Are Running Backs important?

Your assumptions are correct, HeadCase. Neither Gannon or Johnson were high draft picks. Gannon was selected to play defensive back, and got traded because he refused to make the switch. Both are late blossom types. For every 1 of those, there seems to be 10 Jamie Martins.

 

If you look at it historically having a great running back has been pretty important for winning a superbowl.

Marshal Faulk
Terrell Davis
Jamal Lewis
Emmitt Smith
Ricky Watters


Those guys have had a lot to do with who won the superbowl the last ten years. But as always one thing is not enought to win. Barry Sanders never won a superbowl. You need defense and balance on offense.

 

You misunderstood me. I agree that you don't have to draft a good QB, just get one. I personally am more sold on Leftwich than Palmer, more gut feeling than anything else, and I think the price to trade up will be cheap, possibly only costing us a first and second rounder. Simple economics. Supply and demand. More teams are looking to trade down than up. Cincinatti will be looking to trade down, as will Houston. Even heard talk that Dallas may be lookin to trade down. Especially in Houston's case, if they are looking to draft an O-lineman, it makes sense for them to trade down to our spot, and take the extra second. The only team that I know of that has even been mentioned in conjunction with trade up talk is us, and that is due to our need at QB. Now if we somehow acquire a solid QB in the offseason through other means (trade, FA), thats fine too. My point is that Peete won't cut it, and that QB should take priority over getting our RB. We obviously need both, and the QB takes longer to develop, so get that now.

>>If you look at it historically having a great running back has been pretty important for winning a superbowl.

Marshal Faulk
Terrell Davis
Jamal Lewis
Emmitt Smith
Ricky Watters

Look at their QB's

Kurt Warner
John Elway
Trent Dilfer
Troy Aikman
Steve Young

3 of those 5 are certainly Hall of Fame bound. Trent Dilfer is the lone exception to the rule that everyone wants to point out. The greatest defense in NFL history won that chamionship, all the offense had to pretty much do was show up and go through the motions. Is it POSSIBLE to win a championship without a good QB? Sure, Trent Dilfer proved that. Is it PROBABLE that you will? FUCK no. As has been stated earlier in this thread, balance is the most time-proven and tested way to win a championship, but a good running game is much easier to fabricate than a good passing game to compliment it. My point is, start working on the passing game now, the running game will come.

 

I think if you'll consider the receptions and receiving yardage that Charlie Garner and Duce Staley contribute due to being in a WCO, that yes indeed, you DO need an excellent running back. You don't just consider the rushing yardage these guys contribute. Bucs got in on great defense and very few mistakes by their offense. Brad Johnson is obviously better than Trent Dilfer, and Gruden's offense is more aggressive than the Ravens, but both teams have ridden their defenses to the Superbowl. Not many starting QBs will go through a season and only throw 6 INTs. The Raiders and Bucs both have skewed numbers for their RBs simply because of the offensive style. Short dump passes are the same as a 4 yard run, just because the stats go in a different column doesn't mean you can ignore the recieving yardage of RBs.

edit: stupidity

 

I think that the main area of interest in this thread is how this affects the Panthers and how we should build for the future. We are trying to be a team that wins with defense like the Bucs or Ravens of 2000. In order to make that work you need a strong running game that can control the clock and give the defense rest. The Ravens had the same team in 2001 as 2000 with a better QB but no Jamal Lewis. They were not nearly as good. Very few teams can win with defense with out a good running game. Granted we could not try to win with defense but then we are a lot farther away from winning because our whole offense is weak. My biggest goal for our offense for next year would be to have 1200 yard rusher.

 

that certainly sounds wonderful, but how? I don't think I see anyone in this draft that'll make 1200 yards unless in just the right situation - and none of those situations are in Carolina. Free agency could make it happen for us, I imagine, but everyone comes with a problem or two.

 

For magnus (and anyone else who would like to weigh in) –
My main concern with Davis is “can we afford him?” Just for the hell of it let’s say that he wants to come here and he makes himself affordable. What are the problems you see with Davis as our RB for a few years?

If not Davis then who is your second favorite off-season RB acquisition as a potential 1200 yard Panther RB?
I’m drawing a blank on that one.)

 

I think we could have a 1200 yard rusher if we play our cards right. Lamar Smith had over 700 yards. If he had played the whole season it is reasonable to think he would have gotten close to 1000. He is slow and mostly just a power back. If we get a legit tailback 1200 yards would be attainable. Imagine if we had drafted Clinton Portis instead of Deshon Foster. We would have had 1200 yards this past season.