C
CrossEyed
Guest
I agree that Jamal looks like his better days are behind him. After watching last night's game I think I'm grabbing Musa in my keeper league and stashing him on my bench. He'll be the starter by next season.
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walkwithme
Footballguy
Lets be honest here the Ravens offense and offensive line is not great and they went against a good Broncos D. The Ravens playcalling was so predictable and the Broncos pretty much had eight in the box everytime Lewis ran, and did you see how many people were on the tackles from the Broncos D. Mike Anderson did come in fresh late in the game to get some long gains but for the most part there was not much room for Lewis to run. McNair couldn't do much to keep the defense honest so they were pretty much focused on stopping the run. I projected 1100 yards for Lewis and he is on pace for 1000. He had 3 ok to average games (70+ yards) and two back to back bad games against two good defenses (under 50). I expected him to have at least two TD's by now he only has one. To me he still has the goods not the same as earlier in his career but good enough to put up numbers I projected him to be at.
doomsdaydoc
Footballguy
After watching the Ravens last night, I am not sure that Jamal Lewis is going to hold onto the starting position for much longer. He looks slow, does not hit the hole hard and goes down easy. Anderson and Musa Smith both looked significantly better. What do you guys think is going to happen?
Wheelhouse
Footballguy
When Mike Anderson ran the ball, they did well. The weather conditions and Jamal's style of running made it very difficult to get positive yardage. He's looking like Stephen Davis did in his last year with Carolina (last year). He's OK going straight and leaning forward for a few more yards, but getting to the hole or between the tackles seems difficult for him. He's not shifting or "darting" towards the hole, he's trying to make his own hole getting the most he can, which isn't much.
Warpig
Footballguy
Unfortunately I agree that Anderson and Smith look better than Lewis. However, I won't say he's not running hard. He ran over John Lynch on that play where the commentators said Lynch hit Jamal. Uhhh...no...Lynch got airborne after Jamal lowered his shoulder into him.What I did notice about Jamal is that he runs with too much forward lean and it causes him to lose his balance. He could have had several nice runs from what I saw last night but he would lose his balance and all it took was someone to trip him up the slightest bit. If he could get his center of gravity situated he'd improve somewhat I think.
doomsdaydoc
Footballguy
I do not imagine how he is going to change his running style after all these years. It had served him well until the injuries have lessened his abilities. I think he just does not have it any more.
This_Is_Not_VRR
Footballguy
Let the Musa Smith era begin!
Sleeper 43
Footballguy
People can blame it on weather and a tough D but J-Lew is no longer the same guy he used to be. Its definitley the speed that hes lost. I'm not sure if one of those operations was a bad heal or not rehabbed correctly but Jamal is not the same. I was willing to look past last seasons horrible running, when he blamed his lack of speed and effort on not being able to rehab correctly from jail and some said he was only half way trying so he wouldnt get hurt before a new contract. Well theres no excuse this season he even said himself he had a great off-season and he still looks like last years Jamal. like i said , the only sense I can make of it is that Jamal is permanantly not the old Jamal. And at one point I was telling myself "this guy is still young as hell" but I think his bruising style no matter the age has taken its toll.
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BigTex
Don't mess with Texas
packersfan
Footballguy
I didn't get the LewisLove in the pre-season. I thought he looked bad last season and I didn't expect him to improve much this season. With regard to last night's game I thought Anderson was the best RB on the field for the Ravens and it really wasn't close. He probably should have been much more involved than he was.
SteelerMurf
Footballguy
Jamal has always been overrated. If it weren't for the 1,000 yards he put up on Cleveland alone in that 2,000 yard season...would he even be talked about in fantasy circles right now?
doomsdaydoc
Footballguy
Jamal WAS a great back. As overrated as some say he was, he was a fast, strong and powerful back. He does not seem like anything near that back. His decline reminds me of Eddie George's. In the meantime, Musa Smith is a good receiver while Anderson- as old as he is- seems quicker and more shifty than Jamal. My guess is that they should go with a combination of those 2, but I think it will take a while. He just cannot get it done anymore- maybe just a goal line back at this point?
Well, Mike Anderson is a 33-year-old RB whose a pure product of the Denver system. Take him out of Denver you have a mediocre 33-year old RB.
As for Musa vs. Jamal– Musa clearly has more burst & moves while still flashing some power. He also has way better hands in the passing game.
Outside of Michael Turner and Brandon Jacobs, there may not be a better back up RB in the game IMO.
As for Musa vs. Jamal– Musa clearly has more burst & moves while still flashing some power. He also has way better hands in the passing game.
Outside of Michael Turner and Brandon Jacobs, there may not be a better back up RB in the game IMO.
Kiddnets
Footballguy
No way Lewis loses his job at this point. Plus he's faced some pretty tough run defenses - he had nowhere to go last night!
Hue G
Footballguy
I wouldn't call Cleveland, Oakland, and Tampa Bay that great of run defenses.
Neal Cassady
Footballguy
Come on..do you really think he is as good as Ron Dayne?
The_Man
Footballguy
As a Baltimore homer, I've always been a big Jamal fan. A lot of people think his 2003 season was a fluke, but if you saw him play every game, you realized he had a combination of speed and power that was truly incredible.
That's what made watching last night's game so sad for me. As I watched Jamal, he was clearly no longer himself, and yet his running style still seemed very familiar. But I couldn't quite place it until my drive into work this morning when I saw some Halloween decorations.
Then it hit me. Stiff-legged and slow, plodding straight ahead until something knocks him down, never looking to the right or left but merely staring at what's directly in front of him – Jamal Lewis is a Zombie.
Zombies feed on the flesh and vital organs of others. The Ravens must switch running backs before Zombie Jamal is allowed to devour this team's heart.
I first noticed Jamal had become a member of the Living Dead during the Cleveland game. The offensive line was actually playing well and opening sizable holes. A running back with burst and/or the ability to make a cut would have racked up sizable yardage. A Zombie back could only stumble ahead into the rear ends of the offensive lineman in front of him, then fall to the ground.
Against San Diego's front 7, holes were hard to find. But there were holes again last night, as Denver frequently only put 7 men in the box and dared Jamal to beat them. He couldn't.
One sequence from last night's game sums up Zombie Back's evil effects on this team. At the end of the third quarter, tied 3-3, the Ravens take possession on their own 14. A third down completion to Dan Wilcox nets a first down out to the 29. On the last play of the quarter, Zombie back lurches for one yard, and then has his head knocked off his shoulders by Al Wilson.
When the fourth quarter commences, the Ravens have a Running Back lined up behind McNair, instead of a walking corpse. On the first play, Mike Anderson runs for 10 yards. On the next play he runs for 10 yards again. On the next play he runs for 4, and the Ravens cross midfield.
Unfortunately, by this time, the Ravens' trainer has managed to reattach Zombie Back's head and the coaches inexplicably send him back into the game. On second down, McNair throws an incomplete, and on third down, the Zombie drops a pass that might well have been good for a first down.
A 10-yard punt follows, and you know the rest.
I haven't seen a defense play pass first against the Ravens and dare them to run in 7 years. The Broncos did it last night. A legit RB -- like Mike Anderson or Musa Smith -- could make opponents pay for playing like this. But a Zombie can't.
That's what made watching last night's game so sad for me. As I watched Jamal, he was clearly no longer himself, and yet his running style still seemed very familiar. But I couldn't quite place it until my drive into work this morning when I saw some Halloween decorations.
Then it hit me. Stiff-legged and slow, plodding straight ahead until something knocks him down, never looking to the right or left but merely staring at what's directly in front of him – Jamal Lewis is a Zombie.
Zombies feed on the flesh and vital organs of others. The Ravens must switch running backs before Zombie Jamal is allowed to devour this team's heart.
I first noticed Jamal had become a member of the Living Dead during the Cleveland game. The offensive line was actually playing well and opening sizable holes. A running back with burst and/or the ability to make a cut would have racked up sizable yardage. A Zombie back could only stumble ahead into the rear ends of the offensive lineman in front of him, then fall to the ground.
Against San Diego's front 7, holes were hard to find. But there were holes again last night, as Denver frequently only put 7 men in the box and dared Jamal to beat them. He couldn't.
One sequence from last night's game sums up Zombie Back's evil effects on this team. At the end of the third quarter, tied 3-3, the Ravens take possession on their own 14. A third down completion to Dan Wilcox nets a first down out to the 29. On the last play of the quarter, Zombie back lurches for one yard, and then has his head knocked off his shoulders by Al Wilson.
When the fourth quarter commences, the Ravens have a Running Back lined up behind McNair, instead of a walking corpse. On the first play, Mike Anderson runs for 10 yards. On the next play he runs for 10 yards again. On the next play he runs for 4, and the Ravens cross midfield.
Unfortunately, by this time, the Ravens' trainer has managed to reattach Zombie Back's head and the coaches inexplicably send him back into the game. On second down, McNair throws an incomplete, and on third down, the Zombie drops a pass that might well have been good for a first down.
A 10-yard punt follows, and you know the rest.
I haven't seen a defense play pass first against the Ravens and dare them to run in 7 years. The Broncos did it last night. A legit RB -- like Mike Anderson or Musa Smith -- could make opponents pay for playing like this. But a Zombie can't.
NYGus
Footballguy
Actually he looks like Jamal Lewis. Stinky and way overrated. People are still waiting for him to repeat is '03 numbers and that's not gonna happen. It's down hill for him as his numbers have declined ever year since.
packersfan
Footballguy
Anderson looked a whole lot better than mediocre last night in my opinion. Interesting that he comes in the game and busts off 24 yards on 3 carries to put the ball into Denver territory. Lewis comes back and drops a third-down pass and the drive is over. Maybe they should've kept Anderson in the game and kept pounding away at the Broncos until Denver stopped him.
