#role-players

#role-players

The NBA's Eastern Conference is as unpredictable as any point in recent history. Superstar injuries during last season's playoffs depleted two East powers. The upstart Detroit Pistons sit atop the standings at the quarter mark.

Football is a complex game with many moving parts, and the influence of a star quarterback or a genius head coach only reaches the water's edge. Wins and losses also can be found in the key late sack from a pass rusher; the running game powered by a bolstered offensive line; and the secondary or tertiary target that shines when the primary is double-covered. We call these players X factors.