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Edited: Apr 06, 2023

Pretty Good Football Question Here

Have to chew on this….not sure yet but have always agreed with the theory of the closer to the ball you are, the more impact you can have. That being said Center is never regarded very highly lol?

22 comments

22 Comments

Onikoroshi

Apr 08, 2023

poorly framed question

very few players stand behind the quarterback, sometimes none

just saying...

BG370

Apr 07, 2023

I am the only one on the board that saw and remembers when Marlin Mackever stopped UGLY's single wing by himself. Last season UGLY played the "wing" an incredable demonstration of strength. HTownTrojan

Pasadena Trojan

Apr 07, 2023

I like Bill Walshes list. Here is his.

1. QB.

2. Guy who protects the QB

3. Guy who gets after #1 above

I guess #4 is shutdown corner but that is a treasure hunt. Those dudes are generational. TONS of misses. Like QBs Actually.

I also like immovable but athletic DTs as well. What GM doesnt? To me they can be even more disruptive to an O than an edge guy. Again the NFL doesnt agree with me.

OldHickoryTrojan

Apr 07, 2023

Replying to

At one time the most disruptive force in all of football was this guy who played LBer..

(12) Butkus Monster of the Midway - YouTube

RGF1999

Apr 07, 2023

Replying to

I think Ritchie Pettibone would agree. I think he was #17 on the Bears who got clocked by Butkus near the end of that film. Wrong place at the wrong time. I guess Butkus is what every USC tackler looks like to Pac-12 officials.

rwc1952

Apr 09, 2023

Replying to

Agree 100% there has never been anyone like Butkus.

Pasadena Trojan

Apr 07, 2023

Lots of Center love here today.

Crazy. Looked at draft history (by position) and the Center spot has had one (and one only) 1st round draft pick per year since the 70’s or maybe earlier?? That is wild to me. Tells me the NFL isnt as high on the Center spot as we are???

I know people also move guards over post draft so this list isnt perfect.

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/positions/c

Waldorf

Apr 07, 2023

Offensive left tackle.

Java

Apr 07, 2023

Seems to have evolved over the years. When I was a kid it was RB. OJ, DOrsett. Payton, Emmit etc. But then the NFL starting making the LT the next most valuable guy. I think somewhere I read it might have even been shut down corners too. So that's quite a variety of thinking there.

BobLinMN-2

Apr 06, 2023

In 1976 (?) USC beat Alabama, but lost to ASU when we were down to our 5th string center blowing the snaps. We wound up sharing the Natty with Alabama. Helton's "Love of my life" kept snapping the ball over the head of the QB or rolling the ball on the ground, resulting in the QB getting creamed/injured trying to recover the ball. In addition, he couldn't block the defender crashing down on the QB. Every play starts with the center.

thesquat

Apr 06, 2023

put your smartest lineman at center

OldHickoryTrojan

Apr 07, 2023

Replying to

You forgot Don Mosebar 1983-1995 right after Dalby

Pasadena Trojan

Apr 07, 2023

Replying to

Raiders sure knew how to draft Centers!! Geezuz. The Goats Of drafting Centers.

Waldorf

Apr 07, 2023

Replying to

I saw both of them play. They were both great. If I had to pick one, I'd still pick Stephenson, regardless of the accolades, or lack thereof. Stephenson stood out like no other offensive lineman I've ever seen. He is the reason I chose to play center in high school.

I get what you're saying about college vs. the NFL, i.e. Rimmington's NFL career has nothing to do with his college career. And they didn't give him all those awards for nothing. But I think the NFL does have something to do with this conversation. The fact that Stephenson performed at such a high level in the NFL does indicate that he was possibly underrated by the national media somewhat while he was at Alabama -- if it's even possible to underrate a two-time 2nd-team All-American on two national championship teams.

But think about it -- Stephenson only started 87 games and is still in the NFL HOF. EIGHTY-SEVEN games in 8 seasons, and that includes playoffs (in which the Dolphins were involved a LOT). That's not even an average of 12 games a season. The seasons in which he was healthy he absolutely dominated, in the NFL, against the best of the best.

If you've never seen him play, Google some of the Alabama games from '78 and '79, you'll be pretty amazed at his blocking.

Unknown member

Apr 06, 2023

Would agree with you about Center 100%, Reading Defense, calling assignments, snapping the ball and then dealing with a monster trying to run through you while you have to still make your block, all in the span of about 2 seconds, is pretty intense.