Part of being a sports fan is being able to communicate various topics in the form of debate. Debates can range from: Greatest QB of All Time; Most Impactful Player of the Modern Era: etc, etc. The art of debate is essential when trying to compare players, teams and positions culminating, of course, in a winning argument.
In honor of the upcoming Championship Weekend in the NFL, the Palace will highlight and rank the NFL position groups in terms of their importance from greatest to least. What you need to keep in mind about this column is that this is not an indictment on individual talents; we are examining the importance of the position as it relates to a formula of winning. So miss me with all the, what about this guy or that guy…that’s not what we are here for. Here we go:
THE QUARTERBACK- there should be no if, and, or buts about this one. THE QB is the most essential position on the football team. They touch the ball more than any other player and if you find a QB who has all of the intangibles of greatness, you will almost always have a team that competes for championships. Now for those of you who will throw out Trent Dilfer or QBs that have been a bust…just because you play the position doesn’t mean you are a success, but without a strong QB (and please believe “managing the game” is just as important as carrying the ball club) you have no shot at greatness.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE- It doesn’t matter who your favorite player is; doesn’t matter if you can’t name 5 O-Lineman in the whole league. The fact of the matter is, the better your O-Line the more dominant your football team. Being able to open holes, protect the QB, and work as a cohesive unit on every offensive snap is paramount.
THE DEFENSIVE LINE- NFL analyst, when it comes down to it, will all typically agree that a football game between two really good teams is won in the trenches. We highlighted the O-Line, but please believe that a hole penetrating, dominate pass rush, ability to clog running and passing lanes makes everything else on defense work to its full capacity. Just think of how much more effective your defense is when you can create the same amount of chaos with a 3 and four man rush versus always having to send the blitz.
SECONDARY- the Texans had a good team this year in all phases except the secondary. A trash secondary is like kryptonite when you can’t get a pash rush or if a QB has so much time that they can make a clock instead of watching it. As a corner/safety you are sometimes on so much of an island that if you can’t do your job…you are going to get beat with the big play…and that’s a problem.
These 4 position groups are the MOST important groups on the field. Then you have kickers/punters because they have to be able to do their job when called upon. After them, the following are some of the most overrated positions on the field (remember in terms of groups, not individual talents).
LINEBACKERS- IN the grand scheme of things, if you have a good D-Line and your secondary is solid, how hard is it for a linebacker to make a tackle or cover someone in a two foot window. There have been great linebackers in our history (including LT) but they usually find themselves more in a pseudo D Line role; Important…but seriously overrated in terms of overall success to your football team.
RUNNING BACKS- Running backs are plentiful. You don’t have to be a great running back to be successful, because a good portion of your success comes with reading the holes that your O-Line sets up. If you have a dominant rusher like Adrian Peterson you, in theory, do better…but if he gets hurt and Toby Gerhart has to play in his place, if your O-Line is solid, you aren’t limited in what your team can do.
WIDE RECEIVER- Overall the wide receiver position is the most OVERRATED POSITION IN FOOTBALL. Do we have elite WR, absolutely, but do you need an elite WR to win football games, absolutely not (see NE Patriots, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers). Wide receivers are hit and miss. When they make great catches they seem utter worldly, but when they drop four passes leading up to the critical 3 and 19, your realize that they can be just as unreliable. Jerry Rice, arguably the greatest football player of all time let alone WR, as unbelievable…but when he retired the 49ers just start throwing the ball to a young kid named Terrell Owens and kept it moving. Again not saying they aren’t important, but in the grand scheme of things, they are not nearly as important as one would think.
As always, I may be wrong about this…but I doubt it!
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