I could also make argument against Booker. He won't be the feature PR/KR with Ginn being drafted to MIA. He won't be the 3rd down back either, as Ronnie Brown is an outstanding blocker, and was touted as having the best hands in his draft class - INCLUDING WRs! Booker should be a guy to give Ronnie a blow once in a while, not vulture catches or TDs. I like the guy, but he's viewed only as a 3rd down back, going to one of the few teams that have a legitamate 3 down back...
I think he'll play in the slot some and I think they'll use some two back formations with Brown and Booker on the field at the same time. But I still don't expect him to become Tiki Barber.
I'd liken him to someone like Amp Lee.
_________________________________________________________________________This is from an
earlier thread Good Kenny Irons debate in there too.
Okay, now on to defending Lorenzo Booker...
Cookie & EBF are both solid posters, but let me jump in with a couple of points.
Ginn's injury still hasn't been properly diagnosed. Basically, they don't know what it truly is, which has led to it healing differently than expected.
Bottom line, Booker could be more involved with the KR/PR game than the Dolphins would like to let on.
He was involved in KR/PR in practice every day at FSU. He wasn't used very much, but when coaches were surprised at the Senior Bowl by his ability to field punts he told them the behind the scenes story.
Ok, so we've established the KR/PR situation may be cloudy, and we've established that Booker has a lot of experience returning punts and kicks.
Let's move on to his athletic ability and how it translates to running the football. Booker was my #3 back at
draftguys, here's what I had to say:
3 Lorenzo Booker Florida State 5'11" 191 lbs.
don't let his weight fool you, Booker has incredible strength for a back his size
(strongest player at FSU 3 of the 4 years he was there), the NFL is all about mismatches and Booker will give opposing defenses a headache every time he lines up in the backfield, he can excel as a runner and a receiver at the next level, clearly better when running outside, but has the determination to run inside, think Warrick Dunn with some Brian Westbrook sprinkled in,
see the Matrix run.
Here's more youtube footage.
I've highlighted the main argument against Booker. he's too small, he's to small, he's too small. What is it with me and RBs that have size issues, Lendale too big, Booker too small????
Some other backs with weight issues:
Tiki Barber - 195
Brian Westbrook - 200
Clinton Portis - 200
Warrick Dunn - 178
Reggie Bush - 200 **
Maurice Jones-Drew - 203**
Jerious Norwood - 200
**I must note that while in HS in CA, Bush, Jones-Drew, and Booker were tearing it up at the same time. Many people who saw all 3 said that Booker was the best out of the 3.
Several ALL TIME great RBs have been a little small. Terrell Davis struggled to keep his playing weight above 200. Tony Dorsett weighed the same as Booker.
Now, I'm not saying Booker will be as good as these guys (TD & TD), but he is a weapon that creates mismatches for a defense.
The mismatch angle is not lost on new HC Cam Cameron either. He knows that with both Brown and Booker he could have a deadly combination. They didn't draft Booker to be a special teams guy, they drafted him to be a very important cog in what they hope is a deadly RBBC.
Ronnie Brown is the starter. Ronnie Brown has GREAT hands, not good hands, but GREAT ones - perhaps the best we've seen in a bigger back.
That being said, it's what you do when the ball is in your hands that counts. Brown will catch any screen pass, but will he make yards after the catch? Is he a threat to score from anywhere on the field? Does he have moves that can juke defenders right out of their socks? Brown may or may not have that, but Booker does. He's too fast for a LB to cover, he's too elusive for a S to cover. He has that great inside/out ability to break anything to the corner - even though he doesn't always look to the corner.
It's really his quickness that sets him apart. Lining up both Brown and Booker at the same time makes a lot of sense. Remember, Brown blocked for Caddy, so he could block for Booker in certain situations. I see all sorts of trickery that the Dolphins could pull here.
AMP LEE!?!? EBF, you know you're my boy, but please, why Amp Lee?
You could've said Travis Minor or Sammie Smith if you were going to reference a FSU back. Here's Amp's career stat line:
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1992 sfo | 16 | 91 362 4.0 2 | 20 102 5.1 2 |
| 1993 sfo | 15 | 72 230 3.2 1 | 16 115 7.2 2 |
| 1994 min | 13 | 29 104 3.6 0 | 45 368 8.2 2 |
| 1995 min | 16 | 69 371 5.4 2 | 71 558 7.9 1 |
| 1996 min | 16 | 51 161 3.2 0 | 54 422 7.8 2 |
| 1997 stl | 16 | 28 104 3.7 0 | 61 825 13.5 3 |
| 1998 stl | 14 | 44 175 4.0 2 | 64 667 10.4 2 |
| 1999 stl | 7 | 3 3 1.0 0 | 3 22 7.3 1 |
| 2000 phi | 2 | 1 2 2.0 0 | 1 20 20.0 0 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 115 | 388 1512 3.9 7 | 335 3099 9.3 15 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
Lee had 1,500 yards rushing for his career. Booker may never reach that in a season, but he could reach 1,000 yards for a season. And he could have multiple 1,000 yard seasons. Why do I say that? Let's look at Warrick Dunn's career stat line:
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1997 tam | 16 | 224 978 4.4 4 | 39 462 11.8 3 |
| 1998 tam | 16 | 245 1026 4.2 2 | 44 344 7.8 0 |
| 1999 tam | 15 | 195 616 3.2 0 | 64 589 9.2 2 |
| 2000 tam | 16 | 248 1133 4.6 8 | 44 422 9.6 1 |
| 2001 tam | 13 | 158 447 2.8 3 | 68 557 8.2 3 |
| 2002 atl | 15 | 230 927 4.0 7 | 50 377 7.5 2 |
| 2003 atl | 11 | 125 672 5.4 3 | 37 336 9.1 2 |
| 2004 atl | 16 | 265 1106 4.2 9 | 29 294 10.1 0 |
| 2005 atl | 16 | 280 1416 5.1 3 | 29 220 7.6 1 |
| 2006 atl | 16 | 286 1140 4.0 4 | 22 170 7.7 1 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 150 | 2256 9461 4.2 43 | 426 3771 8.9 15 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
Obviously I am a big fan of Booker, and why not? This kid is a GREAT guy, a good person that is very cerebral. He's focused and dedicated. He's ready to make his impact, no matter what it takes. I like that type of attitude, and that coupled with his physical ability lead me to believe that he can be a very solid back in the NFL.
