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Chris Korb is known for three things.
First, he apparently doesn't wear shin guards. He keeps his socks slouched down around his ankles, exposing his shins to the elements.
Second, he is a workhorse. He doesn't give up, which was an especially valuable attribute during the basement-dwelling 2013 season. And he's not just a workhorse - but a mainstay - 2014 being his fourth professional season with our beloved Black and Red.
Third, ever since Andy Najar left us at the end of the 2012 season, Korb has attempted to fill those counterattacking shoes. You'll catch him every once in a while making a run up the left side and crossing into the box. (He's capable of doing it from the right, too.) These crosses, which tend to come when all else seems lost, sparking some hope late in a game, don't always find a well-positioned striker on the other end of them, but they can be wildly entertaining moments.
The Korb.
So how did Korb fair this season? 2014 did not start well. He was benched with a preseason knee injury for the first six games, while Ben Olsen brought on Christian Fernandez to fill the spot. Fernandez didn't last the season, and Korb was soon back on the field.
Korb was an important part of DC's formidable back line, although his workhorse-ness was overshadowed by the relative flashiness of speedy Sean Franklin, DOTY contender Bobby Boswell, and ROTY contender Steven Birnbaum.
He also had competition nipping at his heels for his left back spot: in one very surprising Taylor Kemp -- whose cross in the second leg of the RBNY playoff series found Nick DeLeon and, for several minutes, kept DC's season alive. Not helping Korb's place in the depth chart was spending several weeks off at the end of the summer with a hamstring injury.
Nevertheless, year-to-year comparisons show Korb basically holding steady in most fundamental aspects of defending. His pass success percentage inched up from 78.2% in 2013 to 78.7% in 2014. Interceptions went from 2.2 to 2.6 per game. On the other hand, opposing players dribbled past him slightly more frequently in 2014 than they managed to do so in 2013. And he had fewer clearances per game this year (2) than last (3).
The Korb. With those socks that make you think: Hatchback. Steady. Reliable. Scrappy.
What say you? Release the Korb? Or release the Korb?