I think we assign the term elite way too often.
There’s a small difference between elite & great.
I believe someone who’s elite is a player that can put the team on its back or will a team to victory by individual play.
We don’t have elite players right now, imo. We have very good players that will have the potential to be pro bowlers.
I think when we had Reed, regardless of how low he was rated, by the time of his Jr year, there was no doubt he would be a future HOFer. Same w Andre, McGahee, Gore, Shockey, Beason, Morgan, Winslow,Taylor, Wilfork. Those guys were just better than everyone else on the field. Of course we know Shockey’s, Winslow’s, Beason’s and of course, McGahee’s career potential were cut short by knee injuries, and even Frank’s true potential was robbed by knee injuries, but even then all those guys still made pro bowls at the next level, despite. Why? They were just that good. They were elite.
In the sports world, I consider Brady elite and Rodgers great. I consider MJ elite, and Barkley great. I consider Barry Sanders elite and Thurman Thomas great. I consider Jerry Rice elite and Tim Brown great. I consider Ray Lewis elite and Brian Urlacher great.
It’s a subtle difference between the two. Again, our team is full of good players. I think our team has a couple of future pro bowlers on it, one being DJ b/c of his utility, but I can’t classify any as elite and that’s the difference between the Canes of yesteryear v. Canes of today.
The jury is still out on Lo right now, so I won’t hold him hostage by such standards until we see him play a meaningful game. I think he has the potential to be elite.
