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How did Alfred Morris fool everyone? He is bigtime. (1 Viewer)

monkeysee

Footballguy
Just trying to figure out how nobody saw what Morris was capable of. Wasn't he a late round draft pick and longshot to make the team? I don't follow the Redskins so can someone that watched him play try to answer? Is he especially fast? Is he elusive? Good vision? Tough to bring down? It reminds me of how Terrell Davis came in under the radar.

Is there another Morris in this year's draft? I find it fascinating.

 
I saw it in the first few games he played, after being incredibly lucky to pick him up the day before kickoff in pretty much all of my leagues.

The kid is just tough and he appears to be smart. He reminds me a lot of a much more athletic Michael Turner. Surprising quickness and burst and he will truck your ### like ADP.

Hes not afraid of anything.

 
I think he led the league in broken tackles. Or top three or four in that category. It is not the system or id guess more athletic guys that played before what have had actually done something. Alf is smart, patient and a beast to get down. I watched every game of was after say week seven. And as im a fan of the redskins now i never watched em muchto before last season. Back to original post.... i dont really think theres amybody out there this. Also.. i got foster before he got gis chance and morriswas and kaep. Had cruz for a while but dropped em at cutdowns before his breakout year. I usually find thw diamonds in the rough. If i was more internet savvy id search for what projected draft grades these guys had before the were draft eligible. A year or even two ago. Then give the top guys an eyeball test on youtube.

 
It's the system and not the back.
Back this up
He can't because it's not true. Remember Shanahanigans 2 years ago? Nobody would touch a Redskins RB because there was a new starter every week and he remained tight lipped about it. I remember seeing Morris in the preseason last year and he looked good. I was caught up in the Shanahanigans philosophy though so went into the draft saying I wouldn't touch a Redskins RB. He ran tough and was tough to go down. He was one of those no nonsense guys that seemed to always fall forward 2-3 yards after he was hit. There's nothing elite about him. He's just a tough football player. It doesn't hurt that they have a decent QB now too.

 
If you are looking for this years alf its gotta be Bell. IMO. People really breeze by the fact that he was second in the league in rushing yards. 1600 as a rookie. That's flat out amazing.

 
If you are looking for this years alf its gotta be Bell. IMO. People really breeze by the fact that he was second in the league in rushing yards. 1600 as a rookie. That's flat out amazing.
Funny you mention this. Looking at this crop of rookie RBs on Youtube and Bell doesn't have blazing speed. Most of his longer runs were 10 to 20 yards at the most. Gio looks to be the best RB in this class. However Bell also seemed to fall forward 3 yards when being tackled as well. So Bell may be the guy. Guess we will know more when pre season games are played.

 
It's the system and not the back.
Back this up
He can't because it's not true. Remember Shanahanigans 2 years ago? Nobody would touch a Redskins RB because there was a new starter every week and he remained tight lipped about it. I remember seeing Morris in the preseason last year and he looked good. I was caught up in the Shanahanigans philosophy though so went into the draft saying I wouldn't touch a Redskins RB. He ran tough and was tough to go down. He was one of those no nonsense guys that seemed to always fall forward 2-3 yards after he was hit. There's nothing elite about him. He's just a tough football player. It doesn't hurt that they have a decent QB now too.
Last year was the first year they had RG3 and the first year running the read option. Both RG3 and the read option really help the running game. I don't think you can at all compare pre-RG3 to the current team.

Is it a coincidence 3 of the top 4 rushing teams ran the read option? Nope. You treat those teams different.

Backed up.

 
It's the system and not the back.
60/40 in your favor. He has a great line and a coach that's has a proven RB system and surely wants to satisfy his NFL sized ego by finding another late round gem at RB. But it takes a special player, not necessarily a special talent physically, to seize that opportunity to the extent he did as a rookie.
 
It's the system and not the back.
Back this up
He can't because it's not true. Remember Shanahanigans 2 years ago? Nobody would touch a Redskins RB because there was a new starter every week and he remained tight lipped about it. I remember seeing Morris in the preseason last year and he looked good. I was caught up in the Shanahanigans philosophy though so went into the draft saying I wouldn't touch a Redskins RB. He ran tough and was tough to go down. He was one of those no nonsense guys that seemed to always fall forward 2-3 yards after he was hit. There's nothing elite about him. He's just a tough football player. It doesn't hurt that they have a decent QB now too.
Last year was the first year they had RG3 and the first year running the read option. Both RG3 and the read option really help the running game. I don't think you can at all compare pre-RG3 to the current team.

Is it a coincidence 3 of the top 4 rushing teams ran the read option? Nope. You treat those teams different.

Backed up.
Really, is this your entire argument?

 
He finishes runs like a demon, but doesn't take huge hits. He doesn't go out of bounds. He falls forward, violently. He sees the cutback lane and is aggressive through the hole. He's shifty side to side which helps avoid tackles in the backfield, and he breaks arm tackles like nobody's business. And now he's going to be more involved in the passing game, and he's capable of it. He graded out as a great pass-blocker his rookie season as well.

Part of the reason he slipped through the cracks is that he played for a terrible college team no one had ever heard of, which went 0-13 or something his senior season. Most projected him as a late-round FB because of his lack of speed, but the subtle things he does as a natural runner of the ball are incredible. The system helps, but it's to his credit that his skill-set makes him a perfect fit, and then some.

Another small thing--Shanahan coached him in the Senior Bowl, loved him in practices, and then pretty much hid him when it was game time. Sneaky smart.

 
It's the system and not the back.
60/40 in your favor. He has a great line and a coach that's has a proven RB system and surely wants to satisfy his NFL sized ego by finding another late round gem at RB. But it takes a special player, not necessarily a special talent physically, to seize that opportunity to the extent he did as a rookie.
It's really not a great line. They have gelled over time, and work well together, but it's not ideal in the least. We've actually got some young draft picks in the pipeline for the interior OL and hopefully at RT as well that fans are really, really hoping step up and pan out. Chester and Polumbus specifically are serious weak links, although Trent Williams is on the verge of league-wide recognition as a top-5 OT.

 
It's def the shanahan system not saying ALF doesn't have talent but his running style us exact fit for this system. Take a Darren McFadden last yr they put him in to this system and it didn't work for him his running style did not fit. You seen Mike Anderdon star in it Orlandis Gary Clinton Portis. That's why shanahan does not spend high picks on RB he believes he can plug in the right fit and make the RB successful. That's why he kept trying to get Ryan Torrain going he felt Torrain was a fit for his zone block system. It's the same system used in Houston.

For example I think Ray rice would struggle in this system I think emmitt would perform better in it than Barry Sanders. It's 1 cut and go all zone blocking

 
As someone above mentioned, I think it was as simple as folks not trusting Shanahan rather than not believing in Morris.

 
It's the system and not the back.
Back this up
He can't because it's not true. Remember Shanahanigans 2 years ago? Nobody would touch a Redskins RB because there was a new starter every week and he remained tight lipped about it. I remember seeing Morris in the preseason last year and he looked good. I was caught up in the Shanahanigans philosophy though so went into the draft saying I wouldn't touch a Redskins RB. He ran tough and was tough to go down. He was one of those no nonsense guys that seemed to always fall forward 2-3 yards after he was hit. There's nothing elite about him. He's just a tough football player. It doesn't hurt that they have a decent QB now too.
Last year was the first year they had RG3 and the first year running the read option. Both RG3 and the read option really help the running game. I don't think you can at all compare pre-RG3 to the current team.Is it a coincidence 3 of the top 4 rushing teams ran the read option? Nope. You treat those teams different.

Backed up.
The week that RG3 missed he had 87 yards and two tds.

 
Helu had double achilles issues. No other reason.
No. Alfred is a better all-around RB than Helu, and the vast majority of Skins fans who have seen all of their touches would tell you that. There's an important role on this team for Helu if he can stay healthy, but it's not Morris' spot.

 
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I saw it pretty early and caught an interview then saw his squat numbers and scooped him up. Didn't trust Shanahan but it all worked out. WCO coaches do turn out some RB's

 
I saw it pretty early and caught an interview then saw his squat numbers and scooped him up. Didn't trust Shanahan but it all worked out. WCO coaches do turn out some RB's
We're not a WCO. Unless you meant ZBS? Those two things don't necessarily go hand in hand.

 
Helu had double achilles issues. No other reason.
No. Alfred is a better all-around RB than Helu, and the vast majority of Skins fans who have seen all of their touches would tell you that. There's an important role on this team for Helu if he can stay healthy, but it's not Morris' spot.
The question was how. Morris would have been fantasy irrelevant if Helu were healthy last year. Truthiness.
 
Helu had double achilles issues. No other reason.
No. Alfred is a better all-around RB than Helu, and the vast majority of Skins fans who have seen all of their touches would tell you that. There's an important role on this team for Helu if he can stay healthy, but it's not Morris' spot.
The question was how. Morris would have been fantasy irrelevant if Helu were healthy last year. Truthiness.
How did he "fool everyone" and come into the league and onto the field as a starter week 1 without any fanfare, not how did he get his shot at the job. At least that's how I interpreted the title.

 
I will live and die by the mantra of never trust that rat shanahan. I believe that is the main reason why he went so late because shanny was so unpredictable with his rbs for the last few years. Kudos to those that were brave enough to scoop him up.

 
How about it's the ideal system for his skillset? He hits the hole hard like he's supposed to and he's extremely tough to bring down.

 
I will live and die by the mantra of never trust that rat shanahan. I believe that is the main reason why he went so late because shanny was so unpredictable with his rbs for the last few years. Kudos to those that were brave enough to scoop him up.
Well, in my rookie draft in late August, Alf was a late 1st round pick.

He is just one of those guys who slips in the draft due to his measurables, but once he is on the field he is tough as nails, smart to pick up a system so quick, and simply put a good football player.

I don't see last year as a "fluke" at all, however, I do think that will probably be his best season as a pro. Maybe not fantasy-wise in PPR if he gets more receptions, but from an NFL running back standpoint I don't see him having a better year than he just had. Certainly possible, just not likely IMO.

For fantasy, I can see him ourproduce what he just did in PPR leagues.

 
I will live and die by the mantra of never trust that rat shanahan. I believe that is the main reason why he went so late because shanny was so unpredictable with his rbs for the last few years. Kudos to those that were brave enough to scoop him up.
I remember looking at the depth chart list on my draft dominator in the final round of my rookie draft last year and Morris was listed #1 in late August. I remember thinking what the hell and took him with the last pick in our rookie draft. I knew nothing about him, but boy did it ever work out.

 
It's the system and not the back.
Back this up
He can't because it's not true. Remember Shanahanigans 2 years ago? Nobody would touch a Redskins RB because there was a new starter every week and he remained tight lipped about it. I remember seeing Morris in the preseason last year and he looked good. I was caught up in the Shanahanigans philosophy though so went into the draft saying I wouldn't touch a Redskins RB. He ran tough and was tough to go down. He was one of those no nonsense guys that seemed to always fall forward 2-3 yards after he was hit. There's nothing elite about him. He's just a tough football player. It doesn't hurt that they have a decent QB now too.
Last year was the first year they had RG3 and the first year running the read option. Both RG3 and the read option really help the running game. I don't think you can at all compare pre-RG3 to the current team.

Is it a coincidence 3 of the top 4 rushing teams ran the read option? Nope. You treat those teams different.

Backed up.
You have no credibility. The argument above is doo doo: why dont you explain to us how the read option made those 3 out of 4 top rushing teams so successful?

Morris got more than 1000 of his 1600 plus yards after contact. You are a sad little hack.

 
It's the system and not the back.
Back this up
He can't because it's not true. Remember Shanahanigans 2 years ago? Nobody would touch a Redskins RB because there was a new starter every week and he remained tight lipped about it. I remember seeing Morris in the preseason last year and he looked good. I was caught up in the Shanahanigans philosophy though so went into the draft saying I wouldn't touch a Redskins RB. He ran tough and was tough to go down. He was one of those no nonsense guys that seemed to always fall forward 2-3 yards after he was hit. There's nothing elite about him. He's just a tough football player. It doesn't hurt that they have a decent QB now too.
Last year was the first year they had RG3 and the first year running the read option. Both RG3 and the read option really help the running game. I don't think you can at all compare pre-RG3 to the current team.

Is it a coincidence 3 of the top 4 rushing teams ran the read option? Nope. You treat those teams different.

Backed up.
Really, is this your entire argument?
I agree it is the system not the back. I don't want to dig into numbers to make a point but..

If I recall - both Roy Helu and Evan Ryoster put up monster games back to back - but injuries sidelined them both.

2011 Helu went.

@ Seattle 108 1TD, 7/54 Rec

vs Jets 100 1TD, 4/42 Rec

vs Pats 126 rush

A few weeks before this three game outburst he had 14 rec 105yards rec vs the vaunted 49ers D.

The next game after the Pats game - Helu I believe got hurt.

In comes Evan Royster and starts last two games of the season.

vs Minny 132 rush

@ Philly 113 rush

Then in the 2013 offseason - all signs pointed to Helu as being the guy and Morris was drafted late as a flyer - just like the Redskins drafting two more RB this year.

Helu hurts his toe and is done for the year opening the door for Morris.

Add in RG3, Read Option, a Healthy Trent Williams = Fantasy gold for Morris.

Give any RB on this team the ball 20+ times a game and they will put up numbers.

To Morris credit - he isn't asked to do much - does not contribute on 3rd down, nothing special in terms of agility or speed - just big powerful back that has stayed healthy.

As long as Morris stays healthy - he will put up RB1 numbers - however if he were to miss time - I think Helu, or whoever steps in - will put up similar numbers.

 
Everyone was afraid that Shanahan would either run a RBBC or would feature Morris until he slipped-up for one week. I was one of the lucky ones who had #1 waiver priority and grabbed Morris following week 1. :)

 
Helu can't sniff Morris' ability behind the line of scrimmage, at the line of scrimmage, or at the end of runs. He doesn't break arm tackles as well and can't gain near as many yards after contact, although that would partially be offset by his ability to make bigger plays.

Most importantly, Helu hasn't been able to stay healthy yet. But if he is this year, you'll still see Morris with the majority of touches. Helu's gonna have his hands full with Chris Thompson when he's fully healthy.

 
I saw it pretty early and caught an interview then saw his squat numbers and scooped him up. Didn't trust Shanahan but it all worked out. WCO coaches do turn out some RB's
We're not a WCO. Unless you meant ZBS? Those two things don't necessarily go hand in hand.
You may want to check your coach and his history. While Alex Gibbs burst onto the scene with Shanny in Denver with his ZBS he's been a WCO guy since San Fran.

 
Redskins offensive line is very good.

The system is perfect for RBs

RG3 is special.

Morris is not. Don't give all the credit to Morris here. Like I said. If Morris misses time whoever steps in will put up the same numbers. You get the ball 20+ times each week you are bound to beak tackles and have some good runs.

I am a redskins homer. Trust me.

When I watch Morris run I think of a slower Michael Turner. Which is not a bad thing. Keep your fingers crossed he can stay heathy. The way shannanhan uses RB there has been a trail a mile long of injuries. Stay healthy and they are studs. Anyone remember Tatum Bell?

For Shanny, RB are plug and play.

 
I saw it pretty early and caught an interview then saw his squat numbers and scooped him up. Didn't trust Shanahan but it all worked out. WCO coaches do turn out some RB's
We're not a WCO. Unless you meant ZBS? Those two things don't necessarily go hand in hand.
You may want to check your coach and his history. While Alex Gibbs burst onto the scene with Shanny in Denver with his ZBS he's been a WCO guy since San Fran.
You're correct about the roots of his scheme. He comes from that coaching tree. But he believes it's different enough now that he no longer identifies is as a WCO, technically.
"We ran the West Coast before", said Coach Mike Shanahan. "Well, this is the East Coast offense".
Its all semantics anyways, so much of the league is going towards a spread look, with more and more teams copying the pistol innovation, that offenses are becoming more alike than different every season, each innovation building upon the last as everyone plays copy-cat with a twist. It's starting to not really matter.
 
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Pretty weird how people who don't like Morris discount that he was top 2-3 best this past year at yards after contact. That is..................significant for a RB, to say the least.

Of course the system fits him well and even better with RG3 running it. However, it's not like he is running through gaping holes, as clearly evidenced by the large number of yards after contact.

 
Not this again.

Just because a RB excels in a ZBS doesn't mean they can't in a Man-Blocking scheme. A ZBS play can turn out looking exactly like a Man-Blocking if a particular occurrence happens or not and vice versa.

The RB in this draft that is the closest thing to Alfred Morris is George Winn. Winn is bout 1" taller and 1 lb lighter. Their combine measurables are very similar:

Winn: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=85016&draftyear=2013&genpos=RB

Morris: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=71051&draftyear=2012&genpos=RB

The thing that stood out about Morris in college was his ability to bound off defenders. Winn offers the same ability:

Morris: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7PIvsSRkEw

Winn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuwdTstW1Jg

I was surprised the Texans cut Winn already. Would have been perfect there. He signed with the Patriots. I think he's been practicing with the 2nd or 3rd team. Haven't been able to find much more detailed info.

 
If you are looking for this years alf its gotta be Bell. IMO. People really breeze by the fact that he was second in the league in rushing yards. 1600 as a rookie. That's flat out amazing.
Funny you mention this. Looking at this crop of rookie RBs on Youtube and Bell doesn't have blazing speed. Most of his longer runs were 10 to 20 yards at the most. Gio looks to be the best RB in this class. However Bell also seemed to fall forward 3 yards when being tackled as well. So Bell may be the guy. Guess we will know more when pre season games are played.
Bell had better agility numbers at the combine than Bernard. Maybe not the same straight line speed, but Bell's straight line speed was pretty good for his size, better than Morris.

Agility is often more important for RBs to succeed in the NFL.

The interesting thing with Morris is that he may have more upside if Shanahan continues his usage. He didn't really catch any passes last season, but there's little reason to expect he can't add that to his game if he tries. The only issue there is that Roy Helu is probably better at that aspect of the game, and if Helu is healthy he may take touches. Helu was great in the few full games he had two years ago, but injuries obviously stopped him from having a Morris-like breakout last season. Morris obviously has talent now though so it'll be a lot tougher for Helu to come in.

 
If you are looking for this years alf its gotta be Bell. IMO. People really breeze by the fact that he was second in the league in rushing yards. 1600 as a rookie. That's flat out amazing.
Funny you mention this. Looking at this crop of rookie RBs on Youtube and Bell doesn't have blazing speed. Most of his longer runs were 10 to 20 yards at the most. Gio looks to be the best RB in this class. However Bell also seemed to fall forward 3 yards when being tackled as well. So Bell may be the guy. Guess we will know more when pre season games are played.
Not to argue the point but Bell comes in with hype, Morris didn't. If I were to look for a comparison it might be Taylor in AZ. It is to bad that his former Cardinal Oline is superior to his current, but he is a very tough, between the tackle runner and I believe all he needs is a chance.

 
It's not the RB, it's not the system, it's the combination.

Morris's strengths are accentuated by the blocking system and o-line, and his weaknesses are hidden, but those strengths are necessary for an RB to succeed in that system.

Recall that the only thing that kept Helu from being a stud is health.

Other late round potential gems? They'd need injuries in front of them, but whoever wins RB3 for the Texans, and Chris Polk of Philadelphia are on my deeeeep sleeper lists to keep an eye on.

 
No special measureables or qualities that the scouts loves. He just runs harder than any back in the league. I don't even think he processes tacklers, he just notices that he bumps into moving things as he tries to advance the ball. He's also highly competitive, highly disciplined (no wasted motion, decisive, urgent runner), and clearly very tough.

It might be a cliche, but no one knows how to find fits at RB better than Shanny.

 
are there any signs that morris will be more involved in the passing game this season?
no helu is in line to be that 3rd down complement as long as he can stay healthy, maybe 5th rd pick chris thompson if not
This is incorrect. Shanahan specifically said at the podium the other day that they're working Morris into the passing game more. Before that, Morris said that besides staying in shape the most work he's done this offseason has been improving his receiving skills. Helu or Thompson will get some of those touches if Shanahan can't keep them off the field, but Morris is being worked in there as well. He graded out very highly in pass pro last season, as a rookie.

So maybe it doesn't happen, or he isn't effective in that role. But there ARE signs that it is happening.

 
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Does it really matter why he was successful. My question would be can he repeat it? All the factors that people use against his great season are still there again this year so I would think that actually no matter the why it looks possible for him to be close to what he did.

I think Helu will get more of the carries and that defenses will be better against the read option so he might regress some.

Unless you're Barry Sanders all good runners need help to be successful.

 
Does it really matter why he was successful. My question would be can he repeat it? All the factors that people use against his great season are still there again this year so I would think that actually no matter the why it looks possible for him to be close to what he did.

I think Helu will get more of the carries and that defenses will be better against the read option so he might regress some.

Unless you're Barry Sanders all good runners need help to be successful.
All the same factors? Like Helu having achilles tendonitis in both legs plus a toe injury?
 
are there any signs that morris will be more involved in the passing game this season?
no helu is in line to be that 3rd down complement as long as he can stay healthy, maybe 5th rd pick chris thompson if not
This is incorrect. Shanahan specifically said at the podium the other day that they're working Morris into the passing game more. Before that, Morris said that besides staying in shape the most work he's done this offseason has been improving his receiving skills.Helu or Thompson will get some of those touches if Shanahan can't keep them off the field, but Morris is being worked in there as well. He graded out very highly in pass pro last season, as a rookie.

So maybe it doesn't happen, or he isn't effective in that role. But there ARE signs that it is happening.
good point. I think they want to have Morris more well-rounded in the case that Thompson/Helu aren't healthy/worthy of those touches, but plan A is to have at least one of them mixed in.

 
Does it really matter why he was successful. My question would be can he repeat it? All the factors that people use against his great season are still there again this year so I would think that actually no matter the why it looks possible for him to be close to what he did.

I think Helu will get more of the carries and that defenses will be better against the read option so he might regress some.

Unless you're Barry Sanders all good runners need help to be successful.
All the same factors? Like Helu having achilles tendonitis in both legs plus a toe injury?
Helu hasn't proven to be able to stay healthy with a full workload. I think he will be a pretty decent option in ppr leagues though.

 

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