[donkey687]

[quote author=donkey687 link=topic=17081.msg196900#msg196900 date=1502397358]
[quote author=OutsiderFan link=topic=17081.msg196898#msg196898 date=1502396918]
I don't mean to attack you, man, but Love is far less instrumental than Phillips to Stanford winning football games in 2017.  Stanford loses Phillips and there is no way they can contend for a championship, unless someone behind him comes in and plays at his level.

Lose Love and there are lots of other ways to score points, provided the OL and QB play is good.  See, here's the thing, RBs just aren't the most valuable positions on a football team.  You can win without elite talent at the RB position. You can't win without top talent on the DL and OL.

What percent of an offense's yardage comes from the hands of the RB?  What percent of defensive yards given up or not given up are due to a single DL? Impossible to tell but I think you get where I am headed. It is harder for a single DL or single OL to influence the game as much as an elite RB in my opinion.
[/quote]

Anyone paid money to win football games knows RBs are one of the least valuable positions on a football team.  This doesn't mean you don't want as great a RB as you can have, or that the position offers no value at all.  What it means is a dominant DL is far more valuable than a dominant RB.  Moreover, you'd also happily trade a pass rushing demon who could get Stanford 15 sacks this season for Love in a nano.
[/quote]

I think your logic better applies to the NFL than to Stanford.  We need a stud RB. Our offense depends on a RB who can either break or avoid tackles. The difference between an elite and mediocre RB in college is easily 1-2 yards per carry and running plays are 50% of the time so the expected per play yardage would be 0.5-1.0 yards less. That is a lot. I don't think the difference between an elite single DL and mediocre one effects the game by that much per play on average.  An elite front 7 would impact the game by that much, but not one player.

[donkey687]

[quote author=donkey687 link=topic=17081.msg196900#msg196900 date=1502397358]
[quote author=OutsiderFan link=topic=17081.msg196898#msg196898 date=1502396918]
I don't mean to attack you, man, but Love is far less instrumental than Phillips to Stanford winning football games in 2017.  Stanford loses Phillips and there is no way they can contend for a championship, unless someone behind him comes in and plays at his level.

Lose Love and there are lots of other ways to score points, provided the OL and QB play is good.  See, here's the thing, RBs just aren't the most valuable positions on a football team.  You can win without elite talent at the RB position. You can't win without top talent on the DL and OL.

What percent of an offense's yardage comes from the hands of the RB?  What percent of defensive yards given up or not given up are due to a single DL? Impossible to tell but I think you get where I am headed. It is harder for a single DL or single OL to influence the game as much as an elite RB in my opinion.
[/quote]

Anyone paid money to win football games knows RBs are one of the least valuable positions on a football team.  This doesn't mean you don't want as great a RB as you can have, or that the position offers no value at all.  What it means is a dominant DL is far more valuable than a dominant RB.  Moreover, you'd also happily trade a pass rushing demon who could get Stanford 15 sacks this season for Love in a nano.
[/quote]

I think your logic better applies to the NFL than to Stanford.  We need a stud RB. Our offense depends on a RB who can either break or avoid tackles. The difference between an elite and mediocre RB in college is easily 1-2 yards per carry and running plays are 50% of the time so the expected per play yardage would be 0.5-1.0 yards less. That is a lot. I don't think the difference between an elite single DL and mediocre one effects the game by that much per play on average.  An elite front 7 would impact the game by that much, but not one player.