In the NFL, play-by-play announcers like to call players like Darren Sproles a “swiss army knife.” It’s become an annoying cliché but it refers to his versatility—he can play as a running back as well as catch passes out of the backfield and return punts and kicks.
You see, that’s chump change.
If Sproles is a swiss army knife, Temple’s John Christopher is Inspector Gadget. He’s natural receiver (caught 31 passes for 330 yards last year) but he’s also a special teams gunner on punts and kickoffs and the long snapper on field goals. It’s a rare combination because each of those positions (especially receiver and long snapper) are built more on trust and consistency rather than natural born talent. For instance, you can be as big and as fast as anybody, but if you aren’t catching balls you won’t play in head coach Matt Rhule’s crowded receiving corps.
Even with Temple’s depth at receiver, Christopher has been able to find playing time and has shown consistency on third down. While we’re on clichés, he’s a “coach’s player.” You give him a job and then you don’t have to worry about it again.
The knock on Christopher has been his health. He’s only played in one game this year, but was very effective (five catches for 32 yards against Navy). He entered camp with an undisclosed nagging leg injury and hasn’t been able to shake it off. But with conference play starting up this week, Rhule is hoping he’ll be good to go. His health will be vital to the team’s success.
Despite his injuries, Christopher wears a single-digit number. This signifies that his teammates voted him one of the 10 toughest players on the team.
Christopher is one of Temple’s two receivers with extensive playing experience prior to this season (along with Jalen Fitzpatrick) so his injury was a big concern at the beginning of the season. Luckily, other receivers like Nate Hairston and Khalif Herbin have stepped up and filled the void. The Owls use a rotation at wide receiver, but when he’s healthy, Christopher is essentially their No. 2 in a pass-happy offense.
Temple begins conference play this week against UConn. From an analyst standpoint, it should be a cupcake game for the Owls. Temple has already proved that it is in the upper echelon of the AAC, while UConn has struggled.
But the Owls’ coaches have been talking about this game since camp. I wish I could make a video montage of Matt Rhule pressers where he says the quote, “[player] is a little banged up, but we’re hoping he comes back for the UConn game.” [player] can be about eight different guys, including Christopher.
Having Christopher back and healthy will allow us to see what this Temple team is fully capable of. Bring on the clichés.
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