A modest proposal: Can Vince Wilfork be NFL's silhouette, a la Jerry West?

We almost spit out our afternoon absinthe coffee when we saw the Thursday tweet of Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans, author over with our friends at the Roto Arcade (who do an incredible job, by the way, on all things fantasy).

But the more we think about it, the more brilliant Brad’s idea is.

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Lest you’ve not seen this before and are still adjusting to the shock of it all, yes, Vince Wilfork has been (prominently) featured in ESPN The Magazine’s “Body issue” for this year. And as we wrote before, we salute the portly man for baring all. When you’re (listed at) 325 pounds, it’s easy to cover up and let folks’ imagination do the heavy lifting.

But there’s Wilfork — big, bold and beautiful — running with a grace we rarely see in a man his size. And isn’t that what the NFL is all about? It’s about impossibly large men showing athletic traits that those of us several cheeseburgers lighter can only dream of.

Of course, Wilfork also earned himself a permanent spot in the fashion Hall of Fame when he gave us the shirtless overalls look on “Hard Knocks” last summer. It was a remember-where-you-were moment when it aired.

So this is all too perfect as it related to Evans’ tweet. In the way that Jerry West’s now-ubiquitous image represented what the NBA was back in 1969 (even if The Association doesn’t play up the fact that it’s West’s silhouette they modeled its logo after), we say that Wilfork is as much about what the league is as any quarterback would be. After all, the league can’t make it Tom Brady’s outline — they’re far too embroiled with him in a legal battle over him maybe or maybe not squeezing footballs too hard.

And besides, for every star QB, there are two dozen workmanlike players who are far closer in stature to what Wilfork is. As much as we love the finesse of the modern game, it’s the physicality and brute strength — even as much people might cast an disapproving eye in this concussion-addled era — combined with those players’ rare athleticism that truly defines it.

Do we see the NFL redesigning “the shield” anytime soon? Nah. But if they do, Big Vince might make the perfect silhouette for it. It appears that his team, the Houston Texans, are already very much behind the idea.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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