ConnSKINS26
Footballguy
Contract year, very little competition unless you love Ballage or Gaskins (I don't)...new coaching staff who isn't Gase...
Is Drake on the rise?
Is Drake on the rise?
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RB Kenyan Drake, LV (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter elguapo07
- Start date
Jello_Biafra
Footballguy
I just want them to give him a shot at the starting job.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Something that stood out to me while watching the draft was that Drake announced one of the Dolphins picks at the podium.
It seems unusual to me for a player in their first contract to be announcing a teams draft picks. I thought it was an honor reserved for players who played most of their career for a team.
I guess not.
I dunno I took him making the announcement of the Dolphins pick as being a sign of his confidence (they could have drafted a RB with that pick, imagine how akward that would have been) and also the teams relationship with him, that they would want him to represent the Dolphins.
Maybe I am just reading into it too much. I just thought it was a good sign that he did that.
It seems unusual to me for a player in their first contract to be announcing a teams draft picks. I thought it was an honor reserved for players who played most of their career for a team.
I guess not.
I dunno I took him making the announcement of the Dolphins pick as being a sign of his confidence (they could have drafted a RB with that pick, imagine how akward that would have been) and also the teams relationship with him, that they would want him to represent the Dolphins.
Maybe I am just reading into it too much. I just thought it was a good sign that he did that.
kutta
Footballguy
steelcityman
Footballguy
Drake is nothing but a backup, he can or cannot change and it wont help. Ballage will be the man there by week 6. Gaskins will push Ballage, Drake will be looking to buy a house in another city next year. Miami will be very very bad again this year. 3-4 wins.
Jello_Biafra
Footballguy
How can you be so sure of that?steelcityman said:
EBF
Footballguy
It's interesting because he was a top 15 ppr RB last season, but it didn't feel like you could ever trust him.
He's the best offensive player on the Dolphins though and I expect another RB2 season when all is said and done if he can stay on the field. The guy who said he's nothing but a backup is underselling his versatility and receiving skills, which are areas where Drake provides a lot of value over replacement.
He's not physically or stylistically cut out for a Zeke-like workload, but as your 1A back getting 12-15 touches per game, he definitely brings a spark. I had high hopes for him last year and he actually didn't live up to them despite a decent FF total, but I would still say he's an underrated player in general.
He's the best offensive player on the Dolphins though and I expect another RB2 season when all is said and done if he can stay on the field. The guy who said he's nothing but a backup is underselling his versatility and receiving skills, which are areas where Drake provides a lot of value over replacement.
He's not physically or stylistically cut out for a Zeke-like workload, but as your 1A back getting 12-15 touches per game, he definitely brings a spark. I had high hopes for him last year and he actually didn't live up to them despite a decent FF total, but I would still say he's an underrated player in general.
TripleThreat
Footballguy
Kinda feel like Gase was holding a grudge for some reason, love affair with Gore aside.
ATM I don't think you can make any strong judgements on the Dolphins offense until they report, new coaches & system etc...
ATM I don't think you can make any strong judgements on the Dolphins offense until they report, new coaches & system etc...
bicycle_seat_sniffer
Smells like chicken
seems like once you make it in Gases doghouse you have a real hard time getting out...
Drake at his current value will find his way on a lot of my sqauds….sigh
kutta
Footballguy
We'll see. I think people are really overrating Rosen. I'll be surprised if he's anything close to competent this year, and won't be surprised at all if the Dolphins draft their next franchise QB next year.
TripleThreat
Footballguy
Who knows how the split will turnout but this points to Gase mismanagement...
Could Drake be the most underutilized RB in Dolphins history? Here’s what the numbers say
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article229733679.html
Consider this:
Of the 84 running backs drafted by the Dolphins in their history, Drake has the highest yards per attempt over his first three seasons (4.75), ahead of Lamar Miller. But his 286 carries over those three years were considerably fewer than Miller’s 444 carries in his first three seasons.
Since 2016, Drake’s 4.75 average per rush is tied with Kareem Hunt for third best in the league.
Could Drake be the most underutilized RB in Dolphins history? Here’s what the numbers say
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article229733679.html
Consider this:
Of the 84 running backs drafted by the Dolphins in their history, Drake has the highest yards per attempt over his first three seasons (4.75), ahead of Lamar Miller. But his 286 carries over those three years were considerably fewer than Miller’s 444 carries in his first three seasons.
Since 2016, Drake’s 4.75 average per rush is tied with Kareem Hunt for third best in the league.
BoltBacker
Footballguy
Wait, I thought that was Lamar Miller? Right up until, you know, he was given a full work load. Then when he had those additional touches his efficiency plunged. And now everyone hates Miller and can't believe he continues to have a three down job.
Anyway, back to Drake I am sure this is a completely different situation. Completely different.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
Yeah it was Philbin as the HC with Miller IIRC so not the same coaching staffs.
Alabama didnt use Drake much either. Of course they had Henry at the time who had almost 400 rushing attempts one year.
It may be that Drake has some flaws coaches do not like. It also may be that other RB are better players than him, at least for winning games.
Josh Jacob's had about 20 more touches for Alabama than Drake did.
TripleThreat
Footballguy
Miller got 44 more carries in his lowest year than Drake in his highest year.
TripleThreat
Footballguy
hard to argue and I've got no reason to think otherwise. TBH I thought Gase was gonna be better than he was, I was wrong.tkrull said:
BoltBacker
Footballguy
So you are saying the assumptions what Drake would do with a full workload is even more speculative than what people thought would happen when Miller had a full workload? Fair enough.
cloppbeast
Footballguy
Couple things:
Drake is not Miller.
...and Miller has done well for fantasy, except for the greedy. I mean hes been a RB2 for a little while now.
TripleThreat
Footballguy
I'm saying that Drake hasn't even gotten the run that Miller did while he was a Dolphin. He had 36 less carries playing in 2 more games than Gore did last year while their average is within a tenth of a yard of each other. He was, however, utilized a ton in the passing game, getting the second most targets.
I personally think he'll be splitting time with Ballage straight away
TheWinz
Footballguy
I'll admit I didn't know much about Drake, so I started digging into the numbers and watching film. I wanted to know if his 6'1"/210lb frame could handle a big workload. He is a good receiver, making him an every-down back if he can shoulder the load. It's a very small sample, but he finished the last 5 games of 2017 with an average of 18/89 and 3/30, good for RB8 during that stretch. That's pretty much his only experience as a workhorse, including college, and he did just fine.
Enter 2018, here comes old man Gore and rookie Ballage. Gore gets the bulk of the carries for the first 14 games, and does a good job (4.6YPC), but is absent in the passing game. Drake plays second fiddle, playing in all 16 games, he gets 120 carries, but has at least 4 catches in 8 games, and finishes with 53. Ballage is irrelevant until week 14.
Welcome to 2019 - Gase and Gore are gone, leaving the bulk of touches for Drake and Ballage. Just my guess, but I see a 60/40 carry split in favor of Drake. 180 carries for 775 yards, along with 50 catches for 400 yards. You just better hope he makes good on his receptions in games where he only gets 6-8 carries.
Enter 2018, here comes old man Gore and rookie Ballage. Gore gets the bulk of the carries for the first 14 games, and does a good job (4.6YPC), but is absent in the passing game. Drake plays second fiddle, playing in all 16 games, he gets 120 carries, but has at least 4 catches in 8 games, and finishes with 53. Ballage is irrelevant until week 14.
Welcome to 2019 - Gase and Gore are gone, leaving the bulk of touches for Drake and Ballage. Just my guess, but I see a 60/40 carry split in favor of Drake. 180 carries for 775 yards, along with 50 catches for 400 yards. You just better hope he makes good on his receptions in games where he only gets 6-8 carries.
Slider
Footballguy
TheWinz
Footballguy
A split like that would put Drake at around 225+ carries to Ballage's 75+. He finished as RB14 in PPR with only 120 carries last year - I can only imagine how he would finish with 100+ more carries.
Tanner9919
Footballguy
yeah he's talented but will the new coaching staff take advantage of that? not sure that happens.have to wait and see.
plenty of people were burned by Drake last season,meaning they're far more likely to be once bitten twice shy. Drake could have value relative to his perceived ADP - he's probably a mid 20s RB in most charts (at least right now) because of the sting of last season.
plenty of people were burned by Drake last season,meaning they're far more likely to be once bitten twice shy. Drake could have value relative to his perceived ADP - he's probably a mid 20s RB in most charts (at least right now) because of the sting of last season.
ConnSKINS26
Footballguy
Ballage took the initial first team snaps, which means little. But even Schefter has tweeted about how he could be the starter...which doesn't mean little. Glad I dealt Drake, I could see this being a mess.
Elevencents
Footballguy
Why do they hate Drake so much?
cloppbeast
Footballguy
Ugh... Dealt Drake in 1 league kept him in another.
Most likely this is a timeshare, but still a blow to those who have drafted Drake in the 5th already.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
Heard the team still has interest in Ajayi and his health.
bicycle_seat_sniffer
Smells like chicken
TheWinz
Footballguy
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
He lost 5 pounds to go to 6'1" and 206/207... that's a WRs build. 
ConnSKINS26
Footballguy
Of course.
But new coaching staff, he's the incumbent who impressed down the stretch, decent draft pedigree and passes the eye test...and Ballage is getting first shot at 1st team reps?
It isn't a huge deal as guys are rotated around, but it's at least a small statement on Drake. Despite all the positives working in his favor that I listed above, he isn't getting the benefit of the doubt or even first crack necessarily. He's not impressing the people who matter more than his competition is, and that keeps happening.
Rookie_Whisperer
Footballguy
Seriously, anyone really counting on Kenyan Drake for more than a bye week fill last year or this year is dead in the water. He might have gotten you a few wins last year and you may have liked him for a second, but the team has no plans for him to be a regular contributor. Draft and trade for at your own risk.
I agree that there’s something rotten in Denmark because he keeps getting the back seat but this statement is ridiculous. The numbers show otherwise.
Rookie_Whisperer
Footballguy
Yeah? How many games did he rush for over a 100 yds last year? And how did he do when you really needed him weeks 14-16? He's not in their gameplan. He's "nice to have" when he shows up but the team isn't counting on him in an every down capacity. It is what it is....just be cautious.
Raptors409
Footballguy
He had his chance. It’s Ballage time.
cloppbeast
Footballguy
Raptors409
Footballguy
Sometimes in life you don’t have to blow a chance if somebody better comes around.
”You’re a nice girl Stacy but you’re not the kind of girl I want to marry. Jenny is the kind of girl I would marry.
It’s not you, it’s me.”
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Jello_Biafra
Footballguy
He got his chance in 2017 and did great. He's done well everytime he's been given the chance. I think he ultimately wins out over Ballage, but I thought the same about Gore so who knows.
Jello_Biafra
Footballguy
Raptors409
Footballguy
jm192
Footballguy
IIRC, he wasn't the every down back at Bama. Gase didn't think he was best served as an every down back. Sounds like Flores also thinks that.
At some point, there's something to it.
Even if he is announced as the full-time starter and Ballage tears his ACL tomorrow, it's still the Dolphins. At some point, Josh Rosen is the Quarterback. This isn't an offense I want to pay for pieces of. I'll take Ballage at his ADP. But when it starts to correct, I'm probably out on him too.
At some point, there's something to it.
Even if he is announced as the full-time starter and Ballage tears his ACL tomorrow, it's still the Dolphins. At some point, Josh Rosen is the Quarterback. This isn't an offense I want to pay for pieces of. I'll take Ballage at his ADP. But when it starts to correct, I'm probably out on him too.
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BoltBacker
Footballguy
ericttspikes
Footballguy
“I know he was out there first, but I don’t really look at it that way,” Flores said Friday of Ballage working ahead of Drake, who led Miami with 1,225 all-purpose yards last season but has yet to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season during his career.
“We’re just trying to get guys the amount of reps they need to evaluate them,” Flores continued. “So first team, second team, who goes first, who goes second, right now it’s about their improvement, getting better with their fundamentals and technique and really getting them enough reps so that we can evaluate it.”
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-training-camp-sat-20190727-34rdkyycgjab5mh4reiniaelle-story.html
“We’re just trying to get guys the amount of reps they need to evaluate them,” Flores continued. “So first team, second team, who goes first, who goes second, right now it’s about their improvement, getting better with their fundamentals and technique and really getting them enough reps so that we can evaluate it.”
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-training-camp-sat-20190727-34rdkyycgjab5mh4reiniaelle-story.html
