Joseph Addai (1 Viewer)

[Routilla]

LT, Gore, Portis, Bush, and SJax

How can Larry Johnson not be on that list of "special" backs, especially if Jackson's going to be on it?

Because I don't see much "special" about Johnson. Put him on a team other than KC or DEN and how good do you think he'd be? For instance, put him in STL, do you think he'd match or better Jackson's numbers? I don't.

Uhhh yeah. I'm sure KC's average line, horrible QB situation and terrible WR corp did a LOT to make him look good last year. SJax had an awesome QB, better line, at least 1 great WR threat and barely outperformed LJ last year. Great logic behind that statement

No one said anyone else had to agree. Watching LJ run, I feel more of his success is due to the offensive scheme he plays in than his ability.As far as his 1700 yards, note a difference between his numbers and the others:Terrell Davis broke 1700 twice - on 369 (1750) and 392 (2008 yards) carries.Eric Dickerson did it 3 times - on 390 (1808 yards), 379 (2105 yards), and 404 (1821 yards) carriesSanders did it twice - on 331 (1883 yards) and 335 (2053 yards) carriesSimpson did it twice - on 332 (2003 yards) and 329 (1817) carriesJohnson did it twice - on 336 (1750 yards) and 416 (1789) carriesSimpson and Sanders both did it on terrible offenses, and actually in less carries than Johnson either in 05 or 06 broke 2000 yards. Dickerson too put up more yards with less carries than LJ used last season.In 2005 412 of Johnson's yards came in games against CIN and HOU - two terrible defenses. And last season it took 416 carries. Holmes, in the same system, was able to put up similar numbers. He never saw as many carries as Johnson has, but he performed just as well.One thing to note though, I don't think Terrell Davis is "special" either, even though he broke that plateau.Bottom line - both the DEN and KC system produce good rushing numbers. Johnson's and Davis' stats are more a product of their systems than being "special" RBs.Now if you feel SJax doesn't belong on the list, I won't argue too hard. I do see Jackson does a number of little things that seem "special" to me, and elevate him above the pack.

I can't agree with the system explanation. The past 2 years LJ has been beaten down at FBGs because of coaches and lineman leaving. Yet he still prevails on the field. It's a double edged sword. If he does well it's the system, if he doesn't then it's the loss of players or the coach. Does LJ ever get credit for being a special RB?

 

[kapp]

Whats not to like?Dungy putting on the brakes after week 14.

I am shocked to hear people base their decisions on the possibility of the Colts taking it easy on Addai starting week 14. You guys must be good prognosticators...Colts are a lock for a playoff spot and home field advantage by week 14? Even after 8-10 games if it looks that way, there is a little thing called a trade...ala shark move.

 

[switz]

LT, Gore, Portis, Bush, and SJax

How can Larry Johnson not be on that list of "special" backs, especially if Jackson's going to be on it?

Because I don't see much "special" about Johnson. Put him on a team other than KC or DEN and how good do you think he'd be? For instance, put him in STL, do you think he'd match or better Jackson's numbers? I don't.

Uhhh yeah. I'm sure KC's average line, horrible QB situation and terrible WR corp did a LOT to make him look good last year. SJax had an awesome QB, better line, at least 1 great WR threat and barely outperformed LJ last year. Great logic behind that statement

No one said anyone else had to agree. Watching LJ run, I feel more of his success is due to the offensive scheme he plays in than his ability.As far as his 1700 yards, note a difference between his numbers and the others:Terrell Davis broke 1700 twice - on 369 (1750) and 392 (2008 yards) carries.Eric Dickerson did it 3 times - on 390 (1808 yards), 379 (2105 yards), and 404 (1821 yards) carriesSanders did it twice - on 331 (1883 yards) and 335 (2053 yards) carriesSimpson did it twice - on 332 (2003 yards) and 329 (1817) carriesJohnson did it twice - on 336 (1750 yards) and 416 (1789) carriesSimpson and Sanders both did it on terrible offenses, and actually in less carries than Johnson either in 05 or 06 broke 2000 yards. Dickerson too put up more yards with less carries than LJ used last season.In 2005 412 of Johnson's yards came in games against CIN and HOU - two terrible defenses. And last season it took 416 carries. Holmes, in the same system, was able to put up similar numbers. He never saw as many carries as Johnson has, but he performed just as well.One thing to note though, I don't think Terrell Davis is "special" either, even though he broke that plateau.Bottom line - both the DEN and KC system produce good rushing numbers. Johnson's and Davis' stats are more a product of their systems than being "special" RBs.Now if you feel SJax doesn't belong on the list, I won't argue too hard. I do see Jackson does a number of little things that seem "special" to me, and elevate him above the pack.

I can't agree with the system explanation. The past 2 years LJ has been beaten down at FBGs because of coaches and lineman leaving. Yet he still prevails on the field. It's a double edged sword. If he does well it's the system, if he doesn't then it's the loss of players or the coach. Does LJ ever get credit for being a special RB?

I can't speak for everyone else, but when I refer to system, I am specifically referring to the lineblocking scheme and type of running plays used. It's not as dependent on the supporting cast, with the exception that if the team frequently falls behind in a game, it generally decreases the number of running plays.If you look back through KC and DENs seasons. there have been numerous times when the "supporting cast" didn't exactly strike fear in the opponent, but the RBs were still able to put up big numbers.The only time a system fails, is when a team loses key offensive linemen, and fail to run the scheme. And in some cases, teams will adopt a scheme that is successful for another team, but in reality they don't have the appropriate personnel to run it. For instance, the Broncos, Texans, Packers, and Falcons all run very similar rushing game schemes. However, only the Broncos have had the correct personnel to run this scheme playing together. The other teams have tried to force improper linemen into a scheme they are not able to play.As for this season, I do have LJ lower, because I feel the team will be behind so much that it limits his opportunities. In addition, the team was affected last year by OL woes and his YPC went down, now it has more OL woes. He is likely to still put up around 1200 rushing yards. But that's a far cry from his numbers last season or the season before.