Chaka
Footballguy
When did this become a thread about Lamont finishing inside the top 10? I thought it was about Lamont finishing with more fantasy points than Chris Brown.Most of your points are valid Friday, or at least you put some thought into them, but the one that jumps out to me is your assesment of the o-line. I know they haven't added any bodies but don't you think it is possible that Robert Gallery and Jake Grove might actually improve in their sophmore seasons? I mean are skill position players the only ones who make improvements in their game? We are talking about the best center and the best left tackle in last years draft. I think a year of seasoning will only make the unit as a whole better.Oh and pretty much everything you say about why Jordan wont be top 10 can be applied to Brown except Brown doesn't have the benefit of Randy Moss and he is fragile as a China-doll.Lamont > BrownI think you are placing too much emphasis on what Lamont will bring to the running game. The difference maker is Moss and I understand that, but bringing in the best WR in the game is not going to catapault your carries from the worst to top 10. I know they didn't have stellar RBs last year, but a large part about not running last year was the O-line, system and having to air out the ball in an attempt to keep games close. Not one of those things has changed to this year. The defense on paper has actually gotten worst which is not a good thing when you are playing offensive teams such as San Diego, KC and Denver twice a year.I also understand that bringing in an elite WR will help the offense and help move the chains but that also means they will pass that much more as well. Everyone brings up how much Lamont was signed for...well how much was Moss signed for, HE is their offense, not Lamont. How many teams bring in one of the best WRs in the game to make their free agent RB their offense? Oakland was 4th overall in PASS attempts so it is not like defenses were stacking the box against the run tlast year. To say the Oakland running game was ineffective due solely to the RBs is being quite naiive. Good running teams are built around O-lines and systems, not necessarily who is running the ball in the backfield. And that brings me to another reason why I think Lamont is over-rated. The Jets have a good O-line and great running system and that paired with the fact that Lamont amassed his stats in 4th quarters and against weak defenses (which is FACT by the way, and I have the stats to prove it) makes Lamont look that much better. Lamont Jordan coming to Oakland is not a huge boost to their running game by any means. He is a better RB, but what makes a good running game is the O-line and system, not just the back. Their O-line, system and defense have all stayed the same. I am positive that the Raiders offense will be better due to Moss coming in, but with that being said it is not going to be a huge boost that will catapault Lamont into top 10 stardom. And please don't bring up the argument about Moss keeping defenses honest, cause all of last year defenses were playing the pass the whole time anyways, so nothing will change in that regard.Add all of that with people disregarding Zereoue's presence in the receiving backfield and Crockett on the goal line and I have a hard time projecting Lamont in the top 10 like alot of people are doing. Lamont is not a better blocking/receiving back than Zereoue and I don't care how much Lamont makes, cause there are better and more expensive RBs who get pulled on passing downs. Their isn't a rule about if you make 5 million as a Rb then you will also be in on 3rd downs, they will play whoever is more skilled in that area, regardless how much they make. Crockett is also thought of as one of the best goalline backs in the league, and he will still get his touches on the goalline as well. I read a post a while back about the Raiders signing the FB that is specifically used to block for Crockett on goal line situations, so that isn't a good sign for Lamont lovers.There are WAY too many questions marks about Lamont for me to project him in the top 10, and those that are projecting Lamont in the top 10 are adding their wishes in with their projections.I have been reading many of the arguments which prefer C. Brown and I just don't see too much merit. If you analyze the stats, they show that Norv Turner prefers to use one back when he has one cabable of the feature role. The Raiders are not paying Jordan 27.5 million to be in a committee. He also uses the same back in the red zone, which just adds value to LaMont. C. Brown is a talented back who will play in an offense which has lost one impact WR, and multiple lineman. They are rebuilding and trying to adjust their cap situation. The Raiders have made several dramatic moves to improve their offense, while the Titans have made several cuts that will decrease their effectiveness on offense. Personally, I think Lamont is the type of player that can dominate a game, and he is in a perfect situation. I think this is a no brainer: Lamont will dominate C. Brown statistically. I also don't usually quote others' opinions and specifically argue with them, but after reading posts from Fridayfrenzy, I must come to the conclusion that he has no forsight. Honestly, stating that the Raiders only ran the ball 320 times last year, and using that as a reason that Lamont won't get a lot of carries, is a terrible argument. First of all, they had no effective player running the ball, and secondly, they were behind the majority of the time. I hate to be this deliberate, but when predicting a player's effectiveness next year, you must not only take into account his skill and talent, but also how his AND the team's situation has changed. You must come with a better argument than, "Well they didn't run a lot last year, so..." Also, those of you that say I am only defending Lamont due to the fact that I have him are partially right. However, I do have him for a reason. If I did not think he was going to have a great season, I would not defend him on this board, but instead try to move him...
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