New Management looks at experienced players By: Jay Corral
From the pursuit of wide receivers Mike Evans and Michael Thomas to the release of veteran quarterback Tony Romo, general manager John Schneider and head coach Kyle Shanahan have been investing in young talent in an attempt to build one of the greatest NFL teams in history. Players such as Derek Carr, Tyron Smith, Luke Kuechly and Tyreek Hill are expected to do much in their respective roles, namely passing, blocking, coverage and special teams. This may lead to the belief that it is a team that has not invested much in older players.
However, that is quite far from the truth. In fact, the average age of Spartans players is 27.3 years, which is the highest in the NFL. Though many of these players are special teams players that are present for their skill, such as Steven Hauschka and Brett Kern, there are others that are there to support the younger players and to even star in their own field. The average age of offensive linemen on the Spartans is 29.4, and players such as 31 year-old Aqib Talib have a massive influence on the team with their playmaking and cooperation. Overall, even though it seems that the team is too revolved around an uncertain youth, there is experience in every part of the field at every time.