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2014 Arizona RB? (1 Viewer)

E

Eminence

Footballguy
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.

 
Think I saw a blurb the other day from one of the coaches that they build the run game around Ellington

 
msommer said:
Think I saw a blurb the other day from one of the coaches that they build the run game around Ellington
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Yes, it was on Rotoworld...they also mentioned that Ryan Williams is not dead man walking, so they may go with what they have...but it will be a heavy dose of Ellington.

 
Eminence said:
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.
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They drafted Taylor ahead of Ellington for a reason, while that doesn't mean success, that means they saw more talent in Taylor while they had a chance to pick Ellington at the same time, maybe they still do and we will see that this year.

While they had Mendenhall last season, Taylor is more like him and was not making Mendys salary. Expect to see more out of Ellington but a surprise out of Taylor.

60-40 timeshare with Ellington getting more touches and Taylor finally getting his chance. They have other things they want to fix before RB now that Ellington showed big promise with his opportunity.

 
Phenix said:
Eminence said:
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.
Click to expand...
They drafted Taylor ahead of Ellington for a reason, while that doesn't mean success, that means they saw more talent in Taylor while they had a chance to pick Ellington at the same time, maybe they still do and we will see that this year.

While they had Mendenhall last season, Taylor is more like him and was not making Mendys salary. Expect to see more out of Ellington but a surprise out of Taylor.

60-40 timeshare with Ellington getting more touches and Taylor finally getting his chance. They have other things they want to fix before RB now that Ellington showed big promise with his opportunity.
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Maybe saw more talent predraft. Doubt they do now.
 
In that aforementioned blurb, it was mentioned that Ellington has already put on 10 lbs of muscle. That could certainly help his cause in gaining Arians' confidence to get more work.

 
Phenix said:
Eminence said:
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.
Click to expand...
They drafted Taylor ahead of Ellington for a reason, while that doesn't mean success, that means they saw more talent in Taylor while they had a chance to pick Ellington at the same time, maybe they still do and we will see that this year.

While they had Mendenhall last season, Taylor is more like him and was not making Mendys salary. Expect to see more out of Ellington but a surprise out of Taylor.

60-40 timeshare with Ellington getting more touches and Taylor finally getting his chance. They have other things they want to fix before RB now that Ellington showed big promise with his opportunity.
Click to expand...
Where players were drafted is meaningless once they get NFL experience. That's just a really odd position that draft slotting means anything with players that are 1 year vets. NFL performance is what matters, and Ellington has far outperformed Taylor to date.

 
beef said:
Phenix said:
Eminence said:
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.
Click to expand...
They drafted Taylor ahead of Ellington for a reason, while that doesn't mean success, that means they saw more talent in Taylor while they had a chance to pick Ellington at the same time, maybe they still do and we will see that this year.

While they had Mendenhall last season, Taylor is more like him and was not making Mendys salary. Expect to see more out of Ellington but a surprise out of Taylor.

60-40 timeshare with Ellington getting more touches and Taylor finally getting his chance. They have other things they want to fix before RB now that Ellington showed big promise with his opportunity.
Click to expand...
Maybe saw more talent predraft. Doubt they do now.
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Ellington had more playing time then Taylor, no one has seen what Taylor can do to his limited snaps behind Mendenhall. Two different backs and Taylor has been decent when he played. 36/115/0 and 8/71/0.

I didn't say Taylor was an elite RB, I said he will shock people and be a surprise in a time share. GM Steve Keim said that the Cardinals will use multiple backs going forward.

 
Hard to get super excited about the "inside" half of the RBBC on a team with a line as bad as Arizona's. Taylor looks like a "get what's blocked" type of RB to me, and in AZ that probably won't be much.

 
Phenix said:
beef said:
Phenix said:
Eminence said:
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.
Click to expand...
They drafted Taylor ahead of Ellington for a reason, while that doesn't mean success, that means they saw more talent in Taylor while they had a chance to pick Ellington at the same time, maybe they still do and we will see that this year.

While they had Mendenhall last season, Taylor is more like him and was not making Mendys salary. Expect to see more out of Ellington but a surprise out of Taylor.

60-40 timeshare with Ellington getting more touches and Taylor finally getting his chance. They have other things they want to fix before RB now that Ellington showed big promise with his opportunity.
Click to expand...
Maybe saw more talent predraft. Doubt they do now.
Click to expand...
Ellington had more playing time then Taylor, no one has seen what Taylor can do to his limited snaps behind Mendenhall. Two different backs and Taylor has been decent when he played. 36/115/0 and 8/71/0.

I didn't say Taylor was an elite RB, I said he will shock people and be a surprise in a time share. GM Steve Keim said that the Cardinals will use multiple backs going forward.
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I agree that there will be some form of RBBC, but every team uses multiple backs to some degree. Some obviously more than others, but multiple backs doesn't necessarily mean a 50-50 or even 60-40 split.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
Hard to get super excited about the "inside" half of the RBBC on a team with a line as bad as Arizona's. Taylor looks like a "get what's blocked" type of RB to me, and in AZ that probably won't be much.
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Pretty presumptuous to say that in late February. You never know.

 
Didn't ARI lose their rookie 1st rnd pick (Guard) to a broken leg in TC? Could be with him back the line improves their run blocking

 
zamboni said:
Coeur de Lion said:
Hard to get super excited about the "inside" half of the RBBC on a team with a line as bad as Arizona's. Taylor looks like a "get what's blocked" type of RB to me, and in AZ that probably won't be much.
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Pretty presumptuous to say that in late February. You never know.
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Hence the "probably." Offensive line generally isn't a quick fix -- and Arizona's has been bad for going on a decade now. Could they turn it around overnight? Sure. Is that super likely, though?

 
Eminence said:
I personally think they will let Mendenhall walk. If they don't draft quality depth at RB, I think Taylor makes a great sneaky pick. He's more likely to get between the tackles touches than Ellington.

Ellington is definitely your PPR guy though. I could see this team being rock solid with a decent Running Game. Arians sees what's going on in his division.
Click to expand...
Other than being terribly slow, Taylor has many attributes I really like in back. I have him rostered in two leagues right now, but in all honesty his lack of speed and athleticism could lead to him being a journeyman/stop gap back and nothing more. Hopefully he does get a shot this season and runs with it.

 
based on everything shown last year Ellington has to be the overwhelming favorite to run with the job. Mendy was around so Ellington could get used to the NFL but he's a journeyman that does nothing special. The key will be to watch and listen to what Arians says this offseason. Last year he was pretty clear with Ellingtons role and he did what he said...so far as far as Ellington is concerned we've read that he wants to build the offense around him and last year his thought was that he wasn't big enough to handle the rigors of the NFL. Then we read that he added 10 pounds of muscle so far this offsesaon so perhaps there was a talk in the exit meetings of what Ellington needed to do this year to become the man and perhaps he's executing upon that.

Ellington has shown that ability to be a special player, Taylor / Mendy not so much. If Ellington is the man I'm interested...if it's a combo with the other guys, not so much. This is one of the situations that I'll be watching most closely in the offseason because Ellington could be pretty special at a decent price tag.

 
Banger said:
based on everything shown last year Ellington has to be the overwhelming favorite to run with the job. Mendy was around so Ellington could get used to the NFL but he's a journeyman that does nothing special. The key will be to watch and listen to what Arians says this offseason. Last year he was pretty clear with Ellingtons role and he did what he said...so far as far as Ellington is concerned we've read that he wants to build the offense around him and last year his thought was that he wasn't big enough to handle the rigors of the NFL. Then we read that he added 10 pounds of muscle so far this offsesaon so perhaps there was a talk in the exit meetings of what Ellington needed to do this year to become the man and perhaps he's executing upon that.

Ellington has shown that ability to be a special player, Taylor / Mendy not so much. If Ellington is the man I'm interested...if it's a combo with the other guys, not so much. This is one of the situations that I'll be watching most closely in the offseason because Ellington could be pretty special at a decent price tag.
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Agree with most of this except the "decent price tag" part. Ellington is going to be hugely hyped if / when they don't bring back Mendenhall or draft someone early. Ellington has already been tagged as a top 10 FF RB in a few early "2014 breakout" pieces I've read. I'm thinking a 2013 David Wilson trajectory is fairly likely here.ETA: In terms of FF draft position, not on the field.

 
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So is the consensus set that Mendy isn't truly in the mix this season? I haven't ready anything one way or the other on this one.

 
Im gonna let someone else deal with this mess. I dont trust any of it! Especially since they will probably draft a rb in rds 2 or 4 just to be jerks....

 
Shutout said:
So is the consensus set that Mendy isn't truly in the mix this season? I haven't ready anything one way or the other on this one.
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Mendenhall is a UFA. I personally don't think it's 100% certain that he won't be back on a cheap deal, but given how he looked last year, he's probably destined to be a pure backup somewhere else.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
Banger said:
based on everything shown last year Ellington has to be the overwhelming favorite to run with the job. Mendy was around so Ellington could get used to the NFL but he's a journeyman that does nothing special. The key will be to watch and listen to what Arians says this offseason. Last year he was pretty clear with Ellingtons role and he did what he said...so far as far as Ellington is concerned we've read that he wants to build the offense around him and last year his thought was that he wasn't big enough to handle the rigors of the NFL. Then we read that he added 10 pounds of muscle so far this offsesaon so perhaps there was a talk in the exit meetings of what Ellington needed to do this year to become the man and perhaps he's executing upon that.

Ellington has shown that ability to be a special player, Taylor / Mendy not so much. If Ellington is the man I'm interested...if it's a combo with the other guys, not so much. This is one of the situations that I'll be watching most closely in the offseason because Ellington could be pretty special at a decent price tag.
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Agree with most of this except the "decent price tag" part. Ellington is going to be hugely hyped if / when they don't bring back Mendenhall or draft someone early. Ellington has already been tagged as a top 10 FF RB in a few early "2014 breakout" pieces I've read. I'm thinking a 2013 David Wilson trajectory is fairly likely here.ETA: In terms of FF draft position, not on the field.
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ya, you're probably right...I'm kind of talking about now in that there's some uncertainty about his role. If I could acquire him for a decent price tag I'd go for it because the signs all seem to be pointing in the right direction.

 
Shutout said:
So is the consensus set that Mendy isn't truly in the mix this season? I haven't ready anything one way or the other on this one.
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He could easily be back -- he has no leverage to get paid so he could be cheaper than the cost of a pick + a salary and better than the other interior rushing guys on the roster.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
Shutout said:
So is the consensus set that Mendy isn't truly in the mix this season? I haven't ready anything one way or the other on this one.
Click to expand...
Mendenhall is a UFA. I personally don't think it's 100% certain that he won't be back on a cheap deal, but given how he looked last year, he's probably destined to be a pure backup somewhere else.
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Yeah, I agree with that thought (on how he looked). I just wonder (and hadn't heard anything) if Arians will keep him around on the cheap since he seems to like him so much AND he seemed to have these reservations last year about allowing Ellington to take on a full-time load.

Personally, I would say give it to Ellington and Taylor and let it roll with the young guys. I like both of them in their strong areas and Arians is the kind of guy that should be able to figure that out.

 
Shutout said:
So is the consensus set that Mendy isn't truly in the mix this season? I haven't ready anything one way or the other on this one.
Click to expand...
It's more of a guess but I view him like a BJGE or Shonne Greene...a plodder that can take some carries but not a difference maker or game changer. If they go back and watch film from the year I'm sure it's apparent side by side how much more effective Ellington was. Couple that with a number of bad fumbles I just don't see him playing a major role in the offense like he did last year. He was a decent bridge with a rookie RB working behind him but now I could see Ellington taking the ball and running with it.

 
Ellington is the man and cream rises. I don't agree with poster that said Arians did what he said. There was plenty of games He said Ellington would get 15-20 touches and he would get 10. I hope Ellington becomes what I think he can and the fact he added 10 lbs of muscle is great to know... Mendy is slow and has nothing special/ taylor is inj bug, who else you have on the team except Ellington. I agree he kind of has that David Wilson Glow about him as far as draft status rising but hopefully not on field producition.

 
jurb26 said:
What's the deal with R. Williams? Is he dead now after too many injuries or what?
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That's the common perception but I don't think so but in truth hard to say. It's not like I've had anything positive to see in awhile other than a highlight from first day or two of training camp last year.

If someone wants to take him being deactivated last season as proof he's done that makes sense, they might be right. Personally I think he only made the roster last year due because of the GM. I think Arians would have preferred to cut him due to his inability to practice most of training camp but since he had to keep him he just buried him instead.

Either way Ellington is clearly the main guy there and if I had to pick one player I was most wrong about last year I think it was him. At least wrong in the respect of a guy I did not think highly off who way outperformed what I though he could do. I looked at him as more of a third down back for a coach that does not involve his backs in the passing game. I underestimated Ellington's ability and Arians ability to adjust to fit his talent.

I still think Stepfan is a slow plodder who should not be a #2RB. Could be a solid goal line/short yardage back but that's it. We'll see if he proves me wrong but I doubt it.

 
If someone wants to take him being deactivated last season as proof he's done that makes sense, they might be right. Personally I think he only made the roster last year due because of the GM. I think Arians would have preferred to cut him due to his inability to practice most of training camp but since he had to keep him he just buried him instead.
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They would have saved $800k by cutting him last year. You don't do that if there's no hope for a guy.

 
T with T said:
Ellington is the man and cream rises. I don't agree with poster that said Arians did what he said. There was plenty of games He said Ellington would get 15-20 touches and he would get 10. I hope Ellington becomes what I think he can and the fact he added 10 lbs of muscle is great to know... Mendy is slow and has nothing special/ taylor is inj bug, who else you have on the team except Ellington. I agree he kind of has that David Wilson Glow about him as far as draft status rising but hopefully not on field producition.
Click to expand...
Sometimes the game dictates things one way or the other and a coach can/will never guarantee the exact number of touches. I was talking more about the fact that he pretty much stated that Mendy was going to be the starter even when the naked eye, reporters, everyone who's ever watched football indicated the Ellington should get the job. He said Mendy was his starter and he stuck by it (stubbornly). So if he comes out and says "Ellington's my guy and I'm building my offense around him" I'm definitely going to listen.

 
Banger said:
T with T said:
Ellington is the man and cream rises. I don't agree with poster that said Arians did what he said. There was plenty of games He said Ellington would get 15-20 touches and he would get 10. I hope Ellington becomes what I think he can and the fact he added 10 lbs of muscle is great to know... Mendy is slow and has nothing special/ taylor is inj bug, who else you have on the team except Ellington. I agree he kind of has that David Wilson Glow about him as far as draft status rising but hopefully not on field producition.
Click to expand...
Sometimes the game dictates things one way or the other and a coach can/will never guarantee the exact number of touches. I was talking more about the fact that he pretty much stated that Mendy was going to be the starter even when the naked eye, reporters, everyone who's ever watched football indicated the Ellington should get the job. He said Mendy was his starter and he stuck by it (stubbornly). So if he comes out and says "Ellington's my guy and I'm building my offense around him" I'm definitely going to listen.
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Pretty sure Arians came right out and said last year that Ellington couldn't handle more work. Multiple times IIRC. He even mentioned that he feels like he cut Willie Parker's career short by over-working him.

 
cstu said:
yellowdog said:
lod01 said:
Guaranteed they draft one of the RBs in April.
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I've got $1000 that says they don't.
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If they decide to bail on Williams to save money they will have to draft a RB at some point.
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It's possible, but not necessarily. They'd still have Ellington, Taylor and Alfonso Smith under contract. They could sign an UDFA after the draft or an cheap veteran back for depth, if they liked Ellington, Taylor and Smith enough as their top 3 backs.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
Banger said:
T with T said:
Ellington is the man and cream rises. I don't agree with poster that said Arians did what he said. There was plenty of games He said Ellington would get 15-20 touches and he would get 10. I hope Ellington becomes what I think he can and the fact he added 10 lbs of muscle is great to know... Mendy is slow and has nothing special/ taylor is inj bug, who else you have on the team except Ellington. I agree he kind of has that David Wilson Glow about him as far as draft status rising but hopefully not on field producition.
Click to expand...
Sometimes the game dictates things one way or the other and a coach can/will never guarantee the exact number of touches. I was talking more about the fact that he pretty much stated that Mendy was going to be the starter even when the naked eye, reporters, everyone who's ever watched football indicated the Ellington should get the job. He said Mendy was his starter and he stuck by it (stubbornly). So if he comes out and says "Ellington's my guy and I'm building my offense around him" I'm definitely going to listen.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure Arians came right out and said last year that Ellington couldn't handle more work. Multiple times IIRC. He even mentioned that he feels like he cut Willie Parker's career short by over-working him.
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Like banger mentioned, Arians seems to have had a change of heart. Probably because he told Ellington to add on a few pounds and he followed suit.

 
Rotoworld:

The Cardinals' plan right now is to keep Ryan Williams on the roster and let him compete for a spot in the running back rotation.
Williams has a $1.5 million cap number and was a healthy scratch in all 16 games last year. But the Cards are going to give him a shot because of the eye-opening things he put on tape prior to a brutal 2011 knee injury. If Williams can reach some semblance of his old abilities, he'll be in the mix with Stepfan Taylor behind Andre Ellington. If not, the Cards can move on after training camp.

Related: Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor

Source: Mike Jurecki on Twitter
Click to expand...
 
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