Is Qb The Most Important Position?

[IndyTrav]

I was watching ESPN this morning, they were interviewing Damein Woody, asking him about Peyton, etc. When asked about the QB, he said, and Im paraphrasing, 'its the most important position in ALL sports". My first reaction to this was I feel he is incorrect. While I dont really think its debatable that the QB position is the most important in FOOTBALL, I do think arguments can be made about importance of position in the other sports.

My first thought was that Pitchers in baseball are more important. You can win a football game with bad QB play, but you really cant win a baseball game if the pitcher is throwing up long balls.

My ignorance of soccer and hockey aside, I'd also have to imagine the goalies are fairly important to success as well.

Thoughts?

[ruksak]

I think the word correct phrase should be "team sports", but that much is obvious.

I'm not well schooled in baseball, but aren't there many pitchers on the roster, as opposed to the 2-3 QB's we see in the NFL?

[Dan]

I was watching ESPN this morning, they were interviewing Damein Woody, asking him about Peyton, etc. When asked about the QB, he said, and Im paraphrasing, 'its the most important position in ALL sports". My first reaction to this was I feel he is incorrect. While I dont really think its debatable that the QB position is the most important in FOOTBALL, I do think arguments can be made about importance of position in the other sports.

My first thought was that Pitchers in baseball are more important. You can win a football game with bad QB play, but you really cant win a baseball game if the pitcher is throwing up long balls.

My ignorance of soccer and hockey aside, I'd also have to imagine the goalies are fairly important to success as well.

Thoughts?

I'm a soccer/football guy - keeper is very important but very few would say the most important position - most money tends to be spent on forwards/attacking wingers to score/set up goals. Every position is very important though, as in most sports, yet similarly most sports have glory positions - the quarterback gets far more glory than the left guard, similarly the striker gets more glory than the left back.

I'd not say it's the most important position in all sports but that's only because of the way that in football, you can win in a number of different games. If the QB is missing his receivers every time, never mind, go to the running game or play more simple passes. However if in soccer/football, the keeper is letting every shot to him go near, you're >>>ed - unless you put all your defenders on the line but that costs you anyway. Baseball, if your pitcher is throwing 50mph howlers every time, you'll be hit out the park and there's little you can do about that.

[colts_mp]

A QB leads the offense which has 11 players, only 9 in baseball. The QB starts and finishes the game while a starting pitcher will generally have a mid reliever and a closer to finish the game. A starting pitcher only plays once every 4 or 5 games also. The QB is more important than any 1 pitcher for sure. If you're talking 1 QB vs the entire pitching staff then it's more equivalent.

[-JJ-]

QB might be more important than one pitcher....or is it really. You get a 2 era pitcher and you're guaranteed x wins.

Ron Guidry got the Yankees to the WS and the reason they won. As with many aces. No ace on a team and not much chance unless the whole staff is B grade which is unlikely.

Fact the pitcher THESE days don't finish a game (they used to) is just more a fact of there are top relievers and the game has changed.

Guidry and pitchers like him usually went all the way. And the two games just different animals with respect to playing the whole game.

[Peyton and Eli fan]

QB is probably the hardest position to play as far as having to have both the mental and physical strengths.

[shakedownstreet]

just taking into consideration the popularity of football, it is the most important position in all of sports

[The Fish]

Yes

[JimJaime]

I think Tim Thomas, Patrick Roy, just to name a couple prove Goalie is the most valuable position in Hockey, MAYBE all sports. There has been more than 1 stanley cup champion who had a so so team but an amazing Goalie.

[IndyTrav]

just taking into consideration the popularity of football, it is the most important position in all of sports

Soccer says hello.

[That Guy]

#1 - Hockey Goalie

#2 - Quarterback

#3 - Baseball Pitcher

#4 - Basketball Center

Soccer is the truest team sport in the sense that no one peice is ridiculously more valuable than the others.

[Superman]

QB might be more important than one pitcher....or is it really. You get a 2 era pitcher and you're guaranteed x wins.

Ron Guidry got the Yankees to the WS and the reason they won. As with many aces. No ace on a team and not much chance unless the whole staff is B grade which is unlikely.

Fact the pitcher THESE days don't finish a game (they used to) is just more a fact of there are top relievers and the game has changed.

Guidry and pitchers like him usually went all the way. And the two games just different animals with respect to playing the whole game.

You get a pitcher who completes every game and has a 1.5 ERA, and let's say he's in the NL and he bats .350 with great metrics, and he wins every start... you're still looking at maybe 35 wins in a 162 game season.

I might say that a closer is more important than a starting pitcher, by virtue of the fact that a starter can save four games a week. But the flip side is that your starting pitching has to at least be decent in order for the closer to ever see game time.

In any event, I wouldn't consider any one player in baseball as important as a quarterback.

[Superman]

I was watching ESPN this morning, they were interviewing Damein Woody, asking him about Peyton, etc. When asked about the QB, he said, and Im paraphrasing, 'its the most important position in ALL sports". My first reaction to this was I feel he is incorrect. While I dont really think its debatable that the QB position is the most important in FOOTBALL, I do think arguments can be made about importance of position in the other sports.

My first thought was that Pitchers in baseball are more important. You can win a football game with bad QB play, but you really cant win a baseball game if the pitcher is throwing up long balls.

My ignorance of soccer and hockey aside, I'd also have to imagine the goalies are fairly important to success as well.

Thoughts?

Considering Damien Woody's background and experience with professional sports, it wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't thinking about hockey and soccer.

That said, I do believe quarterback has become the most important position in sports. That's not to say that a good team can't have an average quarterback. I just think that if you take a good overall football team with a good quarterback, that quarterback is more important to his team's success than the goalie of a good hockey or soccer team. And I've seen a goalie get hot and propel his team through the playoffs. Anaheim has had that happen twice in the past few years, even winning the Cup once because of it.

For instance, how many shots on goal are in the average hockey game or soccer match? For hockey, are we talking about 20 (I'm talking about legitimate shots on goal, not wild, angled slap shots from 40 feet away that have little chance of scoring)? I'd guess even fewer in soccer, given the size of the field and the fact that the game is designed to make it hard to have good scoring chances. So, in a 60 minute hockey game, the goalie is involved in 20 plays. In a 90 minute soccer match, the goalie might make 10-15 saves, and another 10-15 throw-ins (and by the way, a lot of goalies have GREAT arms).

Now, take the average quarterback, who probably throws 30 times a game. That's already more involvement than the average goalie. Then he's handing the ball off to backs another 20-30 times a game, which is an auxiliary skill, but a skill nonetheless. But if you have a top level quarterback, one who is controlling the offense, who defenses have to gameplan for, and who can manipulate that gameplan just by changing a play at the line or with a good pump fake, and now he's becoming even more important.

The short answer, in my opinion, is "yes, quarterback is the most important position in professional sports." I'd have goalie in hockey at second, and soccer at third.

[-JJ-]

You get a pitcher who completes every game and has a 1.5 ERA, and let's say he's in the NL and he bats .350 with great metrics, and he wins every start... you're still looking at maybe 35 wins in a 162 game season.

I might say that a closer is more important than a starting pitcher, by virtue of the fact that a starter can save four games a week. But the flip side is that your starting pitching has to at least be decent in order for the closer to ever see game time.

In any event, I wouldn't consider any one player in baseball as important as a quarterback.

Mauybe not but I'm just not sure. Ace pitcher is a must to go anywhere., As to the relievers..at this point in time its ace starter+ ace reliever.

Taking your 35 games (admittedly being generous) is still big when it boils down to the 5+- games for the championship.

Lets put it this way..since they are different sports...each position (QB & pitcher) are equally the most important respectively.

Ditto said above,goalie.

Weird thing..all the other postions are defense and the QB offense.

[BleedingBlue]

absolutely.

[Superman]

Mauybe not but I'm just not sure. Ace pitcher is a must to go anywhere., As to the relievers..at this point in time its ace starter+ ace reliever.

Taking your 35 games (admittedly being generous) is still big when it boils down to the 5+- games for the championship.

Lets put it this way..since they are different sports...each position (QB & pitcher) are equally the most important respectively.

Ditto said above,goalie.

Weird thing..all the other postions are defense and the QB offense.

Ace pitcher is a must, but even when you have one, and even when you're in the World Series, how much run support does he need? How many innings is he giving you? Chris Carpenter went three games in the WS, and only gave them 19 innings. He was 11-9 in 34 starts, averaged 7 innings a game. Not world-beating stats, not even ace stats, really. The year before, Cliff Lee was easily the best pitcher in the series, and the Rangers got beat in five. Then you look at the fact that the Phillies weren't even in the World Series this year. That, I thought, was a lock, given their starting pitching.

I just think the fact that there are only 16 games in a season, and every loss is a significant hit to your chances of making the playoffs, and there's only one quarterback (usually) makes that position that much more important than starting pitcher, who takes four days off between starts, and who doesn't even finish his own games most of the time.

Starting pitching is VERY important. I just would rank the QB ahead.

[-JJ-]

Ace pitcher is a must, but even when you have one, and even when you're in the World Series, how much run support does he need? How many innings is he giving you? Chris Carpenter went three games in the WS, and only gave them 19 innings. He was 11-9 in 34 starts, averaged 7 innings a game. Not world-beating stats, not even ace stats, really. The year before, Cliff Lee was easily the best pitcher in the series, and the Rangers got beat in five. Then you look at the fact that the Phillies weren't even in the World Series this year. That, I thought, was a lock, given their starting pitching.

I just think the fact that there are only 16 games in a season, and every loss is a significant hit to your chances of making the playoffs, and there's only one quarterback (usually) makes that position that much more important than starting pitcher, who takes four days off between starts, and who doesn't even finish his own games most of the time.

Starting pitching is VERY important. I just would rank the QB ahead.

Agreed. Overall the QB is a much bigger piece...but there's some relativity there with baseball

[21isSuperman]

Agreed. Overall the QB is a much bigger piece...but there's some relativity there with baseball

Comparing football and baseball? Cue George Carlin

[shakedownstreet]

Comparing football and baseball? Cue George Carlin

the one... the only... george carlin

[IndyTrav]

I love football. Viewing wise, there is no other sport like it (although the NFL has done a good job of making a 60min game last 180, which is something I HATE TO NO END) but nothing will ever compare to baseball for me.

I love watching football.

But baseball is a way of life.

[Gramz]

Yes, I think it is.