Backups Who Were More Popular Than Starters
In football, there's an old adage that says, "the most popular guy on every football team is always the backup quarterback," because, should the starter struggle, the backup is the guy who fans want to see inserted as the starter.
But football isn't the only sport where that saying has been proved true. Other sports have also had their fair share of second-stringers who might just be the more popular guy in town.
Whatever the reason for players to be more popular than the incumbent starter, here are some of the athletes who might not be starting, but, at the very least, say they're more well-known.
J.T. Barrett
1 of 10
Starter: Cardale Jones
This one might be a bit of a wash, but, prior to this past week's opener against the Virginia Tech Hokies, many believed that the redshirt sophomore was going to get the not over Cardale Jones.
That's because, during the 2014 season after coming on for an injured Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett went off, leading the Bucks to 11 wins, He put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation and broke Drew Brees' Big Ten touchdown record for a season.
Until Jones led the Buckeyes to the national title when filling in for an injured Barrett in the last three-plus games of 2014, no one had really known much about him. That is why Barrett, arguably, is still even more popular than his rising superstar teammate.
Nick Young
2 of 10
Starter: Wayne Ellington
The Los Angeles Lakers may have started Wayne Ellington 36 games at shooting guard to fill in for an injured Kobe Bryant during their lost 2014 season, but it's backup Nick Young who was more popular among fans.
With a nickname of Swaggy P, is that really that difficult to believe?
Young is flashy, a streaky shooter and likes to run his mouth, making him someone fans can't help but have a soft spot for. Add in his relationship with rapper Iggy Azalea—who is often talked about in the media—and it's no surprise that Young is the second-most popular player on the Lakers not named Kobe.
Carson Palmer
3 of 10
Starter: Jon Kitna
Anytime a team draft's a guy No. 1 overall and that player happened to win the Heisman Trophy in his final season in college football, there's going to be some hype surrounding him.
That was the case with former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, who found himself on the bench during his entire first season in the Queen City behind Jon Kitna.
To both players' credit, neither complained about their role, as the Bengals promised to bring Palmer along slowly and let Kitna take the reins—which he did well, taking the team from two wins in 2002 to eight in 2003.
Naturally, though, Palmer was the man the front office, coaches and fans wanted to see, though—even if the former USC star didn't take a single snap in his rookie campaign.
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Manu Ginobili
4 of 10
Current Starter: Danny Green
The San Antonio Spurs have a formula that works really well for them—as proved by their five NBA titles in the past 17 seasons, which includes an insane 50-plus wins in 17 of the past 18 seasons under head coach Gregg Popovich, with the only year not with 50 coming in a lockout-shortened campaign.
A major part of that formula includes players buying into the whole team concept and Pop's system, meaning, sometimes, more talented players are asked to take lesser roles to help the team.
One of the all-timers at that is Manu Ginobili, who has been a super sub his entire career, only starting just 349 of 865 career games since joining the NBA in 2002—an insane number when considering Manu would be starting for just about every other team.
A past winner of the league's Sixth Man of the Year Award, the Argentine has led the Spurs' second team for the past 13 years, making him as valuable—and popular—as anyone on the team during that time, including, yes, Tim Duncan.
Doug Flutie
5 of 10
Starter: Rob Johnson
A decorated college quarterback who won the 1984 Heisman Trophy while at Boston College, former quarterback Doug Flutie epitomized the little engine that could, overcoming the odds to make it to the NFL.
But it wasn't always a smooth ride.
Embroiled in a quarterback battle with Rob Johnson while both were with the Buffalo Bills in 1999—a year after Flutie made his only Pro Bowl—Johnson may have gotten the nod, but it was Flutie who was the fan favorite, as Bills supporters latched onto his personality and blue-collar story.
I mean, come on, how many backup players get their own cereal? That's how popular Flutie was.
Brian Scalabrine
6 of 10Starters: Kendrick Perkins, Carlos Boozer, Kurt Thomas
Throw out everything you ever thought about backups, because former NBA player Brian Scalabrine redefined what it meant to be to be a scrub who only played during garbage time.
While The White Mamba may have played on the 2008 Boston Celtics championship team, he wasn't the one doing much to lead the Celts to their 17th title, instead used as the No. 1 cheerleader and fan favorite when he did actually enter the game.
Scal played with a grit and blue-collar attitude that fans loved to see, which is why he was one of the most popular players on every single team he ever played with.
Johnny Manziel
7 of 10
Starters: Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown
His popularity may have taken a bit of a hit after his poor performances as a rookie in 2014 and his toned-down social life, but Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Johnny Manziel is still one of the most famous guys in the league.
Starting just two games in his career and throwing two interceptions with zero touchdowns, Johnny hasn't yet proved he's the answer under center for the Brownies. But he has shown he knows how to draw a crowd.
Understanding the importance of focusing on football full-time following a stint in rehab this past offseason, Manziel is losing the whole Johnny Football persona. That won't stop fans and media from giving him plenty of attention.
It's only a matter of time until he takes over the starting role in Cleveland, but, for now, he has to settle for being No. 1 on the popularity depth chart.
Robert Griffin III
8 of 10
Starter: Kirk Cousins
You just had to see this one coming, didn't you?
A former No. 2 overall selection just three years ago, Robert Griffin III went from beloved to a beaten man really fast on the Washington Redskins, falling out of favor with his current coaching staff.
After earning the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2012 and leading the Skins to 10 wins and the postseason, RG3 has failed to return to that dynamic form that fans in the nation's capital fell in love with.
Falling down the depth chart, Griffin is still the most talked about and polarizing player on his team—he just doesn't happen to be the one who's starting under center when the season begins.
James Harden
9 of 10
Starter: Thabo Sefolosha
Much like the aforementioned Manu Ginobili, current Houston Rockets star James Harden was best known as a super sub for his first couple NBA seasons, coming off the bench rather than starting.
That seemed to work well for the Thunder then, though, as having one basketball to share between lethal scorers like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Harden was a difficult task.
Given Harden's energy, skill and famous beard, fans fell in love with the guy—even is he only started just seven games for OKC during his three seasons there before being traded to Houston.
Tim Tebow
10 of 10
Starters: Kyle Orton, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford or anyone not named Tom Brady
It's shocking to see how much quarterback Tim Tebow has captivated football fans over the years.
A former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champ while playing for the Florida Gators, Tebow was one of the most talked about players leading up to the 2010 NFL draft—even though he wasn't going to be a top-10 pick—and his popularity continued once his pro career started.
From ballyhooed backup to starter and, finally, to a guy just trying to compete for a roster spot, Tebow has been the most popular player on his team in each of his four stops in the NFL except the New England Patriots. He even topped the list of most popular athlete in America a few years ago.
You can't blame the guy for not being loved there, though, as the team had some guy named Tom Brady manning the starter's role.
Still, Tebow remains to be one of the most popular players in the NFL—as evidenced by his Eagles jersey—which is a collector's item now that he got cut last weekend—being one of the league's top sellers among fans.
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