Brandon Jackson owners in redraft leagues (1 Viewer)

[Sweetness_34]

Do not expect him to be a big factor at least for the 1st half of the year. This is exactly why AD will not be a big factor too....these guys will not be able to pick up blitzes in the NFL, which means they will be on the bench until they can.,.....which will not happen in 1st half of year

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=646223

THUMBS DOWN Whatever you do, Mike McCarthy, don't let Brett Favre watch tape of blitz pickup Monday. Favre might not want to get under center again if Brandon Jackson is supposed to be protecting him. For only the third time this camp, the running backs squared off with the linebackers in the full-contact blitz drill. It was an absolute nightmare for Jackson, the Nebraska rookie. By subjective judgment, Jackson lost all eight of his matchups: three against free agent Rory Johnson, two against Tracy White and one each against Abdul Hodge, Tim Goodwell and Desmond Bishop. In the first two sessions, Jackson had a 2-4 mark but at least made some solid contact. This time, he kept lunging and he kept missing as his quarry raced past on one side or the other. Position coach Edgar Bennett stayed by Jackson's side, reminding him to stay with his technique. Then Jackson would blow another one and look skyward as if he couldn't believe this was happening. But it was, and the Packers have a major problem. They need Jackson to be like a bug on a bus, not roadkill. They need him to face people up, not duck and lunge. No question, it is a brutally difficult exercise for the backs. But this type of spectacle could ruin an offense come September. "There's no excuse for that," Jackson said. "I will get better." If he doesn't, he can't play.

 

[mcintyre1]

Did you watch him block in the preseason games? He actually did pretty well for himself. I'll take (preseason) game play over practice performance any day of the week.

 

[packersfan]

Did you watch him block in the preseason games? He actually did pretty well for himself. I'll take (preseason) game play over practice performance any day of the week.

He blocked ok but he ran like s**t. He was horrible and really needs to show a lot more. Blitz pickups are a struggle for nearly every rookie RB so Jackson isn't alone in that regard. But his entire game needs to be elevated in a huge way if the Packers are going to be able to muster even an average running game this season.

 

[JAA]

Rookie RBs usually dont fare well fantasy wise in redraft leagues. 1 will get their 1k yards, but above and beyond that its been a long time since a rookie has taken over. Even LT2 in his rookie year did well, but not spectacular, having this stat line

| 2001 sdg |  16 |   339   1236	3.6   10 |	59	367   6.2	0 |

 

[mcintyre1]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

 

[johntorn]

Do not expect him to be a big factor at least for the 1st half of the year. This is exactly why AD will not be a big factor too....these guys will not be able to pick up blitzes in the NFL, which means they will be on the bench until they can.,.....which will not happen in 1st half of year

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=646223

THUMBS DOWN Whatever you do, Mike McCarthy, don't let Brett Favre watch tape of blitz pickup Monday. Favre might not want to get under center again if Brandon Jackson is supposed to be protecting him. For only the third time this camp, the running backs squared off with the linebackers in the full-contact blitz drill. It was an absolute nightmare for Jackson, the Nebraska rookie. By subjective judgment, Jackson lost all eight of his matchups: three against free agent Rory Johnson, two against Tracy White and one each against Abdul Hodge, Tim Goodwell and Desmond Bishop. In the first two sessions, Jackson had a 2-4 mark but at least made some solid contact. This time, he kept lunging and he kept missing as his quarry raced past on one side or the other. Position coach Edgar Bennett stayed by Jackson's side, reminding him to stay with his technique. Then Jackson would blow another one and look skyward as if he couldn't believe this was happening. But it was, and the Packers have a major problem. They need Jackson to be like a bug on a bus, not roadkill. They need him to face people up, not duck and lunge. No question, it is a brutally difficult exercise for the backs. But this type of spectacle could ruin an offense come September. "There's no excuse for that," Jackson said. "I will get better." If he doesn't, he can't play.

Oh Oh I feel a Garrett Wolfe, the next Emmitt Smith, thread coming!

 

[bostonfred]

Imagine how much less toolish the shark pool would be if the thread title for something like this was "Brandon Jackson struggling with blocking. Maybe Morency will get his shot after all"

 

[packersfan]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

 

[PahtyTom]

What does this have to do with AD?

 

[BLOX]

You can't get a good idea of what the Packers can do vs a 3-4. They are horrible against the 3-4.

Watch the game vs Seattle this week to get a better idea.

Jackson is getting tons of reps, has three weeks of TC left, and basically has no competition. I don't know if he'll pick it up or not, but I honestly believe he'll get better.

 

[kevinray]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

He also had the scrub offensive line in there. I'll hold off judgement on his running until I see him go up against a defense that hasn't been one of the leagues best the last 10 years running. No one looks that good against the Steelers running the ball.

 

[packersfan]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

He also had the scrub offensive line in there. I'll hold off judgement on his running until I see him go up against a defense that hasn't been one of the leagues best the last 10 years running. No one looks that good against the Steelers running the ball.

I'd expect the starting RB to fare better against a team's backups and third stringers. But Jackson looked awful against them too with the exception of a couple of good runs. I'm not saying the guy is 100% certain to stink; I'm just saying I haven't been impressed with him so far and what I saw against the Steelers was extremely disappointing. Hopefully he'll look better from here out because I think the Packers' hopes for an average or better running game rest on his shoulders. I don't think Morency is a starter.

 

[mr. furley]

Did you watch him block in the preseason games? He actually did pretty well for himself. I'll take (preseason) game play over practice performance any day of the week.

He blocked ok but he ran like s**t. He was horrible and really needs to show a lot more. Blitz pickups are a struggle for nearly every rookie RB so Jackson isn't alone in that regard. But his entire game needs to be elevated in a huge way if the Packers are going to be able to muster even an average running game this season.

he ran fine in both the family night scrimmage and vs. the Steelerstough to run against Pitt's 1st team defense when your line isn't moving their d-line or creating any space. he was fine.those whiffs in practice were he looked awful. i think he'll pick it up though.

 

[mr. furley]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

16 for 57. most of that was late but the whole offense looked terrible for most of the first half. the line wasn't opening any holes at all. what did you want the guy to do?

 

[packersfan]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

16 for 57. most of that was late but the whole offense looked terrible for most of the first half. the line wasn't opening any holes at all. what did you want the guy to do?

How about averaging more than 2 yards an attempt on the vast majority of his carries?

 

[switz]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

He also had the scrub offensive line in there. I'll hold off judgement on his running until I see him go up against a defense that hasn't been one of the leagues best the last 10 years running. No one looks that good against the Steelers running the ball.

Didn't see the game, did the Steelers keep their starting defense in there even after GB's first string OL left?I honestly would be more concerned about the blocking than the running. I don't think he's going to run well in the pros as it is, but by sheer volume of carries, whoever starts for GB if they go with one guy will be servicable.I still think that guy will be Morency, and the blocking issues with Jackson only add weight to that speculation.

 

[packersfan]

I think the Packers will have a solid offensive line. They improved last season as the year went on as they got more comfortable with the zone blocking scheme. So I think that will be an area of the team that is at least respectable and perhaps better. I'm just not sure the talent at RB will match it. I wasn't high on Jackson coming out and nothing he's done so far has led me to alter my opinion and while I like Morency's talent I'm not sold on him as a 20-carry a game starter. I think he's a spot starter and good third-down back. Herron is a good third-down RB but I don't even think he qualifies as "just a guy" as a starter.

Bottom line - the talent at RB is a major area of concern in my opinion for the Packers this season. I was extremely disappointed with how Thompson addressed this glaring team need.

 

[Man in the yellow hat]

Bottom line - the talent at RB is a major area of concern in my opinion for the Packers this season. I was extremely disappointed with how Thompson addressed this glaring team need.

I've heard this so much and I'm just not sure what the hell the guy was supposed to do? NFL starting backs don't just appear. Their draft position made it such that they weren't going to get one of the top few NFL ready backs. And frankly, the Free Agent market didn't really show any high impact guys. So, what was he supposed to do? Overpay an over the hill Green? Thompson played this just fine. On another note, I think many of you are way under estimating Morency.

 

[packersfan]

Bottom line - the talent at RB is a major area of concern in my opinion for the Packers this season. I was extremely disappointed with how Thompson addressed this glaring team need.

I've heard this so much and I'm just not sure what the hell the guy was supposed to do? NFL starting backs don't just appear. Their draft position made it such that they weren't going to get one of the top few NFL ready backs. And frankly, the Free Agent market didn't really show any high impact guys. So, what was he supposed to do? Overpay an over the hill Green?

Nope. I was fine with letting Green go. My preference would've been to trade for McGahee, who the Ravens got dirt cheap; make an offer for Turner or Julius Jones or go balls out and sign someone like Travis Henry, who could very well be a monster running behind the same blocking scheme in Denver. If all that failed, I would've tried like hell to trade up to get Lynch or possibly Peterson in the draft. Thompson's a big fan of trading down; well this was one year I think he needed to exhaust every possibility to trade up. As far as Morency goes I like him and raved about the trade on this forum last year. But I'm not sure he's a guy you can lean on for 20+ touches a game as a starter. I look at him more like a Mewelde Moore - a very good third-down back who can give you production as a spot starter but isn't someone you can trust for a full season in that role.

 

[mr. furley]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

16 for 57. most of that was late but the whole offense looked terrible for most of the first half. the line wasn't opening any holes at all. what did you want the guy to do?

How about averaging more than 2 yards an attempt on the vast majority of his carries?

is this where we ignore the team errors/generally poor play and throw the blame on an individual because we don't like him?

"Young hopes: McCarthy was pleased with the performances of Rodgers and Jackson.

Of Rodgers, McCarthy said: "He did a lot of good things with his feet. His ball accuracy and decision-making, for the most part, were good. I was impressed with him in the two-minute drill."

Of Jackson, he said: "I don't know if he had a whole lot of running room in the first two quarters. Then I think he showed what he was capable of doing.

"He has excellent burst and quickness. He's definitely a threat when he gets on the second level. He's a young man that just needs to play."

and

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=645672

it's just tired to hear people condemn players after ONE pre-season game. especially a game vs. a 3-4 defense in the Steelers, with a young offense where the guy is playing in his first NFL game.

he'll be fine.

 

[packersfan]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

16 for 57. most of that was late but the whole offense looked terrible for most of the first half. the line wasn't opening any holes at all. what did you want the guy to do?

How about averaging more than 2 yards an attempt on the vast majority of his carries?

is this where we ignore the team errors/generally poor play and throw the blame on an individual because we don't like him?

Nope. This is where I look at how a player performs, weigh all of the factors and reach a conclusion about that game. And I'm not just reaching a conclusion about him based on one pre-season game. I wasn't a fan of his in college; he didn't impress me much and I haven't been impressed by what I've seen from him in camp. And then he didn't impress me in the first pre-season game.As I've said twice before, hopefully he improves from here on out. As a Packers fan I'm obviously hoping he will.

 

[mr. furley]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

He also had the scrub offensive line in there. I'll hold off judgement on his running until I see him go up against a defense that hasn't been one of the leagues best the last 10 years running. No one looks that good against the Steelers running the ball.

Didn't see the game, did the Steelers keep their starting defense in there even after GB's first string OL left?I honestly would be more concerned about the blocking than the running. I don't think he's going to run well in the pros as it is, but by sheer volume of carries, whoever starts for GB if they go with one guy will be servicable.I still think that guy will be Morency, and the blocking issues with Jackson only add weight to that speculation.

blocking is going to be a big issue. chances are he's not going to be the every down back but i think he'll be the starter. Morency = one cut and go guy. doesn't strike me as particularly rugged or physical. he has to have space to make gains. probably better catching swing passes, running draws and toss plays.Jackson = looks stronger in the lower body. more physical. lower pad level and runs hard. comes from a zone system in college so he's got that familiarity which should help. i don't think either is going to tear up the league but i think people need to stop slamming every RB/WR/QB who isn't all-world right out of the gate. neither guy is going to be a 1st round fantasy pick and the Packers will probably struggle at times in the running game... but i don't think sole blame can be laid at the feet of a guy who has carried the ball a total of SIXTEEN TIMES in an NFL PRE-SEASON GAME.(not directed at you switz)

 

[DevilintheDetail]

At this point, I think it's pretty concerning that we haven't heard a positive update on Morency. Unless McCarthy is comfortable putting Favre at risk (and thereby needing to rely on his unseasoned backup), it's hard to see how Jackson can play that large a role, at least early on, if he's struggling this badly with protection.

It's looking more and more like Herron will be playing a lot of meaningful minutes in the early part of the season.

 

[mr. furley]

Thompson's a big fan of trading down; well this was one year I think he needed to exhaust every possibility to trade up.

he may well be a big fan of trading down but a big reason is because he HAS TO. Sherman decimated the roster. they had/have to re-build the depth. he's re-made the defense and improved the o-line by leaps and bounds in 2 seasons. trading away all his picks for a Peterson or Lynch when, who knows what they could do, you need to fill tons of holes is just foolish, imo.

As far as Morency goes I like him and raved about the trade on this forum last year. But I'm not sure he's a guy you can lean on for 20+ touches a game as a starter. I look at him more like a Mewelde Moore - a very good third-down back who can give you production as a spot starter but isn't someone you can trust for a full season in that role.

this is about how i feel about the guy. he can be a good change of pace guy. but he needs someone in front of him.. he can't be the starter.

 

[Man in the yellow hat]

Bottom line - the talent at RB is a major area of concern in my opinion for the Packers this season. I was extremely disappointed with how Thompson addressed this glaring team need.

I've heard this so much and I'm just not sure what the hell the guy was supposed to do? NFL starting backs don't just appear. Their draft position made it such that they weren't going to get one of the top few NFL ready backs. And frankly, the Free Agent market didn't really show any high impact guys. So, what was he supposed to do? Overpay an over the hill Green?

Nope. I was fine with letting Green go. My preference would've been to trade for McGahee, who the Ravens got dirt cheap; make an offer for Turner or Julius Jones or go balls out and sign someone like Travis Henry, who could very well be a monster running behind the same blocking scheme in Denver. If all that failed, I would've tried like hell to trade up to get Lynch or possibly Peterson in the draft. Thompson's a big fan of trading down; well this was one year I think he needed to exhaust every possibility to trade up. As far as Morency goes I like him and raved about the trade on this forum last year. But I'm not sure he's a guy you can lean on for 20+ touches a game as a starter. I look at him more like a Mewelde Moore - a very good third-down back who can give you production as a spot starter but isn't someone you can trust for a full season in that role.

If you're going to sign Henry, you might as well keep Green. I know the excitement is builiding around Henry now, but I'm still not convinved that he's going to have a big season. And you're talking about making trades, and that just doesn't make sense for a young team trying to rebuild.Overall, I thought Thompson did just fine with the hand he was dealt.

 

[mr. furley]

I wouldn't say he was TERRIBLE running the ball, but he can certainly improve. He had great quickness, but there just weren't any holes for him to go through most of the time.

I haven't been very impressed with him. Outside of a couple of good runs he looked terrible both against the Steelers' starters and (much more disconcerting in my opinion) against their scrubs too. He showed no elusiveness, no ability to read and react and no ability to make something out of nothing. Hopefully he'll look better in the remaining three games but he's not exactly taking the golden opportunity he has with Morency out and running with it.No pun intended.

16 for 57. most of that was late but the whole offense looked terrible for most of the first half. the line wasn't opening any holes at all. what did you want the guy to do?

How about averaging more than 2 yards an attempt on the vast majority of his carries?

is this where we ignore the team errors/generally poor play and throw the blame on an individual because we don't like him?

Nope. This is where I look at how a player performs, weigh all of the factors and reach a conclusion about that game. And I'm not just reaching a conclusion about him based on one pre-season game. I wasn't a fan of his in college; he didn't impress me much and I haven't been impressed by what I've seen from him in camp. And then he didn't impress me in the first pre-season game.As I've said twice before, hopefully he improves from here on out. As a Packers fan I'm obviously hoping he will.

honest question here: did you watch a lot of his games at Nebraska?

 

[mr. furley]

At this point, I think it's pretty concerning that we haven't heard a positive update on Morency. Unless McCarthy is comfortable putting Favre at risk (and thereby needing to rely on his unseasoned backup), it's hard to see how Jackson can play that large a role, at least early on, if he's struggling this badly with protection. It's looking more and more like Herron will be playing a lot of meaningful minutes in the early part of the season.

back injury.. yikes... those things tend to not go away w/o a lot of rest. they'll bring him back too soon, he'll aggravate it, try to play through it and the thing won't go away all season long. that's what i think anyways.as it is it's probably more like an 8-10 week injury rather than the 2-4 they've been saying.

 

[packersfan]

Bottom line - the talent at RB is a major area of concern in my opinion for the Packers this season. I was extremely disappointed with how Thompson addressed this glaring team need.

I've heard this so much and I'm just not sure what the hell the guy was supposed to do? NFL starting backs don't just appear. Their draft position made it such that they weren't going to get one of the top few NFL ready backs. And frankly, the Free Agent market didn't really show any high impact guys. So, what was he supposed to do? Overpay an over the hill Green?

Nope. I was fine with letting Green go. My preference would've been to trade for McGahee, who the Ravens got dirt cheap; make an offer for Turner or Julius Jones or go balls out and sign someone like Travis Henry, who could very well be a monster running behind the same blocking scheme in Denver. If all that failed, I would've tried like hell to trade up to get Lynch or possibly Peterson in the draft. Thompson's a big fan of trading down; well this was one year I think he needed to exhaust every possibility to trade up. As far as Morency goes I like him and raved about the trade on this forum last year. But I'm not sure he's a guy you can lean on for 20+ touches a game as a starter. I look at him more like a Mewelde Moore - a very good third-down back who can give you production as a spot starter but isn't someone you can trust for a full season in that role.

If you're going to sign Henry, you might as well keep Green. I know the excitement is builiding around Henry now, but I'm still not convinved that he's going to have a big season. And you're talking about making trades, and that just doesn't make sense for a young team trying to rebuild.Overall, I thought Thompson did just fine with the hand he was dealt.

We'll agree to disagree. I'm not a Thompson fan at all and was extremely disappointed with his off-season. I hope to be proven wrong. I think the Packers are a standout RB away from being a playoff team in a wide-open NFC. They play in a weak division which helps; they still have a respectable passing game at worst and I think their defense is improving. But I believe it will be all for naught if they can't run the ball. That will put more pressure on Favre and the passing game as well as the defense if it's constantly struggling to win the field-position battle and has to stay on the field for long amounts of time.

honest question here: did you watch a lot of his games at Nebraska?

I saw 5-6 Nebraska games last year and I've talked to a lot of people who saw him play a lot more. I'm not going to pretend I'm an NFL scout and watch a lot of game film. And I hope I'm wrong about him. I just wasn't impressed by him in college and he's done nothing to lead me to change my view of him throughout camp to this point. Again, hopefully he proves me wrong.

 

[kyinaz]

honest question here: did you watch a lot of his games at Nebraska?

I saw 5-6 Nebraska games last year and I've talked to a lot of people who saw him play a lot more. I'm not going to pretend I'm an NFL scout and watch a lot of game film. And I hope I'm wrong about him. I just wasn't impressed by him in college and he's done nothing to lead me to change my view of him throughout camp to this point. Again, hopefully he proves me wrong.

I for one was very impressed with B Jackson in college. Did you see the Texas game, last season? He ran extremely well against a tough D.As for the first preseason game, I thought he looked pretty good against a really tough D. On his two longest runs, he certainly showed why everyone says he has great field vision, and his motor was always running. I think he's gonna be a helluva NFL RB, if he stays healthy. He reminds me of Dominick Davis (or whatever his name is).Time will tell, but I think a lot of the negativity is from Morency owners who are worried. Morency's talented, but if you wanna talk about a guy who's never been able to shoulder the load, he's right there. Where was he in the first preseason game...on the trainer's table, as usual.

 

[Man in the yellow hat]

As for my take on Jackson. I was not impressed in his preseason debut. I thought he looked very tentative. This running system relies on backs making decisive cuts and running down hill. I say him tip toe and stutter step quite a bit, without ever really picking a hole. I'm willing to chalk it up to his first game and breaking into the system. I really don't believe it was the blocking. And honestly, I would've felt fine if he was hitting holes hard and not gaining yards. Just looked like he was thinking too much and dancing.

 

[Man in the yellow hat]

At this point, I think it's pretty concerning that we haven't heard a positive update on Morency. Unless McCarthy is comfortable putting Favre at risk (and thereby needing to rely on his unseasoned backup), it's hard to see how Jackson can play that large a role, at least early on, if he's struggling this badly with protection. It's looking more and more like Herron will be playing a lot of meaningful minutes in the early part of the season.

back injury.. yikes... those things tend to not go away w/o a lot of rest. they'll bring him back too soon, he'll aggravate it, try to play through it and the thing won't go away all season long. that's what i think anyways.as it is it's probably more like an 8-10 week injury rather than the 2-4 they've been saying.

Who has a back injury? Morency? If that's who you mean, I'm pretty sure it's a strained tendon in his knee.I agree that it'd be nice to hear something, anything. But, I'm not too concerned about this yet.

 

[Aaronstory]

As for my take on Jackson. I was not impressed in his preseason debut. I thought he looked very tentative. This running system relies on backs making decisive cuts and running down hill. I say him tip toe and stutter step quite a bit, without ever really picking a hole. I'm willing to chalk it up to his first game and breaking into the system. I really don't believe it was the blocking. And honestly, I would've felt fine if he was hitting holes hard and not gaining yards. Just looked like he was thinking too much and dancing.

Could not agree more. I think, however, that this was a combination of Jackson's inexperience and the O-line's problems adjusting to the 3-4 defense and all the blitzing PIT did. I think we'll see improvement on Saturday night against Seattle.

 

[mr. furley]

honest question here: did you watch a lot of his games at Nebraska?

I saw 5-6 Nebraska games last year and I've talked to a lot of people who saw him play a lot more. I'm not going to pretend I'm an NFL scout and watch a lot of game film. And I hope I'm wrong about him. I just wasn't impressed by him in college and he's done nothing to lead me to change my view of him throughout camp to this point. Again, hopefully he proves me wrong.

i saw bupkis from the guy so... i'm hoping you're wrong too!

 

[mr. furley]

At this point, I think it's pretty concerning that we haven't heard a positive update on Morency. Unless McCarthy is comfortable putting Favre at risk (and thereby needing to rely on his unseasoned backup), it's hard to see how Jackson can play that large a role, at least early on, if he's struggling this badly with protection. It's looking more and more like Herron will be playing a lot of meaningful minutes in the early part of the season.

back injury.. yikes... those things tend to not go away w/o a lot of rest. they'll bring him back too soon, he'll aggravate it, try to play through it and the thing won't go away all season long. that's what i think anyways.as it is it's probably more like an 8-10 week injury rather than the 2-4 they've been saying.

Who has a back injury? Morency? If that's who you mean, I'm pretty sure it's a strained tendon in his knee.I agree that it'd be nice to hear something, anything. But, I'm not too concerned about this yet.

you're right. i'm an idiot.