Breaking Down the Tape - Felix Jones (1 Viewer)

[ConstruxBoy]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

 

[prymetyme25]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

Just off of the eyeball test he seems alot like Clinton Portis. I really thought he was faster than he was but some guys play alot faster than what they would run in a 40 yard sprint and I think this kid is one of those guys. Even those Portis was smallish he was very tough and I dont know if Jones has that toughness. I think playing in the SEC might give him alittle bit of Cred but i dont know if it is enough. I really think it matters alot where he goes and what a coach thinks of him.Good Job

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

Just off of the eyeball test he seems alot like Clinton Portis. I really thought he was faster than he was but some guys play alot faster than what they would run in a 40 yard sprint and I think this kid is one of those guys. Even those Portis was smallish he was very tough and I dont know if Jones has that toughness. I think playing in the SEC might give him alittle bit of Cred but i dont know if it is enough. I really think it matters alot where he goes and what a coach thinks of him.Good Job

Thanks. There is a chance that he becomes just as successful as Portis. But the lack of touches and in the LSU game, even being on the field very much (Hillis was in there a lot) is somewhat worrisome. I get the feeling that if he stayed another year he would get those touches and plays and likely rise above Wells as the #1 RB in 2009. But he came out.

 

[Brutis]

If i see one more mock with this guy going to dallas in rd1 im gonna spit.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

If i see one more mock with this guy going to dallas in rd1 im gonna spit.

I think there are two reasons you keep seeing that. One is the Arkansas connection with Jones. But the second is that he is a good fit for them to be the lightning to Barber's Thunder. It would hurt his fantasy value of course, but using him on the outside with 10-12 touches a game would be a good match to pounding Barber the rest of the time. Barber runs so hard that if I was the Cowboys, I would find someone else to fill that role and spell him with Julius gone.

 

[Brutis]

If i see one more mock with this guy going to dallas in rd1 im gonna spit.

I think there are two reasons you keep seeing that. One is the Arkansas connection with Jones. But the second is that he is a good fit for them to be the lightning to Barber's Thunder. It would hurt his fantasy value of course, but using him on the outside with 10-12 touches a game would be a good match to pounding Barber the rest of the time. Barber runs so hard that if I was the Cowboys, I would find someone else to fill that role and spell him with Julius gone.

Thats what i dont get. I dont recall Jones ever going after a player just because they played at arkansas. Dallas is a team that had one of the top rushing duo's in football last year. If they give Barber the #1 role they could EASILY find a suitable replacement in Julius in rounds 2-4. Why the hell would i want dallas to spend a first round pick on a part-time player? its a total waste. Felix is not someone that i would feel all warm and fuzzy with if anything ever happened to Barber. I cant see this guy all of a suddent getting 20 plus carries, his scrawny-slow ### wouldnt hold up.RB is NOT a huge need for this team. CB, CB and more CB's are.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

If i see one more mock with this guy going to dallas in rd1 im gonna spit.

I think there are two reasons you keep seeing that. One is the Arkansas connection with Jones. But the second is that he is a good fit for them to be the lightning to Barber's Thunder. It would hurt his fantasy value of course, but using him on the outside with 10-12 touches a game would be a good match to pounding Barber the rest of the time. Barber runs so hard that if I was the Cowboys, I would find someone else to fill that role and spell him with Julius gone.

Thats what i dont get. I dont recall Jones ever going after a player just because they played at arkansas. Dallas is a team that had one of the top rushing duo's in football last year. If they give Barber the #1 role they could EASILY find a suitable replacement in Julius in rounds 2-4. Why the hell would i want dallas to spend a first round pick on a part-time player? its a total waste. Felix is not someone that i would feel all warm and fuzzy with if anything ever happened to Barber. I cant see this guy all of a suddent getting 20 plus carries, his scrawny-slow ### wouldnt hold up.RB is NOT a huge need for this team. CB, CB and more CB's are.

You make a good point that if they don't see the need to continue with a more RBBC approach like Barber/JJones than FJones wouldn't be a great choice and they should wait and grab more of a bruiser like Forte in the 3rd to back up Barber with a similar style.

 

[Wildman]

Haven't looked at your BDTT on him yet, but his lack of carries concerns me. He's had one 20-carry game in college (21 vs. S Carolina) and usually 2/3 of his carries are an end-around with McFadden as the up the middle threat handing (or faking) the ball. That's enormous pressure on a defense to stay at home when the fastest guy is actually the threat to go up the middle with a guard pulling.

I like Jones for a lot of reasons, but I think he and McFadden are getting overrated by most. It doesn't mean they can't be successful. I just think their numbers create more hype than what's seen on the game tape.

 

[Brutis]

If i see one more mock with this guy going to dallas in rd1 im gonna spit.

I think there are two reasons you keep seeing that. One is the Arkansas connection with Jones. But the second is that he is a good fit for them to be the lightning to Barber's Thunder. It would hurt his fantasy value of course, but using him on the outside with 10-12 touches a game would be a good match to pounding Barber the rest of the time. Barber runs so hard that if I was the Cowboys, I would find someone else to fill that role and spell him with Julius gone.

Thats what i dont get. I dont recall Jones ever going after a player just because they played at arkansas. Dallas is a team that had one of the top rushing duo's in football last year. If they give Barber the #1 role they could EASILY find a suitable replacement in Julius in rounds 2-4. Why the hell would i want dallas to spend a first round pick on a part-time player? its a total waste. Felix is not someone that i would feel all warm and fuzzy with if anything ever happened to Barber. I cant see this guy all of a suddent getting 20 plus carries, his scrawny-slow ### wouldnt hold up.RB is NOT a huge need for this team. CB, CB and more CB's are.

You make a good point that if they don't see the need to continue with a more RBBC approach like Barber/JJones than FJones wouldn't be a great choice and they should wait and grab more of a bruiser like Forte in the 3rd to back up Barber with a similar style.

Forte or choice later in that area of the draft could be an upgrade over julius and if barber went down these are the types of guys that could handle that type of workload. CB and WR are a much bigger concern and they should be able to land very good ones with those first round pick.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Haven't looked at your BDTT on him yet, but his lack of carries concerns me. He's had one 20-carry game in college (21 vs. S Carolina) and usually 2/3 of his carries are an end-around with McFadden as the up the middle threat handing (or faking) the ball. That's enormous pressure on a defense to stay at home when the fastest guy is actually the threat to go up the middle with a guard pulling. I like Jones for a lot of reasons, but I think he and McFadden are getting overrated by most. It doesn't mean they can't be successful. I just think their numbers create more hype than what's seen on the game tape.

Glad to see you agree with me, LOL.

 

[happy_donut]

First, nice write up and thanks for doing this--

But your article perpetuates this myth:

The duo (McFadden & Jones) had the most rushing yards of any tandem in college football last year.

Parentheses mine.But this has been refuted before:

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...t&p=6896910

Slaton (1744) > McFadden (1647)

White (1219) > Jones (1168)

 

[ConstruxBoy]

First, nice write up and thanks for doing this--

But your article perpetuates this myth:

The duo (McFadden & Jones) had the most rushing yards of any tandem in college football last year.

Parentheses mine.But this has been refuted before:

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...t&p=6896910

Slaton (1744) > McFadden (1647)

White (1219) > Jones (1168)

Apologies for the confusion. That statement is from Tony Nowak's take on Jones from the beginning of this season, so he is referring to 2006, not 2007.

 

[Wildman]

Haven't looked at your BDTT on him yet, but his lack of carries concerns me. He's had one 20-carry game in college (21 vs. S Carolina) and usually 2/3 of his carries are an end-around with McFadden as the up the middle threat handing (or faking) the ball. That's enormous pressure on a defense to stay at home when the fastest guy is actually the threat to go up the middle with a guard pulling. I like Jones for a lot of reasons, but I think he and McFadden are getting overrated by most. It doesn't mean they can't be successful. I just think their numbers create more hype than what's seen on the game tape.

Glad to see you agree with me, LOL.

LOL! I don't know about you Construx, but about 2 years ago when I began looking at tape in a very systematic manner I found that my viewpoints sometimes differed greatly from those who read other people's comments, watched games a bit more casually, and even watched/interviewed these players on the sidelines. At first I thought I must be missing something. Now, I feel different. I know I will miss the boat on some players, but now I feel pretty confident about what I study. It's actually a kick to log onto a site like this after I've studied everyone and see talk about players and I'm like (insert sound of the needle getting yanked off the record), "What...really???" Then again if you're in the business of prediction, you better have a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor because it will make a fool out of us all from time to time. It's like Bloom's continued fascination with Booker. I see him as a talented player, but he'll be lucky to get time with Brown and Williams still around. Of course I like WR Charles Sharon who just got released from J-ville for a bunch of guys that haven't worked out in their first location. We all have them...

 

[JohnnyU]

His real height is 5'10, not 6'0, and 207 lbs. Why is college Height / Weight always inflated? Why shouldn't they be required to list this accurately?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Haven't looked at your BDTT on him yet, but his lack of carries concerns me. He's had one 20-carry game in college (21 vs. S Carolina) and usually 2/3 of his carries are an end-around with McFadden as the up the middle threat handing (or faking) the ball. That's enormous pressure on a defense to stay at home when the fastest guy is actually the threat to go up the middle with a guard pulling. I like Jones for a lot of reasons, but I think he and McFadden are getting overrated by most. It doesn't mean they can't be successful. I just think their numbers create more hype than what's seen on the game tape.

Glad to see you agree with me, LOL.

LOL! I don't know about you Construx, but about 2 years ago when I began looking at tape in a very systematic manner I found that my viewpoints sometimes differed greatly from those who read other people's comments, watched games a bit more casually, and even watched/interviewed these players on the sidelines. At first I thought I must be missing something. Now, I feel different. I know I will miss the boat on some players, but now I feel pretty confident about what I study. It's actually a kick to log onto a site like this after I've studied everyone and see talk about players and I'm like (insert sound of the needle getting yanked off the record), "What...really???" Then again if you're in the business of prediction, you better have a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor because it will make a fool out of us all from time to time. It's like Bloom's continued fascination with Booker. I see him as a talented player, but he'll be lucky to get time with Brown and Williams still around. Of course I like WR Charles Sharon who just got released from J-ville for a bunch of guys that haven't worked out in their first location. We all have them...

My four RBs like that are Graham (who finally looked good last season), Ryan Moats, Jerome Harrison and Andre Hall. I also still like Brandon Jackson. It's easy to fall in love, lol.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

His real height is 5'10, not 6'0, and 207 lbs. Why is college Height / Weight always inflated? Why shouldn't they be required to list this accurately?

It's just part of the game of getting their players more pub, I think. Of course the combine always sorts that out. I've been taking these heights and weights from pre-season so I should switch them for the future articles.

 

[teamroc]

His real height is 5'10, not 6'0, and 207 lbs. Why is college Height / Weight always inflated? Why shouldn't they be required to list this accurately?

It's just part of the game of getting their players more pub, I think. Of course the combine always sorts that out. I've been taking these heights and weights from pre-season so I should switch them for the future articles.

And in Basketball, you have guys who want to be 6'11 vs 7', because of the preception of a 7'er who can just rebound/block shots. (eg Garnett)

 

[switz]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

I'm just wondering why you chose LSU as the tape to use? It's probably the best defense in college last season.So it may be a better indication of how he'll do in the pros, or it might be a bad selection when some of the other BDDTs that "favored" other RBs were versus much much weaker competition.

I also don't see how that tape would have dropped him two spots in your rankings...

 

[switz]

If i see one more mock with this guy going to dallas in rd1 im gonna spit. <_<

How are you going to feel when they actually draft him in the first round?

 

[Bizkiteer]

The second problem with a lack of touches is wondering why the back has so few touches. Of course, playing with a fantastic running back in Darren McFadden is going to limit touches for many running backs. But even playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in 2005, LenDale White had 37.5% of the team carries. Jones had 21.3% of Arkansas' carries in 2007.

My only point I'd make is that comparing McFadden/F. Jones to Bush/L/ White is really a good or fair comparison. Bush and White were and still have polar opposite type running styles. So, it was a more of the traditional Lightening and Thunder type set up. Neither Jones or McFadden fall into a typical Thunder type RB. USC would mix it up a bit more for the fact that it really threw defenses off by playing against two such different type of backs. Thus, a team could or would increase the amount of carries (%). Nothing too major, but thought it was worth pointing out.

 

[redman]

All of the concerns I have about McFadden are heightened with Jones. Neither guy broke a lot of tackles, and each is primarily a RB who relies upon speed, something that is certainly portable to the NFL but that is also not going to get them as far against NFL defenses.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

I'm just wondering why you chose LSU as the tape to use? It's probably the best defense in college last season.So it may be a better indication of how he'll do in the pros, or it might be a bad selection when some of the other BDDTs that "favored" other RBs were versus much much weaker competition.

I also don't see how that tape would have dropped him two spots in your rankings...

Just a bit of the luck of the draw. I picked games to tape and use before the season started for the most part. Some of the defense were good, some were not. It's interesting you mention them as the best defense in college because McFadden ripped them in that game and a lot of people here wanted me to use that tape to re-do McFadden. The rankings are not solely based on the articles, they're also based on other games I've seen but not reviewed. I've seen a lot of Jones this season and last and I think the drop is reasonable based on my opinions.

I saw you ranked him 2nd in another thread, at least I think that was you, and you might be correct. I just think he's higher risk and I don't generally like higher risk.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

The second problem with a lack of touches is wondering why the back has so few touches. Of course, playing with a fantastic running back in Darren McFadden is going to limit touches for many running backs. But even playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in 2005, LenDale White had 37.5% of the team carries. Jones had 21.3% of Arkansas' carries in 2007.

My only point I'd make is that comparing McFadden/F. Jones to Bush/L/ White is really a good or fair comparison. Bush and White were and still have polar opposite type running styles. So, it was a more of the traditional Lightening and Thunder type set up. Neither Jones or McFadden fall into a typical Thunder type RB. USC would mix it up a bit more for the fact that it really threw defenses off by playing against two such different type of backs. Thus, a team could or would increase the amount of carries (%). Nothing too major, but thought it was worth pointing out.

Good points. I also was looking at the Brown/Williams tandem at Auburn to compare. Basically just trying to find two highly rated backs in the same backfield. But it's certainly not a perfect comparison.

 

[switz]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

I'm just wondering why you chose LSU as the tape to use? It's probably the best defense in college last season.So it may be a better indication of how he'll do in the pros, or it might be a bad selection when some of the other BDDTs that "favored" other RBs were versus much much weaker competition.

I also don't see how that tape would have dropped him two spots in your rankings...

Just a bit of the luck of the draw. I picked games to tape and use before the season started for the most part. Some of the defense were good, some were not. It's interesting you mention them as the best defense in college because McFadden ripped them in that game and a lot of people here wanted me to use that tape to re-do McFadden. The rankings are not solely based on the articles, they're also based on other games I've seen but not reviewed. I've seen a lot of Jones this season and last and I think the drop is reasonable based on my opinions.

I saw you ranked him 2nd in another thread, at least I think that was you, and you might be correct. I just think he's higher risk and I don't generally like higher risk.

Yeah, I do have him as #2 in this class, I just think with his size, speed, vision, etc. he's got the goods to be a great NFL RB. I do agree on him being higher risk than some of the others, but I also think his ceiling is higher.Thank you for clarifying the drop wasn't base don the one tape... I was under the impression that you were using one game to revamp your rankings. Thanks for the hard work BTW, excellent job.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

I'm just wondering why you chose LSU as the tape to use? It's probably the best defense in college last season.So it may be a better indication of how he'll do in the pros, or it might be a bad selection when some of the other BDDTs that "favored" other RBs were versus much much weaker competition.

I also don't see how that tape would have dropped him two spots in your rankings...

Just a bit of the luck of the draw. I picked games to tape and use before the season started for the most part. Some of the defense were good, some were not. It's interesting you mention them as the best defense in college because McFadden ripped them in that game and a lot of people here wanted me to use that tape to re-do McFadden. The rankings are not solely based on the articles, they're also based on other games I've seen but not reviewed. I've seen a lot of Jones this season and last and I think the drop is reasonable based on my opinions.

I saw you ranked him 2nd in another thread, at least I think that was you, and you might be correct. I just think he's higher risk and I don't generally like higher risk.

Yeah, I do have him as #2 in this class, I just think with his size, speed, vision, etc. he's got the goods to be a great NFL RB. I do agree on him being higher risk than some of the others, but I also think his ceiling is higher.Thank you for clarifying the drop wasn't base don the one tape... I was under the impression that you were using one game to revamp your rankings. Thanks for the hard work BTW, excellent job.

No problem and thanks. I should probably make it more clear that the rankings aren't just based on that one game.

 

[switz]

All of the concerns I have about McFadden are heightened with Jones. Neither guy broke a lot of tackles, and each is primarily a RB who relies upon speed, something that is certainly portable to the NFL but that is also not going to get them as far against NFL defenses.

I can understand having similar concerns, but I would think they would be lesser with Jones. His runs were traditional RB runs, whereas much of what McFadden did was gimmickry, and QB draws.Jones showed more ability to break tackles than McFadden, and better vision and cutting ability.I see him as less of a risk than McFadden.

 

[redman]

All of the concerns I have about McFadden are heightened with Jones. Neither guy broke a lot of tackles, and each is primarily a RB who relies upon speed, something that is certainly portable to the NFL but that is also not going to get them as far against NFL defenses.

I can understand having similar concerns, but I would think they would be lesser with Jones. His runs were traditional RB runs, whereas much of what McFadden did was gimmickry, and QB draws.Jones showed more ability to break tackles than McFadden, and better vision and cutting ability.I see him as less of a risk than McFadden.

Do you have a link to a highlight video of him breaking tackles? The only ones I've see have him running off tackle virtually untouched and really highlight his speed, without even so much as a juke move.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

All of the concerns I have about McFadden are heightened with Jones. Neither guy broke a lot of tackles, and each is primarily a RB who relies upon speed, something that is certainly portable to the NFL but that is also not going to get them as far against NFL defenses.

I can understand having similar concerns, but I would think they would be lesser with Jones. His runs were traditional RB runs, whereas much of what McFadden did was gimmickry, and QB draws.Jones showed more ability to break tackles than McFadden, and better vision and cutting ability.I see him as less of a risk than McFadden.

I disagree here. I think it was the opposite. McFadden was in the Wildcat formation as QB more and therefore started from the middle of the field a lot more than Jones. I still saw him succeed more when there were large holes or by running folks over than by making lateral moves. For Jones, I mainly saw the large holes, but better lateral moves.

 

[switz]

All of the concerns I have about McFadden are heightened with Jones. Neither guy broke a lot of tackles, and each is primarily a RB who relies upon speed, something that is certainly portable to the NFL but that is also not going to get them as far against NFL defenses.

I can understand having similar concerns, but I would think they would be lesser with Jones. His runs were traditional RB runs, whereas much of what McFadden did was gimmickry, and QB draws.Jones showed more ability to break tackles than McFadden, and better vision and cutting ability.

I see him as less of a risk than McFadden.

Do you have a link to a highlight video of him breaking tackles? The only ones I've see have him running off tackle virtually untouched and really highlight his speed, without even so much as a juke move.

try this one - 0:52 seconds in, run up the middle, bounces off a hit... and at about 1:04 he throws out a stiff arm to prevent a tackle. BTW, first video I clicked on.another one - about :06 and :09 in two different guys can't tackle him, I wouldn't call their effort very good though... also a run up the middle though

great video altogether - 3:43 nice stiffarm by Jones to get the TD, about 4:16 he breaks a tackle to get the first

Does he "run over" people? No, but neither does LT.

 

[higgins]

 

[Jedimaster21]

Hi guys,

The Felix Jones BDTT feature is posted here.

As always, let me know what you think.

I'm just wondering why you chose LSU as the tape to use? It's probably the best defense in college last season.So it may be a better indication of how he'll do in the pros, or it might be a bad selection when some of the other BDDTs that "favored" other RBs were versus much much weaker competition.

I also don't see how that tape would have dropped him two spots in your rankings...

Just a bit of the luck of the draw. I picked games to tape and use before the season started for the most part. Some of the defense were good, some were not. It's interesting you mention them as the best defense in college because McFadden ripped them in that game and a lot of people here wanted me to use that tape to re-do McFadden. The rankings are not solely based on the articles, they're also based on other games I've seen but not reviewed. I've seen a lot of Jones this season and last and I think the drop is reasonable based on my opinions.

I saw you ranked him 2nd in another thread, at least I think that was you, and you might be correct. I just think he's higher risk and I don't generally like higher risk.

Yeah, I do have him as #2 in this class, I just think with his size, speed, vision, etc. he's got the goods to be a great NFL RB. I do agree on him being higher risk than some of the others, but I also think his ceiling is higher.Thank you for clarifying the drop wasn't base don the one tape... I was under the impression that you were using one game to revamp your rankings. Thanks for the hard work BTW, excellent job.

Yes, thanks for all the hard work! I agree with your assessment of Felix. I think he is a totally different back than McFadden. McFadden relies on his speed, while Felix uses his tremendous elusiveness/speed mix. Felix is a much more natural runner IMO, and has a more traditional RB build. Many are saying that Felix has the highest bust rate, but I tend to disagree. A floor for Jones will still have him in a part time role catching quite a few passes, and that hedges some of his risk IMO.

 

[Jedimaster21]

Haven't looked at your BDTT on him yet, but his lack of carries concerns me. He's had one 20-carry game in college (21 vs. S Carolina) and usually 2/3 of his carries are an end-around with McFadden as the up the middle threat handing (or faking) the ball. That's enormous pressure on a defense to stay at home when the fastest guy is actually the threat to go up the middle with a guard pulling. I like Jones for a lot of reasons, but I think he and McFadden are getting overrated by most. It doesn't mean they can't be successful. I just think their numbers create more hype than what's seen on the game tape.

I am curious about your view on Felix. I understand your concerns, but what would be your assessment of his overall skill set from watching him on film?

 

[Wildman]

No offense meant, but the first two examples are not good examples of tackle breaking. At 0:52 that's a play 95% of the RBs in this class who won't make an NFL squad will be able to break because it's a play where their momentum allows them to bounce off a hit from an angle, which isn't difficult to do because it is a glancing blow and the player didn't attempt to hit, wrap, and drive. He didn't have the speed to get there and do it. If the hit were to the legs or square to the body and he bounces off it then that percentage gets cut drastically and it's more impressive.

1:04 that stiff arm is after he's already passed the player at the sideline with his speed, its more of an an insurance move than a tackle breaker. I have seen him throw quality stiff arms though.

:06 definitely shows his acceleration but I think that's different that breaking a tackle. :09 is a killer dip to elude the back side and front side pursuit. Excellent elusiveness, not a broken tackle.

3:43-yep, nice stiff arm...and 4:16, that's a good yards after contact play. The question is whether he can do this with just a 3-5 yard head start with the ball while running north-south on 15-20 plays a week. I think it's possible, but compared to other runners where I KNOW it's happened, I'd rather take them.

 

[redman]

No offense meant, but the first two examples are not good examples of tackle breaking. At 0:52 that's a play 95% of the RBs in this class who won't make an NFL squad will be able to break because it's a play where their momentum allows them to bounce off a hit from an angle, which isn't difficult to do because it is a glancing blow and the player didn't attempt to hit, wrap, and drive. He didn't have the speed to get there and do it. If the hit were to the legs or square to the body and he bounces off it then that percentage gets cut drastically and it's more impressive. 1:04 that stiff arm is after he's already passed the player at the sideline with his speed, its more of an an insurance move than a tackle breaker. I have seen him throw quality stiff arms though. :06 definitely shows his acceleration but I think that's different that breaking a tackle. :09 is a killer dip to elude the back side and front side pursuit. Excellent elusiveness, not a broken tackle. 3:43-yep, nice stiff arm...and 4:16, that's a good yards after contact play. The question is whether he can do this with just a 3-5 yard head start with the ball while running north-south on 15-20 plays a week. I think it's possible, but compared to other runners where I KNOW it's happened, I'd rather take them.

This is what I've observed too.

 

[switz]

No offense meant, but the first two examples are not good examples of tackle breaking. At 0:52 that's a play 95% of the RBs in this class who won't make an NFL squad will be able to break because it's a play where their momentum allows them to bounce off a hit from an angle, which isn't difficult to do because it is a glancing blow and the player didn't attempt to hit, wrap, and drive. He didn't have the speed to get there and do it. If the hit were to the legs or square to the body and he bounces off it then that percentage gets cut drastically and it's more impressive.

1:04 that stiff arm is after he's already passed the player at the sideline with his speed, its more of an an insurance move than a tackle breaker. I have seen him throw quality stiff arms though.

:06 definitely shows his acceleration but I think that's different that breaking a tackle. :09 is a killer dip to elude the back side and front side pursuit. Excellent elusiveness, not a broken tackle.

3:43-yep, nice stiff arm...and 4:16, that's a good yards after contact play. The question is whether he can do this with just a 3-5 yard head start with the ball while running north-south on 15-20 plays a week. I think it's possible, but compared to other runners where I KNOW it's happened, I'd rather take them.

My only comment... There are a lot of college and NFL RBs who go down on hits like that... Jones doesn't. And while they may not be the most impressive "tackle breaking" examples, they do show he's NOT a guy who goes down on first contact, as Redman implied in the post I was replying to. He hasn't had a ton of opportunities, and his speed is sick, so out of his opportunities, there were even fewer opportunities for defenses to tackle him. I would think that's a good thing, not a negative.

 

[Wildman]

Haven't looked at your BDTT on him yet, but his lack of carries concerns me. He's had one 20-carry game in college (21 vs. S Carolina) and usually 2/3 of his carries are an end-around with McFadden as the up the middle threat handing (or faking) the ball. That's enormous pressure on a defense to stay at home when the fastest guy is actually the threat to go up the middle with a guard pulling. I like Jones for a lot of reasons, but I think he and McFadden are getting overrated by most. It doesn't mean they can't be successful. I just think their numbers create more hype than what's seen on the game tape.

I am curious about your view on Felix. I understand your concerns, but what would be your assessment of his overall skill set from watching him on film?

Without going into the detail that you can find me mentioning elsewhere after April 1st (see sig)...One concern is vision between the tackles. It's not a huge concerns. His style is good enough to gain some yardage after contact. It's not great, but it's decent. When I'm debating Switz's points it's more to show the subtle differences in which people define things like power, elusiveness, yards after contact, stiff arms, etc. I have fewer concerns about Jones than McFadden. I think Jones could be much like a Selvin Young. I had them rated similarly. It's just that I have 5-7 players as good or better than Jones and the fact a vast majority of his runs are open field deals where he never had to through the line of scrimmage and his carry workload has been typically 13-15 touches, max is less proven than the workhorses of this class. Some people will say this will have him fresh for the NFL, but I don't subscribe to that theory very often. Plus, 8-9 of those touches are end arounds. So when I'm saying Felix is overrated, I'm not saying he's bad. I'm just saying there are better and more proven in this class. On the other hand, when I say McFadden is overrated, I'm saying he has some clear issues with his game that I think people are ignoring. Like Bloom mentioned, he could turn into that player where his talents so outweigh the problems that the problems don't matter much in the NFL. Kind of like how people talked about Vince Young's arm motion and mobility and Young played well enough to be seen as a guy with a chance to develop into a solid starter. I guess without being hopelessly stubborn about the topic like Merril Hoge is with Young, I think McFadden's deficiencies will be problematic. Last year I rated Lynch slightly higher than Peterson for near-term impact because I felt Peterson's pass blocking, vision, and ball protection dropped him slightly below Lynch. At the same time I made it clear that Peterson was potentially a once in a decade runner along the lines of a Dickerson, Campbell, or Brown. I just stated that he may have some huge games followed up by some clunkers. I just didn't think his huge games would already be record-breakers So that's where I'm coming from. I know I didn't give you the goods on Felix with this answer, but if you see the link below you'll understand why.

 

[switz]

No offense meant, but the first two examples are not good examples of tackle breaking. At 0:52 that's a play 95% of the RBs in this class who won't make an NFL squad will be able to break because it's a play where their momentum allows them to bounce off a hit from an angle, which isn't difficult to do because it is a glancing blow and the player didn't attempt to hit, wrap, and drive. He didn't have the speed to get there and do it. If the hit were to the legs or square to the body and he bounces off it then that percentage gets cut drastically and it's more impressive.

1:04 that stiff arm is after he's already passed the player at the sideline with his speed, its more of an an insurance move than a tackle breaker. I have seen him throw quality stiff arms though.

:06 definitely shows his acceleration but I think that's different that breaking a tackle. :09 is a killer dip to elude the back side and front side pursuit. Excellent elusiveness, not a broken tackle.

3:43-yep, nice stiff arm...and 4:16, that's a good yards after contact play. The question is whether he can do this with just a 3-5 yard head start with the ball while running north-south on 15-20 plays a week. I think it's possible, but compared to other runners where I KNOW it's happened, I'd rather take them.

This is what I've observed too.

Really?

Do you have a link to a highlight video of him breaking tackles? The only ones I've see have him running off tackle virtually untouched and really highlight his speed, without even so much as a juke move.

Wildman's comments are virtually the exact opposite of what you say you observed.BTW... I agree 100% with Wildman, especially the question about 15-20 carries a game. That why I see him as risky. But I don't think his risk is as high as others because he has shown a complete game - great receiver, vision, balance, field awareness, lead blocked for McFadden quite a bit, can break tackles - even if he hasn't done it a lot. The question isn't whether he has talent for the NFL, but rather does he have the durablility to carry the load.

 

[redman]

No offense meant, but the first two examples are not good examples of tackle breaking. At 0:52 that's a play 95% of the RBs in this class who won't make an NFL squad will be able to break because it's a play where their momentum allows them to bounce off a hit from an angle, which isn't difficult to do because it is a glancing blow and the player didn't attempt to hit, wrap, and drive. He didn't have the speed to get there and do it. If the hit were to the legs or square to the body and he bounces off it then that percentage gets cut drastically and it's more impressive.

1:04 that stiff arm is after he's already passed the player at the sideline with his speed, its more of an an insurance move than a tackle breaker. I have seen him throw quality stiff arms though.

:06 definitely shows his acceleration but I think that's different that breaking a tackle. :09 is a killer dip to elude the back side and front side pursuit. Excellent elusiveness, not a broken tackle.

3:43-yep, nice stiff arm...and 4:16, that's a good yards after contact play. The question is whether he can do this with just a 3-5 yard head start with the ball while running north-south on 15-20 plays a week. I think it's possible, but compared to other runners where I KNOW it's happened, I'd rather take them. Fair enough here - one example.

This is what I've observed too.

Really?

Do you have a link to a highlight video of him breaking tackles? The only ones I've see have him running off tackle virtually untouched and really highlight his speed, without even so much as a juke move.

Wildman's comments are virtually the exact opposite of what you say you observed.BTW... I agree 100% with Wildman, especially the question about 15-20 carries a game. That why I see him as risky. But I don't think his risk is as high as others because he has shown a complete game - great receiver, vision, balance, field awareness, lead blocked for McFadden quite a bit, can break tackles - even if he hasn't done it a lot. The question isn't whether he has talent for the NFL, but rather does he have the durablility to carry the load.

Here, I'll help you out (see above).

 

[switz]

No offense meant, but the first two examples are not good examples of tackle breaking. At 0:52 that's a play 95% of the RBs in this class who won't make an NFL squad will be able to break because it's a play where their momentum allows them to bounce off a hit from an angle, which isn't difficult to do because it is a glancing blow and the player didn't attempt to hit, wrap, and drive. He didn't have the speed to get there and do it. If the hit were to the legs or square to the body and he bounces off it then that percentage gets cut drastically and it's more impressive.

1:04 that stiff arm is after he's already passed the player at the sideline with his speed, its more of an an insurance move than a tackle breaker. I have seen him throw quality stiff arms though.

:06 definitely shows his acceleration but I think that's different that breaking a tackle. :09 is a killer dip to elude the back side and front side pursuit. Excellent elusiveness, not a broken tackle.

3:43-yep, nice stiff arm...and 4:16, that's a good yards after contact play. The question is whether he can do this with just a 3-5 yard head start with the ball while running north-south on 15-20 plays a week. I think it's possible, but compared to other runners where I KNOW it's happened, I'd rather take them. Fair enough here - one example.

This is what I've observed too.

Really?

Do you have a link to a highlight video of him breaking tackles? The only ones I've see have him running off tackle virtually untouched and really highlight his speed, without even so much as a juke move.

Wildman's comments are virtually the exact opposite of what you say you observed.BTW... I agree 100% with Wildman, especially the question about 15-20 carries a game. That why I see him as risky. But I don't think his risk is as high as others because he has shown a complete game - great receiver, vision, balance, field awareness, lead blocked for McFadden quite a bit, can break tackles - even if he hasn't done it a lot. The question isn't whether he has talent for the NFL, but rather does he have the durablility to carry the load.

Here, I'll help you out (see above).

I'm not trying to be belligerent, but you clearly say "virtually untouched" - and Wildman points out that he was "touched" but hadn't had as impressive broken tackles as if they were straight on.You also said "without even so much as a juke move", yet Wildman comments quite a bit on his elusiveness.

Maybe we're arguing semantics.

 

[cstu]

The second problem with a lack of touches is wondering why the back has so few touches. Of course, playing with a fantastic running back in Darren McFadden is going to limit touches for many running backs. But even playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in 2005, LenDale White had 37.5% of the team carries. Jones had 21.3% of Arkansas' carries in 2007.

Further solidifies my belief in McFadden since he can hold a RB as good as Felix to 21% of the carries.

 

[Chaos Commish]

What was with the 8 reps of 225 at the Combine? Was there a problem or does he have a serious upper body strength issue? You may think benching has nothing to do with running the football, but there is a strong correlation to that event and NFL success. I don't think there's been a starting RB in the NFL who failed to push it 15 times in the last ten years. I'm not suggesting it couldn't happen but 8? 8? That's just pathetic. Seriously, anyone know the story here? I'm hoping he had an explanation and can do much better.

Last August I had Felix RB2 in this class. It was very fluid, but I wanted Stewart to prove it to me, and Mendenhall was off my radar. Now I have him in the tier that starts at RB4 and ends at RB11. I'm just going with Jene Bramel's approach to tiering here. I cannot rank them with conviction. They are a deck of cards I shuffle differently on the hour. I've always had issues with commitment. But I do think there is a key point about this and it certainly includes Felix.

These are good RBs. This isn't a normal crop. There is an impulse to be high on the best of them and progressively start going more negative in an ordered ranking. I caution against that standard approach this year, especially prior to the draft. Let the real pros sort them out a little. These are all very solid, very capable, NFL quality RBs. Take one. Take your favorite for whatever reason he is your favorite. You have a good chance of having a good player.

Anyway Construx, there's nothing in this piece I disagree with. You were right about that.

eta: I believe LenDale had a pathetic bench # too, so... Still.

 

[Poppa]

 

[EBF]

At his best, he looks great. He can put his foot down and make explosive cuts that few RBs in this class can make. At his worst, he runs flimsy and looks like a backup. The good news for Jones is that he has a nice frame and looks like he could maybe bulk up 5-10 more pounds. If he can run hard then he has starting potential. It's probably safest to view him as backup material though.

(I realize that this must sound odd given my bashing of McFadden's wispy frame, but therein lies the rub. Jones is thinnish on a stout frame. McFadden is thinnish on a thin frame.)

 

[Wildman]

I think hip level-knee bend has something to do with what we might be talking about here.

Any type of power you generate when it comes to delivering or deflecting a blow comes from the legs and hips. Not only do they have to be strong, but they need to be positioned well to transfer energy from yourself to someone else. They explain this in more detail on shows that study the physics of martial arts--i.e., National Geographic's show where they hook up UFC fighters like Randy Couture to sensors that measure force and flow of energy throughout the body.

I know it seems a bit like a jump to apply this to a running back, but its not. Think about a runner heading through the line of scrimmage and they face a DT, LB, or DB greeting them head-on. If your hips are and knees are bent, your shoulders generally have to be leaning forward and a bit lower and you can explode into the contact and the energy transfers from your legs in the ground up your hips and to the point of contact with the defender. A great runner has learned (and by repetition and natural talent begins to intuitively understand) how to subtly change the angle of contact in close quarters while delivering enough of a blow to "shed" the tackle if not just knock guy on his butt. This is why a back like Eddie George who "ran too high" coming out of college actually was a good NFL player. He was taller than the average back, but he knew how to lower his shoulders and bend his knees and hips so more times than not he exploded into contact.

Same with Eric Dickerson. Most people remember his "upright" running style, but if you watch highlights that don't involve him running through creases untouched for 40-60 yards and looking like Carl Lewis in pads, you'll see a guy who could get low very quick and deliver a blow with his shoulders into contact. Adrian Peterson is capable of the same thing. I never once worried about his upright running style. The guy has monstrously great balance. When I first thought about comparisons to Peterson vs. McFadden I would watch how McFadden would get yanked out of bounds by the arm a hit to the hips, or a horse collar and see right away from the standpoint of balance Peterson is way different--he stayed in bounds on plays like this all the time (which is what is one of quite a few things special about his skills). But this also has to do with hip and leg alignment and strength.

When I see McFadden in the hole he gets yanked backwards more than many backs (even compared to 6-0, 200-lb Felix Smith) in the hole or knocked down on is butt from head-on hits because his knee bend and hip bend is just not there. How can you tell, look at his shoulders. A back like George or Dickerson often ran as if their shoulders were a big hand on a clock pointed to the number 2 or at worst between the number 1 and number 2. A back like McFadden is somewhere between the 12 and 1 and never quite at 1. It's why when he is going into a hole and gets hit, he'll fall backwards more than the average NFL quality prospect. A back like Edgerrin James, who is unbelievably good at getting low often gets closer to the number 3 with his shoulder lean and while still running forward. You can't do this unless your hips and knees are bent.

Felix Jones keeps his shoulders between the 1 and 2 position on the clock when running through traffic. It's why he most often falls forward and I'm not as worried about his prospects from this standpoint.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

The second problem with a lack of touches is wondering why the back has so few touches. Of course, playing with a fantastic running back in Darren McFadden is going to limit touches for many running backs. But even playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in 2005, LenDale White had 37.5% of the team carries. Jones had 21.3% of Arkansas' carries in 2007.

Further solidifies my belief in McFadden since he can hold a RB as good as Felix to 21% of the carries.

Excellent point, although I have two thoughts there. One is that they ran so many plays in the WildCat formation with McFadden at QB that he touches the ball a lot. And I believe that he generally decides whether to hand it off or not, so it may be more of him wanting the ball in his hands than the coaches not liking Jones as much. Secondly, I've seen Arkansas fans put down Houston Nutt/David Lee as offensive minds, so maybe they should have been calling more plays for Jones?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I think hip level-knee bend has something to do with what we might be talking about here. Any type of power you generate when it comes to delivering or deflecting a blow comes from the legs and hips. Not only do they have to be strong, but they need to be positioned well to transfer energy from yourself to someone else. They explain this in more detail on shows that study the physics of martial arts--i.e., National Geographic's show where they hook up UFC fighters like Randy Couture to sensors that measure force and flow of energy throughout the body. I know it seems a bit like a jump to apply this to a running back, but its not. Think about a runner heading through the line of scrimmage and they face a DT, LB, or DB greeting them head-on. If your hips are and knees are bent, your shoulders generally have to be leaning forward and a bit lower and you can explode into the contact and the energy transfers from your legs in the ground up your hips and to the point of contact with the defender. A great runner has learned (and by repetition and natural talent begins to intuitively understand) how to subtly change the angle of contact in close quarters while delivering enough of a blow to "shed" the tackle if not just knock guy on his butt. This is why a back like Eddie George who "ran too high" coming out of college actually was a good NFL player. He was taller than the average back, but he knew how to lower his shoulders and bend his knees and hips so more times than not he exploded into contact. Same with Eric Dickerson. Most people remember his "upright" running style, but if you watch highlights that don't involve him running through creases untouched for 40-60 yards and looking like Carl Lewis in pads, you'll see a guy who could get low very quick and deliver a blow with his shoulders into contact. Adrian Peterson is capable of the same thing. I never once worried about his upright running style. The guy has monstrously great balance. When I first thought about comparisons to Peterson vs. McFadden I would watch how McFadden would get yanked out of bounds by the arm a hit to the hips, or a horse collar and see right away from the standpoint of balance Peterson is way different--he stayed in bounds on plays like this all the time (which is what is one of quite a few things special about his skills). But this also has to do with hip and leg alignment and strength. When I see McFadden in the hole he gets yanked backwards more than many backs (even compared to 6-0, 200-lb Felix Smith) in the hole or knocked down on is butt from head-on hits because his knee bend and hip bend is just not there. How can you tell, look at his shoulders. A back like George or Dickerson often ran as if their shoulders were a big hand on a clock pointed to the number 2 or at worst between the number 1 and number 2. A back like McFadden is somewhere between the 12 and 1 and never quite at 1. It's why when he is going into a hole and gets hit, he'll fall backwards more than the average NFL quality prospect. A back like Edgerrin James, who is unbelievably good at getting low often gets closer to the number 3 with his shoulder lean and while still running forward. You can't do this unless your hips and knees are bent. Felix Jones keeps his shoulders between the 1 and 2 position on the clock when running through traffic. It's why he most often falls forward and I'm not as worried about his prospects from this standpoint.

You know who I thought was bad at this last year? Michael Bush. It seemed like he never changed the angle of the blow and took a lot of head on tackles. Interested to see how he does in the NFL.

 

[flat_earth]

I think hip level-knee bend has something to do with what we might be talking about here. Any type of power you generate when it comes to delivering or deflecting a blow comes from the legs and hips. Not only do they have to be strong, but they need to be positioned well to transfer energy from yourself to someone else. They explain this in more detail on shows that study the physics of martial arts--i.e., National Geographic's show where they hook up UFC fighters like Randy Couture to sensors that measure force and flow of energy throughout the body. I know it seems a bit like a jump to apply this to a running back, but its not. Think about a runner heading through the line of scrimmage and they face a DT, LB, or DB greeting them head-on. If your hips are and knees are bent, your shoulders generally have to be leaning forward and a bit lower and you can explode into the contact and the energy transfers from your legs in the ground up your hips and to the point of contact with the defender. A great runner has learned (and by repetition and natural talent begins to intuitively understand) how to subtly change the angle of contact in close quarters while delivering enough of a blow to "shed" the tackle if not just knock guy on his butt. This is why a back like Eddie George who "ran too high" coming out of college actually was a good NFL player. He was taller than the average back, but he knew how to lower his shoulders and bend his knees and hips so more times than not he exploded into contact. Same with Eric Dickerson. Most people remember his "upright" running style, but if you watch highlights that don't involve him running through creases untouched for 40-60 yards and looking like Carl Lewis in pads, you'll see a guy who could get low very quick and deliver a blow with his shoulders into contact. Adrian Peterson is capable of the same thing. I never once worried about his upright running style. The guy has monstrously great balance. When I first thought about comparisons to Peterson vs. McFadden I would watch how McFadden would get yanked out of bounds by the arm a hit to the hips, or a horse collar and see right away from the standpoint of balance Peterson is way different--he stayed in bounds on plays like this all the time (which is what is one of quite a few things special about his skills). But this also has to do with hip and leg alignment and strength. When I see McFadden in the hole he gets yanked backwards more than many backs (even compared to 6-0, 200-lb Felix Smith) in the hole or knocked down on is butt from head-on hits because his knee bend and hip bend is just not there. How can you tell, look at his shoulders. A back like George or Dickerson often ran as if their shoulders were a big hand on a clock pointed to the number 2 or at worst between the number 1 and number 2. A back like McFadden is somewhere between the 12 and 1 and never quite at 1. It's why when he is going into a hole and gets hit, he'll fall backwards more than the average NFL quality prospect. A back like Edgerrin James, who is unbelievably good at getting low often gets closer to the number 3 with his shoulder lean and while still running forward. You can't do this unless your hips and knees are bent. Felix Jones keeps his shoulders between the 1 and 2 position on the clock when running through traffic. It's why he most often falls forward and I'm not as worried about his prospects from this standpoint.

This is great stuff. Thank you Wildman.

 

[Wildman]

I think hip level-knee bend has something to do with what we might be talking about here. Any type of power you generate when it comes to delivering or deflecting a blow comes from the legs and hips. Not only do they have to be strong, but they need to be positioned well to transfer energy from yourself to someone else. They explain this in more detail on shows that study the physics of martial arts--i.e., National Geographic's show where they hook up UFC fighters like Randy Couture to sensors that measure force and flow of energy throughout the body. I know it seems a bit like a jump to apply this to a running back, but its not. Think about a runner heading through the line of scrimmage and they face a DT, LB, or DB greeting them head-on. If your hips are and knees are bent, your shoulders generally have to be leaning forward and a bit lower and you can explode into the contact and the energy transfers from your legs in the ground up your hips and to the point of contact with the defender. A great runner has learned (and by repetition and natural talent begins to intuitively understand) how to subtly change the angle of contact in close quarters while delivering enough of a blow to "shed" the tackle if not just knock guy on his butt. This is why a back like Eddie George who "ran too high" coming out of college actually was a good NFL player. He was taller than the average back, but he knew how to lower his shoulders and bend his knees and hips so more times than not he exploded into contact. Same with Eric Dickerson. Most people remember his "upright" running style, but if you watch highlights that don't involve him running through creases untouched for 40-60 yards and looking like Carl Lewis in pads, you'll see a guy who could get low very quick and deliver a blow with his shoulders into contact. Adrian Peterson is capable of the same thing. I never once worried about his upright running style. The guy has monstrously great balance. When I first thought about comparisons to Peterson vs. McFadden I would watch how McFadden would get yanked out of bounds by the arm a hit to the hips, or a horse collar and see right away from the standpoint of balance Peterson is way different--he stayed in bounds on plays like this all the time (which is what is one of quite a few things special about his skills). But this also has to do with hip and leg alignment and strength. When I see McFadden in the hole he gets yanked backwards more than many backs (even compared to 6-0, 200-lb Felix Smith) in the hole or knocked down on is butt from head-on hits because his knee bend and hip bend is just not there. How can you tell, look at his shoulders. A back like George or Dickerson often ran as if their shoulders were a big hand on a clock pointed to the number 2 or at worst between the number 1 and number 2. A back like McFadden is somewhere between the 12 and 1 and never quite at 1. It's why when he is going into a hole and gets hit, he'll fall backwards more than the average NFL quality prospect. A back like Edgerrin James, who is unbelievably good at getting low often gets closer to the number 3 with his shoulder lean and while still running forward. You can't do this unless your hips and knees are bent. Felix Jones keeps his shoulders between the 1 and 2 position on the clock when running through traffic. It's why he most often falls forward and I'm not as worried about his prospects from this standpoint.

You know who I thought was bad at this last year? Michael Bush. It seemed like he never changed the angle of the blow and took a lot of head on tackles. Interested to see how he does in the NFL.

Besides reading football technique books and watching lots of film, there are lots of analysts who actually know what they are talking about. For instance with QBs or WRs, you get a ton of useful information not only from a quality QB or WR but a CB like Eric Allen or safety like Darren Woodson. The same goes for RBs when you listen to LBs. The first guy who really talked about Michael Bush in a more critical light was Chris Spielman. In just a few minutes, you could tell he could give a clinic on how to be a better runner. He nailed Bush for exactly all his deficiencies as a junior. At the same time, he liked a guy like DeAngelo Williams who will finally get his chance as a feature back, barring a draft-day surprise.

 

[JohnnyU]

I think hip level-knee bend has something to do with what we might be talking about here. Any type of power you generate when it comes to delivering or deflecting a blow comes from the legs and hips. Not only do they have to be strong, but they need to be positioned well to transfer energy from yourself to someone else. They explain this in more detail on shows that study the physics of martial arts--i.e., National Geographic's show where they hook up UFC fighters like Randy Couture to sensors that measure force and flow of energy throughout the body. I know it seems a bit like a jump to apply this to a running back, but its not. Think about a runner heading through the line of scrimmage and they face a DT, LB, or DB greeting them head-on. If your hips are and knees are bent, your shoulders generally have to be leaning forward and a bit lower and you can explode into the contact and the energy transfers from your legs in the ground up your hips and to the point of contact with the defender. A great runner has learned (and by repetition and natural talent begins to intuitively understand) how to subtly change the angle of contact in close quarters while delivering enough of a blow to "shed" the tackle if not just knock guy on his butt. This is why a back like Eddie George who "ran too high" coming out of college actually was a good NFL player. He was taller than the average back, but he knew how to lower his shoulders and bend his knees and hips so more times than not he exploded into contact. Same with Eric Dickerson. Most people remember his "upright" running style, but if you watch highlights that don't involve him running through creases untouched for 40-60 yards and looking like Carl Lewis in pads, you'll see a guy who could get low very quick and deliver a blow with his shoulders into contact. Adrian Peterson is capable of the same thing. I never once worried about his upright running style. The guy has monstrously great balance. When I first thought about comparisons to Peterson vs. McFadden I would watch how McFadden would get yanked out of bounds by the arm a hit to the hips, or a horse collar and see right away from the standpoint of balance Peterson is way different--he stayed in bounds on plays like this all the time (which is what is one of quite a few things special about his skills). But this also has to do with hip and leg alignment and strength. When I see McFadden in the hole he gets yanked backwards more than many backs (even compared to 6-0, 200-lb Felix Smith) in the hole or knocked down on is butt from head-on hits because his knee bend and hip bend is just not there. How can you tell, look at his shoulders. A back like George or Dickerson often ran as if their shoulders were a big hand on a clock pointed to the number 2 or at worst between the number 1 and number 2. A back like McFadden is somewhere between the 12 and 1 and never quite at 1. It's why when he is going into a hole and gets hit, he'll fall backwards more than the average NFL quality prospect. A back like Edgerrin James, who is unbelievably good at getting low often gets closer to the number 3 with his shoulder lean and while still running forward. You can't do this unless your hips and knees are bent. Felix Jones keeps his shoulders between the 1 and 2 position on the clock when running through traffic. It's why he most often falls forward and I'm not as worried about his prospects from this standpoint.

Very good posting. I'm sure that took some effort. I don't think I've ever read a better analysis of RBs than that, whether right or wrong, I was impressed, so I won't forget that.

 

[Wildman]

Thank you. Honestly, writing articles about accountants and professors takes work. The analysis I did to be able to know about this stuff took a lot of work, but actually writing it came easy after all the film study.