Off The Grid
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2010
- Messages
- 9,153
- Reaction score
- 4,343
My Short List
Running Backs are an interesting lot.
Like Split Ends ~ Wide Outs, Flankers, Wide Receivers ~ they are generally give far more credit for what shows up on ESPN than they deserve...and far LESS credit for doing the little things that Move The Chains and win BALL GAMES.
Barry Sanders is considered a GOD, by many...
And yet Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, John Riggins, Emmett Smith, and their like...are generally considered to be "Role Players" who were at the right place at the right time.
And that's just DOG ****.
Championships are won by teams that Move The Chains and play Tenacious D.
That's been true for 90 years ~ with a few random exceptions ~ and it's still true.
Let me be clear, though...
I consider an O Back's importance to be DWARFED by that of the O Line that Blocks for'm, in any team's Destiny.
And when I speak of Destiny, I don't speak of Yards.
I speak of Moving The Chains.
I speak of Wins...and Championships.
When I look to an O Back for Prowess, I look to Diagnostic Acuity and Processing Speed as the play develops...
I look for a guy who Navigates the Field like a Cavalry General...and who Rapidly Reads + Reacts!!
And I look to Burst, Fluidity, Verticity, and Torsion!!
***
Trent Richardson ~ 5.9/228 ~ 1st ~ 1st
Super Beast!!
Even last year, when Mark Ingram was, far and away, the consensus first Tail Back expected to be drafted, those who who knew what was really going on said he wasn't even the best Tail Back on the team.
Trent Richardson is, indeed, The Complete Package.
***
Between the Tackles, he is a devastating, demolishing, WRECKING Ball.
Outside the Tackles, he is an elusive, explosive BEAST.
He is a savage, vicious, MAULING Blocker.
And he is a deadly threat as a Receiver.
I simply don't know who I can compare him to.
I only know that he is destined for Greatness.
Super Beast.
Super Steal.
Name Your Price.
Doug Martin ~ 5.9/224 ~ 2nd ~ 1st
Beast!! Doug Martin commands an intoxicating fusion of Core Strength, Explosiveness, and Agility.
He can absolutely blast it between the Tackles, and he can also be extremely effective OutSide.
Most importantly of all, he's got the Core Strength, the Core Flexibility, the Fluidity, and the Lateral Agility to consistently be a threat, on any given play, to go through you or around you.
He's a solid Receiver.
And he's a solid Blocker.
In short, Doug Martin commands everything needed to become an outstanding Lead Back. Steal!!
Cyrus Gray ~ 5.10/207 ~ 3rd-4th ~ 1st
Beast!! Cyrus Gray brings excellent Core Strength to the table, and employs exceptional Lateral Agility and Fluidity, sharp Verticity, and explosive Torsion to consistently hit the holes that are there, and to create, when they aren't.
He commands outstanding Diagnostic Acuity and Processing Speed, and the Patience to work with his Linemen and wait for the Blocks to develop.
He's one of the very best Navigators in this Class.
He's a ferocious, motivated Blocker, and a good one.
And he's an emerging Receiving threat.
His best attribute is his attitude, however, as all agree his is an awesome, team-first team mate with a tremendous Work Ethic...
And yet his Market Value is floating somewhere around the 3rd or 4th Round!! Super Sleeper!!
Michael Smith ~ 5.8/207 ~ UFA ~ 4th-5th
There's not much to go on with Michael Smith, mind you: He was Robert Turbin's understudy at Utah State, and all I've got to work with is the Senior Bowl, the Potato Bowl, and Wes Bunting's Scouting Report at National FootBall Post.
But, my GOD...
Outstanding Lateral Agility.
Extraordinary Fluidity.
Phenomenally explosive Burst out'f's Breaks.
I have no idea if he can Block, but his astonishing numbers at his Pro Day ~ including a 40 inch Vertical!!! ~ leave no question that he commands the Core Strength and Core Power to PANCAKE.
And he is a proven threat in the Passing Game.
Wouldn't it be remarkable if the two best O Backs in this entire Draft Class ended up being the first guy taken...and the last??
Notes
1 ~ I heavily favor Flex Backs ~ Runners like Shane Vereen who offer explosive Impact in both the Running and the Receiving Games. Indeed, if we were to forge a Depth Chart comprised exclusively of Flex Backs, I'd be perfectly happy. With apologies to his fans, but I was ECSTATIC when BenJarvus Green departed, and I PRAY we make no attempt to replace him. Stevan Ridley's Receiving Prowess is greatly in question, and that's bad enough: The idea of marching out an O Back whose limitations telegraph exactly what we're going to do on a given play horrifies me, because it abdicates the tactical initiative to the Defense.
2 ~ As with QuarterBacks and Wide Outs, I usually favor shopping for O Backs later in the Draft, but less so: I was PRAYING for Shane Vereen at the end of the Second Round, last year, and am still THRILLED that we got'm: I believe time will show him to be the very best O Back in that entire Draft Class.
3 ~ I honestly don't remember an O Back that I ever liked, coming out of College, as much as Trent Richardson: Not Peterson, not Ricky Williams or Edgerrin James, not Tomlinson or Jackson...Honestly, I believe he has a shot at being the best since The Man, Himself: Jimmy Brown.
Which is not to say that I would want US to draft him!!
4 ~ Cyrus Gray is my man, this year. I would LOVE to grab him.
5 ~ And I am a MAJOR Michael Smith fan.
Running Backs are an interesting lot.
Like Split Ends ~ Wide Outs, Flankers, Wide Receivers ~ they are generally give far more credit for what shows up on ESPN than they deserve...and far LESS credit for doing the little things that Move The Chains and win BALL GAMES.
Barry Sanders is considered a GOD, by many...
And yet Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, John Riggins, Emmett Smith, and their like...are generally considered to be "Role Players" who were at the right place at the right time.
And that's just DOG ****.
Championships are won by teams that Move The Chains and play Tenacious D.
That's been true for 90 years ~ with a few random exceptions ~ and it's still true.
Let me be clear, though...
I consider an O Back's importance to be DWARFED by that of the O Line that Blocks for'm, in any team's Destiny.
And when I speak of Destiny, I don't speak of Yards.
I speak of Moving The Chains.
I speak of Wins...and Championships.
When I look to an O Back for Prowess, I look to Diagnostic Acuity and Processing Speed as the play develops...
I look for a guy who Navigates the Field like a Cavalry General...and who Rapidly Reads + Reacts!!
And I look to Burst, Fluidity, Verticity, and Torsion!!
***
Trent Richardson ~ 5.9/228 ~ 1st ~ 1st
Super Beast!!
Even last year, when Mark Ingram was, far and away, the consensus first Tail Back expected to be drafted, those who who knew what was really going on said he wasn't even the best Tail Back on the team.
Trent Richardson is, indeed, The Complete Package.
***
Between the Tackles, he is a devastating, demolishing, WRECKING Ball.
Outside the Tackles, he is an elusive, explosive BEAST.
He is a savage, vicious, MAULING Blocker.
And he is a deadly threat as a Receiver.
I simply don't know who I can compare him to.
I only know that he is destined for Greatness.
Super Beast.
Super Steal.
Name Your Price.
Doug Martin ~ 5.9/224 ~ 2nd ~ 1st
Beast!! Doug Martin commands an intoxicating fusion of Core Strength, Explosiveness, and Agility.
He can absolutely blast it between the Tackles, and he can also be extremely effective OutSide.
Most importantly of all, he's got the Core Strength, the Core Flexibility, the Fluidity, and the Lateral Agility to consistently be a threat, on any given play, to go through you or around you.
He's a solid Receiver.
And he's a solid Blocker.
In short, Doug Martin commands everything needed to become an outstanding Lead Back. Steal!!
Cyrus Gray ~ 5.10/207 ~ 3rd-4th ~ 1st
Beast!! Cyrus Gray brings excellent Core Strength to the table, and employs exceptional Lateral Agility and Fluidity, sharp Verticity, and explosive Torsion to consistently hit the holes that are there, and to create, when they aren't.
He commands outstanding Diagnostic Acuity and Processing Speed, and the Patience to work with his Linemen and wait for the Blocks to develop.
He's one of the very best Navigators in this Class.
He's a ferocious, motivated Blocker, and a good one.
And he's an emerging Receiving threat.
His best attribute is his attitude, however, as all agree his is an awesome, team-first team mate with a tremendous Work Ethic...
And yet his Market Value is floating somewhere around the 3rd or 4th Round!! Super Sleeper!!
Michael Smith ~ 5.8/207 ~ UFA ~ 4th-5th
There's not much to go on with Michael Smith, mind you: He was Robert Turbin's understudy at Utah State, and all I've got to work with is the Senior Bowl, the Potato Bowl, and Wes Bunting's Scouting Report at National FootBall Post.
But, my GOD...
Outstanding Lateral Agility.
Extraordinary Fluidity.
Phenomenally explosive Burst out'f's Breaks.
I have no idea if he can Block, but his astonishing numbers at his Pro Day ~ including a 40 inch Vertical!!! ~ leave no question that he commands the Core Strength and Core Power to PANCAKE.
And he is a proven threat in the Passing Game.
Wouldn't it be remarkable if the two best O Backs in this entire Draft Class ended up being the first guy taken...and the last??
Notes
1 ~ I heavily favor Flex Backs ~ Runners like Shane Vereen who offer explosive Impact in both the Running and the Receiving Games. Indeed, if we were to forge a Depth Chart comprised exclusively of Flex Backs, I'd be perfectly happy. With apologies to his fans, but I was ECSTATIC when BenJarvus Green departed, and I PRAY we make no attempt to replace him. Stevan Ridley's Receiving Prowess is greatly in question, and that's bad enough: The idea of marching out an O Back whose limitations telegraph exactly what we're going to do on a given play horrifies me, because it abdicates the tactical initiative to the Defense.
2 ~ As with QuarterBacks and Wide Outs, I usually favor shopping for O Backs later in the Draft, but less so: I was PRAYING for Shane Vereen at the end of the Second Round, last year, and am still THRILLED that we got'm: I believe time will show him to be the very best O Back in that entire Draft Class.
3 ~ I honestly don't remember an O Back that I ever liked, coming out of College, as much as Trent Richardson: Not Peterson, not Ricky Williams or Edgerrin James, not Tomlinson or Jackson...Honestly, I believe he has a shot at being the best since The Man, Himself: Jimmy Brown.
Which is not to say that I would want US to draft him!!
4 ~ Cyrus Gray is my man, this year. I would LOVE to grab him.
5 ~ And I am a MAJOR Michael Smith fan.
