Bill Polian explains the 3 most important positions in football

[Grahambo]

Bill Polian explains the 3 most important positions in football

Give their site a click but I think its a nice topic to discuss to get everyone's opinion. The first two positions are obvious but the 3rd kind of peaked my interest.

 

[Nick Setta]

He's right on the first 2 but you can win without an inside rush. A MLB is more important IMO. See Joe Schmidt or Manti Teo

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Lots of respect for Polian, but the NFL is a hyper-competitive environment, and the objective salary data by position strongly indicates that he's wrong:

Particularly about the importance of DEs v. DTs. Effective inside rushers may be rarer than outside rushers, but rarity is only one half of the equation determining value-- effectiveness/ impact is the other, and the numbers indicate that edge rushers are simply much more effective than inside rushers.

Conversely, good OTs are obviously important, but the data indicates that they're much easier to come by than elite DEs, LBs and CBs. As the rules have changed to favor QBs and WRs, finding players with the required athleticism and intelligence to defend NFL passing attacks has gotten much harder.

 

[pkt77242]

He's right on the first 2 but you can win without an inside rush. A MLB is more important IMO. See Joe Schmidt or Manti Teo

I would have gone with CB #3.

 

[Old Man Mike]

QB, by a mile

Shutdown corners
Pass Rushers, edge>interior
Both OTs

MiddleLinebacker

Serious wide receiver threat

Rest of OLine

Downhill RB
Smart Safety

 

[GoldenDomer]

This may be true for the NFL, but I don't think QB is the most important position on the field in college. I believe in college, it's:

1. O-Line- Control the LOS and protect the passer
2. D-Line- If you can stop the run and get after the passer when the time comes, you're gonna be a successful defense. It all starts up front.
3. Corner- How many teams have even 2 superstar receivers that can beat you? If you have a lockdown corner that can take away the big play WR, you're in good shape.

I think this is what has been the stable of Alabama's run. Can you plug AJ McCarron into any system and expect him to light up defenses? Nope. All he had to do was steer the ship because Nick Saban built his team around dominating the LOS on both sides of the ball, and grooming a secondary that doesn't give up the explosion plays.

 

[NDdomer2]

Qb is #1 position in the game, ALL levels.

 

[phork]

Your DT Salary chart is about to get raped by a large penis made of shards of glass. Suh is either going to sign upwards of $20Mill or Franchised at $27Mill.

Frankly I agree with his assessment. QBs are the glory boys, and you need a decent one. Rare exception the Baltimore Ravens with Trent Dilfer, that defence will probably not be matched.

Left OT for obviousl reasons. A good DT makes more people be occupied, allowing for LB and Secondary blitzes. Suh is the example.

Everything else, See New England Patriots, is all filler. Filler WRs, Filler RBs, secondary by committee etc etc. The Patriot franchise the best model in the NFL, I believe, bears that out. The killer part is year after year they have a metric fuck ton of draft picks and don't sell the farm to get players.

 

[NDRock]

Qb is #1 position in the game, ALL levels.

Depends on the scheme as to their importance but overall I agree.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Your DT Salary chart is about to get raped by a large penis made of shards of glass. Suh is either going to sign upwards of $20Mill or Franchised at $27Mill.

That'll bump the DT average ahead of OT and WR, but it'll still be behind CB by a large margin. So it doesn't change my analysis at all.

 

[Grahambo]

NFL Fantasy draft time...no QB or LT....who do you pick first?

 

[Nick Setta]

NFL Fantasy draft time...no QB or LT....who do you pick first?

JJ Watt, Luke Kuechly, Zach Martin, Suh, Wham bam Kam Chancellor,

 

[Grahambo]

JJ Watt, Luke Kuechly, Zach Martin, Suh, Wham bam Kam Chancellor,

JJ Watt is such a beast.

 

[phork]

That'll bump the DT average ahead of OT and WR, but it'll still be behind CB by a large margin. So it doesn't change my analysis at all.

The Detroit Lions are a prime example of the front 7, specifically the front 4, can make your secondary semi-decent. Same for ND in 2012. Besides Polian has forgotten more football than we'll ever know.

 

[MNIrishman]

Most important position? The fans. If no one's there when they lay the wood, does it make a sound?

 

[ACamp1900]

Fullback, punter.

 

[Irish#1]

Inside rush is more important per Polian? I would ask him why he spent his defense money on Freeney and Mathis the entire time he was with the Colts? We never had a difference maker in the middle while he was here.

 

[ulukinatme]

Yeah, I'm not sure if those are the right three. Certainly LT is the most important on the OL, but I wonder if that importance dwindles if you're using a mobile QB? A mobile QB can just roll right and negate a rush that comes from the left side. Obviously a pocket passer is at a greater disadvantage and relies entirely on the LT to watch his backside.
Certainly the pass rushing DT is debatable as well, based on the discussions above.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Inside rush is more important per Polian? I would ask him why he spent his defense money on Freeney and Mathis the entire time he was with the Colts? We never had a difference maker in the middle while he was here.

I assume he'd defend it by pointing out how rare they are.

 

[phillyirish]

Personally I think an inside pass rush is far more important than a pass rushing DE or OLB. A DT or 3-4 DE who's main job is on a run-stopping basis, but can consistently get pressure can make you Defense elite. Just think about the few guys that do this, they are all on great defenses. Suh with DET (defense ranked 2) Muhammed wilkerson and Sheldon richardson on the Jets (6th ranked defense), Marcell Darius on Buf (6th ranked D). Then obviously there is JJ Watt the best player in the NFL, although Houston's D overall was average.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

Pretty interesting insight. An inside rusher certainly takes away the quartebacks ability to step up into any pocket while the edge rushers flush him up inside. I find it annoying when the outside rushers push so far up the field and the QB just shuffles up and has all day if there's no push inside. I remember hearing Belichick say something about not defending the opposite goal line by getting pushed past the play as an edge rusher. I'm not sure I value them more than an edge rusher or great cover corner, but it's an interesting point. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Old Man Mike]

My comment on this was based mainly on what I experienced in different sports [very amateurish mainly] that I coached. In every team sport the advantage accrued to us if we had a player so good at a vital position that he demanded that the opponent screw up what they'd normally do to account for him... same for us if the opposing bastards had such a thorn-in-the-side.

For this "bend-you-out-of-shape" trouble to happen to you, the too-damm-good opponent must be occupying some spot which gives him lots of opportunity to screw with your plans. QBs obviously begin your woes, as you have to jiggle your defense all over the place to try to defend whatever their peculiar skill set is. Shutdown corners require you to almost abandon pieces of your playbook. Rush defensive ends mess up your timing plays and sometimes whole sides of the field. A monster receiving threat requires continuous double team stacks etc etc.

The OT issue, if he's a guy like Zach Martin was for us, enters this range if he's [as Zach was] an "eraser". Then you can plan your own offense ignoring the DE rush from one whole side, and the opposing coordinator might even have to think about flipping his "great" DE to the other side.

I find it harder to see this mess-with-your-system effect with too many other positions. It would take an absolutely freaky good runner [Peterson?] to require that much alteration in game-planning.

 

[ThePiombino]

NFL Fantasy draft time...no QB or LT....who do you pick first?

JJ Watt all day.

 

[GoldenToTheGrave]

Personally I think an inside pass rush is far more important than a pass rushing DE or OLB. A DT or 3-4 DE who's main job is on a run-stopping basis, but can consistently get pressure can make you Defense elite. Just think about the few guys that do this, they are all on great defenses. Suh with DET (defense ranked 2) Muhammed wilkerson and Sheldon richardson on the Jets (6th ranked defense), Marcell Darius on Buf (6th ranked D). Then obviously there is JJ Watt the best player in the NFL, although Houston's D overall was average.

Although a good interior pass rush is great, the thing that separates the edge rush from the inside rush is the number of turnovers it creates IMO. A good edge rusher is far more likely to knock the ball out of the QB's hands or get a strip sack.

Anybody have any thoughts on the free safety run that's gotten popular since Earl Thomas blew up?

 

[GoldenDome]

1. QB
2. LT
3. CB

Rules changes have impacted the game a ton. If you can take away 1/2 to 1/3 of the field away you can put other defensive players in a position to cover the other side or stop the run.

 

[Old Man Mike]

... case in point: our two cover corners last season were the only reasons that our flawed/injured talent on the rest of the field had even a ghost of a chance defensively.

 

[Wild Bill]

Although a good interior pass rush is great, the thing that separates the edge rush from the inside rush is the number of turnovers it creates IMO. A good edge rusher is far more likely to knock the ball out of the QB's hands or get a strip sack.

If I was an offensive coordinator, I'd rather play a team with an elite defensive end rather than a team with an elite defensive tackle. A gap slashing three technique can disrupt your entire offensive game plan - inside run, outside run and passing game. Quick penetration up the middle just kills the timing of everything. You can use game plan to negate an elite edge rusher much easier. Chip him with a tight end or back, slide protection towards him, sprint or boot away from him. You can use screens and draws to slow him down. He's much less of a factor in the run game too. He can't do much to stop an inside run game and you can run away from him on the outside. Think about how disruptive Sheldon was against FSU. They simply couldn't do anything to stop him.

Anybody have any thoughts on the free safety run that's gotten popular since Earl Thomas blew up?

Elite safeties are hard to find but they are real difference makers if they can play both the pass and run at a high level. The Steelers seemed to go from elite to average whenever Polamalu went down with an injury and the Ravens were ridiculous with Reed (Lewis was good too). I think it's an underrated position, for sure. Is there a modern era defense that was generally accepted as elite that didn't have a great safety? Can't think of one.

 

[irishog77]

Your DT Salary chart is about to get raped by a large penis made of shards of glass. Suh is either going to sign upwards of $20Mill or Franchised at $27Mill.

Frankly I agree with his assessment. QBs are the glory boys, and you need a decent one. Rare exception the Baltimore Ravens with Trent Dilfer, that defence will probably not be matched.

Left OT for obviousl reasons. A good DT makes more people be occupied, allowing for LB and Secondary blitzes. Suh is the example.

Everything else, See New England Patriots, is all filler. Filler WRs, Filler RBs, secondary by committee etc etc. The Patriot franchise the best model in the NFL, I believe, bears that out. The killer part is year after year they have a metric fuck ton of draft picks and don't sell the farm to get players.

Uh, that defense wasn't even the best in the league...in that season. That honor went to the Titans with the #1 D in the league.

As far as the Patriots model, the years they've won the championship, they've had excellent play and players in the secondary.



On the whole, my Top 3 (in the pros):

1)QB





2)DT
3)CB


I think in college it's more like:
QB/OL/DT/S

Safeties are so much more important and difference makers in college. Minus maybe osu this year and auburn a few years ago, for ~ the last 15 years, fsu, florida, alabama, usc, texas, lsu, usc, oklahoma have all had tremendous Safety play. Safety's can be real game-changers in the college ranks.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Bill Polian explains the 3 most important positions in football

In college, I'd go skill, skill, skill. It's no coincidence guys like Barry Sanders, Randy Moss, Johnny Manziel, etc. singlehandedly gave their teams successful seasons. It's rare one defensive player does the same.