If you had to choose one position to have good depth . . . (1 Viewer)

[redman]

Joseph Addai and some discussions about the Redskins' lack of depth at some key areas got me thinking about this issue. Let's say you have all of your starting spots filled with "adequate" talent (whatever that means) but you could only have one position or set of positions filled by a good backup(s) (see the poll). Let's also say that you have a good enough team to reasonably, with the avoidance of serious injuries, make the playoffs and even win some playoff games.

Which position would you choose for your depth?

The depth we're referring to here would be depth that, if it stepped in for the starter, would not greatly change your team's ability to win; the converse is also true, in that if you lost your starter at each given position and didn't have depth, your team's ability to compete would be greatly handicapped insofar as that given position affected the overall game.

The depth doesn't have to be considered equivalent to the starter. For example, while I think that Clinton Portis is clearly the better back when compared to Ladell Betts, I think the Redskins would still be very competetitive with Betts in the backfield. Another example would be Jeff Garcia filling in for McNabb in Philly last year.

It's not an easy question. While the most natural inclination IMHO would be to quickly answer QB, the fact is that having a lack of depth even at an obscure position like OG can become a critical problem in the event of injury.

What do you think?

 

[Gr00vus]

Tough question.

My first thought was offensive line in general, but you didn't give me that option did you? Sneaky redman.

So I went blindside offensive tackle, though I was severely tempted to do the guards + center since it covers more spots. That tackle is generally the best offensive lineman on the team, so I figure the backup there is probably the best backup offensive lineman the team has and could fill at one of the other offensive line spots in a pinch. I think (and this was demonstrated this last night both to the good and the bad) offensive line is the most important player component of a football team, and the blindside tackle is the most important member of that component.

After offensive line I'd want depth on the defensive line, and after that at linebacker. If you are good in those three areas you can compete in just about any game with any opponent.

 

[Lash]

this one's easy

DE, keep em rotated and fresh, and keep the pressure in the opponents backfield all night long

second pick is CBs, can't have enough good ones on a team

 

[Torque666]

I would pick Dline as a whole, but had no option for it so no vote.

 

[KellysHeroes]

Nice thread.... I said QB... IE the eagles last yr; you starter is shutdown.. your back up comes in and the team doesn't skip a beat.

 

[the UFFRM]

Tough question.My first thought was offensive line in general, but you didn't give me that option did you? Sneaky redman.So I went blindside offensive tackle, though I was severely tempted to do the guards + center since it covers more spots. That tackle is generally the best offensive lineman on the team, so I figure the backup there is probably the best backup offensive lineman the team has and could fill at one of the other offensive line spots in a pinch. I think (and this was demonstrated this last night both to the good and the bad) offensive line is the most important player component of a football team, and the blindside tackle is the most important member of that component.After offensive line I'd want depth on the defensive line, and after that at linebacker. If you are good in those three areas you can compete in just about any game with any opponent.

It all starts up front. Look what Boselli did for the Jags (healthy and younger) then flip the coin and look how not having that has been for the Texans.

 

[Whiplash Inc.]

Voted other; Guards and Tackles. Doesn't matter which ones, but without a quality Offensive Line and quality depth at those positions your running and passing game is screwed. See 2006 Oakland Raiders (and there are plenty of other examples).

 

[H.K.]

Voted other. I'd like to have three or four Bill Polian's, each about ten-fifteen years apart in age. Should help keep the franchise in the playoffs for about the next 60-70 years.

 

[UncleZen]

If P. Manning gets knocked out for the season in the next game, how many games do the Colts win this year?

 

[Todem]

Hands down CB on the defensive side and Tackle on the offensive side.

You must be able to cover all the Owens, Holt's, Harrisons etc and you must protect your QB otherwise everything else goes to shi!.

 

[Cookiemonster]

The QB can singlehandedly lose games for you. If Batch (one of the best backups in the league IMO) had played a game or two after Ben's concussion last year (and not thrown two pick 6's vs. the Raiders), Pitt would have made the playoffs. QBs take such a beating, that it's almost inevitable to have your starter miss a little time. If one bad series loses a game for you, it can mean the playoffs are out. Next up, I'm split between CB and DL. Nickle and Dime Ds are very important and your 3rd and 4th CBs are always getting some PT, but I give the edge to DL 'cause w/o a pass rush, no CB in the league can keep his man covered for long. Keeping them fresh and rotating is important for the most physically demanding position on the field.

 

[CiscoKid]

I said QB - a weak backup pretty much spells the end if the starter goes down. If I could have picked a 2nd choice I would have gone with CB. I've seen it too many times where a bad corner can almost singlehandedly loose a game for a team.

 

[Exile]

As a Patriots fan, I said CB.

Anyone know the over/under on Patriot CBs that end up on the IR this year?

 

[WhoDat]

A trio of capable, NFL caliber DT...fulcrum of the defense

 

[-OZ-]

If the OLine allows P. Manning to get knocked out for the season in the next game, how many games do the Colts win this year?

fixed. When Glenn retired, the Colts were extremely fortunate that Ugoh could step up.

 

[Marc Levin]

No shock that QB and LT are considered the real world football MVPs