Hardest position to play in the NFL besides QB?

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

Saw this debate on ESPN the other day and thought it could make for some good discussion. I personally think it is Cornerback. You have to cover freaks of nature and have insane instincts and footwork.

[NaTaS+ 958]

Cornerback or tackles.

[Turry 755]

Cornerback hands down.

[Dutch 874]

This correlates to a thread I made last year sometime.

 

http://www.thegridironpalace.com/forums/index.php?/topic/60830-who-is-the-most-talented-player-in-the-league/

 

There are so many talented players in the nfl; a pool of talent having some of the best athletes in the world. So many players playing at such a high lv but the question is, Who is the most talented player in the nfl?

 

 

My first inclination was a QB, the player with the most responsibilities; arguably the most important player on the team. Oh, well that's Aaron Rodgers. Tom Brady is still #1 KINDA to me... but Rodgers can make every throw Brady can make AND he's extremely mobile and throws DEAD accurate balls on the run. The only thing Rodgers doesn't have over Brady is rings. Aaron just put on a display of the best QB performance in a season in league history. The most important position performing better then anyone in history (regular season). It has to be Rodgers.

 

Then I started to think of all the best players imo at each position and what their job is. I went through all the positions and then re-evaluated the QB position again. Arguably the hardest position. Having to read defenses (blitzes, coverages), accuracy, throwing deep, clock management, throwing with pressuring in your face when the pocket collapses, making reads; amongst many other things. Then I started to look at their supporting cast: Big O-linemen, running backs, WR (one of the most athletic positions). While football is a team sport and works as a unit to support each other, there is one position that is more alone at times then any other position; on an island, Revis Island.

 

Yes, Darrelle Revis is the most talented player in the Nfl imo and here is the reason why. Cornerback has to be one of the most difficult positions to play. Just think of the opposition for a second; oh yeah, WR's. The WR position has some of the worlds most athletic players. Imagine going against and having to defend the likes of a Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson; having to defend against players with blazing speed like a Mike Wallace and the other gifted WRs. Darrelle Revis straps up every Sunday against the opposings team WR the mainly the entire game and shuts them down. Here is a few stats of some of the receivers he has shut down.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?id=4707319

 

The skill set it takes to defend these athletic phenomenons and shut them down week in and week out consistently is crazy. The skill cap and talent it takes to do that is one of a kind in this WR dominant passing league. He even squared up against Calvin Johnson and held him to 1 catch 13 yards the year before last, Andre Johnson 4 catches 35 yards; shutting down the leagues best. He's been burnt before: Randy Moss, Tedd Gin Jr (http://www.celebritynetworth.com/watch/9dRz9WCgXRU/ted-ginn-burs-revis/), Steve Johnson on slant routes, but who's perfect? What QB hasn't thrown an interception? It's hard to argue against the QB position but we've seen average QBs have success. But what Revis does one on one against the most athletic guys on the field (world), takes an amazing talent.

 

Other difficult positions are: QB, Center, then the rest of the O-linemen.

 

I stand by my pick. You can be a game manager at the QB position and still be effective. You can even be Trent Dilfer and win a superbowl. By no means am I demeaning the importance or the difficulty of the QB position, but they do have a well rounded supporting cast around them; as does everyone on the field. But the QB has 300lb guys blocking for them, RB support, WR's and TE's. A corner back best help is the D-line (getting pressure on the QB) and safeties, but I can't imagine having to go against some of the worlds best and phenomenal athletes like a Calvin Johnson, A.J Green, Andre Johnson, Dez Bryant and the list goes on. The coverages that are put in place to try stop these amazing WR athletes says a lot in itself. There are more good WRs in the league than QBs. There are only a handful of QBs that would put fear in a defenses heart but a ton of receivers that scare defenders. But, it can go either way and the QB position is more then debatable. Talent wise, CB seems more demanding to a degree.

Edited June 7, 2013 by dutchff7

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Center, depending on their responsibilities, can be one of the most difficult.

 

He has to worry about A. reading the defense and adjusting the o-line correctly(some QBs have this task, which is why I said depending on responsibilities) then B. worry about getting the snap off clean then C. have to worry about blocking his assignment.

 

On the offenses that the center makes the read on the defense in regards to what the o-line needs to do, he can be the difference between a successful and a negative play, regardless of what the people around him do.

[rzb+ 367]

Kicker.

 

Anytime the guy is on the field, he's expected to put points on the board. Even after a full offense couldn't score any points with multiple tries, he catches the bulk of the shit if it doesn't happen.

 

[housemd 338]

I'll go with cornerback.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Corner. It's the only defensive position where a mistake on any given play results in a touchdown for the opposing team.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Even with QB I'd still lean slightly towards CB being the hardest position to play.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

In this order, IMO:

 

CB

C

MLB/ILB

LT

 

Then the rest are a toss-up with varying degrees of difficulty.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Sarge

[Omerta+ 1,206]

It is funny people say QB because he touches the ball every play....well so does the center. It is a tough question for sure because there are certain teams that lean on the center almost completely and then there are some who leave all that to the QB. Peyton is no doubt one of the greats, that being said when you ask him who the best player on his team was I have heard him say it was Jeff Saturday twice. That relationship was the best I have seen between QB and Center in all my time watching football. Saturday imo was just as smart as Peyton. When you saw Peyton come to the line Jeff would have already identified mike, blitzes, protection slides and schemes and then peyton would do a quick one over but would spend more time looking at coverages because he had the trust with Saturday that he knew what he was doing.

 

If we are talking about that kind of Center than I have to say Center. Thinking about it the center has to make sure 5 guys are correct and the QB has to make sure 6 are correct, however the 5 on the line are going to dictate whether or not that play actually gets off the ground. One wrong line adjustment and the play is over before he snaps. He has just as much responsibility identifying personnel, blitz schemes, ensuring he hits the right snap count, getting the exchange correct, blocking his man, and then we have not even delved into the world of guys who are tasked with doing ZBS along with their men, traps, and pulls for screens. Then Center has to know all of that and be able to diagnose just as quickly as the QB.

[Bay 2,003]

in Today's NFL it's Corner.

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

I'm actually going to go with WR.

 

They have to 1) be on the same page as the QB, 2) memorize complicated route trees and run precise routes to get open, 3) have the awareness to recognize zone defense, find the hole in the zone and sit down in it, 4) the physical requirements (speed, strength to get off press, agility to run routes, have good hands i.e. hand eye coordination.)

 

I just think it's a much more complicated position than CB, which can be almost exclusively pure athleticism. They have to memorize defensive play calls, but other than that it's all instinct.

 

Being this is the NFL and most guys are athletic freaks, I figure the positions with more mental demand are harder to play. That's why I'd go with these positions in order:

 

1) QB

2) WR

3) C

4) FS

5) CB

[Bucman 891]

Cornerback

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I just think it's a much more complicated position than CB, which can be almost exclusively pure athleticism. They have to memorize defensive play calls, but other than that it's all instinct.

 

Cornerback is not purely athleticism, nor even close to being purely athleticism. It is also instinct (as you said but speak of it like it's an easy trait), anticipation, and recognition. Even the athletic aspect of playing corner is extremely difficult and requires incredible reaction time; react half a second too late and your receiver could be wide open.

Edited June 8, 2013 by SteVo

[Dutch 874]

Cornerback requires you to be a technique perfectionist. WR's know what route they are about to run and how they are about to attack the cornerback. However, cornerbacks don't know what the receiver is about to do and have to do everything on the fly (unless the cornerback realizes something from the film room). Cornerback is 10x harder than receiver.

[Ravensdan 0]

I could make an argument for mode tackle over corner. A good one can own the line of scrimmage shut down the running game. Elite ones can also disrupt the passing game right in the qbs face. A bad one can allow the offense to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball up the middle at will. Allow the qb to have a clean pocket where any nfl qb will make plays regardless of any other defensive player. So this player can dream whatever the corners do completely meaningless one way or the other.

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

Cornerback requires you to be a technique perfectionist. WR's know what route they are about to run and how they are about to attack the cornerback. However, cornerbacks don't know what the receiver is about to do and have to do everything on the fly (unless the cornerback realizes something from the film room). Cornerback is 10x harder than receiver.

 

 

Agreed on most except the 10x part. If it's 10x harder, than why do rookie CBs usually perform right away as opposed to most rookie WRs who historically struggle their rookie years?

 

Also, my whole point about going with the WR is because most NFL players make it to the NFL because they are athletic, and have good instincts. I'm almost talking exclusively the mental side. Just because most players in the NFL are superior physically. The only thing you guys countered my point with that is legit, is technique for CBs, which is a mental thing. And I agree with. But let's not act like WRs don't have to have route running technique either, otherwise you're gonna struggle hard getting open. The Jags used to have a whole WR core with trash route running technique.

Edited June 9, 2013 by CampinWithGoatSampson

[BucMad 9]

Cornerback! Esp in today's game. If anything this is evidenced by the lack of consistently dominant corners, especially compared to the wide receivers of today. Yeah, corners may not take the beating of a Line men, but their always at a disadvantage with a 6'5 200lb. WR that runs a 4.4 40 and is one of the best athletes in the League! And there's what...only 2-3 guys that have really been legit lock down corners on a regular basis over the last few seasons?

 

I think its harder to succeed on a regular basis without both elite athletic ability and great technique. An athletic freak can get by with average technique at most positions, and a player without much athletic ability can get by if he's a technician at pretty much any position...now if a corner doesn't have the speed to keep up with and catch up to a #1 wideout, the fluid hips and footwork to be able to keep with them in and out of cuts, the upper body strength to press guys at the line AND reasonably decent ball skills to be able to locate the ball in the air and make a play, he's never going to be anything more than a borderline #2/nickel corner...

[the Lions fan 19]

Played a lot of football in my day and id say it completely depends on how you define difficulty, is pressure the most important ingredient? Anticipatory skills? Degree of down for down difficulty? Ill say defense is much harder than offense from a pressure standpoint, safeties, not CBs are seen as the last line of defense, while not always true, if a DB seems to give up a TD, it is likely he is in that spot because a safety had to make a decision before he did. Seemed most on my feet and on edge as a LB in zone coverage. Everything is going on immediately around you and you always have a job to do, diagnose and react, quickly. Least pressure was as a FB, maybe I was good at it, but your job is pretty straight forward, stay here and block or go there and block, and unlike the line your in space and know where the rusher is trying to go. The angles for blocking the QB are much friendlier back there. Id have to go with Safety. DT is the point of attack and sets the tone every play...

 

Well the NFL is a different beast... I could easily see CB being the most difficult though, gonna stick with Safety, gotta make decisions sooner and the influence on others decision making is ridiculous.

 

Tip my hat for TEs though. Edge block turnaround route can be the hardest 2 yards in football, right in the nucleus of the front-7. Requires timing and catch in traffic, anticipatory skills WRs make millions more for and they don't have to block JJ Watt or Von Miller then try and shed Patrick Willis for 10% of the yards on a successful play.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Totally would've forgot about TE. Good call.

[the Lions fan 19]

I played what my coaches called the dirty positions. Mainly a FB and DE, but I played my share of WR and TE. If you take speed out of the equation, TE wins hands down.

 

Edit: I rambled a bit about my playing days... rermoved it. Gist would be from my experience safety and TE were most difficult. And I got to play almost every position at some point in high school or college.

Edited June 10, 2013 by the Lions fan

[butta54 371]

Yeah it's CB without a question. People want to talk about the mental aspect of playing QB well in certain systems DBs have to do a lot of mental work in addition to covering these receivers who are usually just pure athletes.

 

FYI from experience the center's job isn't that hard even in the systems where they make calls they are usually very simple and he isn't literally telling everyone what to do.

[UndecidedFrog 12]

If the C has protection call responsibilities, I would say C, otherwise, CB.

[BoneKrusher+ 1,276]

Corner