What Next For A Human Thrower?

Mad Jackal · Post by **Mad Jackal** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:37 pm

Frankly I'm a proponent of the defensive thrower never needing to throw the block to get the ball out. He has the sure hands to pick up the loose ball AFTER some-one else has knocked the carrier down.

Defensively (for a thrower) I like Hail Mary Pass, Nerves of Steel and Dump off in that order pretty much. Doubles is Dodge or Sure Feet or jump up.

Offensively (the other thrower) accurate , safe throw, kick off return... Doubles Strong Arm then Dodge or Sure Feet or Catch.

datalorex · Post by **datalorex** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:39 pm

mattgslater wrote: As far as tackles, I never said anything about tackles. In football, if a QB gets a tackle it's because of a turnover, pretty much by definition; I wouldn't imagine that a QB would learn much about tackling, and neither would any other offensive player. OTOH, a BB Thrower plays on an 11-16 man roster, not a 53 man roster, so he'll often have to play both sides of the ball; with his high value to your offense, pick-up/pass ability and presumable lack of corner skills, he's most likely to line up as a safety. Safeties tackle, and he'll use Block a lot in that capacity if he gets used that way.

Saying a QB shouldn't know how to tackle is like saying hitters in baseball shouldn't have to bunt or pitchers shouldn't know how to hit. Then again, you must be an American league fan by the sounds of it.

reservoirelves · Post by **reservoirelves** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:31 pm

This player should not be involved in enough blocks to justify getting him block. He will have the biggest impact for your team if he improves his throwing and mobility.

For best results choose a skill from Mad Jackal's list for an offensive thrower.

Jural · Post by **Jural** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 1:27 am

It may sound crazy, but guard is a good skill for him on a doubles roll (although I prefer strong arm.)

A guard thrower has a purpose on defense, but the main advantage is that it is easier for another player to free up your QB when he is marked by the defense.

Not saying it's the best strategy, but it's one I've used with some success before.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:39 am

datalorex wrote:Saying a QB shouldn't know how to tackle is like saying hitters in baseball shouldn't have to bunt or pitchers shouldn't know how to hit. Then again, you must be an American league fan by the sounds of it.

Ummm... those baseball analogies don't work, and that's one big point of departure (among many) between American football and many other sports (sorry for the sports talk; I'm going to answer the question, then after this post try to make sure it all connects to BB). In baseball, a pitcher will have to hit sometime, and bunting is a form of hitting (part of what makes baseball so hard is that every player has to be able to hit, run and field). In football, tackling, or "getting the guy with the ball" is only done on defense, or in the unusual case of a turnover (like an interception or fumble), and the QB doesn't play on defense in American football. So, if the QB tackles in football, it's 999,999 times out of a million because he threw the ball, the wrong guy caught it, and that guy made his way through all 10 of the QB's teammates. That happens to most teams most seasons, but it's not exactly common, so a good QB will take his whole damn career to get to the number of tackles that a starting cornerback gets in a night.

American League? In football? There hasn't been an American League in football for 40 years or more. You mean "League in America" as opposed to somewhere else? Then, yeah, I do. I kind of liked NFL Europa; the competition level was lower, but there was something about a team called "The Frankfurt Galaxy" that just sounded kind of cool, even if the only people who watched it were NFL scouts looking to see how other teams' practice-squadders were doing in the offseason and they all ruined their uniforms with advertisements.

Ya wanna watch a sport similar to Blood Bowl? Check out arena football. The field's half as long and half as wide, and there's no out-of-bounds; if you try to go out, you just get bounced in again. The competition level is a lot lower (the guys who couldn't make it in the NFL), but the sport is just frickin' brutal.

Jural · Post by **Jural** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:04 pm

I'm pretty sure he was referencing the American League in baseball. The league which DOESN'T require pitchers to hit.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:09 pm

Ah. I have next to no knowledge of Major League baseball, so that pitch went right over my head. Or did I get beaned? Whatever.

Snew · Post by **Snew** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:38 am

I agree with what oyu say about football. I disagree with your assertion that Block is a skill they (should)have.

I guess you see it differently than I do.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 2:20 am

Ya know, Snew, for any team race with a Thrower, you can develop two Throwers all the way up to Mega-Super-Dooper-Pooper Star and still never regret not taking Block. It's not a HORRIBLE selection for any player, but for most (not all) Throwers it's a 3rd, 4th, 5th selection at best. Defensive Throwers tend to rate it more highly, so if this guy never went Block, it wouldn't be a big deal. It's maybe a better skill overall (ok, definitely better) than a lot of skills that might get picked more highly here, which is a sign of the system working.

datalorex · Post by **datalorex** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:53 pm

In American Football, QBs don't "Tackle" but they do "Block". Usually they throw themselves down the way of an oncoming safety tripping him up so as to protect the running back that the QB just handed the ball too. So to say my analogy doesn't work is wrong. Sure QB's don't block every play, but the few times a game they do, they are protecting the ball carrier from getting tackled behing the line of scrimmage.

And then there's the occassional QB tackle after the QB throws an interception and the player returns the ball with only the QB to beat to get a TD.

In BB, I like my throwers to have Block so they can be the last line of defense in case someone gets through my line.

Snew · Post by **Snew** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:55 pm

All I said is that they're not SKILLED at it. Sure they throw them and most of the time they roll a push. I don't think I've EVER seen one get a POW and they're usually on the ground after they make their "effort".

It's a silly conversation but suffice it to say that NFL QBs don't have anything resembling the Block skill.

Now a DEFENSIVE Block skill..... maybe...... it's more like Dodge though.

mattgslater · Post by **mattgslater** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:04 pm

That's 'cause the real world uses different mechanics and a 250-lb. guy smashing into you at about 15-20km/h will at some point cease resembling two cubes with pictures on the sides bouncing along a tabletop. I think Block is a perfectly fluffy skill for a BB Thrower, even if not taking Block is also perfectly fluffy. Funny enough, both strategies work pretty well.