Green-Ellis - Why or Why Not?

[Patspsycho]

Actually his full body of work may get him on the 53 but last night looked more like a missed opportunity than a statement from him. Did you really think he was good last night?

If you are talking about BJGE, what "opportunity" did he miss?

 

[SoonerPatriot]

The only thing that jumps out on BJGE is his potential for better durability. Morris is nice when he's healthy, but as it is he is leaking Phemaldeyhde all over the field the last couple of years. And like Morris, Taylor is older then dirt and missed time last year.

If you had a guarantee that both could be healthy all year, it's a no-brainer. But there are no such guarantees.

Not sure I get all the BJGE hate and I don't even begin to get the love. Best thing about him last night was he hit the hole, with average results, and doesn't seem to be afraid of contact.

And being the No. 1 back in NE really doesn't mean a lot anyway. It's not exactly the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse in the backfield.

The fact this guy is in line for a roster spot is more of an indictment of the lack of any attention spent developing running backs through the draft the last....i dunno...forever...with Maroney being the exception that proves the rule. Unless you count Justice Hairston and Cedric Cobbs.

In the end BB is going to dump either Taylor or Morris and keep BJGE.

 

[BradyFTW!]

The only thing that jumps out on BJGE is his potential for better durability. Morris is nice when he's healthy, but as it is he is leaking Phemaldeyhde all over the field the last couple of years. And like Morris, Taylor is older then dirt and missed time last year.

If you had a guarantee that both could be healthy all year, it's a no-brainer. But there are no such guarantees.

Not sure I get all the BJGE hate and I don't even begin to get the love. Best thing about him last night was he hit the hole, with average results, and doesn't seem to be afraid of contact.

And being the No. 1 back in NE really doesn't mean a lot anyway. It's not exactly the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse in the backfield.

The fact this guy is in line for a roster spot is more of an indictment of the lack of any attention spent developing running backs through the draft the last....i dunno...forever...with Maroney being the exception that proves the rule. Unless you count Justice Hairston and Cedric Cobbs.

In the end BB is going to dump either Taylor or Morris and keep BJGE.

How can you declare that someone is "more durable" based on 100 career carries spread out over 2 seasons? Pretty much every RB in the league would stay fresh and healthy under that workload.

 

[BradyFTW!]

If you are talking about BJGE, what "opportunity" did he miss?

The opportunity to play above JAG level against one of the worst first-team rush defenses in the league.

 

[Triumph]

Actually his full body of work may get him on the 53 but last night looked more like a missed opportunity than a statement from him. Did you really think he was good last night?

Missed opportunity?? Do you really think Maroney would have done much better? Usually, Maroney trys to avoid contact by jitterbugging back and forth resulting in getting stuffed for no gain.

BJGE hit the hole and took what was there. He made a nice 6 yard run for a TD. 3 YAC isnt all that bad. Two runs of 3 YAC leaves a manageable 3rd and 4 where you could pass or run.

Atlanta's defense looked pretty good vs the inside run last night, but they were burned by McCluster outside on the edge more than once. Lets see which RB has the better game as NE emphasizes on building a power run game.

 

[Triumph]

What are you talking about.
Did you bother to look at who WAS credited with 'starts'? Was it Faulk because we started in a sub package?
Does it really matter who is on the field the first play?

What are you taking about? 14 starts. Laurence Maroney Thats alll. There is no way to spin or sugarcoat what is reality.

Name me another #1 RB (your words) who has so few starts in 4 NFL seasons? LDT? Nope, 141 starts in 141 games. Portis? Nope, 103 starts in 108 games. I can go through the entire NFL and not find another Maroney #1 RB sitting on the bench. I sure am glad guys like Moss, Welker,and Wilfork start games from the first play.

It is what it is.

BB has clearly shown that he wishes to split carries to keep RBs fresh. That is why he has so many starting capable RBs, so that he can overcome the inevitable injuries (go back to before we drafted Maroney and look at the seasons we were down to scrubs in games.)
Maroney has consistently been the back that gets the most carries, expect for splitting them as a rookie almost evenly with Dillon.

We get it, you don't like Maroney, but why twist things if you think your argument is sound?

I haven't twisted anything. Some people cant handle the truth is all.

 

[patsinthesnow]

BJGE's epic competition:

*The oldest RB in the league with 11,500 yards of tread.

*The fourth oldest RB in the league who was been a backup his whole career.

*The second oldest RB in the league who is a pass catcher and below BJGE on the depth chart running anyways.

*A RB who has not eclipsed 850 yards in his career as a starter.

Yet, you guys act like he has to climb this giant mountain.

 

[Patspsycho]

The opportunity to play above JAG level against one of the worst first-team rush defenses in the league.

You mean the one that just won the NFL championship?

 

[mgteich]

And yet, when this competition occurred last year, Green-Ellis got almost no reps as a running back, when one or even two of these running backs were injured.

Your point is correct. The mountain should not be a tough one. Even a JAG running back, with well-below average skills, should have had lots and lots of reps last year, given the injury situations.

However, Belichick has a strange philosophy. He plays the best players at the time of the game. The reality was that it was better to have NO ONE as an alternative when folks were injured. than to have Ben-Jarvis.

Green-Ellis couldn't beat out the unstoppable NO ONE last year for reps. Maybe Belichick will keep five again, so that Green-Ellis will have the same competition for reps during the year as he did last year.

What many posters here argue is that if Green-Ellis is to make this team, he needs to convince Belichick that he is better than Fred Taylor OR Maroney OR Faulk OR Morris. Personally, I think that if one of the four were to retire (certainly a live possibility), Green-Ellis would not be able to step up and beat out NO ONE. Belichick would likely add a free agent running back before Game 2.

BJGE's epic competition:

*The oldest RB in the league with 11,500 yards of tread.

*The fourth oldest RB in the league who was been a backup his whole career.

*The second oldest RB in the league who is a pass catcher and below BJGE on the depth chart running anyways.

*A RB who has not eclipsed 850 yards in his career as a starter.

Yet, you guys act like he has to climb this giant mountain.

 

[BlueThunder]

Why was BJGE kept if BB didn't think he had value?

He already had 4 RB's on the roster.

 

[Ring 6]

BJGE's epic competition:

*The oldest RB in the league with 11,500 yards of tread.

*The fourth oldest RB in the league who was been a backup his whole career.

*The second oldest RB in the league who is a pass catcher and below BJGE on the depth chart running anyways.

*A RB who has not eclipsed 850 yards in his career as a starter.

Yet, you guys act like he has to climb this giant mountain.

Yet, he has been clearly behind each of these players.
Your post is more a condemnation of BJGE than it is complementary.

I'm curious.
You seem to think that who played the 1st quarter of the 1st preseason game has more meaning than the fact that BB has rotated backs for many years, but when BJGE was the 2nd choice, he stopped doing that. (In fact he has gone 3 deep often when Lamont Jordan was here or when Maroney, Taylor and Morris were all healthy). We started the season last year with Maroney, Taylor and Morris all getting reps. BB felt there was room for 3. When Taylor and Morris were out, there was only room fior 1.
How do you explain your reasoning here?

 

[Ring 6]

If you are talking about BJGE, what "opportunity" did he miss?

He had a chance to play with the first unit, and IMO did not impress.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

So. Why is he still on the team then, BJGE haters? Why has he been kept around when other players with supposedly just as little value would have been cut well before their third go-around with the team?

 

[Ring 6]

Missed opportunity?? Do you really think Maroney would have done much better? Usually, Maroney trys to avoid contact by jitterbugging back and forth resulting in getting stuffed for no gain.

Look if you want to be one of those fans that refuse to understamd running the football, please put me on ignore.
Maroneys style is that when there is no hole, he hesitates looking for the cutback. That is an acceptable running style that many RBs have een very successful with. You are taking about style points. I dont care if he, in yours 'dances' to a no gain or blindly runs into the pile for no gain. When Maroney 'dances' it is because there is no hole and he is trying to keep the play alive.
But since you mention in Thursday Maroney ran the way you want him to. Which is it? Are you criticizing him for not hitting the non-existen hole, or are you still disatisfied when he does what you say he should?


[qoute]BJGE hit the hole and took what was there. He made a nice 6 yard run for a TD. 3 YAC isnt all that bad. Two runs of 3 YAC leaves a manageable 3rd and 4 where you could pass or run.[/quote]
3 ypc would be the worst running back production in the NFL in many years. Yeah, it is so bad.

Atlanta's defense looked pretty good vs the inside run last night, but they were burned by McCluster outside on the edge more than once. Lets see which RB has the better game as NE emphasizes on building a power run game.

We are emphasizing builidng a power running game? Really?

 

[Ring 6]

What are you taking about? 14 starts. Laurence Maroney Thats alll. There is no way to spin or sugarcoat what is reality.

But there is a way to overstate and unimportant statistic that doesnt come close to meaning what you suggest it does. You have just proven that.

Name me another #1 RB (your words) who has so few starts in 4 NFL seasons? LDT? Nope, 141 starts in 141 games. Portis? Nope, 103 starts in 108 games. I can go through the entire NFL and not find another Maroney #1 RB sitting on the bench. I sure am glad guys like Moss, Welker,and Wilfork start games from the first play.

It is irrelevant. You are trying to say that who played the first play of the game is a better indiction of the role of a player than how many plays he was in on. Thats just silly.

It is what it is.



I haven't twisted anything. Some people cant handle the truth is all.

I have no problem with the truth. I have a large problem with your inaccurate opinion of what that informaiton means.

 

[Ring 6]

So. Why is he still on the team then, BJGE haters? Why has he been kept around when other players with supposedly just as little value would have been cut well before their third go-around with the team?

Because he contributes on special teams, because he works hard and has a good attitude, because he is a borderline NFL caliber RB.
Being capable of making roster is a diffeent argument than being capable of being a #1 RB.
Larry Izzo would never ave started on any NFL as a LB but he was in the league for many years.

 

[Ring 6]

So. Why is he still on the team then, BJGE haters? Why has he been kept around when other players with supposedly just as little value would have been cut well before their third go-around with the team?

By the way, saying a player who is a backup is a decent backup and not a starter, is not 'hating'.

 

[Patspsycho]

He had a chance to play with the first unit, and IMO did not impress.

That's fine, that's your opinion.

However I would say that to characterize it as a "missed opportunity" is not accurate.

He picked up all his blocks, did not drop a pass, and put in some solid rushing.

Nothing spectacular, but he did his job, which you know is all BB wants out of his players.

 

[mgteich]

So, we're no camparing Green-Ellis to a pro-bowl special teamer?

I agree that Green-Ellis can make the team if he can beat out one of the special teams demons for a roster spot. However, I wouldn't put Green-Ellis on a par with Aiken, Arrington, Woods, Slater, Sanders, Lockett and Murrell. Would you?

Because he contributes on special teams, because he works hard and has a good attitude, because he is a borderline NFL caliber RB.
Being capable of making roster is a diffeent argument than being capable of being a #1 RB.
Larry Izzo would never ave started on any NFL as a LB but he was in the league for many years.

 

[Triumph]

Look if you want to be one of those fans that refuse to understamd running the football, please put me on ignore.

LMAO, Dude get over yourself really. I really question if you understand the way NE runs the football. Last season, when Maroney had the most carries, the Pats were never more 1 dimensional. 4th and short in Indy and NE opted to pass the ball. What does that tell you?

Maroneys style is that when there is no hole, he hesitates looking for the cutback. That is an acceptable running style that many RBs have een very successful with. You are taking about style points. I dont care if he, in yours 'dances' to a no gain or blindly runs into the pile for no gain. When Maroney 'dances' it is because there is no hole and he is trying to keep the play alive.

Excuses are for losers. The Patriots offensive lineman got in Maroneys face last year and told him to quit with the crazy legs.

Look heres the bottom line. Can you emphatically state right here and now that Maroney will be back next year? Its time to man up.

I say as of today he will not be.

But since you mention in Thursday Maroney ran the way you want him to. Which is it? Are you criticizing him for not hitting the non-existen hole, or are you still disatisfied when he does what you say he should?

Its 1 pre season game in his 5th year with the team.

Im waiting to see what transpires with him like a lot of people. Maroney may go to Atlanta and blow up the Falcons D.



[qoute]BJGE hit the hole and took what was there. He made a nice 6 yard run for a TD. 3 YAC isnt all that bad. Two runs of 3 YAC leaves a manageable 3rd and 4 where you could pass or run.

3 ypc would be the worst running back production in the NFL in many years. Yeah, it is so bad.

BJGE only has .9 YAC to go to equal Maroneys production last year.

We are emphasizing builidng a power running game? Really?

Here, enlighten yourself.

The spread isn’t dead in New England. Its use as full-time offense, however, appears to be flagging, and Saints defenders were quick to mention the Patriots employing more heavy personnel groupings than they had last November.

The Patriots came out for their first offensive series in “13’’ personnel — one receiver (Randy Moss), three tight ends (Crumpler and rookies Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski), and one back (BenJarvus Green-Ellis). That was just the start.


The Patriots went with two tight ends, two receivers, and a back, and handed the ball to Green-Ellis, who was promptly greeted in the hole by Jonathan Casillas and dropped for a 1-yard loss.

It’s easy to surmise last year’s Patriots would have brought an extra receiver, put Brady in the shotgun, and either forced the ball to Wes Welker or Moss, or pushed it to Faulk on a draw or a screen.

Last night the Patriots didn’t do any of that. Instead of taking a tight end off the field, they added one, and ran a power run. Sebastian Vollmer sealed off his man, Dan Connolly pulled and delivered the lead block on Jonathan Vilma, and Green-Ellis scampered into the end zone for a 6-yard score.

Crumpler said the offense is searching for its identity, and it wasn’t all revealed against the Saints. But the emphasis on being physical enough to go right at a defense clearly has been there.

Brady’s new look was impressive - The Boston Globe

Get it?