Great O-line vs great RB?

#1
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ihateflorida

Give the man a chance!
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#1
Dooley says he would rather have a great RB. I would rather have a great o-line and a average RB. Am I in the minority on this one???????
 
#2
#2
ihateflorida said:
Dooley says he would rather have a great RB. I would rather have a great o-line and a average RB. Am I in the minority on this one???????
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The battle is won in the trenches. O-Line all the way. I suspect Dooley may be saying this due to having expected strong depth at RB whereas the O-Line is young and unproven. Maybe he's trying to convince himself he has the correct makeup.
 
#3
#3
Great lines make ok running backs look great Emmitt Smith couldn't do anything with an awful line. So definately a good line over a good rb.
 
#7
#7
If presented with a choice between a great back, or a great line, I'll take the great line every time. Hell, the Hogs made Timmy Smith look like a damn stud in the Super Bowl.
 
#8
#8
Capn Jack said:
Alabama can't decide which of their RB's will win the Heisman next year. A great O-Line (with the threat of a passing game) makes great Running Backs.
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I feel like our OL did well last year considering what we had, but how much better would have Hardesty been behind a solid, SEC Caliber OL....

And he still rushed for over 1000 yds
 
#9
#9
I would take my chances with a mediocre back getting to run up 2 or 3 yards before having to make a cut, then having a great back having to dip and dodge defenders in the backfield
 
#10
#10
He said "I've always believed that good running backs make good offensive lines, not the other way around." or something like that...

However....you show me 5 Offensive Linemen who get knocked on their hindparts every play, and I'll show you a running back who ain't got a chance, don't care if he's a 6* recruit.
 
#11
#11
Look at Shawn Alexander's productivity with the 2005 Seahawks with Steve Hutchinson playing next to Walter Jones. Then look at his productivity (injured or not) in the next 2 seasons without Hutchinson.

OL can make an average back good, and a good back great.
 
#13
#13
Barry Sanders sure made his line look good...what would he have been with Emmits line??...just a thought
 
#14
#14
Definitely agree with everyone on here, including BigOrangeFanatic when he said that CDD is just protecting the O-Line.

I'm just hoping that the O-Line finds its way some way through the season (or preferably before the season).
 
#15
#15
I'd take a great o-line and a crap running back. A great o-line and crap running back will atleast get you 3-4 yards a rush.
 
#16
#16
BigOrangeFanatic said:
Dooley is protecting his OL
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Agreed.

ShotGunVol said:
Barry Sanders sure made his line look good...what would he have been with Emmits line??...just a thought
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Sanders had Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover in the best years of their careers. By no means were the Lions a team with a terrific line, but the revisionist history that the five guys up front looked like the opening sequence in "2001: A Space Odyssey" has gotten old. (I'm not targeting you on this one)
 
#18
#18
Urinal Mint said:
I'd take a great o-line and a crap running back. A great o-line and crap running back will atleast get you 3-4 yards a rush.
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I agree, but am conflicted due to the Mark Levine situation that we all painfully lived through.
 
#21
#21
Didn't tony thompson lead the conf in rushing behind a pretty good O Line? TVA? Give me a great line and an average back every time!
 
#23
#23
VOLFREAK11 said:
Great lines make ok running backs look great Emmitt Smith couldn't do anything with an awful line. So definately a good line over a good rb.
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That's ridiculous. What is the basis for that statement? He was an old man when he went Arizona and he was the most productive RB they had had in like 8 years. The Cowboys line was very good, but they are also over-hyped. It's America's team and every decent player becomes nationally known. Flozell Adams was starting LT in Pro Bowl after leading the league in penalties. Watch some career highlights of Emmitt and you will see some amazing runs that he made out of nothing.
 
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#24
#24
Ohio Vol said:
Sanders had Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover in the best years of their careers. By no means were the Lions a team with a terrific line, but the revisionist history that the five guys up front looked like the opening sequence in "2001: A Space Odyssey" has gotten old. (I'm not targeting you on this one)
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Yeah, I never get this. To claim that Barry always had a bad line is ridiculous. It's impossible for an NFL team to have a bad line for 12 straight years. Most of his career they had better than average line. Never dominant, but almost always decent.
 
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