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  1. #1
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    Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    From Baltimore Ravens.com via Football Outsiders:

    Rice No. 1 Irreplaceable Back, Flacco No. 5 QB

    O’Hara’s point plays right into this next section …

    Knowing that the main goal of the offseason is to come out unscathed by injuries, Football Outsiders looked at the five most irreplaceable players at the skill positions in the NFL, based not just on the quality of the player, but the quality of his backups.

    The analysts determined that Rice is the most irreplaceable running back in the league and Flacco is the fifth-most irreplaceable quarterback. Ravens fans can hardly stand to imagine what the offense would look like without either of those players.

    “Rice is the focal point for the entire Baltimore offense, in particular because he's so good as both a runner and a receiver,” wrote Aaron Schatz. “Third-round rookie Bernard Pierce is a talented running prospect, but he has very little experience as a receiver and got horrible scouting reports for his pass-protection efforts at Temple. If Rice were to get hurt, the Ravens would be desperate for a veteran third-down back.”

    Flacco is one of the most durable quarterbacks in the league and hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career. But if he were to go down, the two men currently behind him are Tyrod Taylor and Curtis Painter.

    “A change from Flacco to Tyrod Taylor would be the opposite of a Newton injury in Carolina. The Ravens would suddenly have a 6-foot-1 scrambling quarterback instead of a 6-6 pocket quarterback,” wrote Schatz. “There also isn't much evidence that Taylor would be very good; he's completed just 16 of 39 passes this preseason against opposition backups. And the third-stringer is Curtis Painter. Eek.”

    Most irreplaceable QBs: Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, Saints’ Drew Brees, Patriots’ Tom Brady, Panthers’ Cam Newton, Flacco.

    Most irreplaceable RBs: Rice, Browns’ Trent Richardson, Raiders’ Darren McFadden, Chargers’ Ryan Mathews, Jaguars’ Maurice Jones-Drew.
    We are truly fortunate to have to great cornerstones like these guys on offense.





  2. #2

    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    Quote Originally Posted by SugarRay52 View Post
    From Baltimore Ravens.com via Football Outsiders:



    We are truly fortunate to have to great cornerstones like these guys on offense.
    Is Rice irreplaceable because they run 70% of the offense through him?

    Or are Rice's numbers inflated because they run 70% of the offense through him?

    Rice is a great back, but I think he could easily be replaced by another talented player. I think any good dual threat back would be a superstar given the amount of focus Rice gets.





  3. #3
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    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    Quote Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
    Is Rice irreplaceable because they run 70% of the offense through him?

    Or are Rice's numbers inflated because they run 70% of the offense through him?

    Rice is a great back, but I think he could easily be replaced by another talented player. I think any good dual threat back would be a superstar given the amount of focus Rice gets.
    That's true but as of now he's the best and most proven RB the Ravens have, he's also a pretty talented back. I like the potential upside Bernard Pierce brings but he's an unproven rookie at this point.





  4. #4

    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    Quote Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
    Is Rice irreplaceable because they run 70% of the offense through him?

    Or are Rice's numbers inflated because they run 70% of the offense through him?

    Rice is a great back, but I think he could easily be replaced by another talented player. I think any good dual threat back would be a superstar given the amount of focus Rice gets.
    As evidence when Willis McGahee was the starting back who was this receiving and rushing threat. Maybe not quite to the caliber of Rice as they are two different players with different playing styles. However, I agree with you in that Rice is more replaceable than Flacco.





  5. #5
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    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    The only reason Rice is more replaceable is because it's much harder to find QB's then RB's. But that wasn't the answer. They are saying Rice is the most irreplaceable at his position, not on the team or in the league, which I tend to agree with, the way our system works, and the lack of depth we have behind Rice (as promising as Pierce is).

    Rice at this point is the better player to Flacco though, he may have a ton of carries and all that, but the reason he gets so much work load is because he is so good. Do you guys actually believe we could just chuck any old back out there and assume he'd be as good, or anywhere close as good as Rice is? There are only 5 backs in the league who could match his production, and probably nobody who could match his receiving production, apart from a guy like Sproles, who wouldn't be able to carry the ball the way Rice does in our offense.

    Flacco still gets his fair amount of opportunities to throw the ball, and he has done very well for a young QB in an offense with limited receiving options (the same could be said about Rice, running behind an average offensive line in 2010 and last season). He can make all the throws you want in key moments. But Rice has just been more consistent at his position than Flacco has over the course of both their careers, Flacco will likely be the better player eventually because Rice will ware off as Flacco enters his prime, and Flacco is more irreplaceable than Rice because of the position he plays, the fact that there is next to nobody who could step up if he went down, and the fact that he's a pretty damn good QB.





  6. #6
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    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    Quote Originally Posted by leachisabeast View Post
    The only reason Rice is more replaceable is because it's much harder to find QB's then RB's. But that wasn't the answer. They are saying Rice is the most irreplaceable at his position, not on the team or in the league, which I tend to agree with, the way our system works, and the lack of depth we have behind Rice (as promising as Pierce is).

    Rice at this point is the better player to Flacco though, he may have a ton of carries and all that, but the reason he gets so much work load is because he is so good. Do you guys actually believe we could just chuck any old back out there and assume he'd be as good, or anywhere close as good as Rice is? There are only 5 backs in the league who could match his production, and probably nobody who could match his receiving production, apart from a guy like Sproles, who wouldn't be able to carry the ball the way Rice does in our offense.

    Flacco still gets his fair amount of opportunities to throw the ball, and he has done very well for a young QB in an offense with limited receiving options (the same could be said about Rice, running behind an average offensive line in 2010 and last season). He can make all the throws you want in key moments. But Rice has just been more consistent at his position than Flacco has over the course of both their careers, Flacco will likely be the better player eventually because Rice will ware off as Flacco enters his prime, and Flacco is more irreplaceable than Rice because of the position he plays, the fact that there is next to nobody who could step up if he went down, and the fact that he's a pretty damn good QB.
    Bottomline is we need both Flacco and Rice, there it's settled LOL.





  7. #7
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    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    How is Trent Richardson irreplaceable in Cleveland yet he's not even taken a snap...even in a pre-season game...
    Disclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.





  8. #8
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    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    Quote Originally Posted by SugarRay52 View Post
    Bottomline is we need both Flacco and Rice, there it's settled LOL.
    I just wanted to clear a few things up, because I know that some people seem to think RB's like Rice grow on trees, which is so far from the truth.

    And btw everyone saying that Willis was good here too, well you'd kind of expect that from someone we gave a multi million dollar contract to, who was a first round pick, and who is just coming off a 1k rushing season with the Denver Broncos. McGahee has always been a very good back, it's not as if we got someone average, and turned him into a super star. Ray Rice happens to be better than Willis, and is definitely not an average under sized back we drafted and made good just like that, Rice has been a great back ever since college.





  9. #9
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    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    I get the feeling that I'm reading "irreplaceable" because the team doesn't have anyone on the roster to replace him effectively.

    No Manning with possibly Caleb Hanie replacing him?

    But no Adrian Peterson? Well Gebhart is there IIRC

    Looks like they are rating Ravens because of Tyrod and Brenard a lot more than they are because of Joe and Ray.

    Doesn't seem like players aren't replaceable, seems like they are looking at a talent gulf for next man up.
    So it is not really praise for Ravens, it is caution for injury list.
    at one point of my life I was exactly Pi years old





  10. #10

    Re: Flacco and Rice both top 5 Irreplaceable players at their respective positions

    I guess some projection is involved if Richardson is on the RB list.
    So with that in mind, I'd put Torrey pretty high on the WR list.





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