If you couldn't have both, which would make the defense most formidable: a pair of lock down corners or a pair of dominant pass rushing defensive lineman?

I'd go for the lock down corners.

If you can near totally take away the opponents top receiver(s), where safeties don't have to be in constant help mode and force the offense to other options. It would seem that coverage sacks would increase as well as the remaining 4 eligible threats could better be contained by the 9 remaining players. Browns fans recall the Dixon & Minnefield duo which made for some real excitement in days gone-by

A dominant pass rush would cause havoc in the backfield leading to mistake passes and make average corners look good. But I'd think a good offensive coordinator could set some schemes to keep the rush down like the Patriots did in SB 49 with their quick passes.

So if you couldn't have it all, which would you choose?

I'm looking forward to learning about the development of all the apparent talent OHIO has set for the fall roster at the corner position.

I'm gonna go with rush ends. Even if you take away 2 receiving threats, if the QB has all day to throw, someone is going to get open (and probably deep).

If the QB never has more than 3 seconds to throw, you're limiting the offense to short throws. Play tight coverage and you'll generate turnovers.

(If Seattle hadn't blow it at the goalline, the hottaek would have been Brady's interceptions.)

As a way to answer your question, I thought "Where do NFL managers put their money?" I found a website with salary information by position:
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/

I took an average of the top 10 most highly paid players at each position to determine the value of a "star" at that position:
QB - 19.2m
DE - 11.9m
CB - 11.1m
WR - 11.1m
L OT - 10.1m
OLB - 9.3m
DT - 8.4m
ILB - 8.3m
S - 7.8m
RB - 7.7m
OG - 6.9m
OC - 6.7m
R OT - 5.8m
TE - 4.9m
P - 3.4m
PK - 3.2m
FB - 1.6m
LS - 1.1m

It seems from this that the answer to your question is that defensive ends and lockdown corners are both extremely valuable, the two most important positions behind QB, and it seems that they are pretty close to equally valuable. Two other positions that are right up there are WR and left offensive tackle.

+1

Especially in our conference. MAC doesn't have many QBs who can beat you with their arms.

DT would probably have been higher, but Suh is a free agent this year, so his salary is not known, and thus he isn't among the top 10 DTs. If he had been included, DT would have probably been 1m higher, or so. On the other hand, I would presume that all the positions have some top players who will be free agents, and thus who are missing from the list.

Defensive lineman all day. A quarterback who is being harassed by defensive ends every pass is going to make far more mistakes than one who can go to his third or fourth options (as already mentioned), but also because a quarterback who can scramble makes a lock down corner less of a threat. Also, a quarterback will have a hard time setting up a play-action if he only has three seconds before he needs to move.

And that's if we're solely talking about passing plays. A stud defensive end can take away a third of an offense's playbook (if we are talking about plays to the left, right, and center) just by being present on the field; teams will not go to his side.

Do I sense an affinity for the prevent package?

Simply put, a blitz package that works. Showing blitz on third down, but dropping back into coverage every once in a while would go a long way.

Please quit this strawman argument. No one here likes or accepts mediocrity. Some of us just understand that even good programs and good coaches have down periods. Have patience, young man, the Solich-led Bobcats will rise again.

Thanks for that keen insight, Monroe.