[Neags23]

My buddy and I were talking about the Jay Cutler trade, and he said he's never liked Cutler, and threw out the absurd (I think) stat of Cutler being 8-8 as a starter and Orton being 9-6. I'd say a QB's won-loss record is even more worthless than a pitcher's.

But he posits that a QB is the most important position of any team sport and has more of an impact on winning or losing than any other position in any sport.

I say that's garbage. So just as an example, I picked a point guard in basketball as having more of an impact.

His argument:

• You can take away all responsibility from a bad PG, you can't do that with a bad QB.
• A PG can go a whole game without shooting, a QB touches the ball every play on offense.
• A QB is a 'leader' whom the team rallies around
• To win in football, you score points. You score points primarily on offense, and the QB touches the ball every offensive play.
• Give up all the points you want, but if you score more, you win.
• A PG doesn't average more than 40 minutes a game.

My argument

• A QB does not play defense. He does not play special teams. Therefore, he's only on the field, on average, about 45% of the game.
• A PG plays offense and defense. That's double the impact on the game's outcome.
• There are 21 other football players on a team who impact a football game besides the QB, not including special teams guys. There are only four other basketball players.
• A PG can also 'lead' players and have the team rally around him (I hate this stupid leadership argument, but I have to have a rebuttal.)
• A QB can go an entire game without throwing a ball just as much as a PG can go an entire game without shooting it.
• If both players perform brilliantly in a game offensively, the PG can still blow the game by playing bad defense.
• If both players perform badly in a game offensively, a PG can still help win the game with good defense.

So I'm not sure if I necessarily think a PG is the most important position in team sports, but I'd say a PG has a bigger impact on a game's outcome than a quarterback.

I'd like to hear other opinions, and if you think there's a different position in any sport that has more of an impact on a game's outcome, let's hear it.