- Joined
- Oct 10, 2006
- Messages
- 76,883
- Reaction score
- 66,866
Registered Members experience this forum ad and noise-free.
CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Wait.... there are people here who think that BJGE is a better running back than Craig James was before his injuries?
Are we talking about the same BJGE who couldn't beat out the much-maligned Maroney until this season, when Maroney apparently completely lost it as a running back?
Come again?
Faulk (Grier) is better than Maroney/Redmond (Pioli)
BJGE couldn't beat out Maroney.
Now I've heard it all.
One of the more ludicrous posts in the history of this place.
Outlook: A solid No. 2 back for the future, the restricted free agent will no doubt return to Foxboro. The only question is when the two sides reach an agreement.
Potential fill-in: With two first-round picks, don’t be surprised if Illinois’ Mikel Leshoure or Alabama’s Mark Ingram arrive. Saints veteran Pierre Thomas is a possibility.
FWIW, Ian Rapoport refers to BJGE thusly:
Patriots have decisions to make on 14 free agents - BostonHerald.com
Yeah the same Rappaport who predicted Darius Butler was going to be a breakout player this year, and the player who was "going to be a force."
Brady may need to carry Patriots in 2010 - 2010 training camp preview- NBC Sports
Come on. I know you're smarter than that.
So you're saying that BJGE was the team's RB1 in 2008 and 2009? The Patriots gave their perfectly healthy RB1 a combined 100 rushing attempts in two seasons?
Well, the Pats could run the ball, but there was a cost involved.
Just to be clear, I think BGE is a fine, straight-ahead, one-cut runner with very good vision for the developing hole and the decisiveness to hit it with good timing. He runs squared up, with very good pad-level and better than average low-gear power, and he plays with exceptional ball-security. In short, a near perfect between the tackles guy.
However, he doesn't have the speed to get around the end more than once in awhile. He doesn't really have a second cut to escape the LB level or the extra gear to do much when he does escape. Most important, he doesn't get very deep into the LB level without a dedicated blocker - a TE (Crumpler, mostly) or a FB (Morris).
And that's the cost. In order for BGE to run effectively with any consistency, the Pats have to take one of their more effective pass-catchers off the field. Because the Jets, with their strong D-line, knew that the Pats couldn't run effectively with any consistency out of, say, a 4-WR/1-RB set, they could afford to keep 7-8 guys in coverage (5-6 of them between the numbers in the short/intermediate areas where virtually all of our pass-catchers do their best work). When the Pats took a pass-catcher off the field for the extra blocker, the Jets simply cheated up with a safety and/or LB and could afford to do so since there was at least one less target to cover.
In short, without a between the tackles RB who is a legit threat to break off several good runs on his own even without extra blocking help, and without any pass-catchers who can work the sidelines and deep zones effectively with any consistency, the Pats offense can be thoroughly stymied by a well-executed defense that has decent coverage LBs.
You mean the fact that they are different backs?
That's not what I judge them on. I judge them on where they were picked and how much that pick yielded. Given that criteria, of course Faulk was the best choice.
That doesn't mean Grier is a genius or even good. It just means he added more to the position.
This is a really small sample after all.
Maroney was definitely a BUST for me.
UDFA who developed in a short time into a better player than Maroney.
Your argument strikes me of someone wondering why Brady didn't beat out Beldsoe in 2000.
Wait.... there are people here who think that BJGE is a better running back than Craig James was before his injuries?
Are we talking about the same BJGE who couldn't beat out the much-maligned Maroney until this season, when Maroney apparently completely lost it as a running back?
BJGE couldn't beat out Maroney.
Now I've heard it all.
One of the more ludicrous posts in the history of this place.
So you're saying that BJGE was the team's RB1 in 2008 and 2009? The Patriots gave their perfectly healthy RB1 a combined 100 rushing attempts in two seasons?
Wait.... there are people here who think that BJGE is a better running back than Craig James was before his injuries?
Are we talking about the same BJGE who couldn't beat out the much-maligned Maroney until this season, when Maroney apparently completely lost it as a running back?
Not pre-injuries, but in terms of what each accomplished w/the Pats, I think they're about even right now, and law firm hopefully will be doing more.
James was the NFL offensive player of the year in 1985. BJGE couldn't bribe someone to put him in that discussion.
And as I said, I think he was -- and would have been -- the better back without the injuries.
But if you have stats to demonstrate how he accomplished so much more as a RB with the Pats than BJGE has, I'm all ears.
Maroney was a disappointment, IMO. Not a bust.
I'm saying that if you look at it comprehensively, you'd have a basis for being more confident in the current brain trust selecting an able RB than folks who have been in a similar position for the Patriots in the past.
We're talking about the better running back, not the bigger stats compiler. I didn't set the parameters. ....
...Again James was NFL offensive player of the year. ....
...However, if you want to talk numbers, I'll toss something out to satisfy your craving. They don't really mean much in isolation, but here you go:
James had seasons with 4.9 and 4.7 ypc as a lead back before injuries took their toll, and had more than 20 receptions in both of those years. BJGE hasn't topped 4.4 ypc, and has a career high of 12 receptions.
As a side note and as a bit of an oddity, James even led the Patriots running backs in yards and YPC in 1986, with whopping numbers of 427 yards and 2.8 ypc. That was a weird season.
Really?
Your argument was asinine. You avoided the point and went after the side issue, getting that wrong as well.