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All the discussions about the various RB possibilities, plus the talk about which RB will take over for Blount led me to think about what exactly BB thinks he needs to have happen at the position to make a championship happen, despite the losses of both Blount and Lewis. In the end I believe Easley is going to be harder to replace, but this thread is about what we need at RB.
History should tell us all we need to know about what BB is looking for in a RB. If we go back to the early days of the Pats run. A time where the running game was much more important than it is now. Yet even then BB was asking very little of the RB position.
1. Don't lose yards - Trying to make the big play and losing yards is what I call the Barry Sanders syndrome. Second and 9 can be overcome, but 2nd and 13 is much tougher statistically.
2. Get the hard yard or two on 3rd and short and GL situations about 85-90% of thee time.
3. Hold on to the ball - it's important a fact that we have to mention it, and BB's emphasis on ball security is well enough known by all that no more needs to be said
4. Do well in blitz pick up and pass blocking
5. Be dependable - in other words average about 3.5+ ypc, and get the hard yards - about 75-90 ypg.
We only have to go back to 2 time superbowl winner Anwain Smith who did all of the above right to a T. IIRC he never averaged 4 ypc as a Patriot, but was consistent, got the hard yards and gave the Pats enough of a run presence to make the rest of the offense go. And remember this was back in the day when Brady passing for over TWO hundred yards in a game was a good day.
So no matter who ends up being our main pounder of the football, all he has to do is to is be reliable and do these small thinigs and we can win it again. This is NOT a high bar, and someone like Jackson would seem perfect. He has the size, speed, quickness and explosion to do everything on the list, even at this late date in his career. Plus he obviously wouldn't be the one to carry the offense....or even something close to that. Just 15-20 carries for 5 games at the most. The motivation most certainly should be there for a guy who has never had a sniff of the playoffs, let alone a superbowl.
I remember the clip of BB giving Corey Dillon a game ball after the first playoff game he ever played in. IIRC, Dillon smiled as he accepted the ball, or it was as close to a smile as anyone ever saw Dillon make.
I'd like to see BB hand a similar ball out to Stephan Jackson this season.
Bottom Line: It is not what the Pats want in a RB, it is what they NEED. The blueprint is Atwain Smith, not Adrian Peterson. Keep that in mind while the saga continues.
History should tell us all we need to know about what BB is looking for in a RB. If we go back to the early days of the Pats run. A time where the running game was much more important than it is now. Yet even then BB was asking very little of the RB position.
1. Don't lose yards - Trying to make the big play and losing yards is what I call the Barry Sanders syndrome. Second and 9 can be overcome, but 2nd and 13 is much tougher statistically.
2. Get the hard yard or two on 3rd and short and GL situations about 85-90% of thee time.
3. Hold on to the ball - it's important a fact that we have to mention it, and BB's emphasis on ball security is well enough known by all that no more needs to be said
4. Do well in blitz pick up and pass blocking
5. Be dependable - in other words average about 3.5+ ypc, and get the hard yards - about 75-90 ypg.
We only have to go back to 2 time superbowl winner Anwain Smith who did all of the above right to a T. IIRC he never averaged 4 ypc as a Patriot, but was consistent, got the hard yards and gave the Pats enough of a run presence to make the rest of the offense go. And remember this was back in the day when Brady passing for over TWO hundred yards in a game was a good day.
So no matter who ends up being our main pounder of the football, all he has to do is to is be reliable and do these small thinigs and we can win it again. This is NOT a high bar, and someone like Jackson would seem perfect. He has the size, speed, quickness and explosion to do everything on the list, even at this late date in his career. Plus he obviously wouldn't be the one to carry the offense....or even something close to that. Just 15-20 carries for 5 games at the most. The motivation most certainly should be there for a guy who has never had a sniff of the playoffs, let alone a superbowl.
I remember the clip of BB giving Corey Dillon a game ball after the first playoff game he ever played in. IIRC, Dillon smiled as he accepted the ball, or it was as close to a smile as anyone ever saw Dillon make.
I'd like to see BB hand a similar ball out to Stephan Jackson this season.Bottom Line: It is not what the Pats want in a RB, it is what they NEED. The blueprint is Atwain Smith, not Adrian Peterson. Keep that in mind while the saga continues.
