What is the toughest football position (particularly in the CBJ offensive <emphasis>)? Who touches the ball EVERY SINGLE PLAY? I believe it's the Center. I believe the player last year who had the most touches on the football even after being out with injury for 2 games was Crowder out of everyone else on the team. Can someone correct that if its wrong.
Who BLOCKS the LARGEST and STRONGEST defensive players EVERY SINGLE PLAY? The Center - against SEC Nose Tackles. And whenever that SEC Nose Tackle stunts hard right or hard left in attempt to pull the Center with him he does so because a nightmarish middle linebacker is attempting to blitz over the middle. Who usually has to scrape off their block to pick up that middle blitz? Usually the Center. I cant imagine how much of a nightmare it is to protect a QB during a blitz under this scenario especially whenever that linebacker has the momentum and speed of a 5 yard run already in his favor. The Center also has the shortest distance between himself and a defensive player - inches as opposed to yards.
Who has to be the first player back to the line of scrimmage after every single play no matter where the last play ended? Who has to get set first before anyone else gets set? Who is the gas pedal of the offense that controls the tempo of the offense getting set and getting the play off? You got it, its the Center.
To be Center (particularly in the CBJ offensive), you obviously need to be quick, hip flexible, quick to think, very intelligent every single play under every single condition. The center is also responsible for communicating with the rest of the offensive line at all times, under all game pressures, under all hurry up conditions, under all weather conditions, under all Crowd noise conditions even during a 15 play drive down the field whenever all other players are sucking wind as they were in our successful offensive demonstration in South Carolina. A hurry up offense is the most difficult for all Olinemen and Dlinemen. Thats actually the point of the hurry up strategy to wear down the linemen and let your light weight skill guys have at it. But the Center must continue performing, breathing, thinking, communicating, getting set first, remembering.
Because many Centers height ranges are preferred to be 1-2 inches shorter than the rest of the o-lines and might weigh 10 lbs lighter there are assumptions by a few under-educated-about-football fans that this position is weaker. Thats such an error. The prototypical center in the NFL is usually the shortest lineman and needs that physical lower leverage to go against the nose tackles and get under their pads. It also helps the QB if the Center is lower to be able to visually see down the field. That physical profile fits the position and does not mean weaker. Center's weight lifting strengths are usually very strong and among the top on the team.
Who is responsible for the beginning physics of the football and must snap ON TIME and ACCURATE every single play, even in the rain? Its the Center. If the TIMING or ACCURACY of the snap is off even by a little bit the % Probability of Success of that individual play drops significantly With our fast pace offense when guys go in motion and then run across the face of our QB for a hand off if our QB is fumbling to handle a poor snap or if the timing of that snap is off then the handoff is messed up, causing the RB to lose run rhythm and confidence on the play or fumble the ball. Any off target snap will usually foul up a pass play as well because the QB has to adjust his eyes during that split second hes trying to field the football losing focus of his receivers. The Centers in the older days, before the shotgun and pistol formations, had it a bit easier because the QBs hands were directly under his butt. However, in todays style of football play adding that 5 yard separation between QB and Center allows for a lot of dynamics and error.
The small adjustments like getting set first (and immediately) at the Line of Scrimmage, Hurry Up Identification of the Defensive configuration and play-by-play defensive alignment calls, snap speed, snap timing, snap accuracy, blocking the largest defensive player on the other team, handling inside blitzing, occasionally pulling around the end to block, remembering your own blocking assignment, remembering the snap count cadence, making immediate in-play blocking assignment changes after the snap, and then doing it all over again every play (at high tempo during high stress times), makes this position arguably the most difficult position on the entire offensive, maybe the entire team one that can really foul up the mechanics of an offense especially in the CBJ offense.
What do you think is the Most Difficult Football Position?
