Am I the only one who watched Chester Taylor run for 164 yards, while averaging 7.5 ypc against the Raiders?
As Bill Cowher said after the game, maybe that O-line had a lot more to do with Adrian Peterson's early success than some might have thought, especially since some of those same O-linemen have blocked for the top backs in the NFL, and those backs haven't done as good without them?
Frankly, I think some RB's can do it even with a mediocre O-line and others get to much credit, because their O-line is outstanding.
I think Peterson is a great back, but some of us forget just how good their run blocking unit is, and I think some of us forget just how good the Colts run blockers are when talking about Addai. That's not to take anything away from what these backs have been able to do, it's just a fact that they've been able to get almost equal production out of different backs.
Look at McFadden, Arkansas' O-line has at times created some cavernous running lanes for him, and Felix Jones. McFadden is very fast, but he doesn't have the alien speed some posters on this board think he has, as he's listed in the low 4.4's. Don't get me wrong, that's fast, but it's not on the level of a Stallworth (4.18-4.27), Randy Moss (4.25-4.27 early career), Chad Jackson (4.32), or some of the other players with unreal pure speed in the NFL. He looks even faster behind Arkansas O-line, because they open up huge lanes for him, and he gets to run through those lanes untouched at full speed. Obviously, he's shown he can cutback when needed, he's been more than able to break tackles, and he's got a good amount of power in his upper body, but on the majority of his big runs you'll notice a good sized hole for him to run through.
He's nothing like Barry Sanders for those who make the comparison. If anything he's more of a Marcus Allan, the USC OJ, and ****erson combo. That's very nice by the way, it's just a completely different type of back, and I can't see the comparison to Barry at all.
Heatster (a respected board member) claims the RB he thinks of most when watching McFadden is Robert Smith, which I can see.
I personally think he's built more like a WR, than a RB, and I question his ability to stay healthy in the NFL. I do think he's one of the more physically talented players coming out, but I wouldn't spend a top 5 pick on him, as it would bring a $10M+ cap hit. What's funny, is his partner in crime Felix Jones has a stronger lower body, and he's also produced on a high level in the system, but he'd come at a much lower cost in the draft.