AzorianPats
In the Starting Line-Up
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.I take his vision over elite breakaway speed or other physical traits any day. You are crediting the OL a lot but it still requires a RB who reads situations right because it is not like he can just autopilot through the trenches. Many unexpected things happen as a play develops and the runner (and his blocking crew) still has to read everything right.
Finally I think the best thing about him was the dearth of negative running plays. Yes some people will be disappointed if we just pick up 1-2 on first down. But with lesser runners those plays could have been for negative 1-2 yards.
Nobody is suggesting Michel is an elite player at this point. But to be honest as far back as he was drafted with #32 he was worth the pick. People keep putting that first round label onto him as if he should be put under the same scrutiny as blue chippers like Gurley or Barkley. Which is absurd.
I think they are both SB heros now.I hope I’m not eating my words at some point but when I see Sony and James w. Too for that matter giving an interview or something, you can tell why B.B. chose them even from a character standpoint. They seem like the most innocent, humble dudes ever. One is a sb hero and the other is a budding star at a flashy position. It’s like, you could never picture either causing the slightest issue in the locker room lol
I take his vision over elite breakaway speed or other physical traits any day. You are crediting the OL a lot but it still requires a RB who reads situations right because it is not like he can just autopilot through the trenches. Many unexpected things happen as a play develops and the runner (and his blocking crew) still has to read everything right.
Finally I think the best thing about him was the dearth of negative running plays. Yes some people will be disappointed if we just pick up 1-2 on first down. But with lesser runners those plays could have been for negative 1-2 yards.
Nobody is suggesting Michel is an elite player at this point. But to be honest as far back as he was drafted with #32 he was worth the pick. People keep putting that first round label onto him as if he should be put under the same scrutiny as blue chippers like Gurley or Barkley. Which is absurd.
To add context to the point about vision, the Patriots operate one of the most varied and complex running games in the NFL, which says a lot about Sony's intelligence and versatility since he's able to adapt. How often do we hear that a player of a "one cut runner," or a "zone guy," or a strictly "gap scheme, power runner," etc. Not every player can handle inside/outside zone, running with a fullback, waiting for pulling guards, sensing lanes with a wham play, confidence going outside for tosses, and so on, with relatively equal skill.
The fact he makes it look boring should tell us that he's textbook.
Let’s try to imagine how many yards beloved but limited Benjarvus Green-Ellis would have gotten in Michels place. 10% less? 20%? And not much more in terms of pass catching.Exactly. Call it vision or being instinctual or whatever but Sony definitely has it. Some of the seams he hit last season could be called crevices. haha
Pump the brakes. I really like Sony. He has good vision and runs hard. He was a legitimate contributor this year despite what some local pundits may tell you.
But let's not start making comparisons to Curtis Martin. Sony had a great offensive line and scheme to run behind. So good that you even had James White looking effective between the tackles at several points during the season.
I like the kid but physically I haven't seen anything to suggest he'd be elite. He doesn't have that breakaway speed right now. But he is a smart runner with patience and vision. And that is pretty good for me.
All in all he had a very nice rookie campaign. Not amazing like some honks would suggest but certainly not as dismissive as some pundits have been.9
Like some of us who watched him on Kimmel, I noticed his legs were like tree trunks. Since then I've watched some of his highlights (again) at UofG and with NE and imo there is no question he is bigger. How much weight I'm not sure but that might explain why he didn't have that breakaway gear this year.
He was 214 at UofG. I bet he's closer to 225 now. 10lbs of muscle is a lot.
Including catches he had 299 touches this year. That's a lot. Putting on that xtra mass might have hurt his breakaway speed (takes more time to get that mass to top speed) but he proved he could handle the pounding.
Maybe in Cinci but I'd argue Dillon was a helluva lot more than that when he was here. I think he was 240.225 makes him the same size as Corey Dillon.
He had a very solid first campaign. I'm looking for him to take a leap next year - in particular a few longer runs and some improvement in the passing game before I call him a great pick.
Do you think we make it to / win the Super Bowl without him?
no chance in hell.Do you think we make it to / win the Super Bowl without him?
Without Sony?Do you think we make it to / win the Super Bowl without him?