy. In this case, his range in centerfield would help him track down passes from Kershaw.

Just as with Puig, it’s impossible to know what kind of lateral shiftiness he might have at his disposal, but both are good enough overall athletes to assume they could make this work.

The offense is off to a good start, but how about the other side of the ball?

Safety: Justin Turner

Sure, we could have the team’s best athletes play on both sides, but what kind of creativity would that take?

Turner may not boast the most speed on the team, but he is very good a tracking angle and reacting quickly, which is something you need to be able to do when watching over the entire defense from that spot.

Turner also shows a willingness to put his body on the line, which is important for obvious reasons as he makes up the last line of defense.

Linebacker: A.J. Ellis

Again, Ellis doesn’t isn’t the most impressive athlete on the roster, but his leadership would be vital as he maneuvers the defense pre-snap. On top of that, Ellis is widely considered one of, if not the, most studious Dodgers. This would be vital as a prepares his defense for all the audibles against that Peyton Manning guy.

That about does it for out football team so far, do you have any suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!