Mills article

[RayClay]

Who? Pass or Mills? Actually, neither one did. But Pass played FB for the Pats for years, and Mills will probably do so for years.

Yeah, but Pass was a running back so he had similar block/run situations.

Actually, many running backs play at least a little full back. How do you know Pass didn't?

Did Mills ever carry the ball?

 

[spacecrime]

His size is perfect for a pass catching fullback. His position has been TE, however and he is very small for an NFL TE.

If he can be an adequate blocker and run at all, he can play FB.

Centers could run just fine when the opportunity was there. 2188 yards career. Better than Patriots Hall of Fame nominee Burton.

You're joking right? Larry Centers barely averaged 10 yards per game. He simply played a lot of games, like for 15 seasons (as opposed to Burtons' 5).

Are you going to be stuck for the rest of your life that a layer can only play the position he played in college? Or accept the fact that many players play different positions in the NFL?

 

[RayClay]

You're joking right? Larry Centers barely averaged 10 yards per game. He simply played a lot of games, like for 15 seasons (as opposed to Burtons' 5).

Are you going to be stuck for the rest of your life that a layer can only play the position he played in college? Or accept the fact that many players play different positions in the NFL?

What I said was true, why would that be a joke?

2003 nwe | 9 | 21 82 3.9 0 | 19 106 5.6 1 |

He actually had more rushes than receptions with the Patriots.

I didn't say he was a lead back, I said he was a receiving fullback who could run when necessary.

I more than proved my point, but I'll throw in a 3.6 YPC career average.

 

[spacecrime]

What I said was true, why would that be a joke?

When discussing whether or not larry Centers is a rushing FB, to bolster your argument that he is a rushing FB by saying he has more yards than Ron Burton is either a joke, or an attempt to decieve people by misusing statistics.

Okay, it wasn't a joke.

You were deliberately trying to manipulate statistics.

Facts:

Burton was not a workhorse RB to begin with. His claim to fame is that he was the first patriot ever drafted, and he was a tremendous community figure. Burton only averaged about 6 carries a game, so he is hardly the bellwether to determine RB status. Centers averaged about 3 carries per game. His year with the Patriots (that you feel is so significant) he averaged only 2 carries per game.

Ron Burton was a RB who appeared in 69 games averaging about 75 yards per game. Larry Centers appeared 198 games and averaged about 10 yards a game.

Anyway, whatever Centers is or is not, you cannot prove that Mills cannot block by trying to say Centers was more of a rushing back than a catch-the-ball-out-of-the-backfield back.

I more than proved my point.

Yeah, we can all agree now that Mills cannot be a FB because Larry Centers caught screen passes out of the backfield. Good work. Now take your statistic manipulating ability and show us with stats why AV is a better QB than Elway, Montana or Brady.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Good work. Now take your statistic manipulating ability and show us with stats why AV is a better QB than Elway, Montana or Brady.

Well, I'll take AV's passer rating as proof that he's a better passer than Manning.

 

[RayClay]

When discussing whether or not larry Centers is a rushing FB, to bolster your argument that he is a rushing FB by saying he has more yards than Ron Burton is either a joke, or an attempt to decieve people by misusing statistics.

Okay, it wasn't a joke.

You were deliberately trying to manipulate statistics.

Facts:

Burton was not a workhorse RB to begin with. His claim to fame is that he was the first patriot ever drafted, and he was a tremendous community figure. Burton only averaged about 6 carries a game, so he is hardly the bellwether to determine RB status. Centers averaged about 3 carries per game. His year with the Patriots (that you feel is so significant) he averaged only 2 carries per game.

Ron Burton was a RB who appeared in 69 games averaging about 75 yards per game. Larry Centers appeared 198 games and averaged about 10 yards a game.

Anyway, whatever Centers is or is not, you cannot prove that Mills cannot block by trying to say Centers was more of a rushing back than a catch-the-ball-out-of-the-backfield back.

Yeah, we can all agree now that Mills cannot be a FB because Larry Centers caught screen passes out of the backfield. Good work. Now take your statistic manipulating ability and show us with stats why AV is a better QB than Elway, Montana or Brady.

What I said was true, why would that be a joke?

2003 nwe | 9 | 21 82 3.9 0 | 19 106 5.6 1 |

He actually had more rushes than receptions with the Patriots.

I didn't say he was a lead back, I said he was a receiving fullback who could run when necessary.

I more than proved my point, but I'll throw in a 3.6 YPC career average.

Larry Centers could block and run when necessary, though we both agree he was primarily a pass receiver.

It made my point perfectly, because if Mills could block like Centers, (adequate, not great) and gain 3.6 yards a carry, I would be ecstatic!

What statistics did I manipulate? Every statistic is true and in context.

The fact that Ron Burton doesn't deserve to be in the Pats hall of fame based on his career is not my fault, I didn't nominate him.

That was his son, the sportscaster and the powerful public relations apparatus of the John Han**** Insurance company where he worked for about 30 years.

The fact that using actual statistics seems to be a joke is not my fault. I don't make the statistics or the decisions.

 

[RayClay]

Well, I'll take AV's passer rating as proof that he's a better passer than Manning.

And you didn't manipulate that statistic either!

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

I really like Mills and hope he makes the team. He had a great first preseason game against the Falcons catching the ball all over the field. I really think he will be an excellent pass catching FB/H-back in this league. Also, he plays a lot faster than his combine times and has great hands. I would be surprised if Mills didn't make the team over Evans. Mills is basically the same type of player as Heath Evans, just younger and faster. I guess the only drawback would be Mill's inability to play special teams, according to another poster. So that could hurt him.

 

[RayClay]

I really like Mills and hope he makes the team. He had a great first preseason game against the Falcons catching the ball all over the field. I really think he will be an excellent pass catching FB/H-back in this league. Also, he plays a lot faster than his combine times and has great hands. I would be surprised if Mills didn't make the team over Evans. Mills is basically the same type of player as Heath Evans, just younger and faster. I guess the only drawback would be Mill's inability to play special teams, according to another poster. So that could hurt him.

Actually, I heard he was a special teams maniac, so we need some verification on that.

If he's as great a receiver as people say, he needs only to be an adequate FB. He'll still have to work on it, like faulk did and it would be nice if he can surprise with the occassional run.

If he let's blitzers free right up the middle, it would be hard to play him, since he's hardly the only guy on the team who can catch a pass.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

Hey RayClay and Spacecrime - get a room, will ya!!!

 

[RayClay]

Hey RayClay and Spacecrime - get a room, will ya!!!

Kind of creepy having someone with that name say that.

 

[DaBruinz]

So he's a proven blocker and running back now. That's good to know.

I guess Sammy Morris and Heath Evans are history.

Nice of you to just make garbage up. Why don't you actaully READ what is said instead of making stupid comments?

 

[DaBruinz]

How often do we use an H-Back now? Wasn't that the province of Daniel graham, a devastating blocker?

The Pats used an H-back quite a bit last year. Both with Watson and with Graham. And several times with David Thomas.

An H-back is NOT just about being a blocker. Its about NOT being lined up on the LOS. Its about playing both TE and FB.

Why don't you go out and actually learn something about the guy instead of sitting there making up garbage like you have so far?

 

[DaBruinz]

Yeah, but Pass was a running back so he had similar block/run situations.

Actually, many running backs play at least a little full back. How do you know Pass didn't?

Did Mills ever carry the ball?

Mills has been almost exclusively at TE. Guess what? TEs BLOCK quite a bit. And, he was a TE that went in motion a bit. Now, his forte in college, as was mentioned several times by myself and others, was pass-catching. But, here's a piece of information for you. So was Daniel Graham's coming out of college. And the Pats turned Graham into a devestating blocker. I am NOT expecting Mills to be that good. But I believe that picking up a blitzer and blocking him from a 2 point stance is a technique that Mills probably has some knowledge of. And its probably something the Pats have been working on him with so that they CAN put him out there on 3rd downs and keep him in to block if need be.

Now, Mills did NOT ever carry the ball. So what. No one is saying that he's the next Corey Dillon (at least in this thread). However, what Mills DOES have is the quickness and agility that rivals many of the SCAT backs that have come out of college. That is why I said IF Mills shows some running instincts, he could be used on draw plays. That is NOT saying that Mills WILL be used on running plays. Its not saying that Mills will replace Morris or Evans.

 

[DaBruinz]

I really like Mills and hope he makes the team. He had a great first preseason game against the Falcons catching the ball all over the field. I really think he will be an excellent pass catching FB/H-back in this league. Also, he plays a lot faster than his combine times and has great hands. I would be surprised if Mills didn't make the team over Evans. Mills is basically the same type of player as Heath Evans, just younger and faster. I guess the only drawback would be Mill's inability to play special teams, according to another poster. So that could hurt him.

Not sure which poster said that Mills wasn't a good special teamer, but that person doesn't know what they are talking about. Mills was a friggin GUNNER in college. He also played LB his senior year of High School AND his senior year of College so he knows how to hit and wrap up for his tackles.

In fact, here is what one scout said

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=-2]One asset that will greatly benefit the pro team that selects him is his coverage ability on special teams. He is a heat-seeking missile on punt coverage, breaking free from the pack to get downfield and make the play. Perhaps due to his linebacker experience in high school, he shows good wrap-up tackling technique and positions himself well to make the hit

[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[DaBruinz]

Actually, I heard he was a special teams maniac, so we need some verification on that.

If he's as great a receiver as people say, he needs only to be an adequate FB. He'll still have to work on it, like faulk did and it would be nice if he can surprise with the occassional run.

If he let's blitzers free right up the middle, it would be hard to play him, since he's hardly the only guy on the team who can catch a pass.

Re-reading his bio on NFLDraftScout.com, I was reminded that one of the reasons that people projected Mills to FB was because he's actually a very good blocker. So, yes, I am correcting myself as well.

It will be interesting to see what he can do. I don't know if we'll ever see him run the ball, BUT, I don't think anyone thought that they'd see Tom Ashworth making a TD reception either. Or Dan Klecko for that matter.