How important is the Center position?

[gtb1943]

Just not true at all. Teams draft Tackles all the time in the time in the top 10. Teams never draft Centers in the top 15. That should tell you all you need to know about how important Centers are. Every position is important. Ask the Bears about kickers. But overall there's a hierarchy and it's always been...
1. QB
2. LT
3. DE
4. WR1
5. CB

OTs just like QBs get over drafted all the time
Like I said, I let two HOF coaches say it and ask what credentials you have

 

[gtb1943]

LT's go in the top 5 all the time. Centers NEVER do. That shows you what GMs think about the importance of Centers.

GMs are not coaches are they?

 

[big dog cowboy]

If Beebe can successfully transition to Center....he might be a significant upgrade

Might? I guess you forgot how pedestrian Tyler Biadasz was. Watching him get consistently knocked into the backfield is a big reason the Cowboys have struggled in the run game recently. Every good DY/NT owned him.

 

[SinceDayOne]

Jimmy Johnson once said that Center was the most important position on the O line. He makes all the calls and handles the ball on every play. Thats enough for me. I feel Beebe is gonna be a good one for quite awhile.

Lots of things for the center to do. Before the ball is snapped he is responsible for calling the O line assignments. He must make every snap a good one and with teams in the shotgun so often that is a job. And he must do that snap and block almost concurrently. Never saw a good team with a bad center. Got to at least good for the team to be good.

 

[Chasing6]

Deuce was a PR gag from the Joneses to generate clicks with the feel-good Dad- Son Story.

He showed absolutely nothing that he could play meaningful snaps at RB in the NFL so far.

We will see but dont get your hopes up

If we can open some holes, Deuce can get through them.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Most important position on the OL. No other OL position sabotages the entire line like a bad C.

You leave Phil Costa alone!

 

[buybuydandavis]

Biadasz wasn't a bad center. He just wasn't top tier.

Biadasz was solidly average.
Connor Williams ended up better than average for us.
We got so spoiled with the oline in the mid 10s

 

[Pola_pe_a]

C is the most important position on the line but the athletic profile needed to be a good OT is much more rare to find so that’s why OT’s go earlier. Saying all they do is snap the ball is football ignorance.

 

[mcmvp]

When people use draft position or salary to argue the importance of OT over C, they are discounting the fact that there simply are more players available that can play G or C vs those that can play OT at an elite level.

A lot of college OTs become interior linemen in the pros. The rarity of great NFL OTs is what increases their value in salary and draft position. And yes, one can certainly argue that the OT may be a more critical piece overall, but bad C play can destroy the integrity of a line pretty easily itself.

Cs usually have the responsibility of calling the protection. Anyone that says a C’s only job is to make sure he delivers a good snap is a football fan whose opinion I would never take seriously

 

[plymkr]

Frankly, despite his lone Pro Bowl appearance as a replacement for another player, Tyler Biadasz has been a weak link for the Cowboys - especially in the run game. The drop in the Cowboys performance over the past few seasons can be directly attributed to their weakness in the center of the Oline.

I agree. That’s why I’m excited about the Beebe pick and feel the offensive line will be more solid this year with a better center, healthier Steele and Guyton. I know Guyton is no where close to Tyron but if Tyron is in the bench due to injury he can’t help us much. I feel the safer move was to let Tyron walk and pick up a less talented player but more likely to stay healthy.

I’m also encouraged by the flashes we saw in Bass and Hofman in their limited playing time.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

The Cowboys continued a decades long pattern of drafting only tackles and centers for their Oline. When the Cowboys draft an interior lineman, they rarely draft a college interior lineman unless he plays, or they project him to play the Center position.

So, how do they get their Guards? They draft college tackles, and convert them to guard. Look back over time - especially over the last 25 years. Who have been the highest performing guards for the Cowboys? Leonard Davis, Ron Leary, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Connor Williams, and now Tyler Smith.

And their top performing interior players were Andre Gurode, Travis Frederick and Tyler Biadasz. Now they’ve spent another high pick on an interior lineman. It is no surprise they want Beebe to play Center.

Frankly, despite his lone Pro Bowl appearance as a replacement for another player, Tyler Biadasz has been a weak link for the Cowboys - especially in the run game. The drop in the Cowboys performance over the past few seasons can be directly attributed to their weakness in the center of the Oline.

I’m not saying that Biadasz was trash. He improved. But he was never the powerhouse that you would prefer at the position. I don’t personally know that much about Connor Beebe, other than some highly regarded scouts had him ranked among their top 40 players in this draft. He was picked 73rd.

If Beebe can successfully transition to Center (and it could take some time for the adjustment to take hold), he might be a significant upgrade that directly affects the pocket security of Dak Prescott, and has a huge impact on the Cowboys power running game.

How might this affect the Cowboys in the near term, and later this coming season? Well, last year the Cowboys spent a 6th round pick on a RB who is small in stature, but quick to the hole, and explosive after he hits the hole. If Berne can improve the interior blocking, the Cowboys have a much better chance to recoup the investment they made in Deuce Vaughn.

Also, the Cowboys have questions on the edge, with Rookie Tyler Guyton adjusting from the right side to the left side, and undrafted wunderkind Terence Steele coming off a disappointing season that followed a knee injury. Bringing back Zeke Elliott at RB may be more about helping out the pass protection for Dak than it is getting running game production from him. Zeke is well known as one of the best blocking backs in Pass Pro in the NFL. If Zeke can help with pass protection while the rookies adjust to the NFL, and while Steele hopefully gets back to the form that earned him a big contract, then the investment in Zeke could pay off - even without great production from him in the running game.

But they key to making this work is getting a big nasty Center that can hold down the middle of the line against the strong interior Dlinemen in the Division, and create space for the running game to operate efficiently.

That’s a big “if.” But all the rookies, and many of the 2nd year players remain “ifs” right now - until we see them perform. But the Cowboys at least have a plan. We’ll see if the risks they’ve taken will pay off. The key factor will be if the Cowboys grow stronger as the season progresses.

The center touches the ball every play.

 

[DuncanIso]

Biadasz wasn't a bad center. He just wasn't top tier.

They couldn’t afford him.

Dude got a $30 million contract.

 

[kskboys]

C is the most important position on the line but the athletic profile needed to be a good OT is much more rare to find so that’s why OT’s go earlier. Saying all they do is snap the ball is football ignorance.

Very well said.

 

[kskboys]

C is the most important position on the line but the athletic profile needed to be a good OT is much more rare to find so that’s why OT’s go earlier. Saying all they do is snap the ball is football ignorance.

When people use draft position or salary to argue the importance of OT over C, they are discounting the fact that there simply are more players available that can play G or C vs those that can play OT at an elite level.

A lot of college OTs become interior linemen in the pros. The rarity of great NFL OTs is what increases their value in salary and draft position. And yes, one can certainly argue that the OT may be a more critical piece overall, but bad C play can destroy the integrity of a line pretty easily itself.

Cs usually have the responsibility of calling the protection. Anyone that says a C’s only job is to make sure he delivers a good snap is a football fan whose opinion I would never take seriously

You guys did a great job at saying what I was trying to say.

And by the same token, CB's are useless if you don't have disruptive DT's.

 

[gtb1943]

C is the most important position on the line but the athletic profile needed to be a good OT is much more rare to find so that’s why OT’s go earlier. Saying all they do is snap the ball is football ignorance.

Only two players touch the ball on every play from scrimmage. The center must snap that ball right or disaster will happen; not may or might but WILL.
From Tom Brady and Patrick Mahones all the way down the pressure that worries them the most comes up the middle

 

[gtb1943]

You guys did a great job at saying what I was trying to say.

And by the same token, CB's are useless if you don't have disruptive DT's.

The best DBs in the game are not going to be able to cover for five seconds.

 

[kskboys]

The best DBs in the game are not going to be able to cover for five seconds.

I remember the Dolts in the prime PManning years. They're D was build around the Mathis/Freeney pass rush. W/ mediocre DT's, it worked until they got to the playoffs. And then it didn't. We are built eerily like they were.

To beat playoff teams, you absolutely must be strong in the middle on both D and O.

 

[SuperBowlz]

GMs are not coaches are they?

GMs are responsible for the selections. No way no how is Center close to T

 

[SuperBowlz]

OTs just like QBs get over drafted all the time
Like I said, I let two HOF coaches say it and ask what credentials you have

There's a reason they get over drafted and a reason Centers never get over drafted. Center isn't as important. No where close

 

[rambo2]

Deuce was a PR gag from the Joneses to generate clicks with the feel-good Dad- Son Story.

He showed absolutely nothing that he could play meaningful snaps at RB in the NFL so far.

We will see but dont get your hopes up

He was the highest ranked player on the board when they took him.