Kevin Terrell/Associated Press

THE SPARKLER

Sure it's not the biggest or baddest, but the sparkler holds a place in Americana; everyone has lit one up and watched its magic. It's affordable, durable, holds attention and lasts. All those other guys pack a big punch but disintegrate within seconds. Not the sparkler.

New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles holds all the characteristics of the sparkler. Set to earn only $2.4 million in 2012, Sproles is affordable. His total contract worth pales in comparison to other multidimensional backs like Ray Rice, LeSean McCoy and even Reggie Bush, yet he held his own with the big boys, totaling 10 touchdowns and 1,313 total yards in 2011. Want durability? How about a player who was the Saints' leading rusher, kick returner and punt returner, and finished third in receiving yards? When you're zipping that stick through the night sky, think of Sproles, his gold helmet jetting through opposing defenses.