Who Has the Biggest Role
14 comments so far
March 9, 2009 by
Have you ever wondered which player a team cannot live without? Sometimes I try to imagine the game played with one of the positions removed. How would that affect the play calling if there were no safety position? Would recruiting be impacted if you didn't have to pick up offensive guards? There's little doubt in my mind what the most important and least important positions are in football, but it gets all muddled in between. Take this little journey with me as we rank the different positions on the field from least important to the final, most important player on the field (hint: it's not the left tackle).
Fullback » At times, I see the fullback as nothing but a glorified large running back. A true fullback can really impact the game, that much is certain. But what I see from many teams who don't have a big lane maker is that they can run a two running back set to reach the same goals. The play selection with a fullback in there is not diversified that much.
Tight End » I look at the Kansas City Chiefs of the past few years and see how Tony Gonzalez, the best Tight End in football, cannot impact their wins and losses. You can only run so many running plays with him blocking on the strong side and only so many jump balls to him in the middle of the field before the defense catches on and puts a stop to it. A good TE does enhance an arsenal, but doesn't determine who wins or loses.
Wide Receiver » Undoubtedly, the passing game would be pretty limited without someone to throw the ball to. Receivers can make a game or break a game, but they have to rely more on if a ball is thrown close enough for them to catch it. Yes, a good WR can break away after a catch, but good play calls and good throws are more than likely the culprit for a really good receiver in college.
Defensive Back » The Cornerback is more important than the Safety for the simple fact that a team could play all man coverage against WRs and other pass-receiving players if they had to. A safety is a player that gives a defensive play caller the flexibility to blitz or play zone. "Playing center field" doesn't seem to be that old a concept in terms of college football history.
Offensive Lineman » Without lineman, college football would be flag football – a game where speed is the best weapon and strength takes a back seat. In my mind, the Center is the the most important lineman because he has two roles. Snapping the ball is the start of every play of every game ever. Tackles are the next most important because they have the daunting job of stopping the defensive "wrinkles" that a coach can throw into the game.
Defensive Lineman » D. Tackle are really built to stop the run game, one of the most critical parts in football. The job of Defensive End to pressure the quarterback (in a 4-3) is secondary to the big bruiser part of the game that the Tackles deal with in the trenches. They are the defenses first line of, well, defense.
Running Back » One of the most essential parts of the game - it used to be the most important position before the forward pass and still is critical to winning. The offensive backfield is how a team claims field position and advances the ball. There is no football without it.
Linebacker » Try winning without a good linebacker. There is no way around it. Both Middle and Outside are equally important and players are often interchangeable between the two spots. The defensive version of the offensive backfield, it is their job to recognize and stop the play with speed and strength. They have to be as fast as a running back, but as strong as a lineman at times. Momentum is key part of their game - stopping it, and using it to drive through an opponent.
Quarterback » This is a no-brainer. The QB is the only position in sports where win-losses and championships are often the determining factor for how good a quarterback is. They are the on-field general. They are paid the most in pro sports. They are the most sought-after recruits out of high school. There is no way a team does well without a decent quarterback leading them every week. Durability, intelligence, accuracy, and so much more make a special quarterback. QB is the one player that the defense tries to knock down on every play. Blitzes are designed to take them out. Can you think of any other position that is revered as much as guys like Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Joe Namath, Peyton Manning, etc. They exemplify American sports.
What do you think?
This topic was raised by a reader and we thought it was worth discussing. So, how would you rank the positions in terms of importance to the NU program?
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darren Mar 09 09
My opinion on order of importance:
(Caveat - all jobs are important, football is the ultimate team sport)
Offense:
Quarterback - touches the ball on every single play. Makes all the choices.
O-line (Center, Tackle, Guard). Duh.
TE/WR - Blockers and catchers. Multi-skill = value.
Running back - just plug in the best athlete. Easiest spot to learn.
Defense
D-Tackle - Hardest position to "supply", they are both rare and important
Corner - Great athletes, rare skill (hips to turn and run
D-End - Good ones can be hard to find, make huge plays, maintain leverage
Safety - Make a lot of calls. Great athletes/playmakers. Control the game more than people realize.
Linebackers - You can get a lot out of a little if there are good D-line in front. A good one can be GREAT, and make a lot of plays. Like runningback, it is pug and play.
husker ant Mar 09 09
At nebraska, it seems to me, that running back has been our most important position. Especially during the osborne years. Look at the 3 title under osborne, or even his most successful seasons and you'll find great(not good) backs. Ahman green,calvin jones,lawrence phillips,mike rozier.undoubtedly the o-line and qb positions had something to do with the success also, but the backs were darn near unstoppable in those years.
Mark Mar 09 09
During the 04-07 seasons it was the punter. Thanks Bill!
Dwayne Mar 09 09
QB1 and O line can control a game. No other position can do that.
Fred Mar 09 09
This would be a fantastic article ...
for have never heard of football.
But you left out the football. Cant have a game without one of those. Or goalposts.
Personally i sometimes imagine what a game would be like without a field to play it on... Sometimes i like to imagine what the game would be like without gravity. Air is an important factor in a game as the players need it to breathe.
Qualuedtke Mar 09 09
Some of these positions are really hard to rank, the chain only as strong as the weakest link and so forth, but in my opinion:
1. Quarterback, no doubt.
2. O-line
3. Running back
4. D-tackle
5. D-end
6. Linebackers
7. TE / WR
8. Corners
9. Safety
Also, though not "positions" for the intent of this post, I think the kicking game and special teams are huge. Momentem changers and field position acquirers both, these guys can really impact the game.
JBLING22 Mar 09 09
This is just a stupid ? they are all important, you don't have a good team , til they are all playing together... If you have a great QB and NO O-line or RB, your screwed... If you have all the offense in the world and have a Texas Tech defense of the past, youll win some games but not all of em, again you are screwed..
Its pretty obvious that everyone here that replied thinks strongly of the offensive positions and seems to care little of the Defensive side...
Qualuedtke ???
Maybe this type of ranking would have been dead on in the past, but now a days people run a spread and throw the football.. If you dont have corners/saftey's/WR your team will suck...
That being said , again no position is more important..... Yes QB, and LB's help run their side of the ball, so they might have more weight but thats it.....
JBLING22 Mar 09 09
AS For the article itself if your going to rank people in terms of importance its about as close as you can get........... I guess I just dont see the point
George Mar 09 09
I have to agree with JBLING22 & Fred. Whats the point of this article? Gotta say im loosing my enthusiasm for this site. First the speculation on the bodtman situation, the Barry Turner to be araigned Thursday link is still up despite the fact there will be no arignment. Now an article on the role of positions?
I know its March Sadness now, but id suggest you do a story on a player or something topical. This story is an interesting as, man, i cant even think of something less interesting.
Dwayne Mar 09 09
I agree with Darren, however, I think DT is probably number 3.
1. QB-could be interchangable with 2, if everything around this is pretty decent, especially the O line and RB. Refer to mid 90's and Matt Turman substitution.
2. O line-depending who is playing QB, this might just be 1. Refer to mid 90's and Matt Turman substitution.
3. DT-biggest neutralizer of the O line and anchors the defense.
4. CB-a good one can single handedly shut down a great WR.
5. DE-can shut down a good passing game and help on run support.
6. Safety-QB of the defense and like Darren mentioned, playmaker.
7. RB-In the 80's this just may have been top 2. Not at this time.
8. LB-See number 7.
I like the article. The fact that the O line is a unit or number of players, I really think this is number 1. It really does depend in my mind who it actually is that's under center.
Jason Mar 09 09
This topic was suggested by a regular reader and we thought it was worth discussing. Obviously it is very subjective and maybe that type of topic doesn't appeal to everyone.
That's OK. We'll keep writing every day. Hopefully some of our other stories will be more to your taste.
If you have ideas that you'd like to discuss, give us a shout at tips@bigrednetwork.com. We'd love to hear them.
Mark Mar 09 09
PUNTER!
bnahusker Mar 10 09
Knowing that there aren't many other topics to cover at this point, it seems to me that any story or site that doesn't feature T. Owens or the Dallass Cokeboys is just fine with me!
For my 2 cents worth of the conversation, last year's improvements tell me that the most important person on the team is one who can tackle a ball carrier. If you can't stop the other team, nothing else matters.
GBR!
Bob
tom Mar 10 09
I only put QB at number one because I can name many of our starting QB's for a long time. It also seemed like the good ones could help our team win even when the rest of the team wasn't great and the bad ones could help our team lose even if there were many good parts. Crouch was the key to the Huskers getting to the National Championship his Heisman year and pick-master Joe Dailey sure didn't make it easy for the rest of the guys to win games (yeah, I know, it's all Callahan's fault).