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Rumours and Stuff

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
87,841
Seems very strange to have a player play LB, and RB - two totally different skill sets, and two totally different play books to learn.
The hyper specialisation required to have separate offensive, defensive and special teams only really exists at the very top level, where the outliers don’t stand out as much from the other players. But if you consider a population of players with a more normal distribution (where the mean level of ability is closer to the middle of the bell curve) then the outliers will stand out much more. This would mean your best attacking players are likely also your best defenders. You’re wasting them by only playing them on one side of the ball. Whereas the worst linebacker in the NFL is a much better defender than the absolute best running back, in a lower level competition this is unlikely to be the case. On plenty of teams their best player would be the best at everything other than kicking and maybe the offensive line.
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
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87,841
Depends what you mean by kids. Stars at primary/young high school age would definitely play quarterback, but by quarterback think Nelson in Simpsons


nelson-simpsons.gif


Which is old school quarterback, which is very running back like
Yeah of course. I was mostly thinking of merkins playing both sides of the ball. Any given defensive player in the NFL (even linemen) is so supremely elite that he was likely the most athletic player in every team he played on as a child.
 

Eelementary

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Messages
56,811
The hyper specialisation required to have separate offensive, defensive and special teams only really exists at the very top level, where the outliers don’t stand out as much from the other players. But if you consider a population of players with a more normal distribution (where the mean level of ability is closer to the middle of the bell curve) then the outliers will stand out much more. This would mean your best attacking players are likely also your best defenders. You’re wasting them by only playing them on one side of the ball. Whereas the worst linebacker in the NFL is a much better defender than the absolute best running back, in a lower level competition this is unlikely to be the case. On plenty of teams their best player would be the best at everything other than kicking and maybe the offensive line.

It's also a little weird to have a player who essentially never has a break - he's on when the defence is on, and he's on when the offence is on.

It's weird.
 

Eelementary

Post Whore
Messages
56,811
It's Australian high school gridiron he was playing. How technical do you reckon they get?

A few friends, and I, tried out for our university gridiron team fifteen, or so, years ago.

Despite it being bush league, we still had to recognise A, B, and C gaps as a linesman, and learn how to recognise certain offensive formations if you were defending.

It was basic, but way more in-depth than you'd think, for a basically amateur league.
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
87,841
It's also a little weird to have a player who essentially never has a break - he's on when the defence is on, and he's on when the offence is on.

It's weird.
They do it in most sports. In fact they used to do it in the NFL a very long time ago. I’d say it’s hyper specialisation that’s led to separate offensive and defensive teams, rather than a desire to give merkins a breather. They get a decent rest between plays anyway.

As for junior stars, give him a rest when he needs a rest, otherwise leave him on the field.
 

IFR33K

Coach
Messages
17,043
Well, he also lied to the senior players and others in the club, I continue to delight in watching him miss tackles, get pushed back and basically look bad. Can’t think of any other ex player that I look at in that way.

The nrl is nothing short of a business. Reed got an offer he couldn’t refuse, and good on him for that.
 

84 Baby

Referee
Messages
28,844
It's also a little weird to have a player who essentially never has a break - he's on when the defence is on, and he's on when the offence is on.

It's weird.
Happens regularly at even college level. Not so much RB and LB. But linesmen and CB/WR.

There was cool trick play the other day where a defensive tackle filled in at tight end and took a TD pass
 

Delboy

First Grade
Messages
7,236
The nrl is nothing short of a business. Reed got an offer he couldn’t refuse, and good on him for that.
Fair enough,;not disputing that, just the fact that he said a lot of things to people in the club, then shortly after turned and did the opposite. Gus sold him a vision and he’s so far he’s got a blindfold.
 

T.S Quint

Coach
Messages
13,748
In kids footy though, there is such a wide range of ability levels that a future NFL standard defensive lineman (statistically the only one on his team) or LB might still carry the ball on offence. Even in the NFL, think of the freakish William Perry scoring a couple of touchdowns as a RB. Extrapolate that to his childhood with relatively weaker team mates and opponents and he might’ve scored a bunch every week.

The Fridge!!!

He was a freak of a human.
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
87,841
Happens regularly at even college level. Not so much RB and LB. But linesmen and CB/WR.

There was cool trick play the other day where a defensive tackle filled in at tight end and took a TD pass
I remember reading an article about a hundred years ago when the Oilers were using the run & shoot offence (no TE). This journo watched their defence at practice and saw that to properly simulate the opposition offence, despite having no TE on the roster, they used a couple of their spare LBs there. Because the merkins had played TE in college.
 

Stagger eel

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
65,561
jamie lyon

yeah he walked out on us but there were mitigating circumstances and he did have to serve his due at St Helens.

I know I'm going back here and I'm showing my age but Bob Lindner really f**ked us over...he used the old 'homesick' excuse only to end up at Campbeltown 2 years later.

last i checked it was no where near Brisbane.
 
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