Who is the most important player on the football field (not to be injured) , when you're capping ?

[Journeyman]

A supposed wise man once told me this...I NEVER see it mentioned anywhere....

When your scanning the injuries for an upcoming game and you see the CENTER is injured and will not play, this according to him, is the most noteworthy single injury a team can have...never make a play on a team with a backup center playing....

 

[Mr.Jones]

Oh it's mentioned for sure Journey.....by J.R. Miller

 

[JimFiestSux]

When betting the Giants I always tried to find out if Kerry Collins was drinking the morning of the game! Also when betting the Raiders whether Janikowski was drunk also! To me a strong defensive back replacement against a passing team would make my wager triple!!

 

[Fishhead]

Depends entirely on the team themselves and their upcoming opponent.

 

[HacheMan]

Not by exact position, but I would rank the top 3 categories that rank as importance when it comes to injuries as...
QB
Offensive Line
Secondary

The rest, RB,WR,DL,LB,SP's are probably all about equal when it comes to importance of injuries......

 

[OMNIVOROUS FROG]

I think one point missed is the quality of the backup, are they just about equal? Is there a huge drop off? If QB is most important, how did the Eagles win even more games with their backup QB's, and lose when starter returned? Even third stringer performed well. To be honest a generalization like that can actually backfire. Maybe the opponent cannot exploit the injury. Maybe the player is not really injured as bad as team says, and plays. What if the line has adjusted for the injury? This question actually raises more questions than answers...Best Wishes...OF

 

[Fishhead]

Frog- That is what I meant by my first post in this thread.......depends on the teams involved.

Best Wishes,
FISH

 

[Journeyman]

Of course it depends on each indiviual team...I was making a general statement...I had never heard the center was the most significant inury until the supposed wise man told me this...by the looks of the responses others don't feel this either....I can see the guys point, with each play directly starting with the center/quarterback exchange, I was just asking what you guys thought really....

Carryon wayward sons

 

[drunkguy]

by far, any offensive lineman, especially the center

a back-up QB may not be as good as the star QB, but he is usually good enough to get the job done.

Most positions can be adequately filled by a player who can do his own job well. Offensive line really does require coordination and teamwork wmore than anything else, so plugging in a new face can often be devastating

 

[Journeyman]

I agree Drunkguy...I think many occasions the backup can get it done, its almost as if the backup (when given a full week to prepare) and the team as a whole, rally around the situation...Center/O-line are key pieces to the engine of the offense, more important in many ways (which go unnoticed)

 

[Fishhead]

The important thing to remember here is that an injury to a SIGNIFICANT offensive center is very rarely reflected in the pointspread as other key postitions are, thus you can gain a significant advantage over the general public if you are a sharp football fan/bettor.

 

[Fishhead]

Brett Favre always maintained that C Frank Winters was the MVP of the Packers offense.

Having said that, I hope Frank makes the HOF.

 

[OMNIVOROUS FROG]

There are only two players that handle the ball every play. Not only do you lose the qb/center exchange, but many centers are responsible for line calls. Plus the O-line is a unit, and units function better when they are familiar with each other. Pats brought in a couple of backups on their Super Bowl run, but not the center. Remember the Raiders super bowl? Binge drinking in TJ chasing donkey humpin whores led to chemical imbalance, and one lousy blocking unit. In my mind, and experience, I am always wary if my starting center is out. They may not and usually do not adjust line. Might get a 3+ point adjust for QB. But when that backup center snaps that shotgun snap over the QB's head, into their own end zone, you know how important it is...Best Wishes...OF

 

[Journeyman]

It doesn't seem to happen much either, but I think its a nice edge on general bettor...maybe we can have an injured center alert when it happens this year

 

[HacheMan]

But guys, your arguements that a backup QB can fill in substantially if he has enough practice time goes the same for a backup center. We're talking in general here, what is the most important, not if a certain backup can fill the starters shoes if given enough practice time. I rank those positions as QB, Offensive line, & secondary, with no specific position. If we were going to rate positions, I would have to disagree with you guys in that I believe a tackle is much more important than a center. Yes, we've all seen starting centers go down in a game and the backup brought in, and sometimes there aren't good exchanges between he and the QB, sometimes causing a fumble, but, if given practice time, a backup center usually does fine. A tackle takes much more skill and athleticism than a center, and most are usually naturals, when other positions on the line can be taught.....

 

[OMNIVOROUS FROG]

I do not think a week can really get the split second timing required, plus the confidence and famialarity a starting center/QB have. That backup center is timed with the backup QB. You ever see a backup QB come in and throw it to the backup wideout? Why, the timing and confidence is there. I rate a center as the number #1 position on the entire team, that with an injury, does not get adjusted by the lines, yet has the biggest impact. Bad center/QB exchanges result in turnovers. Guard/tackle do not. Plus a lot of the big guys shift, from guard/tackle, right or left. The center not only has those calls, but the snap count. He can make the entire line motion wrong. How many lineman are there, how many centers are there? How many times do the non center lineman touch the ball? Nope, center it is. Best Wishes...OF

 

[Journeyman]

Its all about the turnovers Hache...almost always the most turnovers loses (as you know)

 

[HacheMan]

lol Om, backup tackles result in many hits on QB's that create turnovers also. I know where you're coming from though.....

 

[Journeyman]

Spoken like a true wideout Hache

 

[oldmanTED]

JMan:

No doubt the center is a critical position in any game but "who is the most important player on the football field (not to be injured), when you're capping" really does change from match-up to match-up depending on the game plan developed. Coaching staffs prepare for a week to exploit the weakness of their opponent. Sometimes those weaknesses are found at the skilled positions while other times those weaknesses are found in the trenches and sometimes both. Good coaching staffs find those weaknesses while reviewing game films and game plan around them.

Too often, the capper tends to focus on the skilled positions almost exclusively and disregard the play in the trenches only to wonder at the conclusion of the game how the outcome could be. I try to think like a coach when evaluating a game and envision the weaknesses in player match-ups. Often times, this would answer your question as to "who is the most important player" for that particular game. It allows you to develop an "if" scenario, should you lose that player. Just some thoughts.