RB More Important than WR

[Verdict]

If Elliott goes down for the year it could really be a long season with no depth at RB. It's very important unless they plan on our nee FB carrying the load.

 

[cowboy_ron]

Has this ridiculous idea that went around like wildfire that RB's are no longer important finally been squashed completely? Seriously, it was dumb to begin w/, but man did people repeat that crapp.

Looking past NE, who is the exception due to a top 5 all time QB, no one is going all the way w/o a running game. The one year ATL made it, you saw the emergence of one of the best RB tandems in the NFL w/ Davonte and Telvin. Philly had Ajayi, Blount, and Clement. SEA w/ Marshawn, BALT w/ Rice, DEN w/ CJ. A workhorse RB is much more important than a #1 WR. And now you have Fournette and EZ and Gurley and some others leading their teams a lot further than any WR does.

Seriously, can we call this idea completely bugsquushed now, or are there still a few stubborn hanger-on's?

Dallas was chastized by others for drafting Zeke so high.....after seeing what a difference maker a good RB can be now look at the way other teams view taking them with a high pick.

 

[blueblood70]

If Elliott goes down for the year it could really be a long season with no depth at RB. It's very important unless they plan on our nee FB carrying the load.

rod smith is abackup Rb thats showed some signs..like i said long term you can go get a guy off the street for backup like Morris and Dmac or others..

 

[Cowboys22]

How do all these teams keep winning Superbowls with castoff Rb's and no elite Wr's?

Superior coaching and play calling.

 

[KJJ]

Dallas was chastized by others for drafting Zeke so high.....after seeing what a difference maker a good RB can be now look at the way other teams view taking them with a high pick.

The only criticism I saw for drafting Zeke was by Cowboy fans who were still convinced that any back could run behind our OL. There were Cowboy fans who thought McFadden was great and wanted to stay with him.

 

[cowboy_ron]

The Cowboys most successful seasons always had elite RB's........Dorsett, Emmett, and now Zeke (hopefully)

 

[ROUSH8692]

How do all these teams keep winning Superbowls with castoff Rb's and no elite Wr's?

Defense, duh

 

[4th_and_short]

The Falcons did it with a 3rd and 4th round pick. PHI, a street FA and a guy they got from another roster for a 4th. SEA got Lynch in his 5th year as a FA, IIRC. CJ isn't a back who really supports your point. I find it hard to have any discussion about recent Superbowl success that looks past NE, of all teams. Elliott, Fournette, Gurley...get back to me when one of their teams wins it if we're talking impact.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure QB play--and the corollary of stopping the other guy's QB--is still the important differentiator. It's the passing game effectiveness argument we've had forever.

So, no, I'm not interested in spending huge resources on RBs. It's been shown over and over and over that that's a position that can be filled effectively lower in the top-100 or in FA, or with a platoon of players. It's a waste to overdraft one in the top 5 if you have other holes on your team. And teams drafting in the top 5 have other holes on their team.

You’re not wrong but I think you’re looking with bit of a narrowed scope as well. NE has its success because of TB12 and Belichik. They’ve also had a top 10 defense every year they’ve won the SB, I believe. The ones they lost were because teams were able to get to Brady and throw off their passing game. Their offense is tailored for dink and dunk, high efficiency passing and it works because of the QB and mismatches they create with personnel.

ATL was successful because they have arguably a top 3 Elite WR to stretch the field and found a rotation system to churn out enough yards on the ground while the defense was worried about sliding coverage over to Julio.

Dallas is built to be a run-first team. It’s sort of opposite ATL’s philosophy. Elite Oline and RB with receivers good enough to keep the defenses from stacking the box too heavily.

Over the length of an 16 game season plus the playoffs, having the ability to grind down opponents is a good thing.

In 2015 when Romo went down, Dallas was still one of the more talented teams despite the record imo. The final record didn’t really indicate how close a lot of those games were. The ground game still worked with DMac and the rotation backs but the offense really took off in 2016 with the addition of EZ. He’s all of the backs Dallas had in ‘15 wrapped up into one.

 

[Idgit]

You’re not wrong but I think you’re looking with bit of a narrowed scope as well. NE has its success because of TB12 and Belichik. They’ve also had a top 10 defense every year they’ve won the SB, I believe. The ones they lost were because teams were able to get to Brady and throw off their passing game. Their offense is tailored for dink and dunk, high efficiency passing and it works because of the QB and mismatches they create with personnel.

ATL was successful because they have arguably a top 3 Elite WR to stretch the field and found a rotation system to churn out enough yards on the ground while the defense was worried about sliding coverage over to Julio.

Dallas is built to be a run-first team. It’s sort of opposite ATL’s philosophy. Elite Oline and RB with receivers good enough to keep the defenses from stacking the box too heavily.

Over the length of an 16 game season plus the playoffs, having the ability to grind down opponents is a good thing.

In 2015 when Romo went down, Dallas was still one of the more talented teams despite the record imo. The final record didn’t really indicate how close a lot of those games were. The ground game still worked with DMac and the rotation backs but the offense really took off in 2016 with the addition of EZ. He’s all of the backs Dallas had in ‘15 wrapped up into one.

I agree with a lot of that. Even the 2015 stuff, that I imagine most would fight you tooth and nail on. You can have a run-oriented offense and still pass the ball effectively. You just need to take care of the football and to take the scores where you can get them. I'm not against running the ball at all. I just think you can do it with inexpensive RBs fairly easily if you have an effective QB and a good OL.

Tough to win those games when you can't stop other teams from throwing the ball, though.

 

[Tangle_Foot]

I think having a good ground game enables you to control the fight much like the body blows of a boxer, it opens things up. The hands come down and you're able to land a big left hook with the wide receiver. Another benefit to pounding the rock is the taxing effect the offensive line can have on the defensive line. I hate to quote a Commander but Russ Grimm once said "the greatest achievement and offensive lineman can have is to move a man against his will" like a giant constrictor the ground game allows you to crush the life out of your opponent.

 

[jnday]

In this particular offense, the RB position is very important. This team's identity comes from having a nasty oline, a great RB and the ability to dominate the game with the smash-mouth running game. This the reason why the oline has to be maintained at a top level no matter the cost. By no means should the WR position be ignored, but it is not a priority compared to the RB and oline positions.

 

[DFWJC]

If you mean Zeke is more valuable than a #1 WR...yes.

If you think a backup RB is more valuable than a top end, starting WR....hell no

 

[4th_and_short]

I agree with a lot of that. Even the 2015 stuff, that I imagine most would fight you tooth and nail on. You can have a run-oriented offense and still pass the ball effectively. You just need to take care of the football and to take the scores where you can get them. I'm not against running the ball at all. I just think you can do it with inexpensive RBs fairly easily if you have an effective QB and a good OL.

Tough to win those games when you can't stop other teams from throwing the ball, though.

I gotcha. Even if the offense is 70% run you still need that 30% passing to be good. In Dallas’s case I think EZ is the real star in the backfield and Dak is an above average bus driver. He needs to make the throws to keep drives alive or off PA, but the money is made pounding the rock.

And yeah, the 2016 playoff loss came with the defense on the field - so I definitely agree that stopping the opposing QB, whether through coverage or pressure, is paramount.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Team work.

And coaching!

 

[CWR]

Has this ridiculous idea that went around like wildfire that RB's are no longer important finally been squashed completely? Seriously, it was dumb to begin w/, but man did people repeat that crapp.

Looking past NE, who is the exception due to a top 5 all time QB, no one is going all the way w/o a running game. The one year ATL made it, you saw the emergence of one of the best RB tandems in the NFL w/ Davonte and Telvin. Philly had Ajayi, Blount, and Clement. SEA w/ Marshawn, BALT w/ Rice, DEN w/ CJ. A workhorse RB is much more important than a #1 WR. And now you have Fournette and EZ and Gurley and some others leading their teams a lot further than any WR does.

Seriously, can we call this idea completely bugsquushed now, or are there still a few stubborn hanger-on's?

I think the train of thought was RBS can be had later in the draft and perform well in the right system for their skill set. Which seems correct as many successful RBS come from further down the draft.

That said I was all for drafting Zeke. Elite talent is worth the cost imho. Gurley going early seemed to change the tide. RBs started getting paid again around that time as well if memory serves. ( not sure if my timeline is right though lol)

But Im not arguing with you, having an elite RB who touches the ball 20+ times a game and chews up clock is huge. Although I wont dismiss having a WR who can keep the defense honest.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Heard them say on dspn that the boys are looking at Jeremy Maclin.

 

[BlindFaith]

You need both. It's that simple.

I defended having a good running game mattered with the passing guys to death.

But I'll defend having a good passing game matters as well. Being balanced and keeping a defense guessing is what matters.

 

[Kaiser]

Abundance of talent at both positions.

We very likely get a RB like Nyheim Hines in the 4th that is a great complement to Zeke, plus a good WR somewhere between the 2nd and 4th round. Both will add to the offense immediately with very little draft capital acquiring them.

 

[visionary]

Has this ridiculous idea that went around like wildfire that RB's are no longer important finally been squashed completely? Seriously, it was dumb to begin w/, but man did people repeat that crapp.

Looking past NE, who is the exception due to a top 5 all time QB, no one is going all the way w/o a running game. The one year ATL made it, you saw the emergence of one of the best RB tandems in the NFL w/ Davonte and Telvin. Philly had Ajayi, Blount, and Clement. SEA w/ Marshawn, BALT w/ Rice, DEN w/ CJ. A workhorse RB is much more important than a #1 WR. And now you have Fournette and EZ and Gurley and some others leading their teams a lot further than any WR does.

Seriously, can we call this idea completely bugsquushed now, or are there still a few stubborn hanger-on's?

Duck
Incoming ....

 

[StarBoyz83]

Defense is more important than rb and wr.