Legendary Football General Managers Compiled List of Six Finalists Including: Cleveland’s Derek Anderson, Jacksonville’s David Garrard, New York’s Brandon Jacobs, Chicago’s Devin Hester, Green Bay’s Greg Jennings and Denver’s Brandon Marshall
In an era of high-paid superstars with multi-million dollar contracts, it’s often the players with smaller contracts that emerge to perform above and beyond expectations and bring the highest value to their teams. In honor of these unique “over achievers”, VIZIO, America’s Fastest Growing Flat Panel HDTV Company, is calling on fans to vote for the professional football player most deserving of the VIZIO TOP VALUE PERFORMER award.
A panel of three highly-respected former pro football General Managers were commissioned to evaluate and select six finalists for the inaugural VIZIO TOP VALUE PERFORMER award. The panel includes, Tom Donahoe the former Pittsburgh General Manager during the better part of the 90s, building the framework of its eventual Championship team in 2005, Ernie Accorsi who helped navigate New York to its championship game appearance in 2001 and Ron Wolf who recognized the untapped talent of a back-up quarterback in Atlanta, brought him to Green Bay and laid the foundation for a perennial championship-caliber team.
“Every General Manager knows that the emergence of one or two of these ‘value’ athletes makes the difference in a team’s success during the season,” said Wolf. “Whether they earn a spot during the pre-season, or are thrust into action because of an injury, when these athletes deliver great performances they become instant fan favorites because we all like to see the underdog succeed.”
The panel evaluated players based on their regular season individual performance and statistics, factoring in the success of their teams, the specific role they played to that success and measured all of this against their base salaries to come up with the following finalists:
*Derek Anderson — Quarterback, Cleveland
With a salary of $440,000, Anderson began the season on the bench in absolute obscurity. After a poor showing by the team’s starter, Anderson took hold of the starting role halfway through the team’s first game and never looked back. He led Cleveland to a 10-win season and finished 9th in the league in passing yards (3,787) and 5th in passing TDs (29).
*David Garrard — Quarterback, Jacksonville
Garrard’s pre-season performance was so impressive; the team released its starting quarterback and handed the reins over to Garrard whose salary tops out at $1.1 million. Garrard proved the move a wise one, as he led Jacksonville to the playoffs and finished as the league’s third-rated passer (102.2), throwing only three interceptions all season.
*Devin Hester — Wide Receiver/Kick Returner, Chicago
With a modest $1.2 million annual salary, arguably no other candidate has as profound an impact on the opposition than Hester. His incomparable “take it to the house” potential forces opponents to virtually surrender critical field position, least give him an opportunity to add another kick or punt return TD to his personal highlight reel. Despite this strategic “avoidance” by opposing teams, Hester still registered a league-leading 6 return TDs in 2007. He is 2 returns shy of the all-time mark, and has done it in only 32 games.
*Greg Jennings — Wide Receiver, Green Bay
Earning an annual salary of only $364K, Jennings emerged as a legit deep threat for Green Bay in his rookie campaign in 2006. In 2007, Jennings continues to forge a reputation as Green Bay’s number-one, big-play threat averaging 17. 4 yards-per-catch (4th in the league), and finishing tied for 4th in receiving TDs (12).
*Brandon Jacobs — Running Back, New York
Jacobs, who earns a modest $440K annually, has become New York’s X-factor, taking significant pressure off of his team’s passing game with his bruising and productive running. Despite battling injuries, Jacobs compiled over a thousand yards on the ground and was a critical factor down the stretch in helping New York earn a playoff berth. His 91.7 yards per game average was third among league running backs.
*Brandon Marshall — Wide Receiver, Denver
In his second season, Marshall came virtually out of nowhere to become one of the
league’s most productive receivers. Earning just over $366K, Marshall had a banner year, finishing 5th in receptions (102) and 6th in receiving yards (1,325) with seven touchdowns.
With the finalists established, VIZIO is calling upon fans across the country to choose the winner by voting online between January 7 – 21. Every fan that votes will be automatically entered for a chance to win a VIZIO 47″ 1080p flat-panel LCD HDTV. Voting will close on Midnight on January 21st with the winning player announced later that same week.
Like these unique players, VIZIO has built its success as the nation’s fastest growing flat-panel HDTV company through its ability to deliver televisions that are the highest quality in terms of performance, while providing maximum value over and above the competition.
“Most fans can relate to these unique players who beat the odds to be successful, despite earning salaries that pale in comparison to the higher-paid superstars,” said Jason Maciel, Director of Marketing for VIZIO. “These players are doing what VIZIO sets out to do every day, provide a product that performs at the highest level and delivers maximum value.”
About VIZIO
VIZIO, Inc. “Where Vision Meets Value,” headquartered in Irvine, California, is a top five North American flat panel television brand. Their VIZIO brand has been seen and heard on TV and radio, including NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly, won numerous awards from leading publications including Good Housekeeping’s Best Big-Screens, CNET’s Top 10 Holiday Gifts, PC World’s Best Buy, Sound & Vision’s Editors Choice, Home Theater Magazine’s Rave Award, PC Magazine’s Editors Choice, AVRev.com’s #1 Product We Love the Best and The Perfect Vision’s Products of the Year. VIZIO is bringing vision to the consumer electronics market through practical innovation. VIZIO products offer customers advanced technologies at the most affordable value. Products include the VIZIO, Maximvs and Gallevia lines of Plasma and LCD HDTVs. Many of these products can be found at BJ’s Wholesale, Circuit City, Costco, Kmart, Sam’s Club, Sears, Wal-Mart and other retailers nationwide along with authorized online partners.
