For some value of excellent. Simple, general rules, that are well understood, are better than complexity, even complexity your excellent developer can manage.

How about a developer, who says no to their customer, and comes up with something simpler, and better.

I just submitted this:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3245550

And declare that progress depends on the unreasonable person.

Are you paving a goat track?