Sports are about scoring, but no one could score without receiving a precisION pass from a teammate. Sometimes the assist can be as important as the dunk, and the heave downfield is what makes a touchdown.
It's difficult to compare athletes across sports, but here are five of the most precise players in their respective fields. They are all true precisION passers.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
The Saints have fallen on hard times, but that shouldn’t affect star quarterback Drew Brees’ stunning accuracy. Brees blew scouts out of the water during his time at Purdue, but some feared that his short stature might limit his ability to be a precisION passer in the NFL.
Not so. Brees shattered Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record last season, throwing for 5,476 yards. Oh, and he did it while leading the league in completion percentage at 71.2%. Now THAT'S precisION.
Xavi, Barcelona/Spain
Barcelona's diminutive playmaker has by now earned a reputation as the heart and soul of the world's best club and international teams (Barcelona and Spain). In the past, though, it was easier to overlook the always calm, always precise Xavi Hernandez, known simply as Xavi. For Barcelona this past season he recorded a remarkable 3,024 completed passes, well ahead of Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso and teammate Dani Alves, who finished second and third respectively.
Rumor has it that when a Barcelona teammate intercepts a Xavi pass in training, the rest of the squad stops to applaud. That's how rarely Xavi gives away the ball.
Chris Paul, LA Clippers
The NBA is in the midst of a point guard boom, so there are many worthy candidates who could be called the NBA's precisION passer. Still, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers stands above the rest thanks not only to his unique court vision, but how rarely he gives away the basketball. Paul boasts a career assist-to-turnover ratio of just over 4-1, an absurd mark that sets him apart from even the league's best points.
While his assist numbers were down slightly in his first season as a Clipper, Paul has averaged over nine assists per game every year for the past five seasons. He's got an eye for the perfect pass.
Rick Ankiel, Washington Nationals
As we move into baseball the term "precision passer" becomes less appropriate, but Rick Ankiel is precise with his throws nonetheless. The Nationals have one of the best defenses in Major League Baseball, thanks in part to throws like this one from Ankiel:
Wowsers! Sometimes it's good to have a former pitcher in your outfield. The irony, of course, is that Ankiel was converted to an outfielder precisely because of his inaccuracy as a pitcher.
RA Dickey, New York Mets
RA Dickey’s meteoric rise as a knuckleballer has been chronicled by this site and many, many others. A recurring theme in the nearly universal praise Dickey's received has been control. Knuckleballers traditionally float their pitches without much of an idea as to where the ball will go, which leads to a high walk total.
Dickey, on the other hand, has walked only 26 batters in 120 innings pitched so far this season, a borderline impossibility for a knuckleballer. His precisION is one of the reasons he boasts a 12-1 record and a 2.40 ERA.
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