Discussion Topic

[signbabybrady]

Well, I dont think the argument can include whether a bad player can expect to play well or an average one good, or how they are coached up because that defeats the definition of the discussion. You are saying that if 2 teams are eqaully talented the team with guys who play better than they are will win
Also since coaching would divert the argument, it should be considered equal.

I actually think a group of average players will do better in the clutch than a half good half bad team. I say this because you have 11 capable, reliable players on the field, and each are likely to do their job, and get the play done.

Here is a different way to look at it.
Would you rather had Tom Brady for 8 games and Jamarcus Russell for 8 games, or Donovan McNab or Carson Palmer for 16?

See thats what average is. McNab was 17th in passing yards, Palmer was 16th in QB rating.
Are people in this thread thinking the average team has a McNab or Palmer at qb?
The RB would be Rashard Mendehall (yds) or Steven Jackson (ypc).
WRs would be arques Colston and Micheal Jenkins by catches or Larry Fitzgerald and Jabarr Gaffney by yards.

See 'average' is a lot different than I suspect most people think. Are you saying that a team with
QB McNab
RB Mendenhall
WR Fitzgerald
WR Jenkins

Is a bad team when everyone else fits the same level of quality?
I think there is no question that there is a MUCH, MUCH larger difference between the 16th or 17th best player at a position and the WORST starter in the league than between the 16/17 and the best.

One step further.

1)McNab and Mendenhall every game
or
2)Brady and Chris Johnson for 8 Russell and Tomlinson for 8
or
3)Brady and Tomlinson for 8 and Russell and Johnson for 8
--ironically the last 2 are a tough choice because the 2 gets you 8 and 8 and 3 might not.

I see a couple of flaws in what you just wrote.

first off if a a position has two starters your are not getting the 16/17th best you would be getting the 33rd.

Second for this argument I dont think it is fair to break the season in half like that because then the combo you are referring doesnt see the field at the same time. To be honest the best way to run this might be to take the QB out of the equation because I am more likely to agree with what you propose an average team is better than a top heavy bottom weak one if the QBs were equal. This avoids the complication of a singular position needing to simaltaneously have the best and worst.

Third you listed the 16th/17th best rated players but not the 32nd best players to compare them too. (see first flaw and reapply the 64th to 32 where needed and 33 to 16/17 where needed)

4th I completely disagree with your assesment that the middle pack player is closer to the best starters than the worst starters. I would contend that the league has mNow lets apply this logic though and I will use one of your examples Mendenhall. and without knowing who the 32nd highest rated rusher last year I will suggest that person is likely much closer to Mendenhall production wise than Mendenhall was to Chris Johnson (now as Johnson prooved last year singular production does not guarentee victory though).

Ok so I looked it upUsing Espn. I checked on Mendenhall and he was listed 14th by yardage and had a 4.6 average ignoring that this might be better than your average and using him anyway. I will throw out a few guys in the area of 32 and you tell me these guys arent closer to Mendenhall than mendenhall is too Chris Johnson. Mike Bell was 32 by yardage with a 3.8 average. Felix jones was 30 and julious jones 31 with 5.9 and 3.7 respectively, Buckhalter and Mccoy were 34 and 35 at 5.4 and 4.1 respectively.

I think what the problem with this debate is that you keep talking about the best with the worst but then you limited it to just starters and it seems as though you keep assuming the worst starter is the worst player in the league when in reality you are at least an average player if you can lock down a starting position in the NFL and your talent is much closer to the middle pack starter than the middle pack starter is to the best players in the league.