Rain Man
01-03-2010, 07:17 PM
When drafting, we all know that there are a number of different philosophies: drafting for need, best player available, top LSU grad, best defensive lineman, etc.
My thought below may apply more to defense than offense, though perhaps it applies to both.
One thing I've been pondering is our nascent strong cornerbacks (Carr's off day today aside). I'm reminded of several teams that have won Super Bowls as the result of having one particularly outstanding defensive unit: the 1986 Giants and their linebackers spring to mind, the 80s 49ers and their four pro bowl defensive backs, the Steel Curtain with their front four (though the back seven were pretty darn good themselves), the most recent Giants with their pass-rushing line, etc. I also think about how strong our defense were when we were putting Lewis and Ross on the field, or Hasty and Carter.
I'm not talking about this year, so the first person who mentions players in the 2010 draft will get neg-repped, but in general, do you think it's better to have one particular unit that's outstanding, or to have talent spread throughout your defense?
For example, which unit would you rather have?
Unit A: All average players but 1 DT, 1 OLB, 1 CB are really, really good.
Unit B: All average players, but 1 DE, 1 ILB, 1 S are really, really good.
Unit C: All average players, but 1 DE, 1 OLB, 1 CB are really, really good.
Unit D: All average players but 3 DL are really, really good.
Unit E: All average players but 3 LBs are really, really good.
Unit F: All average players but 2 CBs and 1 S are really, really good.
The first three scenarios are somewhat random just to give us symmetry.
What do you think?
My thought below may apply more to defense than offense, though perhaps it applies to both.
One thing I've been pondering is our nascent strong cornerbacks (Carr's off day today aside). I'm reminded of several teams that have won Super Bowls as the result of having one particularly outstanding defensive unit: the 1986 Giants and their linebackers spring to mind, the 80s 49ers and their four pro bowl defensive backs, the Steel Curtain with their front four (though the back seven were pretty darn good themselves), the most recent Giants with their pass-rushing line, etc. I also think about how strong our defense were when we were putting Lewis and Ross on the field, or Hasty and Carter.
I'm not talking about this year, so the first person who mentions players in the 2010 draft will get neg-repped, but in general, do you think it's better to have one particular unit that's outstanding, or to have talent spread throughout your defense?
For example, which unit would you rather have?
Unit A: All average players but 1 DT, 1 OLB, 1 CB are really, really good.
Unit B: All average players, but 1 DE, 1 ILB, 1 S are really, really good.
Unit C: All average players, but 1 DE, 1 OLB, 1 CB are really, really good.
Unit D: All average players but 3 DL are really, really good.
Unit E: All average players but 3 LBs are really, really good.
Unit F: All average players but 2 CBs and 1 S are really, really good.
The first three scenarios are somewhat random just to give us symmetry.
What do you think?