A Case For DeAngelo Williams (1 Viewer)

[sholditch]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

 

[Captain Spaulding]

I'm not off the DW bandwagon yet. He had a great YPC stat from last year. Alot of that fluffed avg. could be due to draw plays and DW getting garbage yards when Carolina was down by 20 points, but none the less, he carried the rock pretty good considering. This will be the tell all year.

I was a fool who traded Westbrook after keeping him 3 years on my dynasty team...thinking 3 years should be enough track record to see if he had stud potential. Needless to say I won't be giving up on DW at least until after this season.

 

[David Yudkin]

My concern is that the Panthers fantasy RB production and team rushing numbers have not been very good in several years. Splitting up a small pie likely will not results in anyone getting a big slice of production. Unless one guy gets a huge cut of the touches and/or the Panthers start getting decent fantasy RB production, neither one of the Panthers backs will have a ton of value in my book.

 

[JamesTheScot]

My concern is that the Panthers fantasy RB production and team rushing numbers have not been very good in several years. Splitting up a small pie likely will not results in anyone getting a big slice of production. Unless one guy gets a huge cut of the touches and/or the Panthers start getting decent fantasy RB production, neither one of the Panthers backs will have a ton of value in my book.

No truer words were ever spoken.What has been puzzling to me is the people who think drafting another RB was the solution to that problem.

Fortunately, Carolina has made efforts to shore up the O-line, which should bode well for the Carolina RB's. Unfortunately, it may take another season for the line to reach it's full potential.

 

[Tanner9919]

good news is the O-line is slightly better, and, Jonathan Stewart is STILL bothered by that off-season toe surgery..

toe injuries to a RB are like garlic to a vampire..

this could get ugly for Stewart and yet pretty for D'will, in a hurry...

 

[Loan Sharks]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

 

[UnknownCoach]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

And partially as a result, he didnt have a lot of receptions. His fantasy production came on the ground for a Superbowl team. In a way, poor blocking can increase a back's fantasy production. Often a rookie RB will come into the league catching passes at first then that production falls off later in his career. Examples like Jamal Lewis and Shaun Alexander. Its a reason to be wary of Earnest Graham's receptions last year. Of course playing time is more important. That's why my point of how some coaching staffs are more favorable to poor blocking than others. Williams is better than Addai but the NFL draft landed Addai in a far better position to become a fantasy owner's wet dream.Follow the NFL draft year after year and you'll see how scouts favor tall backs and discriminate against short backs. Jones-Drew, Williams, and Rice are recent examples of backs that would have gone higher in the draft if they had the height of someone like McFadden or Forte. While Forte is being pimped as an every down back, Rice has more talent and higher upside if given the same opportunity. Had Williams been over 6 feet, he'd have gone in the first half of round one. Shorter backs like Tiki Barber, Brian Westbrook, Warrick Dunn and Willie Parker are late bloomers partially because scouts and coaches were concerned about their ability to pass protect early in their careers and partially because they are light. At 217 pounds Williams is considerably bigger than those backs and Williams carried a huge load in college. His ability to handle the load hasnt held Williams back, its been pass protection and haveing to compete with Foster who was also a more talented RB than fantasy owners care to admit.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

In a way, poor blocking can increase a back's fantasy production.

Im not buying that at all. Unless there is totally no other RBs around who is worthy of being the backfield.Otherwise you end up on the sideline way more then you want your fantasy back to be.

 

[UnknownCoach]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

In a way, poor blocking can increase a back's fantasy production.

Im not buying that at all. Unless there is totally no other RBs around who is worthy of being the backfield.Otherwise you end up on the sideline way more then you want your fantasy back to be.

So you dont think it helped Graham's fantasy production last year? Like I said, playing time is most important but I can give all kinds of examples of backs who were good blockers who didnt catch many passes and backs who were bad blockers who did.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

In a way, poor blocking can increase a back's fantasy production.

Im not buying that at all. Unless there is totally no other RBs around who is worthy of being the backfield.

Otherwise you end up on the sideline way more then you want your fantasy back to be.

So you dont think it helped Graham's fantasy production last year? Like I said, playing time is most important but I can give all kinds of examples of backs who were good blockers who didnt catch many passes and backs who were bad blockers who did.

 

[UnknownCoach]

So you do actually buy into it, you just dont want to believe that Williams is good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Or maybe you think Toefield should play over Williams because he can block better? Or maybe you just refuse to admit that Foster had a lot of talent because he didnt light up your fantasy team. Or maybe you are just suffering from a case of rookie love for Stewart.

When Williams hits free agency, someone is going to give him a big contract and make him the man. Not everyone coaches their team the way the Panthers do.

 

[mdog1967]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

It will be interesting to see whether that statement is prophetic or wishful thinking.

 

[LBH]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

It will be interesting to see whether that statement is prophetic or wishful thinking.

wishfull thinking. I expect the DW supporters to become very quiet as soon as Stewart starts getting some reps

 

[jurb26]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

It will be interesting to see whether that statement is prophetic or wishful thinking.

wishfull thinking. I expect the DW supporters to become very quiet as soon as Stewart starts getting some reps

I expect that by week 4 the excuses for Stewart will run out.

 

[FavreCo]

So you do actually buy into it, you just dont want to believe that Williams is good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Or maybe you think Toefield should play over Williams because he can block better? Or maybe you just refuse to admit that Foster had a lot of talent because he didnt light up your fantasy team. Or maybe you are just suffering from a case of rookie love for Stewart.When Williams hits free agency, someone is going to give him a big contract and make him the man. Not everyone coaches their team the way the Panthers do.

I'm thinking he needs to get outta there to showcase his skills like P. Holmes was able to do once he left Baltimore. The Carolina coaching staff is quite incompetant when it comes to evaluating talent. They thought David Carr was a QB.

 

[Duke1948]

The best cases to be made for Deangelo Williams are history and reality. According to history, Fox relies on veteran RBs without much regard to draft pedigree. According to reality, many rookie RBs are not yet equipped to handle all of the responsibilities an NFL RB must to remain on the field. I like Stewart, but its awfully hard for mee to ignore these things and assume he's a shoe-in. I have little doubt he'll be great, in time.

The reality is that Fox has never had a RB as talented as Stewart, which affects the history aspect.

and your opine matters just as much as anyone else......you make it sound like you have fox's ear.

 

[meanjoegreen]

So you do actually buy into it, you just dont want to believe that Williams is good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Or maybe you think Toefield should play over Williams because he can block better? Or maybe you just refuse to admit that Foster had a lot of talent because he didnt light up your fantasy team. Or maybe you are just suffering from a case of rookie love for Stewart.When Williams hits free agency, someone is going to give him a big contract and make him the man. Not everyone coaches their team the way the Panthers do.

I'm thinking he needs to get outta there to showcase his skills like P. Holmes was able to do once he left Baltimore. The Carolina coaching staff is quite incompetant when it comes to evaluating talent. They thought David Carr was a QB.

Carolina weren't the only people who thought Carr would have made a good backup to Delhomme. Analyst all over thought the Panthers signing of Carr as a backup was a great signing. He turned out to be bad. Many people were surprised at how awful he played last year, but it is just ignorant to say the Carolina coaching staff is incompetent. Lots of teams have signed people that ended up being disappointments. Get some new material, because your Carolina signed David Carr = a stupid organization has gotten old. DeAngelo needed to improve in many areas last year, that is why he wasn't a starter. He has worked very hard in the offseason and has made leaps and bounds on his play. A player has to have the drive and hunger to get better. A team can't teach them that. DeAngelo has that hunger now, and it is showing on the field.

 

[BassNBrew]

So you do actually buy into it, you just dont want to believe that Williams is good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Or maybe you think Toefield should play over Williams because he can block better? Or maybe you just refuse to admit that Foster had a lot of talent because he didnt light up your fantasy team. Or maybe you are just suffering from a case of rookie love for Stewart.When Williams hits free agency, someone is going to give him a big contract and make him the man. Not everyone coaches their team the way the Panthers do.

I'm thinking he needs to get outta there to showcase his skills like P. Holmes was able to do once he left Baltimore. The Carolina coaching staff is quite incompetant when it comes to evaluating talent. They thought David Carr was a QB.

I'm beginning to warm up to this opinion. Wow their were some boneheaded decisions last night. I hope I'm wrong, but I thought Stewart was a wasted drafted pick.

 

[mdog1967]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

It will be interesting to see whether that statement is prophetic or wishful thinking.

wishfull thinking. I expect the DW supporters to become very quiet as soon as Stewart starts getting some reps

I expect that by week 4 the excuses for Stewart will run out.

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

 

[MCguidance]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

It will be interesting to see whether that statement is prophetic or wishful thinking.

wishfull thinking. I expect the DW supporters to become very quiet as soon as Stewart starts getting some reps

I expect that by week 4 the excuses for Stewart will run out.

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

I wasn't able to see the game or highlights last night, how was D. Williams? I know it's a preseason, but how did his dress rehearsal go? I am interested in this given how low this guy is going in some drafts, he could be SOD. Homers? Not leaning one way or another, but it is an important situation, I think.

 

[mdog1967]

Am I correct in saying the only other RB the panthers had was Labrandon Toefield? If they had some more they were pretty scrubby. RB depth was a major concern for the draft and Stewart had nice value if he could stay healthy the panthers took him, which appears to be a problem for him. The panthers were drafting a rb period the needed one badly. To say that they went into the draft looking for a Williams replacement when they had to draft a rb is a bit of a reach. They needed a rb Stewart was the play, good maybe, injury prone yeah.

The demise of Williams is greatly exagerated, he is the real deal. Will Stewart play some if he gets healty sure. Kinda like how much T.J. Duckett played for Warrick Dunn.

Stewart may be a good backup for Williams if he can stay on the field.

It will be interesting to see whether that statement is prophetic or wishful thinking.

wishfull thinking. I expect the DW supporters to become very quiet as soon as Stewart starts getting some reps

I expect that by week 4 the excuses for Stewart will run out.

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

I wasn't able to see the game or highlights last night, how was D. Williams? I know it's a preseason, but how did his dress rehearsal go? I am interested in this given how low this guy is going in some drafts, he could be SOD. Homers? Not leaning one way or another, but it is an important situation, I think.

Williams looked good last night. Caution: Serious RBBC this season in Carolina. Disclaimer: I am a Stewart fan.

 

[jurb26]

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

You can save your time typing up synopsis of what the pre-season is for. 98% in the shark pool already know that. Williams is the one who is making enormous strides in the "learning" department from just about every report you will find. The excuses I was implying to was that we heard from all the Stewart backers after the draft and all off-season how the toe would in fact be a non issue. That Car doctors had looked on him and worked on him and that he would be fine come training camp. I can already see how those backers will parlay this toe thing into a long drawn out excuse as to why he is not starting and is being outperformed by Williams. I continue to find it comical that you guys seem to think that if you state things such as the bolded portion with vindication it somehow makes it true. Why don't you let Stewart at least play a few downs or games in the NFL before making such ultimate claims? In case you've missed the past 2 years, Williams has performed rather well. He is not chopped liver and he will indeed provide staunch competition to Stewart. As I've said for months, it will be a RBBC in Car.

 

[mdog1967]

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

You can save your time typing up synopsis of what the pre-season is for. 98% in the shark pool already know that. Williams is the one who is making enormous strides in the "learning" department from just about every report you will find. The excuses I was implying to was that we heard from all the Stewart backers after the draft and all off-season how the toe would in fact be a non issue. That Car doctors had looked on him and worked on him and that he would be fine come training camp. I can already see how those backers will parlay this toe thing into a long drawn out excuse as to why he is not starting and is being outperformed by Williams. I continue to find it comical that you guys seem to think that if you state things such as the bolded portion with vindication it somehow makes it true. Why don't you let Stewart at least play a few downs or games in the NFL before making such ultimate claims? In case you've missed the past 2 years, Williams has performed rather well. He is not chopped liver and he will indeed provide staunch competition to Stewart. As I've said for months, it will be a RBBC in Car.

Read the post right before.

 

[mdog1967]

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

You can save your time typing up synopsis of what the pre-season is for. 98% in the shark pool already know that. Williams is the one who is making enormous strides in the "learning" department from just about every report you will find. The excuses I was implying to was that we heard from all the Stewart backers after the draft and all off-season how the toe would in fact be a non issue. That Car doctors had looked on him and worked on him and that he would be fine come training camp. I can already see how those backers will parlay this toe thing into a long drawn out excuse as to why he is not starting and is being outperformed by Williams. I continue to find it comical that you guys seem to think that if you state things such as the bolded portion with vindication it somehow makes it true. Why don't you let Stewart at least play a few downs or games in the NFL before making such ultimate claims? In case you've missed the past 2 years, Williams has performed rather well. He is not chopped liver and he will indeed provide staunch competition to Stewart. As I've said for months, it will be a RBBC in Car.

As this board is all opinion unless a statistical fact, that is indeed what it is - an opinion. Yours, mine whomever. The only comical portion of this entire thread is you resistance to acknowledge that Williams job is jeopardy. So save your overt attempt at clever commentary for less capable.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

My concern is that the Panthers fantasy RB production and team rushing numbers have not been very good in several years. Splitting up a small pie likely will not results in anyone getting a big slice of production. Unless one guy gets a huge cut of the touches and/or the Panthers start getting decent fantasy RB production, neither one of the Panthers backs will have a ton of value in my book.

I tried to send the bat signal out to JT, but this is exactly along his line of thinking. If you go over the Pantehrs rush attack the past few years, no one ever ends up as a FF stud in this offense...never happens. So now we have two talented backs, what are the odds one of them outdistances way over the next one?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Did Stewart even play last night? And if not, why so? Rookies are not held out of games to save them for the regular season.

 

[jurb26]

Your kidding right, Stewart is still nursing that tow and that is an excuse. What other excuses are you referring to? Be real careful evaluating a Pre-Season Game especially the first one when starters are not going to come out and give 100%. The pre-season games are not about wins and losses, they are a dry rehearsal to help work out kinks in a scheme, provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate their talent with pads on and most important play good enough to avoid embarrassment but not hard enough to get injured. Williams had better run hard, the talent that is Stewart is superior in every facet of the game. NFL Blocking will come and can only be learned "in" the NFL. The other item to consider, the coaching staff inadvertently admitted that the blew the call on drafting Williams, the will give Stewart every opportunity to be the "Guy".

You can save your time typing up synopsis of what the pre-season is for. 98% in the shark pool already know that. Williams is the one who is making enormous strides in the "learning" department from just about every report you will find. The excuses I was implying to was that we heard from all the Stewart backers after the draft and all off-season how the toe would in fact be a non issue. That Car doctors had looked on him and worked on him and that he would be fine come training camp. I can already see how those backers will parlay this toe thing into a long drawn out excuse as to why he is not starting and is being outperformed by Williams. I continue to find it comical that you guys seem to think that if you state things such as the bolded portion with vindication it somehow makes it true. Why don't you let Stewart at least play a few downs or games in the NFL before making such ultimate claims? In case you've missed the past 2 years, Williams has performed rather well. He is not chopped liver and he will indeed provide staunch competition to Stewart. As I've said for months, it will be a RBBC in Car.

As this board is all opinion unless a statistical fact, that is indeed what it is - an opinion. Yours, mine whomever. The only comical portion of this entire thread is you resistance to acknowledge that Williams job is jeopardy. So save your overt attempt at clever commentary for less capable.

Have you not read any of my posts for the last 3 months on this? I've said all along that this would be a RBBC. How exactly is that not acknowledging that Williams job is in jeopardy? I guess your half right. No, I don't think Williams job as a portion of a RBBC is in jeopardy. You seem to agree, so I'm not sure what you're trying to point out here.

 

[jurb26]

Did Stewart even play last night? And if not, why so? Rookies are not held out of games to save them for the regular season.

No he did not play last night. His toe is still an issue.

 

[mdog1967]

Did Stewart even play last night? And if not, why so? Rookies are not held out of games to save them for the regular season.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The burst of speed and power that made running back Jonathan Stewart the No. 13 overall pick in this year's draft has been evident so far at training camp. So too have the residual effects of his healing from surgery on his right big toe in March."With any kind of surgery, you just kind of have to break yourself in, so that's what I'm going through right now," Stewart said Wednesday afternoon.

"Right now my toe is coming along. It's a slow process -- especially coming off the surgery and everything. You've just got to be patient with that. The offense itself is coming along real well. I expected it to be a big load of information coming in -- especially because I haven't been here during (organized team activities) and everything. Everything's still coming along smoothly."

Stewart couldn't even stand on the field and watch the OTA workouts; NFL rules forbade it because the University of Oregon had not completed its spring term, and Stewart's class was still a year away from graduation.

He did come to Charlotte shortly after the OTAs concluded to study the playbook and work on his rehabilitation. The result was his participation in the opening practice of training camp. But his workload has not been steady, as the team has often held him out from the second of the two-a-day practices throughout training camp.

"He's fine. We're just being precautionary," head coach John Fox said. "He's progressing just fine. He's getting plenty of reps."

"There are certain things -- like the whole explosiveness as a runner that I can have," Stewart said. "Some of that stuff is kind of limited because of my toe, going to certain sides and everything. That's what we're working on."

Stewart knows he has to sit from time to time. Better to rest now and complete the healing than cause further injury and scuttle the season to come. The toe began bothering him last November, although he did manage to take part in Oregon's Sun Bowl win last New Year's Eve.

Until training camp started, that four-hour stint on the field represented the extent of his football work for an eight-month period.

No wonder he fidgets while he waits to be back to his old self.

"I'm just antsy about going out there again and playing to my full potential," Stewart said. "It's been since November since I've been able to do that. Of course I'm feeling kind of antsy, but patience is a virtue that we all desire."

His playing status for Saturday night's game against Indianapolis has yet to be determined, with head coach John Fox saying Wednesday that it will be a "game-night decision."

But above all else, Stewart was resolute on one thought -- that his toe is improving every day, whether he plays against the Colts or not.

"Most definitely," he said.

http://www.panthers.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=35662

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Thank you MDog, good stuff.

 

[BassNBrew]

Did Stewart even play last night? And if not, why so? Rookies are not held out of games to save them for the regular season.

1) No.2) Because we gave away a ton of picks to acquire damage goods.

 

[Jon_Moore]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

 

[simey]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

I thought he looked great too. With all the fat cats the Panthers have on the OL now, hopefully with DeAngelo's progression since last year, and with the addition of Stewart, the Panthers will have themselves a running game this year.

 

[Cass Durham]

If Stewart's toe doesn't allow him to get on the field soon, it's not even going to be RBBC in Carolina to start the season. Stewart has to get practice reps to play at this level. DW is running away with this thing so far while Stewart's toe heals. And if DW jumps out of the gate when things start to count, Stewart's potential will be seeing more bench time than most of you guys are anticipating. As it has been all off-season, DW is the value pick.

 

[Brutis]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

No love for toefield?? he looked pretty darn good too.

 

[massraider]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

No love for toefield?? he looked pretty darn good too.

Pretty much invalidating DeAngelo's good showing.

 

[jonboltz]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

No love for toefield?? he looked pretty darn good too.

Pretty much invalidating DeAngelo's good showing.

p.s. In pre-season, sometimes teams don't always leave the first team defense in and a lot of people put up great games vs inferior talent...

 

[gianmarco]

Anyone else see the coincidence between Stewart and his injury and "Toefield" being on the same team?

 

[Loan Sharks]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

Williams isn't any good...... * chuckle *

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

In a way, poor blocking can increase a back's fantasy production.

Im not buying that at all. Unless there is totally no other RBs around who is worthy of being the backfield.

Otherwise you end up on the sideline way more then you want your fantasy back to be.

So you dont think it helped Graham's fantasy production last year? Like I said, playing time is most important but I can give all kinds of examples of backs who were good blockers who didnt catch many passes and backs who were bad blockers who did.

So you do actually buy into it, you just dont want to believe that Williams is good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Or maybe you think Toefield should play over Williams because he can block better? Or maybe you just refuse to admit that Foster had a lot of talent because he didnt light up your fantasy team. Or maybe you are just suffering from a case of rookie love for Stewart.

When Williams hits free agency, someone is going to give him a big contract and make him the man. Not everyone coaches their team the way the Panthers do.

No I do not by into it. Having your guy be a pisspoor blocker for the QB does project him to be more productive.If there is no one else with any ability to play, there is no one else to play and that is good all by itself. His blocking/non-blocking means nothing at that point.

 

[UnknownCoach]

Emmit was a pretty good blocker IIRC

In a way, poor blocking can increase a back's fantasy production.

Im not buying that at all. Unless there is totally no other RBs around who is worthy of being the backfield.

Otherwise you end up on the sideline way more then you want your fantasy back to be.

So you dont think it helped Graham's fantasy production last year? Like I said, playing time is most important but I can give all kinds of examples of backs who were good blockers who didnt catch many passes and backs who were bad blockers who did.

So you do actually buy into it, you just dont want to believe that Williams is good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Or maybe you think Toefield should play over Williams because he can block better? Or maybe you just refuse to admit that Foster had a lot of talent because he didnt light up your fantasy team. Or maybe you are just suffering from a case of rookie love for Stewart.

When Williams hits free agency, someone is going to give him a big contract and make him the man. Not everyone coaches their team the way the Panthers do.

No I do not by into it. Having your guy be a pisspoor blocker for the QB does project him to be more productive.If there is no one else with any ability to play, there is no one else to play and that is good all by itself. His blocking/non-blocking means nothing at that point.

You do, you just dont want to apply it to Williams. If you admit it applies to some players, then you are buying into it. When I stated it, I wasnt just saying it because it only applies to one specefic player. As long as Williams is in Carolina, I expect his receptions in relation to playing time to actually decrease as he improves his pass blocking. His reception numbers his rookie year was actually inflated by his poor pass protection much like Graham. Pass protection is not the only thing that has held Williams back. Pass protection would not have held him back on other teams. Other quality running backs the likes of Foster and Stewart are reasons that Williams is held back. Not being the "type" of RB that Carolina coaches desire to feature has held Williams back. I've clearly said that what Williams really needs is to get out of Carolina. I've clearly stated that playing time is a more important factor for fantasy production from a running back. Enough of this. I can only confuse you further.

 

[Jon_Moore]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

No love for toefield?? he looked pretty darn good too.

Pretty much invalidating DeAngelo's good showing.

p.s. In pre-season, sometimes teams don't always leave the first team defense in and a lot of people put up great games vs inferior talent...

Haha, I'm aware friend. Still, Williams looked GOOD in the game. Toefield looked good in the box score. Williams looked good on the goal line, lowering his head and shoulders, looked great on the 10 yard td run, cut back to the hole, bounced off brushed off some contact and got in.

 

[massraider]

I know, I know, it's only preseason. But, seriously, Deangelo Williams looked GREAT in the game. Far from a guy that couldn't be a feature back.

No love for toefield?? he looked pretty darn good too.

Pretty much invalidating DeAngelo's good showing.

That was said more in jest, to convey my feelings on Toefield.

 

[g5jamz]

Otah looked good...DeAngelo could've walked through those holes.

We didn't get to see a full offensive series because the defense had two turnover and put the offense in the redzone both times.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d809e632e

Look how far Otah rides the defender...Carolina's running game will be vastly improved and when Stewart hits the scene it will be even more potent.

Remember...go look what Stewart ran in the combines...and THAT was on a bad toe.

Here...I'll help you...

http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers

Stewart, Jonathan 4.48

And he's 5'11" 235lbs...

Gonna be an interesting year in Carolina...and yes...I'm a homer.

 

[sholditch]

Tony Kornheiser picked Stewart to win ROY, so you can pretty much mark off any kind of serious impact this season.

 

[Traders2001]

Panthers offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson says RB DeAngelo Williams has "become a major player on our offense."

It's been widely assumed that a soon-to-be healthy Jonathan Stewart will nudge Williams to a change of pace role, but that may not be the case now, especially to start the season. Williams has reportedly improved his professionalism this offseason, and John Fox is very loyal to veterans. This year's Panthers could be closer to a straight committee attack than initially believed, especially if Stewart can't show something soon.

 

[lord_helmet]

Tony Kornheiser picked Stewart to win ROY, so you can pretty much mark off any kind of serious impact this season.

 

[sholditch]

actually i thought it was Kornholio but it was Erik Kusselis

 

[Code_Money]

As a guy who's kept DeAngelo Williams in my dynasty the past two years he's done nothing but disappoint. And make me a laughing stock because I've finished 8th and 9th place the past two seasons. But in his defense I really don't think Fox and the coaches gave him a legitimate chance. Last year was ridiculous - no RB could have exceled in that system especially with the injuries to Delhomme and Smith and the porous offensive line. So good in fact they cut both guards.

The main knock against Williams was his blocking skills and his short yardage running. His value to this team lies with his receiving skills and his breakaway speed. He'll probably end up with 1,200-1,300 total yards but not much to show by way of scoring (maybe 5 TD's). For that reason I am not keeping him this year. The offensive line still has question marks, although this Otah kid looks good. But I'm skeptical of whether Carolina really wants to feature DeAngelo.

Did they pick Stewart at 13 for this year? Or for years to come? Was it done to motivate DeAngelo? Who knows. What I do know is Carolina is commited to a power running game and that's not DeAngelo's style.

To the original poster you make some valid points. But my advice would still be to cut ties if you want to win your league. That's what I'm doing.

 

[BigJim®]

As a guy who's kept DeAngelo Williams in my dynasty the past two years he's done nothing but disappoint. And make me a laughing stock because I've finished 8th and 9th place the past two seasons. But in his defense I really don't think Fox and the coaches gave him a legitimate chance. Last year was ridiculous - no RB could have exceled in that system especially with the injuries to Delhomme and Smith and the porous offensive line. So good in fact they cut both guards.

The main knock against Williams was his blocking skills and his short yardage running. His value to this team lies with his receiving skills and his breakaway speed. He'll probably end up with 1,200-1,300 total yards but not much to show by way of scoring (maybe 5 TD's). For that reason I am not keeping him this year. The offensive line still has question marks, although this Otah kid looks good. But I'm skeptical of whether Carolina really wants to feature DeAngelo.

Did they pick Stewart at 13 for this year? Or for years to come? Was it done to motivate DeAngelo? Who knows. What I do know is Carolina is commited to a power running game and that's not DeAngelo's style.

To the original poster you make some valid points. But my advice would still be to cut ties if you want to win your league. That's what I'm doing.

Now why in the world would you "cut ties" with Deangelo in a dynasty format, and why would you recommend others do that? I'll need a lot more information regarding your league [roster size, etc.], and what assumptions about the OP's league you are using to give this advice, before declaring it unbelievably bad advice. I'm definitely leaning that way right now.