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Droughns vs. Griffin (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Mike Herman
- Start date
-OZ-
Footballguy
The only thing that comes to mind immediately is Mike Anderson / TD when TD came back.I remember each played a half, or something along those lines.I think we're in for RBBC, but one of the most productive RBBCs.Good postI don't recall his pattern, but I would also like to know this info.
Portis 26
Madden Freak
I think the emergence of Droughns is very similar to the emergence of Gary and Anderson - unknown guys who are given the starting job because of injury and who explode onto the scene and seize the starting job. That doesn't mean to say Droughns is the next Broncos 1000 yard back, just that the similarity is striking in my mind.
Pretty good team, whose your te?ya roasters, you did get lucky, won the first game by 3 points and the second game by 1.1pts. MY te didn't catch a passMy sorry team is:BrooksDroughnsTomlinsonMouldsRoy willamsI don't know why he put chad johnson on there when he's only score 50 pts, marcus robinson has scored more than that loser.....
Mike Herman
Footballguy
FWIW from 2002:In week 3 with Olandis Gary out, Portis saw his first significant action 18/103/1. Anderson had 7/28/0 that day.The following week it was8/55/0 Portis5/19/0 Anderson5/18/0 GaryThe week after that it was essentially Portis from then onwards.
JohnnyU
Footballguy
Talk about bad TE's, in one dynasty league I have only Baker and Troupe, but the worse part is that I dropped Eric Johnson early in the yearYour TEs stink. Funny how you failed to mention them with your good players on your team.
However, I do have him in every other league.
kbreaker
Footballguy
Not anything solid here, but I thought I'd post it anyhow...
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=roto...owire&type=lgns
"Update: Although head coach Mike Shanahan hasn't named a starter for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Droughns will likely get the nod but Quentin Griffin will see some carries, The Sports Xchange reports.
Recommendation: With the Broncos having the late afternoon game, Shanahan should have fantasy owners going crazy over this decision especially if your lineups need to be set before the first set of games. However, if you own Droughns and Griffin, go with the former. The Raiders are suspect against power running backs having surrendered 241 yards and two touchdown in Weeks 3-4 against Jonathan Wells of the Texans and Edgerrin James of the Colts."
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=roto...owire&type=lgns
"Update: Although head coach Mike Shanahan hasn't named a starter for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Droughns will likely get the nod but Quentin Griffin will see some carries, The Sports Xchange reports.
Recommendation: With the Broncos having the late afternoon game, Shanahan should have fantasy owners going crazy over this decision especially if your lineups need to be set before the first set of games. However, if you own Droughns and Griffin, go with the former. The Raiders are suspect against power running backs having surrendered 241 yards and two touchdown in Weeks 3-4 against Jonathan Wells of the Texans and Edgerrin James of the Colts."
Da Masses
Footballguy
We start 3RBs and had two off on bye and I picked up and played Droughns last Sat and traded for Q just in case if something like this could happen.Knowing Shanhan, he will keep everyone guessing until the last minute, and even when the game is being played, he will make at least 50% of us who started Droughns/Q make us wish we started Q/Droughns.That's why I'm starting Pittman until this mess straightens itself out 
INTERGALACTIC SUPERSTAR
Footballguy
This is a great question.
Apparently Shanahan has been making local calls to the people of Denver to clue them in on the RB situation this week. However he's told them not to let the cat out of the bag because he doesn't want the rest of the country to find out who's starting this week.hydroxybear
Footballguy
Thats Hilarious!Genghis Khan
Footballguy
A couple of thoughts. Droughns is apparently still going to return kicks, so if your league gives points for return yardage, he'll get some points.Griffin will probably get a number of carries. But when it comes down to the red zone, expect the ball to go to Droughns. Shanahan would not like to see a good drive ruined by a fumble. My betting is Droughns has a better chance at the td's, even though Griffin might end up with more yardage.
i have a question. if droughns is so good, why did griffin start the first four games and get a game ball in the last game he played? droughns only started because griffin was hurt. shanahan has been building up griffin since the preseason began, he isn't going to cast him aside that quickly in favor of droughns unless griffin proves that he completely sucks. i expect griffin to get the bulk of the carries, while droughns might get some goal line work. griffin has the break away ability that shanahan likes in a back, droughns does not have that. the only thing that droughns probably does better than griffin is run over people, which he has to do because he can't run away from them. as for the fumbling issue, has droughns even carried the ball enough in his career to judge whether or not he can hold on to the ball?this situation may become similar to the staley/bettis situation in pittsburgh.
Family Matters
Footballguy
Agreed. Droughns comes from nowhere to take over the Denver RB role. At the beginning of the year I didn't even know this guy was on Denver's team. It's an amazing story. As for Griff, I think we can put to rest any chance of him being the starter unless something wierd happens. Barring injury or Droughns pulling a McCardell he should remain the starter from here on out.
no.my initial question is still a valid one. why wasn't droughns the starting tailback from the beginning if he is this good? obviously, i was wrong about griffin still being the primary ball carrier.but, none of us had the benefit of knowing that droughns would start again and have another great game when we (or, i) were opining about griffin v. droughns.given droughns NFL career, it still doesn't make any sense. before last week, he had something like 50 carries his entire career and averaged about 2.5 ypc.things can change fast. that's why the NFL stands for Not For Long. and it really is all about the system. shanahan must have seen something in droughns that no one else saw.i still say griffin would put up similar numbers as droughns has if the O-line had blocked for griffin the way they are for droughns.the running back carousel that is the denver broncos backfield continues.if droughns gets hurt, the next guy in line will probably be 290 lb tight end dwayne carswell.
LivingTheDream
Footballguy
Do you honestly think Griffin would have put up the same numbers as Droughns today? Did you watch the game? Droughns was breaking tackles and carrying defenders with him. He was wearing out the D. He was a horse.
Family Matters
Footballguy
Sometimes coaches miss on a player. Sometimes a player get a chance and takes advantage. They get a shot and make good their opportunity. It will be really hard for a coach to take a player out like Droughns when he is unstoppable. This guy is in a groove and appears there is no way to keep him off hte field right now.What a great story! I wish I had him. We poor Q/Bell/Hearst/Anderson owners are in a world of hurt because of this guy. I can't blame the coaches on this cause Droughns deserves to kepp the rock. Even though it hurts my team I am rooting for this guy.
Marc Levin
Hangs out with Oscar Zeta Acosta
I think the bigger story here is that you can now officially drop T Bewll without worrying that you made a mistake (or trade him for a bag of peanuts to the droughns owner).I have griffin and bell and I plan on offering both to the droughns owner for driver - I am not hopeful for a positive response.
hey, who really knows? obviously, they have different running styles. griffin can obviously put up numbers because he's done it in more than one game between last season and this season. he gets his yards in a different way than droughns.while certainly not in the class of barry sanders, griffin's running style is similar to barry. how many tackles did sanders break?griffin also has break-away speed that droughns does not have so, while, griffin may not break tackles like droughns, droughns will not likely be making very many long runs for easy scores.all this being said, droughns has obviously earned the job. if he keeps getting the ball 30-38 times a game, however, we may see griffin again, or tatum bell. so much for shanahan saying whoever starts would get around 20 carries.i own griffin and bell in one league and i aquired droughns in two other leagues so i'm happy with whatever develops.
Really. Well, since you like numbers, let's look at the numbers:Griffin, career with DEN (179 attempts):
3.66 yards per carry
89.5 carries/rushing TD
29.8 carries/fumble
44.8 carries/fumble lost
44.8 carries/20+ yd run
Droughns, career with DEN (88 attempts):
4.82 yards per carry
44.0 carries/rushing TD
N/A carries/fumble - never fumbled
N/A carries/fumble lost - never fumbled
29.3 carries/20+ yd run
So, please tell me that Droughns is not putting up superior numbers. Where is the evidence of Griffin's break-away speed? I don't see it in the number of 20+ yd runs or in the number of TDs.
AND PLEASE STOP SPEAKING OF GRIFFIN IN TERMS OF COMPARISON WITH BARRY SANDERS. Griffin can't carry Sanders jock, and his running style is in no way, shape, or form in the manner of Sanders.
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Just to show how much an O-line means to these guys, RD never amounted to anything in Detroit, just like O. Gary when he came to Detroit. The system really does make or break a running back.
CalvinandHobbes
Footballguy
Bell owners = 
Griffin owners = 
Hearst owners = 
Droughns owners = 
Raiders defense = 
Griffin owners = Hearst owners = Droughns owners = Raiders defense = 
Mark Wimer
Moderator
That about sums it up. I must concede that Droughns did the job when the opportunity came his way, and now HE is the man in Denver. I didn't expect it, and now Q. Griffin is only going to have fantasy value if Droughns gets injured.BTW, I am in a world of hurt due to this circumstance, because Q. Griffin is on a bunch of my teams. One of my staff league teams, from the first 4 rounds, was Randy Moss (hamstring injury), Michael Bennett (multiple knee injuries), Quentin Griffin (ankle injury/underperformance/fumbling/benched) and Santana Moss (hamstring injury + a team that suddenly doesn't throw to the WRs).Bell owners =
Yep, I'm struggling in that league (2-4). It looked so promising in August...
Marc Levin
Hangs out with Oscar Zeta Acosta
I think Pony Boy's numbers and Wimer's concilation speech sum it up nicely.I believe I said it earlier, but th ebig losers here are Bedll owners - he is likely to be third on the list now for decent FF production.I, personally, will be trying to dump him (and Griff) to the Droughns owner for whatever I can get.
Loco Barlow
Footballguy
Hey mbuehner, are you still laughing?? I made the comment last week that Droughns' running broght back memories of the Terrell Davis days and you proceeded to laugh and tell people to "get a grip." Maybe you should listen up and learn something on these boards instead of acting like you know something and being sarcastic. Read the following article, even Terrell Davis himself says he sees himself in Reuben Droughns. :gang: LINK
No one-hit wonder
Droughns' two-game total puts him on top of the Broncos' charts
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News
October 19, 2004
The Proclaimers. Chumbawamba. Billy Ray Cyrus. Deee-Lite.
Reuben Droughns might not know a lick about the songs that allowed these artists to have their moment in the sun, but the concept of becoming a one-hit wonder was very much on the Denver Broncos running back's mind before Sunday's game against the Raiders in Oakland.
Droughns' 193 rushing yards against Carolina on Oct. 10 in his first start for Denver at tailback afforded him national publicity.
Perhaps even more imperative personally was that his follow- up effort against the Raiders produce a smash hit - or several.
"You don't want people to doubt you and you don't want the team to doubt you," Droughns said after his 38-carry, 176-yard effort in a 31-3 runaway win. "You have to let them know, 'I'm going to be there for you and fight as hard as I can for you and that I'll do what I do.' "
What Droughns has done in his first two starts has rarely, if ever, been accomplished.
No Denver player has matched Droughns' output - 68 carries, 369 yards - in his first two games as a primary back since Mike Shanahan took over as coach in 1995, not Mike Anderson (68-297), Olandis Gary (57-188), Clinton Portis (38-177) or Terrell Davis (31-131).
Not only does Droughns own two of the NFL's top five rushing games this season, he has put up the sixth-best statistical back-to-back games in the past 10 seasons for the Broncos in any two-game stretch.
Davis, for one, has taken notice.
"It's easy to do it once when no one is expecting it," said Davis, now an analyst for NFL Network. "But can you do it a second time when everybody's preparing for you, watching film of you and are gearing up for you? That's a testament to Mike Shanahan, Bobby Turner the running backs coach, the line blocking and the mentality of the Denver Broncos.
"And these aren't 100-yard games. These are 190, 170. I don't even think I had games like that."
Davis didn't do it as a first-time starter in Denver, at least. He had three 100-yard games in 14 starts in 1995. The difference between Droughns, Davis and the rest of the Broncos who went on to become 1,000-yard rushers during Shanahan's tenure was that although Droughns is starting as a primary carrier here for the first time, he has had more than two years in the system as a fullback.
"He has the best advantage of anybody that's played back there," Davis maintained. "When you're a fullback and you know the offense and understand the blocking and the reads he makes, it's exactly how the runner would run the ball. So he's had that bird's-eye view for a long time. And then he has the mental toughness as far as being a fullback, which translates into being a tough runner."
That mental toughness helped Droughns get the starting job in the first place, along with Quentin Griffin's ankle injury late in the Tampa Bay game Oct. 3.
"That's the thing that strikes me about Reuben is his toughness," said Broncos kicker Jason Elam, who has witnessed first-hand all of Denver's NFL-best 21,060 rushing yards during the past decade. "He looks for somebody to hit instead of trying to avoid somebody. And that kind of gets everyone on the sideline pretty fired up, when he goes in there and just slams into a linebacker or they think they've got him stopped and he somehow gets 2 or 3 yards."
Droughns' efforts have helped the Broncos vault into first place in the league in rushing.
On Oct. 9, before Droughns' switch from fullback, Denver had plummeted to the NFL's 18th- ranked rushing team. The Broncos had mustered only 254 yards on 91 carries (2.8 yards per attempt) during a three-game stretch against Jacksonville, San Diego and Tampa Bay.
The Broncos had 254 yards Sunday against the Raiders.
"We played some pretty good teams and you can't lose perspective on some of the teams we played," Shanahan said of Denver's early slump. "But (Reuben)'s played two excellent games back- to-back. He loves carrying the ball. Anytime you carry the ball 38 times and you still look fresh on your 38th carry, you're enjoying what you're doing."
Droughns still has some proving left to do because he has yet to face one of the league's premier run- stopping teams.
Carolina and Oakland rank 29th and 27th, respectively, in that category. Monday night, the Broncos (5-1) will travel to struggling Cincinnati (1-4), which has the league's worst rush defense at 160.4 yards per game.
Davis said that while Griffin adds a dimension to Denver's offense with his elusiveness, a straight downhill runner like Droughns can be a godsend.
"The game needs a power runner at times," he said. "A lot of times you have to make your own holes and get more out of the offense than what it's giving you. And when you have a guy like Reuben back there, that's a tough deal to stop."
Asked if that style reminded him of anybody else, Davis chuckled.
"I watch Rube a little bit," he said. "And I kind of see me in him. And that's not a bad thing to see."
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Frenchy Fuqua
Footballguy
Thanks to Bob Harris' Flash Update for breaking the news on Droughns two weeks ago. When other sources were saying Tatum Bell was the guy to get he reported Droughns. So I was able to add him in all three leagues. Unfortunately I dropped Droughns hours later in one league when Jerome Bettis became available. Ouch.
i said griffin's running style was similar to sanders, i didn't say he was in the same class as sanders. in fact, i went out of my way to clarify that i was not saying griffin is in sanders class, so, just relax there, magoo!!you're very defensive about barry. how dare anyone be mentioned in the same breath as barry. what is barry your little binky?
i don't know how many long runs griffin has had, but, i think i've seen all of his starts over the last two seasons and he has breakaway speed. in other words, he's usually among the fastest guys on the field.
it's hard to compare the two of them with stats. each has only started a handful of games. it's too small a sample to really judge what type of runners they are, that's why you have to rely on what you see with your own eyes and griffin is a small fast guy, while droughns is a bigger, slower, more physical guy. that much is obvious.
none of it matters anyway because droughns looks like the man right now.
time to turn the page.
Settle down son. Your post is not the slam dunk you seem to think it is. First of all, weren't you one of the loudest in dismissing Griffin's numbers against BOTH Indy last year and KC this year because of their poor run defenses? Yet Ruben faces 2 poor run defenses and his performance is suddenly legit? He's also had half as many carries as Griffin. Ruben's numbers haven't had the chance to be deflated yet, so to speak.And i have no problem with anyone referencing Barry Sanders when describing the running style of Griffin. Several NFL players have already done so. I know you know that because you've been the loudest in all these Griffin posts for the last several months and you've read the same quotes and links that i have. NOTE-so there's no confusion on your part, making a comparison does NOT mean anybody is saying he is as good, or even near as good, as Sanders. I know you know that too because that had been clarified in previous threads as well. I see nothing inaccurate in saying that his running style is reminiscent of Barry Sanders.
A lot of this is just about opportunity. Droughn's got his at a great time, particularly after Griffin's back to back poor performances. I don't think you can really draw any conclusions about either RB yet (though we can conclude it will be Droughns starting barring injury). They are 2 different kinds of RB's. We'll never know if Griffin would have done well against the two teams Droughns faced.
Pigskin Fanatic
Footballguy
No no Marc, the big losers are the Griffin owners who week in week out started the loser after the week 1 performance. At least the Bell owners never watched Bell take their team down in flames for four weeks... At least all those loses gave me first pick to get Droughns. Small consolation prize...toughguy, you need to work on your graceful exit. I'm assuming you saw Droughns run. He gained two-three-four more yards after contact on just about every carry. This wasn't like the Minnesota line opening holes the size of a bus lane. No way Q gets those tough yards.
