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The Official Mikel Leshoure Thread (1 Viewer)

kevthegrad

Footballguy
I've done the forum search to see what's doing for this topic and don't see a thread addressing this straight ahead like this.

So is he the guy next year? Did he show enough this season or did Bell's success make this a RBBC next year? I'm assuming Best is done for good given he's one hit away from being a vegitable.

Thoughts?

 
Very hard to tell what's to come next year. I think Bell definitely earned a spot in the rotation and they should pick a speedy RB in FA or the draft. Mayhew has said his biggest regret going into this season was assuming Best would be back. He won't make that mistake again, but it sounded like they left the window open for a Best return in 2013. I think they'd love Leshoure to be the guy next year, but he'll have to earn it in training camp.

IMO - stay away from this backfield next year unless you can get Leshoure late.

 
not a fan. I could see dwill killing it there
He could, and I really really hope he ends up there (full disclosure, I have D Will and J Stew and haven't been happy about it for years).On Mikel, I just don't see him as any kind of answer there. He never went over 100 yards, didn't have a single carry over 20 yards (in fact had only 1 carry over 15 all season), lost a few fumbles, averaged 3.7 YPC, and when you look at it only had good games against bad rush defenses (Tennessee and Jacksonville, neither of which he'll play again for 4 years). He had 1 TD in his 6 division games, and those are the teams he'll face 6 times a year every year.
 
I have thought about this a fair bit this season as I am trying to decide what to do with him. I can't say whether or not he will be the guy next year. I do think that he will be given every opportunity to be the guy next year. It seems as if the current staff wants him to be the guy. I say this because Bell was clearly the better back in almost every aspect this year, yet leshoure was "the guy "this year.

IMHO it all comes down to his recovery from the achilles injury and whether or not he regains some explosiveness. I have not tracked players achilles injuries. Many players coming off a knee injury seem to get "IT" back the second season after their injury. Not sure if achilles injuries trend in the same manner. I view him as a hold due to the potential a rb has in that offense because rb's there should rarely face 8 in the box, and I think he will be given every opportunity to succeed.

 
I have him in my main dynasty, and was my RB2 throughout the year (runner-up).

I'll probably try to package him in an upgrade, as RB2 is my least stable position. I'm willing to take on much older guys that I'd be moving, so I imagine I'll find a partner for him.

If I already had a stable RB2, I'd probably hold him.

 
not a fan. I could see dwill killing it there
He could, and I really really hope he ends up there (full disclosure, I have D Will and J Stew and haven't been happy about it for years).On Mikel, I just don't see him as any kind of answer there. He never went over 100 yards, didn't have a single carry over 20 yards (in fact had only 1 carry over 15 all season), lost a few fumbles, averaged 3.7 YPC, and when you look at it only had good games against bad rush defenses (Tennessee and Jacksonville, neither of which he'll play again for 4 years). He had 1 TD in his 6 division games, and those are the teams he'll face 6 times a year every year.
There's no doubt Leshoure didn't have a GREAT year, but for a back coming off 1,000 total yards and 9 TD's after tearing an achilles, the one thing I can guarantee you is the team isn't ready to give up on him, even if the fantasy world thinks he's no good. He'll have the first shot at winning the starting job (at least 1st and 2nd downs) in TC next year, and my hunch is he wins it hands down. Bell was good at times, but he's much better as a 3rd down, pass blocking, receiving back than Leshoure is.To the guy saying they'll draft a RB in the 2nd round, I can't see that happening. Meyhew drafts on best player available, so it's tough to predict the Lions draft on a year to year basis, but after drafting Best and Leshoure in the 1st and 2nd the last couple years, I just don't see how they use another early pick on a RB (this isn't Millen as the GM, even if Meyhew was there with Millen). My guess is they sign a veteran or spend a late pick on speedy back. Remember, they don't have a 4th round pick either and need too much help on defense to waste their 2nd on a RB.
 
Oh there's a difference between being the "answer" and being "the guy". Shonn Greene isn't the answer by any means, but he ended up being the guy by default. LeShore might be the guy again because of the lack of other options.

Agree on them not drafting a RB, there will be plenty of FAs they can sign to computer for a #1B role at best. D Will could do great there, and laugh if you will but Willis McGahee wouldn't be bad there either if he finds his way out of Denver, nor would Bradshaw. None would be simply handed the starting roll, but they would definitely push LeShore and would make a pretty good #2 in a 1-2 combo.

 
Oh there's a difference between being the "answer" and being "the guy". Shonn Greene isn't the answer by any means, but he ended up being the guy by default. LeShore might be the guy again because of the lack of other options.Agree on them not drafting a RB, there will be plenty of FAs they can sign to computer for a #1B role at best. D Will could do great there, and laugh if you will but Willis McGahee wouldn't be bad there either if he finds his way out of Denver, nor would Bradshaw. None would be simply handed the starting roll, but they would definitely push LeShore and would make a pretty good #2 in a 1-2 combo.
I don't think DET will have the cap room to sign a big name RB like McGahee or Bradshaw. I'd assume they'd all be too pricey for DET. DWill would be interesting, but like the other two listed, he might ask for too much money.What about a FA like Felix Jones or Danny Woodhead? Both I could see DET having interest in and might not cost TOO much money.ETA: The more I think about it, Woodhead might be the perfect fit. Speedy 3rd down back who's also the kick returner. Logan will definitely be gone next year, so Woodhead could fill both roles
 
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The more I think about it, Woodhead might be the perfect fit. Speedy 3rd down back who's also the kick returner. Logan will definitely be gone next year, so Woodhead could fill both roles
Yes, they will address the kick returner one way or the other, this would make sense.
 
FA will tell us a lot about their intentions in the draft.

I can see Detroit being one of the teams to look at Lattimore at some point mid draft.

With a FA/Leshoure committee for a year, they can give Best's IR slot to Lattimore.

 
He had a solid year coming back from an achilles. You could say he under achieved but so did the Lion O. If the Lions rebound and they don't bring in another RB to take carries he could be a good RB2 with upside if he improves himself over the summer.

 
While Leshoure had an OK year considering he came back from Achillies surgery, Leshoure looks more like a short yardage guy to me. He can punch it in near the goalline, but Bell looked better than him in most standard situations. I can't see him getting 20+ carries a game, but being able to score in close is very valuable asset for the Lions.

IMO, DET's offense looks much more explosive when they have Bell in the game. Bell is a better receiver as well.

Leshoure will be overvalued in redrafts in 2013, simply due to the fact that his upside is limited. He lacked big play ability, so he needs volume to generate respectable RB fantasy numbers. Bell will cut into his production way too much.

 
'mikel0254 said:
'matttyl said:
'Billy Ball Thorton said:
not a fan. I could see dwill killing it there
He could, and I really really hope he ends up there (full disclosure, I have D Will and J Stew and haven't been happy about it for years).On Mikel, I just don't see him as any kind of answer there. He never went over 100 yards, didn't have a single carry over 20 yards (in fact had only 1 carry over 15 all season), lost a few fumbles, averaged 3.7 YPC, and when you look at it only had good games against bad rush defenses (Tennessee and Jacksonville, neither of which he'll play again for 4 years). He had 1 TD in his 6 division games, and those are the teams he'll face 6 times a year every year.
There's no doubt Leshoure didn't have a GREAT year, but for a back coming off 1,000 total yards and 9 TD's after tearing an achilles, the one thing I can guarantee you is the team isn't ready to give up on him, even if the fantasy world thinks he's no good. He'll have the first shot at winning the starting job (at least 1st and 2nd downs) in TC next year, and my hunch is he wins it hands down. Bell was good at times, but he's much better as a 3rd down, pass blocking, receiving back than Leshoure is.To the guy saying they'll draft a RB in the 2nd round, I can't see that happening. Meyhew drafts on best player available, so it's tough to predict the Lions draft on a year to year basis, but after drafting Best and Leshoure in the 1st and 2nd the last couple years, I just don't see how they use another early pick on a RB (this isn't Millen as the GM, even if Meyhew was there with Millen). My guess is they sign a veteran or spend a late pick on speedy back. Remember, they don't have a 4th round pick either and need too much help on defense to waste their 2nd on a RB.
This reeks of an optimistic owner. Yes, Bell is much better as a 3rd down man, but that doesn't automatically make him not as good as a 1st and 2nd down man. Bell was good at times? Bell was better than LeShoure at pretty much ALL times. Not that you have to be very good to be better.To be fair, Andre Brown is the guy LeShoure owners should be pointing to in order to show that guys with achilles injuries can be productive once again. Will this be the case for LeShoure? Was he even ever explosive? This we'll never know since we never saw him play in the NFL before injury. I know that I personally was very excited when he got drafted by the Lions. But I gave up all hope after the torn achilles, as I advise the rest of you to do. He looked like a plodder this year and I am 98% certain he loses any training camp competition if it is a truly fair competition.

 
Q) Which Hall of Famer averaged 3.6 yards his first season?

A) LT2

Q) Which Hall of Famer averaged 3.9 yards his first season?

A) Emmitt Smith

Not saying that Leshoure is a future Hall of Famer or in the same ballpark as LT2 or Smith. Just saying that averaging 3.8 yards your first year as a starter isn't the worst thing you can do. Guys often take a while to get up to speed. Plus he was coming off an injury.

 
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It's always possible to find an exception or two. I don't remember Smith's situation, but LT was playing on a team with a 6' tall rookie QB throwing to who? Eric Parker? Not quite the same as LeShoure's situation. Also, LT was the only RB for the Chargers that year so there's no frame of reference. Luckily we do have some frames of reference here since Smith and Bell also saw some playing time. LeShoure was pretty clearly the worst RB on his team. I cannot fathom a situation in which the Lions give him a large enough workload to make him draftable given his likely ADP. Even if he's going in the 14th round, you are probably hurting if you having him in your starting lineup in 2013.

 
Q) Which Hall of Famer averaged 3.6 yards his first season?A) LT2Q) Which Hall of Famer averaged 3.9 yards his first season?A) Emmitt SmithNot saying that Leshoure is a future Hall of Famer or in the same ballpark as LT2 or Smith. Just saying that averaging 3.8 yards your first year as a starter isn't the worst thing you can do. Guys often take a while to get up to speed. Plus he was coming off an injury.
And which of those two had a 5,000 yard passer or a 2,000 yard receiver opening up huge holes for him? Bell averaged 5.0 YPC on the same offense as LeShoure. I'm willing to give him a bit of a pass since he was coming off a really bad injury, but that said if Bell is never to come back, you have to think that Detroit is going to get some help at RB this offseason somehow.
 
'mikel0254 said:
'matttyl said:
'Billy Ball Thorton said:
not a fan. I could see dwill killing it there
He could, and I really really hope he ends up there (full disclosure, I have D Will and J Stew and haven't been happy about it for years).On Mikel, I just don't see him as any kind of answer there. He never went over 100 yards, didn't have a single carry over 20 yards (in fact had only 1 carry over 15 all season), lost a few fumbles, averaged 3.7 YPC, and when you look at it only had good games against bad rush defenses (Tennessee and Jacksonville, neither of which he'll play again for 4 years). He had 1 TD in his 6 division games, and those are the teams he'll face 6 times a year every year.
There's no doubt Leshoure didn't have a GREAT year, but for a back coming off 1,000 total yards and 9 TD's after tearing an achilles, the one thing I can guarantee you is the team isn't ready to give up on him, even if the fantasy world thinks he's no good. He'll have the first shot at winning the starting job (at least 1st and 2nd downs) in TC next year, and my hunch is he wins it hands down. Bell was good at times, but he's much better as a 3rd down, pass blocking, receiving back than Leshoure is.To the guy saying they'll draft a RB in the 2nd round, I can't see that happening. Meyhew drafts on best player available, so it's tough to predict the Lions draft on a year to year basis, but after drafting Best and Leshoure in the 1st and 2nd the last couple years, I just don't see how they use another early pick on a RB (this isn't Millen as the GM, even if Meyhew was there with Millen). My guess is they sign a veteran or spend a late pick on speedy back. Remember, they don't have a 4th round pick either and need too much help on defense to waste their 2nd on a RB.
This reeks of an optimistic owner. Yes, Bell is much better as a 3rd down man, but that doesn't automatically make him not as good as a 1st and 2nd down man. Bell was good at times? Bell was better than LeShoure at pretty much ALL times. Not that you have to be very good to be better.To be fair, Andre Brown is the guy LeShoure owners should be pointing to in order to show that guys with achilles injuries can be productive once again. Will this be the case for LeShoure? Was he even ever explosive? This we'll never know since we never saw him play in the NFL before injury. I know that I personally was very excited when he got drafted by the Lions. But I gave up all hope after the torn achilles, as I advise the rest of you to do. He looked like a plodder this year and I am 98% certain he loses any training camp competition if it is a truly fair competition.
I'm not an owner of any DET RB's. Read what I said in my first post (one of the first in the thread). I said stay away unless you can get Leshoure late/cheap. I'm just a Lions fan who watched every game this year.I think DET either signs a speedy back or drafts one late, which would cut into Bell's playing time. I'd personally love to see Bell have a bigger role on 1st and 2nd, but I'm just predicting what the coaching staff will do. They traded up to get Leshoure last year and there's no way he takes a back seat to an undrafted RB...not after one year removed from an achilles. There no doubt in my mind that Leshoure will have the most carries next year unless he goes down with injury. You can't underestimate a coaches loyalties even if the rest of the world thinks he's wrong (see Chan Gailey).

How quickly people forget Kevin Smith. He had a nice end to 2011 after coming back from injury and started the first 2 games of the season this year, and looked pretty good. What happened when Leshoure came back from suspension? He took over and Smith had 8 carries the rest of the season! I'll say it again, you can't underestimate a coaches loyalties even if the rest of the world thinks he's wrong. This will not be a true completion as you semi-implied...it's Leshoure's job to lose and I don't think he loses it.

It's a messy FF situation and I'd stay away...unless you can get the guy who will have the most carries cheap.

 
If the choice were Bell or LeShoure to go into a flex spot, and things like ADP didn't matter, it seems like many are saying they'd plug in Bell before LeShoure. That is surprising to me.

 
From everything we've seen it will be LeShoure's job to loose.

And...

I do not see Detroit bringing in any number 1 type backs next year

either, just more RBBC guy by adding a speedy player, also watching

Every Lions game I saw plenty of potential in LeShoure to wait another

year on whether he is good enough to be that main and productive guy.

(unlike a few others I saw plenty of talent from LeShoure for optimism)

 
I watched a couple LeShoure games this year. The playcalling was down right terrible at times. Lions would keep running the same play that would net them 2 yards a pop. It was hard to watch and it became clear why Leshoure's stat line was 17 rushes for 50 yards.

With that said, Leshoure did leave a lot of yards on the field. The guy had some nice holes at times but he just isn't quick through them. Bell had the same play calling and being just a step faster made all the difference. To Leshoure's credit, he was good at falling forward after first contact and gaining that extra yard. Bottom line, if the play is blocked for 4 yards, he will get 4 yards. If that is the best thing you can say about a back, he is pretty replaceable in my eyes.

I dont see the Lions making major backfield changes next year. Maybe draft a scat back if that's how the cards play out, but I dont see them going out of their way to do so. LeShoure will get another chance next year, however my expectations are limited.

 
From everything we've seen it will be LeShoure's job to loose.And...I do not see Detroit bringing in any number 1 type backs next yeareither, just more RBBC guy by adding a speedy player, also watchingEvery Lions game I saw plenty of potential in LeShoure to wait another year on whether he is good enough to be that main and productive guy.(unlike a few others I saw plenty of talent from LeShoure for optimism)
From everything we've seen, LeShoure lost the job to Bell. The coaches will have all summer to evaluate the situation and if they're watching the same games that we watched then they'll have no choice. They'll either bring Bell back to be the starter or bring in a new starter. Anything less would be an indictment of their ability to evaluate talent. Quite foolishly they shot themselves in the foot all year long, giving LeShoure every chance to justify his draft pick, and he just couldn't do it. Bell outplayed him at every opportunity. If they choose to let LeShoure carry the load again then I'll happily avoid this situation entirely. Gotta have some overpriced players in the draft in order to land bargain players.
 
Drafting a guy like Kenjon Barner in the 3rd or 4th would make sense and be a god compliment to both Leshoure and Bell.

 
Trying to deal him in Dynasty. Someone is more bullish on him than I am.

Tough to predict TDs, never was a phenomenal talent. Great size.

 
Obviously, you need tempered expectations, but a few things here:

1. Not sure how you can say Bell "won" the job. Looked like he was gaining all year, but at the end of the day, Leshoure got the starts, early carries and goal line looks. If anyone got "shut out" of a game regarding carries it would be Bell. That said, Bell looked like he had more wiggle for sure than Leshoure.

2. If he has a similar year next year as the starter, good number of touches on a high powered offense with goal line carries, not sure how you couldn't like that as a #2 if he is drafted in a reasonable spot. You'd assume the offense would be better than this year as well.

3. You'd think that Leshoure should be healthier and perhaps just quicker enough to get some of those longer runs that were lacking this year, especially if indeed the offense improves. If the defense improves also, could help the running game that much more.

While he hardly is a great talent, the guy is big, gets goal line carries and should be a bit more spry next year, a year removed from a tough injury to come back from. That said, you'd think either bell or someone in the draft will be used a lot for catching passes and as a change of back, but he'd seem to be a solid #2 with some upside if indeed the role looks to be similar to what it was this year.

 
From what I saw, Kevin Smith was more productive than Mikel. Too many injuries, but if KSmith can come off the couch and outperform you that's not saying much.

 
'FF Ninja said:
From everything we've seen it will be LeShoure's job to loose.And...I do not see Detroit bringing in any number 1 type backs next yeareither, just more RBBC guy by adding a speedy player, also watchingEvery Lions game I saw plenty of potential in LeShoure to wait another year on whether he is good enough to be that main and productive guy.(unlike a few others I saw plenty of talent from LeShoure for optimism)
From everything we've seen, LeShoure lost the job to Bell. The coaches will have all summer to evaluate the situation and if they're watching the same games that we watched then they'll have no choice. They'll either bring Bell back to be the starter or bring in a new starter. Anything less would be an indictment of their ability to evaluate talent. Quite foolishly they shot themselves in the foot all year long, giving LeShoure every chance to justify his draft pick, and he just couldn't do it. Bell outplayed him at every opportunity. If they choose to let LeShoure carry the load again then I'll happily avoid this situation entirely. Gotta have some overpriced players in the draft in order to land bargain players.
Not sure who your We is that, LeShoure lost the job to Bell.I certainly didn't see that, and I'd say just the opposite there.If there are no/little change in Detroit's backfield next year itis Leshoure will be the guy. (an I'd say an even better version)Playing full season an another year removed ftom injury, I like it.The guy has an nose for the end zone and good power, I also sawshiftyness in spurts an moves, hopefully those flashes translate here.
 
'FF Ninja said:
From everything we've seen it will be LeShoure's job to loose.

And...

I do not see Detroit bringing in any number 1 type backs next year

either, just more RBBC guy by adding a speedy player, also watching

Every Lions game I saw plenty of potential in LeShoure to wait another

year on whether he is good enough to be that main and productive guy.

(unlike a few others I saw plenty of talent from LeShoure for optimism)
From everything we've seen, LeShoure lost the job to Bell. The coaches will have all summer to evaluate the situation and if they're watching the same games that we watched then they'll have no choice. They'll either bring Bell back to be the starter or bring in a new starter. Anything less would be an indictment of their ability to evaluate talent. Quite foolishly they shot themselves in the foot all year long, giving LeShoure every chance to justify his draft pick, and he just couldn't do it. Bell outplayed him at every opportunity. If they choose to let LeShoure carry the load again then I'll happily avoid this situation entirely. Gotta have some overpriced players in the draft in order to land bargain players.
Not sure who your We is that, LeShoure lost the job to Bell.I certainly didn't see that, and I'd say just the opposite there.

If there are no/little change in Detroit's backfield next year it

is Leshoure will be the guy. (an I'd say an even better version)

Playing full season an another year removed ftom injury, I like it.

The guy has an nose for the end zone and good power, I also saw

shiftyness in spurts an moves, hopefully those flashes translate here.
If he gets that back he's going to be very dangerous. If he doesn't then I think it does become RBBC.
 
If 2012 was a competition for 2013 carries, Bell won the job hands down. Obviously the coaching staff kept feeding LeShoure the ball this year, but if we're talking about 2013, Bell is clearly the better choice. Unfortunately for Lions fans, the coaches are not obligated to give the starting job to the winner. Those who think LeShoure has done anything more than having carries unjustly handed to him are kidding themselves. Personally, I'd have an open competition between Bell and Kevin Smith next year and keep LeShoure around for cheap depth.

Kegger, why do all

your posts have a

format like this?

 
Haha, I was actually all about him when he got drafted. I was pretty sure Best was going to be a bust and LeShoure was going to be much more than just a pounder. Luckily I didn't have any drafts prior to his injury. I'd have had him on every team. I've got nothing against him at this point (he didn't drag my team down *cough* Ryan Mathews *cough* or defeat me in the playoffs). I just think there are a lot of LeShoure owners out there who are overly optimistic about a guy who pretty clearly is playing at a backup level now. Not even change of pace type backup level. We're talking strictly depth chart stuff.

 
I watched every Lions game this year and came away totally unimpressed with LeShoure. LeShoure is the type of RB you can sign off the street..he can get through a big hole when it is there but can`t make a defender miss. Add in the fact that he has horrible hands and you have a very mediocre RB.

Kevin Smith when given the chance is a much better RB as is J. Bell. Plus both can catch the ball. LeShoure was a high draft pick and is getting paid so he got more chances.

If I had to choose one RB between LeShoure and J. Bell I would take J. Bell. Of course the Lions have too much invested in LeShoure to make the same choice.

 
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I watched every Lions game this year and came away totally unimpressed with LeShoure. LeShoure is the type of RB you can sign off the street..he can get through a big hole when it is there but can`t make a defender miss. Add in the fact that he has horrible hands and you have a very mediocre RB. Kevin Smith when given the chance is a much better RB as is J. Bell. Plus both can catch the ball. LeShoure was a high draft pick and is getting paid so he got more chances.If I had to choose one RB between LeShoure and J. Bell I would take J. Bell. Of course the Lions have too much invested in LeShoure to make the same choice.
Judging by this past year - the eye test - most would certainly agree with you. However, what is your take on Leshoure not being 100% this year, and hence being more of a pedestrian plodder without any wiggle nor burst? If he can get some of that quickness and explosiveness back, with his size and ability to get into the endzone (and the reality that the team seems to want the ball in his hand a good amount of time), why wouldn't Leshoure be a sleeper for next year? Again, things could change if someone is brought in, but if the players remain much the same, isnt the downside basically Michael Turner, with some very nice upside if he heals up and shows another gear?
 
I watched every Lions game this year and came away totally unimpressed with LeShoure. LeShoure is the type of RB you can sign off the street..he can get through a big hole when it is there but can`t make a defender miss. Add in the fact that he has horrible hands and you have a very mediocre RB.

Kevin Smith when given the chance is a much better RB as is J. Bell. Plus both can catch the ball. LeShoure was a high draft pick and is getting paid so he got more chances.

If I had to choose one RB between LeShoure and J. Bell I would take J. Bell. Of course the Lions have too much invested in LeShoure to make the same choice.
Judging by this past year - the eye test - most would certainly agree with you. However, what is your take on Leshoure not being 100% this year, and hence being more of a pedestrian plodder without any wiggle nor burst? If he can get some of that quickness and explosiveness back, with his size and ability to get into the endzone (and the reality that the team seems to want the ball in his hand a good amount of time), why wouldn't Leshoure be a sleeper for next year? Again, things could change if someone is brought in, but if the players remain much the same, isnt the downside basically Michael Turner, with some very nice upside if he heals up and shows another gear?
My hunch is you'll have to take him early next year for the possible upside. I don't think you'll be able to steal him late as someone in your league (and mine) will likely spend an earlier pick on him.Personally, I hope they sign Woodhead to take all 3rd downs and Leshoure and Bell split 1st and 2nd's, with Leshoure the short yard back. To me, that would make for a horrible fantasy situation, but a great situation for the Lions (which I care about much more than FF).

 
I have got absolutely nothing invested in LeShoure..

Doesn't matter to me if he succeeds or not in Detroit.

But from what we saw from the coaching staff he will

be the guy next year unless a Big Name free agent is

to come in, which I highly doubt, and from what I saw

in basically an rookie season and prior injury I liked it.

(I saw plenty of possiblility with nice moves "in spurts")

There is no way we should bury this guy after one season.

If he doesn't perform better next year I would be surprised.

 
I hope they sign Woodhead to take all 3rd downs and Leshoure and Bell split 1st and 2nd's, with Leshoure the short yard back. To me, that would make for a horrible fantasy situation, but a great situation for the Lions (which I care about much more than FF).
Woodhead might give them a little of what they had with Best last year, Stafford does need a scat back to dump it off to.
 
I hope they sign Woodhead to take all 3rd downs and Leshoure and Bell split 1st and 2nd's, with Leshoure the short yard back. To me, that would make for a horrible fantasy situation, but a great situation for the Lions (which I care about much more than FF).
Woodhead might give them a little of what they had with Best last year, Stafford does need a scat back to dump it off to.
Exactly. With a healthy Stafford and Best, 6-0 (week 8 2010 and first 5 last year). Without a healthy Stafford and Best, 9-19. They need a guys like that...
 
Maybe Leshoure will do the Lions a favor and make another bonehead mistake this offseason and get suspended again.

 
Haha, I was actually all about him when he got drafted. I was pretty sure Best was going to be a bust and LeShoure was going to be much more than just a pounder. Luckily I didn't have any drafts prior to his injury. I'd have had him on every team. I've got nothing against him at this point (he didn't drag my team down *cough* Ryan Mathews *cough* or defeat me in the playoffs). I just think there are a lot of LeShoure owners out there who are overly optimistic about a guy who pretty clearly is playing at a backup level now. Not even change of pace type backup level. We're talking strictly depth chart stuff.
Leshoure had 50 carries inside the 5 for 29 FD's and 6 TD's. That was as good as any RB in the league. No, he didn't look explosive outside the 5 but here are a few guys he had a higher YPC than: Richardson, Murray, BJGE, Turner and McFadden.
 
Haha, I was actually all about him when he got drafted. I was pretty sure Best was going to be a bust and LeShoure was going to be much more than just a pounder. Luckily I didn't have any drafts prior to his injury. I'd have had him on every team. I've got nothing against him at this point (he didn't drag my team down *cough* Ryan Mathews *cough* or defeat me in the playoffs). I just think there are a lot of LeShoure owners out there who are overly optimistic about a guy who pretty clearly is playing at a backup level now. Not even change of pace type backup level. We're talking strictly depth chart stuff.
Leshoure had 50 carries inside the 5 for 29 FD's and 6 TD's. That was as good as any RB in the league. No, he didn't look explosive outside the 5 but here are a few guys he had a higher YPC than: Richardson, Murray, BJGE, Turner and McFadden.
:confused: Not being rude, but you need to give that one another run through on the ol' data dominator. Think about those numbers you just wrote. That would be insane. I don't think any team in the NFL had that many first downs inside the 5. When I run the DD, I get the following: Between the opp 5 and GL he had 7 rushes for 7 yards and 6 TD.

By comparison, Arian Foster had the most rushes - 29 for 42 yards and 11 TDs.

But 6 TDs on 7 rushes is a great ratio that I don't think I'd count on next year. It looks like LeShoure was either really lucky or just really good at one aspect (punching it in) while being totally subpar in every other aspect. My money is on lucky. Much better RBs had lesser ratios. Marshawn Lynch had 11 rushes for 15 yards and 5 TDs. Adrian Peterson had 18 rushes for 18 yards and 6 TDs. So next year I wouldn't bank on LeShoure scoring 9 TDs again unless you expect his usage to go way up.

Interesting unrelated fact: Stevan Ridley had 20 rushes inside the 5 for a whopping 2 yards, but he did punch it in 8 times. Either way, he went backwards a lot. I might be concerned about him losing goal line carries next year. Woodhead had 6 carries for 8 yards and 2 TDs. Vereen had 5 carries for 12 yards and 3 TDs.

 
I posted this a month ago on December 10th in another Leshoure thread....The utilization of Leshoure and Bell in Detroit is as bad as how Lynch was used in Buffalo in his early years right before he was traded to Seattle. People that keep on claiming Bell is a better fit for Detroit offense are fooling themselves. Bell and Leshoure are very similar RB's who were both great in college for being power guys. Bell is not much more nimble than Leshoure. These 2 rb's are continuously running out of shot gun. These guys are being forced into having to make guys miss as opposed to getting the luxury of running through guys. Stafford is no threat as a runner so the pistol RG3 and Alfred Morris thing here does not apply. Leshoure at 6'0" 233 lbs, and Bell at 5'11" 220 lbs are down hill guys as they both don't have blazing speed. Leshoure did run a 4.56 which is fast for his size, but he is only a year removed from a very serious achilles injury. Bell is a 4.6 guy. These types of backs are built for a large number of carries and to wear a defence down ala Lynch in Seattle.The Lions do have a guy that is better suited for this type of offense, but he may never play another down of football again (Javhid Best).Yesterday Collinsworth kept on saying taht Bell could be a great fit for this offense. He has had a couple of nice runs that have inflated his numbers as a COP guy, but he is no different or better than Leshoure. These guys should be in an offense where they follow a full back and smash it down teams throats.-Last night Bell had 49 yards on 12 carries -Leshoure last night had 49 yards on 14 carriesPeople are going to say but on the year Bell has a 5.2 ypc. Well in 9 of their 13 games he has not averaged 5 ypc. In fact I would venture to guess that his YPC with more carries would be the same as Leshoure. Also, just because Bell has more receptions does not mean he is more fluid than Leshoure out of the back field. Bell has just played more 3rd downs and received more dump offs and targets. Even last night Bell had 5 receptions but it is not as if they were tough receiving plays. Leshoure has caught 26 of the 36 balls thrown his way, Bell has caught 39 of the 51 balls thrown his way. There really is not much difference between these 2 guys at the moment.Even when you watch these guys play they are the same type of RB and look quite similar. Leshoure to me has more upside due to youth. You would have to assume he continues to improve as he is only 22 years of age and coming off a significant foot injury that forced him to miss a year of action. Right now Leshoure has caught 26 passes and he is not even playing 3rd down duties at this time. He will get more of those opportunites in time as he is a good blocker and capable.Bell has been pretty good, but to me these guys are both capped due to the offense they play in. Bell is also 26 years of age and soon to be 27. He is a Jason Snelling clone.

 

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