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RB Chris Carson, SEA - 10.7.21 - Neck Issue (3 Viewers)

He's also probably a better pass blocker than Penny, which we know is important for rookie backs seeing the field.
Based on what? Two points:

  1. Per PFF, Carson (17), Lacy (16), McKissic (8), Davis (8), and Prosise (6) combined for just 55 pass blocking snaps last season. As a point of comparison, they combined to run 498 routes.
  2. Carson got the most at 17, and his PFF pass blocking grade was the worst at 36.2, which ranked #125 out of 130 graded RBs.
I know PFF isn't perfect, but this info doesn't support either element (importance, Carson is better) of your statement.

 
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:lmao:  this is going to be a fun schtick throughout the preseason... how do I justify my bogus Penny rookie ranking? I know I subtly talk about Carson in the offseason and then I’ll still have a 50/50 shot Penny fails. You going to head over to the Burkhead thread and praise him next? How about Samaje Perine? Still some life to be had over there. Maybe pump up Carlos Hyde while we’re busy making suggestions rookies won’t live up to their draft positions based on OTA’s and own personal prejudices. Your ranking of Penny was the worst and most egregious thing I’ve seen this entire offseason. Even if he fails that line of thinking that you’re so good you can put a first round RB in the second round of a rookie draft rankings is laughable. Literally no reputable source agreed with you. The best fantasy, daily and best ball minds all had Penny in their top 4. It makes FBG’s look like a joke. 
A while back Joe said something about staffers not seeing value in shark pool posting because of the hostility they encountered when doing so.

It is sad that only a day or so into what appears to be a concerted effort by FBG staff to engage more with the forums, Joe's remarks are being born out.

Is calling out and mocking someone who posts a different view of players than you do really going to do anything to generate quality conversation here?  What were you hoping to get in response to this?

 
:lmao:  this is going to be a fun schtick throughout the preseason... how do I justify my bogus Penny rookie ranking? I know I subtly talk about Carson in the offseason and then I’ll still have a 50/50 shot Penny fails. You going to head over to the Burkhead thread and praise him next? How about Samaje Perine? Still some life to be had over there. Maybe pump up Carlos Hyde while we’re busy making suggestions rookies won’t live up to their draft positions based on OTA’s and own personal prejudices. Your ranking of Penny was the worst and most egregious thing I’ve seen this entire offseason. Even if he fails that line of thinking that you’re so good you can put a first round RB in the second round of a rookie draft rankings is laughable. Literally no reputable source agreed with you. The best fantasy, daily and best ball minds all had Penny in their top 4. It makes FBG’s look like a joke. 
Did you ever think of switching to decaffeinated?

 
:lmao:  this is going to be a fun schtick throughout the preseason... how do I justify my bogus Penny rookie ranking? I know I subtly talk about Carson in the offseason and then I’ll still have a 50/50 shot Penny fails. You going to head over to the Burkhead thread and praise him next? How about Samaje Perine? Still some life to be had over there. Maybe pump up Carlos Hyde while we’re busy making suggestions rookies won’t live up to their draft positions based on OTA’s and own personal prejudices. Your ranking of Penny was the worst and most egregious thing I’ve seen this entire offseason. Even if he fails that line of thinking that you’re so good you can put a first round RB in the second round of a rookie draft rankings is laughable. Literally no reputable source agreed with you. The best fantasy, daily and best ball minds all had Penny in their top 4. It makes FBG’s look like a joke. 
Folks said the same thing when I had Sankey so low in my rookie rankings. I might be wrong, but Im going to post my actual rankings instead of changing them to agree with everyone else. Seattle had the worst running game in the league. Im not sure Penny is that much better than Carson. Because of the consensus rankings you referred to, im pretty sure dynasty players knew about where they would have to take Penny to get him. I ranked him where i would feel comfortable taking him. 

 
Based on what? Two points:

  1. Per PFF, Carson (17), Lacy (16), McKissic (8), Davis (8), and Prosise (6) combined for just 55 pass blocking snaps last season. As a point of comparison, they combined to run 498 routes.
  2. Carson got the most at 17, and his PFF pass blocking grade was the worst at 36.2, which ranked #125 out of 130 graded RBs.
I know PFF isn't perfect, but this info doesn't support either element (importance, Carson is better) of your statement.
based on watching Penny be the worst pass blocking running back in this class. Really, watch any of Penny's game and see how much of an adventure some of his pass blocking snaps are. he has acknowledged his deficiency there and the team is emphasizing that in his work. I agree that Carson had a very limited sample size, so I said "probably". 

 
:lmao:  this is going to be a fun schtick throughout the preseason... how do I justify my bogus Penny rookie ranking? I know I subtly talk about Carson in the offseason and then I’ll still have a 50/50 shot Penny fails. You going to head over to the Burkhead thread and praise him next? How about Samaje Perine? Still some life to be had over there. Maybe pump up Carlos Hyde while we’re busy making suggestions rookies won’t live up to their draft positions based on OTA’s and own personal prejudices. Your ranking of Penny was the worst and most egregious thing I’ve seen this entire offseason. Even if he fails that line of thinking that you’re so good you can put a first round RB in the second round of a rookie draft rankings is laughable. Literally no reputable source agreed with you. The best fantasy, daily and best ball minds all had Penny in their top 4. It makes FBG’s look like a joke. 
Do you ever go back and compare your off season rankings after the season?

Glass houses et cetera and so forth.

 
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A while back Joe said something about staffers not seeing value in shark pool posting because of the hostility they encountered when doing so.

It is sad that only a day or so into what appears to be a concerted effort by FBG staff to engage more with the forums, Joe's remarks are being born out.

Is calling out and mocking someone who posts a different view of players than you do really going to do anything to generate quality conversation here?  What were you hoping to get in response to this?
Not to pile on @Bojang0301 too much (but gonna) those are exactly the type of posts that hurt forums. 

All I am saying @Bojang0301 is there were better ways to make your point.

And just because you disagree, and all the "experts" disagree, doesn't make @Sigmund Bloom wrong. And he is willing to defend his position with calm, rational reasoning. We need more of that around here.

 
:lmao:  this is going to be a fun schtick throughout the preseason... how do I justify my bogus Penny rookie ranking? I know I subtly talk about Carson in the offseason and then I’ll still have a 50/50 shot Penny fails. You going to head over to the Burkhead thread and praise him next? How about Samaje Perine? Still some life to be had over there. Maybe pump up Carlos Hyde while we’re busy making suggestions rookies won’t live up to their draft positions based on OTA’s and own personal prejudices. Your ranking of Penny was the worst and most egregious thing I’ve seen this entire offseason. Even if he fails that line of thinking that you’re so good you can put a first round RB in the second round of a rookie draft rankings is laughable. Literally no reputable source agreed with you. The best fantasy, daily and best ball minds all had Penny in their top 4. It makes FBG’s look like a joke. 
Sorry, but that's a singularly unhelpful post. What was your point? Blasting someone's opinion with "the best fantasy minds say you're wrong!" is pointless. We can all look at expert consensus rankings -- so please add something to the conversation or don't bother. We know that the Seahawks spent a first round pick on Penny and that, especially at RB, teams aren't drafting developmental players on Day 1. If you're comfortable with Penny, spend an early 1st round pick on him, be happy, and move on.

Personally, I'm on the fence. And, thus, I'm trying to figure out more -- whether there are big enough questions to drop Penny in my rankings. Likewise, is Carson a lottery ticket worth scratching?

I posted above that, at the point he went down last year, PFF had Carson 7th among all RBs with an elusive rating of 60.6.

There is this from Brady Henderson, the Seahawks beat reporter at ESPN:

RB Rashaad Penny. Maybe the biggest hurdle Penny faces as he tries to pry the starting job from Chris Carson is getting up to speed in pass protection. The Seahawks have made no secret of the fact that Penny has a ways to go in that part of his game, and there's only so much that can be gleaned about his progress right now since contact isn't allowed during OTAs. Training camp will provide a better setting to gauge how ready Penny is to save Russell Wilson from blitzing defenders. For now, he's working behind Carson, who's still the most physically impressive of Seattle's running backs. Status: Too soon to tell.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23661519/nfl-draft-2018-early-impressions-all-32-first-round-picks-otas-practices

John Clayton commented, a week or so ago, that Chris Carson looked quicker this season, and this is after he bulked up from 216 to 227.

Again, there are some interesting data points -- not enough for me to ignore draft capital, but enough to insert some doubts in my mind that I must assuage before I'd pay market price on Penny. The Seahawks overall situation, as well (play calling, OL, and potential RBBC), is an issue for me.

 
A while back Joe said something about staffers not seeing value in shark pool posting because of the hostility they encountered when doing so.
What, so they retreat to the friendly confines of Twitter?  

That excuse doesn't hold water, IMO.  It's more about reaching as many people as possible, and forums don't allow that.  Nothing wrong with that, but that's a lot more of a reason than 'people be mean'.  

These guys all joke about how Twitter can be brutal, but none of them are shutting off their Twitter accounts.  

 
No. He's just first round pick Rashaad Penny. 

AndI have stated multiple times that Carson may be a better NFL back.

And Hillman was amazing at SDSU but he wasn't even as good as Donnell Pumphrey. Penny was significantly better than both of them. 
Okay okay...I'll compromise: "Mountain West 1st Round Pick Rashaad Penny" :)

 
Not to pile on @Bojang0301 too much (but gonna) those are exactly the type of posts that hurt forums. 

All I am saying @Bojang0301 is there were better ways to make your point.

And just because you disagree, and all the "experts" disagree, doesn't make @Sigmund Bloom wrong. And he is willing to defend his position with calm, rational reasoning. We need more of that around here.
He knows how much water he carries. My demeanor may be insulting but so is the ranking, this continuous pointing to Carson on this board, on twitter and we’ll see it 20 more times through camp to justify his position which was weak and tedious at the start. Correct experts get it wrong, correct that people are allowed to have their own take but this is pure eyeball, gut check, I’m right, you’re wrong scouting that him and Waldman profess. Penny matches several metrics you want in a back and was a first rounder to boot. To put that in perspective he has a 47% chance of producing one top 24 season per rotoworld. As opposed to 31% for a 2nd rounder and 7% for someone drafted after round 3. Draft capital alone shouldn’t have Penny out of round one but the ranking was a pure and simple look at me troll to show how good he is at scouting. We shall see. The continued bias is clear as is his own trolling. He immediately took to Twitter after this : https://mobile.twitter.com/sigmundbloom/status/1004077038255460353

He is fighting to create a narrative. Sorry that I called it like I see em and it happens to be staff. Maybe he should adapt and look at advanced metrics and what his peers in the community are doing. I’ll put this to bed though. I understand this is FBG’s and everyone in all the forums needs a safe space.

 
He knows how much water he carries. My demeanor may be insulting but so is the ranking,
Who is it insulting to, Rashaad Penny?

So what if Bloom doesn't like him and if does like Carson? Why does that bother you so much that you throw out personal insults and speculate that he's trolling?

If his opinion does carry water and you think his opinion is so ridiculously off, use it to your advantage and move on. 

 
If you're behaving like a ####, and someone points that out, maybe they don't need a safe space. Maybe you're behaving like a ####.

 
He knows how much water he carries. My demeanor may be insulting but so is the ranking, this continuous pointing to Carson on this board, on twitter and we’ll see it 20 more times through camp to justify his position which was weak and tedious at the start. Correct experts get it wrong, correct that people are allowed to have their own take but this is pure eyeball, gut check, I’m right, you’re wrong scouting that him and Waldman profess. Penny matches several metrics you want in a back and was a first rounder to boot. To put that in perspective he has a 47% chance of producing one top 24 season per rotoworld. As opposed to 31% for a 2nd rounder and 7% for someone drafted after round 3. Draft capital alone shouldn’t have Penny out of round one but the ranking was a pure and simple look at me troll to show how good he is at scouting. We shall see. The continued bias is clear as is his own trolling. He immediately took to Twitter after this : https://mobile.twitter.com/sigmundbloom/status/1004077038255460353

He is fighting to create a narrative. Sorry that I called it like I see em and it happens to be staff. Maybe he should adapt and look at advanced metrics and what his peers in the community are doing. I’ll put this to bed though. I understand this is FBG’s and everyone in all the forums needs a safe space.
You are defending a losing position. Disagreeing is what hobbies like magic football are all about, we encourage it, we love it, we need it! We cannot control the actions of others we can only control our response. Being a good person while disagreeing is a choice as is choosing to respond with aggression and personal attacks. 

There is no right or wrong at this point in the off-season and when the games start, guess what? Bloom may turn out to have been correct (stranger things have happened). And if he is wrong, I am absolutely certain he will acknowledge it and not make excuses.  Will you be able to say the same?  So try not to take his ranking being some kind of personal affront and just don't use them. 

 
He knows how much water he carries. My demeanor may be insulting but so is the ranking, this continuous pointing to Carson on this board, on twitter and we’ll see it 20 more times through camp to justify his position which was weak and tedious at the start. Correct experts get it wrong, correct that people are allowed to have their own take but this is pure eyeball, gut check, I’m right, you’re wrong scouting that him and Waldman profess. Penny matches several metrics you want in a back and was a first rounder to boot. To put that in perspective he has a 47% chance of producing one top 24 season per rotoworld. As opposed to 31% for a 2nd rounder and 7% for someone drafted after round 3. Draft capital alone shouldn’t have Penny out of round one but the ranking was a pure and simple look at me troll to show how good he is at scouting. We shall see. The continued bias is clear as is his own trolling. He immediately took to Twitter after this : https://mobile.twitter.com/sigmundbloom/status/1004077038255460353

He is fighting to create a narrative. Sorry that I called it like I see em and it happens to be staff. Maybe he should adapt and look at advanced metrics and what his peers in the community are doing. I’ll put this to bed though. I understand this is FBG’s and everyone in all the forums needs a safe space.
Have you ever looked at the Rookie Scouting Portfolio? It's not an eyeball test and all the work and back-up is there to see.  Its not as if he had Rashaad Penny ranked like chopped liver in it. 

A ranking can't be insulting....it's a ranking.  If you don't agree move on, no need to make it personal.  The way in which you speak about someone can most definitely be insulting which you have clearly demonstrated..

 
He knows how much water he carries. My demeanor may be insulting but so is the ranking, this continuous pointing to Carson on this board, on twitter and we’ll see it 20 more times through camp to justify his position which was weak and tedious at the start. Correct experts get it wrong, correct that people are allowed to have their own take but this is pure eyeball, gut check, I’m right, you’re wrong scouting that him and Waldman profess. Penny matches several metrics you want in a back and was a first rounder to boot. To put that in perspective he has a 47% chance of producing one top 24 season per rotoworld. As opposed to 31% for a 2nd rounder and 7% for someone drafted after round 3. Draft capital alone shouldn’t have Penny out of round one but the ranking was a pure and simple look at me troll to show how good he is at scouting. We shall see. The continued bias is clear as is his own trolling. He immediately took to Twitter after this : https://mobile.twitter.com/sigmundbloom/status/1004077038255460353

He is fighting to create a narrative. Sorry that I called it like I see em and it happens to be staff. Maybe he should adapt and look at advanced metrics and what his peers in the community are doing. I’ll put this to bed though. I understand this is FBG’s and everyone in all the forums needs a safe space.
Personally, I'd much rather see someone take a contrarian viewpoint and defend it.  If you want groupthink, there are a million sources for that.  I'm betting almost everyone here at least glances at other sources for FF info besides FBG - the Penny love is out there.  I like it when someone zigs where everyone else is zagging.  If you disagree, so be it, but I like to see both sides of a coin.

We don't need Steelers on Steelers crime here, Bojang.

 
If you're behaving like a ####, and someone points that out, maybe they don't need a safe space. Maybe you're behaving like a ####.
My bad.

Have you ever looked at the Rookie Scouting Portfolio? It's not an eyeball test and all the work and back-up is there to see.  Its not as if he had Rashaad Penny ranked like chopped liver in it. 

A ranking can't be insulting....it's a ranking.  If you don't agree move on, no need to make it personal.  The way in which you speak about someone can most definitely be insulting which you have clearly demonstrated..
:potkettle:

 
Personally, I'd much rather see someone take a contrarian viewpoint and defend it.  If you want groupthink, there are a million sources for that.  I'm betting almost everyone here at least glances at other sources for FF info besides FBG - the Penny love is out there.  I like it when someone zigs where everyone else is zagging.  If you disagree, so be it, but I like to see both sides of a coin.

We don't need Steelers on Steelers crime here, Bojang.
I easily get riled up. Guess this is one of those sweet spots for me. I do like that I get twenty people calling me an ### hole for emphatically stating I think a staff member is way off base in his rankings and contrived narrative that the backup is better. We’re not seeing this in the Perine/Chris Thompson thread, we’re not seeing this in the Carlos Hyde thread or the Rex Burkhead thread or even the Ameer Abdullah/Blount threads. Sorry that I think there is a reason why. 

 
I easily get riled up. Guess this is one of those sweet spots for me. I do like that I get twenty people calling me an ### hole for emphatically stating I think a staff member is way off base in his rankings and contrived narrative that the backup is better. We’re not seeing this in the Perine/Chris Thompson thread, we’re not seeing this in the Carlos Hyde thread or the Rex Burkhead thread or even the Ameer Abdullah/Blount threads. Sorry that I think there is a reason why. 
It's not that you are calling out a staffer for disagreeing with a ranking. It's that you were being kind of a jerk about it.

Like I said disagreement is what this hobby is all about. We all live for that on some level.  Personally when people disagree I want to hear about why they think the player is better (or worse) not just that everyone else ranks the player higher.

That kind of debate has helped me change my opinion about dozens of players over the years.  Do more of that.

 
based on watching Penny be the worst pass blocking running back in this class. Really, watch any of Penny's game and see how much of an adventure some of his pass blocking snaps are. he has acknowledged his deficiency there and the team is emphasizing that in his work. I agree that Carson had a very limited sample size, so I said "probably". 
I really don’t think being #125 out of 130 at pass blocking gives Carson much of a situational edge over Penny, even if he is #131. Sure, maybe it gives him 3-5 more snaps per game... pass blocking snaps. 

IMO Penny’s large edge in speed - at a higher BMI - is much more significant. 

We’ll see. Appreciate you posting your thoughts. :thumbup:

 
I forget who it was (@Biabreakable, maybe?) but earlier this offseason someone posted some very well considered arguments (and articles) disputing the importance of pass blocking skills for RBs in general. And how poor pass blocking is a barrier to PT. 

 
No one has ever come out and done a full blown study. PFF comes out with an article every few years and says it looks like there is no correlation between Pass Blocking Efficiency and fantasy production. If you are high efficiency when you touch the football, you get on the field. If you are a great pass blocker, you equally get on the field but usually with fewer receptions (ex. Zeke Elliot). There may be correlation with Elliot’s lack of receiving numbers and emphasis on pass blocking but without looking at routes run vs pass blocking attempts (stats I don’t have access to) I can’t say one way or the other. I will say that I’ve seen PFF’s PBE metric on reddit and there is no correlation in fantasy production (I.E. touches) and pass blocking. There may indeed be a correlation to snap count but it happens to be plays that the team wants a pass blocker in so they wouldn’t have touched the ball regardless. 

 
I'm not defending what he said, but how is it okay to call out individuals on this board but not FBG staff on their rankings? I've been ridiculed for my rankings at times. Even when I'm right people roll their eyes at me for being right. 

I think the SP as a whole needs to become more constructive instead of destructive.

There's nothing wrong with trying to figure out why one FBG staffer has a particular player ranked differently than what I may think. Isn't that what we were asking for? To be able to call out FBG staff on their rankings? It's real easy to sit behind a computer screen, and every week put out some rankings and not have to defend it. Some people may say that can fuel laziness, and some past subscribers know what I'm talking about
It's not the what, it's the how.

But I think we're all good...or all good adjacent.

 
I have to agree with much of the above. Much of what I've seen in the past in subscriber content, specifically from Bloom- not to call him out, but his weekly WW upgrades/downgrades is a classic example of where a FBG staffer is pimping "his guy" or just trying to make a statement of how awesome they are. Just go back to 2016 where he told you week 1 to spend 50% of your FAAB on Christine Michael 4 weeks in a row. 

I don't like Penny at all either, this year or onward. I tend to agree with some of Bloom's points. I think discussion is healthy, but it has to be a discussion. Lashing out at someone mockingly because they disagree with you is not constructive and it doesn't encourage a good discussion- FBG staffer or just a regular poster. 
I’m guilty of being an ### and getting into it with people on the boards. I need to take a step back sometimes. I don’t like the narrative pushing though. It correlates with his ranking. I think it’s intellectually dishonest unless we’re going to have the same hype about those backs I previously mentioned (Burkhead, Blount, Thompson, etc.) running with the ones. Draft stock is huge whether we like the prospect or not it means they will get an opportunity to succeed/fail and most of the time that comes immediately.

 
...a classic example of where a FBG staffer is pimping "his guy" or just trying to make a statement of how awesome they are. Just go back to 2016 where he told you week 1 to spend 50% of your FAAB on Christine Michael 4 weeks in a row.  
"Pimping his guy"? To what end? Having to admit he was wrong? Big deal.

Don't we all do that? The answer is "Yes" we do. 

My experience is many people have a great deal of difficulty admitting they were wrong.  I have never been one of those people, I love to learn and shape my opinions based upon increased understanding.

Two great recent examples of this involve you and @Bojang0301, you got me to look closer at Dion Lewis and Bojang got me to look closer at the (possible) myth of pass blocking. I feel I am a smarter magic football player because of it and have no problem saying I was (may have been) wrong and thank you both for helping further my understanding.

I can't abide people who 1) never recognize they are wrong or 2) recognize they are wrong but refuse to acknowledge it.  People like that, IMO, are very dangerous to families, communities and societies.

 
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Probably belongs in the Penny thread but if I were to play devil’s advocate against Penny I would say:

1) Brian Schottenheimer is awful. While it’s beautiful hearing he wants to run it every down his offenses have been dreadful. I don’t think that would bode well for any Seattle back if it weren’t for Russell Wilson and the success Lynch had just a few short years ago.

2) His vert was lacking and he didn’t do any agility drills to the public process. I was really hoping to get one more metric to agree with what I was seeing. The 40 is great, the vert was a bit meh. I was hoping to see a better vert to match the explosion I saw but I do believe it’s there.

3) The OLine stinks: this is another metric that is often used against players that has had one study that I’m aware of that countered the idea that line play correlates to fantasy success. It’s not that it doesn’t but there is more randomness to it than just the line stinks, no chance of being good or line is great, going to be a stud. Seattle’s line doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies though. 

4) CJ Prosise and JD McKissic: it isn’t the bruising back that concerns me it’s the ones that have shown an aptitude for the passing game. Should they decide Penny doesn’t offer high efficiency as a receiver this is where I believe his value could take the hit that Guice is also being urged caution with.

 
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I easily get riled up. Guess this is one of those sweet spots for me. I do like that I get twenty people calling me an ### hole for emphatically stating I think a staff member is way off base in his rankings and contrived narrative that the backup is better. We’re not seeing this in the Perine/Chris Thompson thread, we’re not seeing this in the Carlos Hyde thread or the Rex Burkhead thread or even the Ameer Abdullah/Blount threads. Sorry that I think there is a reason why. 
That's not the part of the post I was pointing to...

I'm not defending what he said, but how is it okay to call out individuals on this board but not FBG staff on their rankings? I've been ridiculed for my rankings at times. Even when I'm right people roll their eyes at me for being right. 
 
Nothing wrong in my book with calling out someone on their rankings.  Some of the better staff interactions last season were posters calling out staffers on ranks when the staffers would actually come in and explain themselves (not all of them did).  If Bojang thinks Bloom is way off base and wants to say so, and why, that's still constructive dialogue.  His first post crossed way over the line into mocking the person and ridiculing his past misses.  (What does Bloom's view of Perine last year have to do with anything in the Carson thread?)  Later posts got better in the signal to noise with valid points on why it might be reasonable to rank Penny differently.  There is constructive dialogue to be had, and strong disagreement doesn't seem like the sort of thing Bloom shies away from when it's on topic.

 
No. He's just first round pick Rashaad Penny. 

AndI have stated multiple times that Carson may be a better NFL back.

And Hillman was amazing at SDSU but he wasn't even as good as Donnell Pumphrey. Penny was significantly better than both of them. 
By what ways was Penny better than Pumphrey?

If he was, then how come Pumphrey had 349 rushing attempts to Pennys 136 in 2016?

Penny wasn't injured. He had to wait for Pumphrey to move on to win the job.

I have watched both players and I think Pumphrey was more elusive than Penny by far. I think they are close to the same level of player. Neither significantly better than the other, but Pumphrey must have been at least slightly better or he wouldn't have been starting over Penny.

 
By what ways was Penny better than Pumphrey?

If he was, then how come Pumphrey had 349 rushing attempts to Pennys 136 in 2016?

Penny wasn't injured. He had to wait for Pumphrey to move on to win the job.

I have watched both players and I think Pumphrey was more elusive than Penny by far. I think they are close to the same level of player. Neither significantly better than the other, but Pumphrey must have been at least slightly better or he wouldn't have been starting over Penny.
Who’s to say Pumphrey is bad? Hard to survive as an NFL back at 175lbs though.

 
By what ways was Penny better than Pumphrey?

If he was, then how come Pumphrey had 349 rushing attempts to Pennys 136 in 2016?

Penny wasn't injured. He had to wait for Pumphrey to move on to win the job.

I have watched both players and I think Pumphrey was more elusive than Penny by far. I think they are close to the same level of player. Neither significantly better than the other, but Pumphrey must have been at least slightly better or he wouldn't have been starting over Penny.
Pumphrey was a great college RB, the incumbent and didn't do anything to lose the job. He had, probably, his best season in 2014 when Penny arrived and then followed that up with back-to-back MWC Offensive Player of the Year honors (an honor some, even many, may scoff at). 

Penny did more with his opportunities on the same team in both 2015 & 2016. And he not only was named MWC Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 he topped it off by being named an All American to boot, which is certainly something that cannot be scoffed at.

Penny is also about 40 lbs heavier, while only being 2" taller and has the same or better combine numbers than Pumphrey across the board.

That seemed worthy of calling Penny "significantly better" when I posted it but...maybe not?  

Heck Pumphrey may in fact be a more talented RB than Penny but he's pretty darn small at 5'9", 180 lb so his game simply may not translate to the NFL (or college for that matter) as easily as it would if he were 5'11" 220 lb like Penny.

 
I am giant fan of PFF but their FF side is a bit weak. This article is good example. Long post below...

 I agree that pass pro has little relevance. To me, it’s very correctable aspect and the importance is over blown. They should either be helping with a double team or just trying to slow down a missed and free blitzer. If a RB is tasked with heads up blocking a DL or edge rusher the OL protection/scheme has failed. Maybe the odd time it’s very quick pass but in any scenario the RB should only serving to slow down a rusher. Not lock him down. Technique and awareness/understanding to a lesser extent, are usually enough to achieve this base level pass protection. It is a piece of the puzzle but to me means next to nothing and I only make note of it if it’s a glaring flaw or extreme strength. Even then, what I’m looking for as the underlying cause of the poor/great pass pro symptom.

For Penny, he is usually able to find his assignment but has such terrible technique (and experience) that he gets caught off guard or flat footed and doesn’t slow down his guy. The physical “flaw” that it shows is his lack of elite strength. I don’t think Penny is weak of course but he’s not in that top echelon of power with guys like Fournette, who get caught off balance or out of place but still can slow down the defender. Obviously, we don’t need to watch pass pro to see a RBs power though.

To the article, “In conclusion, the data suggest that poor pass-blocking numbers do matter, but only at the polar negative extreme, and not very much at all for rookies.” Based on Penny’s displays from college, I would put him in the polar negative category. But that goes just to what I was talking about. What I don’t like about what the fantasy people at PFF do is, in my opinion, miss use their numbers. McCaffery as an example, is terrible. Likely the biggest reason he got so much love is his routes and catching. Who cares about his pass pro. It’s about as relevant as a WRs blocking. The other thing is that they are trying to draw conclusions from a lower relevance stat/metric in RB pass blocking grade. To make it worse, they try to tie it routes run only. The argument is that being bad at pass blocking is going to limit a players total snaps. Pass pro is probably a distant 3rd on the list of playing time factors behind, effectiveness as runner and receiving game ability. Especially, if there is a significant difference between the first and second string backs. However, none of this is accounted for in the article.

In the case of Penny vs Carson, Penny is being called an every down back but if his college tape holds true then he is a liability in the pass game which could some what opens the door for Carson. This is kind of where a everyone’s individual opinions of players comes in. If Penny is that much better overall than eventually the Seahawks likely don’t even bother with getting him to block or if they do it’s schemed into the play design. Or Penny can get to the point of being good enough at pass pro. If someone thinks Carson is almost as good or better than Penny, the pass pro could be the opportunity for him to display that and start to carve out a bigger role. 

The other thing that isn’t being mentioned is Carson has more power (the jumps show this if you don’t trust the tape) and has put on more weight. So, he could get a bit of GL and short yardage work.
 
I easily get riled up. Guess this is one of those sweet spots for me. I do like that I get twenty people calling me an ### hole for emphatically stating I think a staff member is way off base in his rankings and contrived narrative that the backup is better. We’re not seeing this in the Perine/Chris Thompson thread, we’re not seeing this in the Carlos Hyde thread or the Rex Burkhead thread or even the Ameer Abdullah/Blount threads. Sorry that I think there is a reason why. 
Is the reason that Guice, Chub, Michel, and Johnson are a tier above Penny in talent?

 
Is the reason that Guice, Chub, Michel, and Johnson are a tier above Penny in talent?
Michel and Johnson are definitely in a realm, athletically and production wise, below Penny. I’m sure your vast scouting acumen, eye balls and gut tells you otherwise though. 

 
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based on watching Penny be the worst pass blocking running back in this class. Really, watch any of Penny's game and see how much of an adventure some of his pass blocking snaps are. he has acknowledged his deficiency there and the team is emphasizing that in his work. I agree that Carson had a very limited sample size, so I said "probably". 
Out of curiosity, if you had Penny, would you trade him for Carson?  

 
I am giant fan of PFF but their FF side is a bit weak. This article is good example. Long post below...

 I agree that pass pro has little relevance. To me, it’s very correctable aspect and the importance is over blown. They should either be helping with a double team or just trying to slow down a missed and free blitzer. If a RB is tasked with heads up blocking a DL or edge rusher the OL protection/scheme has failed. Maybe the odd time it’s very quick pass but in any scenario the RB should only serving to slow down a rusher. Not lock him down. Technique and awareness/understanding to a lesser extent, are usually enough to achieve this base level pass protection. It is a piece of the puzzle but to me means next to nothing and I only make note of it if it’s a glaring flaw or extreme strength. Even then, what I’m looking for as the underlying cause of the poor/great pass pro symptom.

For Penny, he is usually able to find his assignment but has such terrible technique (and experience) that he gets caught off guard or flat footed and doesn’t slow down his guy. The physical “flaw” that it shows is his lack of elite strength. I don’t think Penny is weak of course but he’s not in that top echelon of power with guys like Fournette, who get caught off balance or out of place but still can slow down the defender. Obviously, we don’t need to watch pass pro to see a RBs power though.

To the article, “In conclusion, the data suggest that poor pass-blocking numbers do matter, but only at the polar negative extreme, and not very much at all for rookies.” Based on Penny’s displays from college, I would put him in the polar negative category. But that goes just to what I was talking about. What I don’t like about what the fantasy people at PFF do is, in my opinion, miss use their numbers. McCaffery as an example, is terrible. Likely the biggest reason he got so much love is his routes and catching. Who cares about his pass pro. It’s about as relevant as a WRs blocking. The other thing is that they are trying to draw conclusions from a lower relevance stat/metric in RB pass blocking grade. To make it worse, they try to tie it routes run only. The argument is that being bad at pass blocking is going to limit a players total snaps. Pass pro is probably a distant 3rd on the list of playing time factors behind, effectiveness as runner and receiving game ability. Especially, if there is a significant difference between the first and second string backs. However, none of this is accounted for in the article.

In the case of Penny vs Carson, Penny is being called an every down back but if his college tape holds true then he is a liability in the pass game which could some what opens the door for Carson. This is kind of where a everyone’s individual opinions of players comes in. If Penny is that much better overall than eventually the Seahawks likely don’t even bother with getting him to block or if they do it’s schemed into the play design. Or Penny can get to the point of being good enough at pass pro. If someone thinks Carson is almost as good or better than Penny, the pass pro could be the opportunity for him to display that and start to carve out a bigger role. 

The other thing that isn’t being mentioned is Carson has more power (the jumps show this if you don’t trust the tape) and has put on more weight. So, he could get a bit of GL and short yardage work.
Pass pro varies wildly year to year too. Everyone’s favorite pass blocker Jamaal Williams sucked at it in college. Penny level bad but graded highly in the pros last year. Things like that suggest it’s very much a learned trait and not an inherent skill. I’ve been dismissive of it for sometime despite always hearing the contrary. Recently though these articles keep cropping up and new metrics to measure it. If a player can run routes and catch the ball I feel pretty confident in saying you can be dismissive of it too. It’s the Blounts and Jordan Howard’s of the world that better be damn good pass blockers or else they’re losing snaps  on passing downs. I suppose it could be argued that it’s yet to be seen if Penny is a good to great pass catcher but I’m willing to take the risk given his collegiate target share, body of work and examples of him catching the ball like the Senior Bowl. Penny is a bad pass blocker if that’s what people want me to say. I just don’t really care. It’s correctable if he’s willing and a learner.

 
This pass blocking thing with Penny is overblown. The only way it's not is if the ball gets snapped in September, and Penny tackles Russell Wilson. 

When listening to these guys, you can cue up the point in the podcast when they'll bring it up. 

It's like with Christian Kirk. He has a great situation with Rosen, because they can 'grow together'.  This is, of course true of every young WR/QB in the league but you ONLY heard this about Kirk this year. 

That's why I like the analytics guys. Less likely to repeat each other's talking points.

 
So I bought Penny, and not because I don't like Carson.

I like Penny in the long term, playing dynasty of course. He's young and talented enough, so why not. Schotty has a history of making one guy his guy and I'm just eager to see who that will be?

 
So I bought Penny, and not because I don't like Carson.

I like Penny in the long term, playing dynasty of course. He's young and talented enough, so why not. Schotty has a history of making one guy his guy and I'm just eager to see who that will be?
I drafted Penny at 8, and I hope he blows up, but pre-draft I did not like him, and to be honest it's because of SDS. It's hard to take his stats seriously when guys who are bums in the NFL have put up monster numbers there (Pumphrey). I'm baffled that he was drafted so high, but as good as Carson looked last year, a 1st round pick will be the starter, and given every chance to prove his draft position.

 
I drafted Penny at 8, and I hope he blows up, but pre-draft I did not like him, and to be honest it's because of SDS. It's hard to take his stats seriously when guys who are bums in the NFL have put up monster numbers there (Pumphrey). I'm baffled that he was drafted so high, but as good as Carson looked last year, a 1st round pick will be the starter, and given every chance to prove his draft position.
I wouldn't call Pumphrey a bum exactly, he's just really small. Not many 5'9", 180lb feature backs in the NFL.

Penny has better combine numbers as well as being 2" taller & 40lbs bigger. I think that gives him a big advantage over Pumphrey.

 
Pumphrey was a great college RB, the incumbent and didn't do anything to lose the job.
:excited:  That was good!! 

He had, probably, his best season in 2014 when Penny arrived and then followed that up with back-to-back MWC Offensive Player of the Year honors (an honor some, even many, may scoff at). 
Actually he continued to get more total yards from scrimmage every year, so I am not sure why you think 2014 was his best season?

Penny did more with his opportunities on the same team in both 2015 & 2016. 
He didn't have many opportunities at all in 2015. 61 rushing attempts 8 receptions. I suppose you are inferring the yards per carry and yards per reception on the small sample size? 

In 2016 Penny did more than 2015 but his use was still dwarfed by Pumphrey.

He clearly didn't do more than Pumphrey did.

And he not only was named MWC Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 he topped it off by being named an All American to boot, which is certainly something that cannot be scoffed at.
Huh above you said that some people scoff at the awards you are citing. However your tone changes when those awards are going to Penny Strange.

Penny is also about 40 lbs heavier, while only being 2" taller and has the same or better combine numbers than Pumphrey across the board.
If Penny was measurable 'better' than Pumphrey than how come he couldn't win the starting job?

That seemed worthy of calling Penny "significantly better" when I posted it but...maybe not?  
Not to me.

Heck Pumphrey may in fact be a more talented RB than Penny but he's pretty darn small at 5'9", 180 lb so his game simply may not translate to the NFL (or college for that matter) as easily as it would if he were 5'11" 220 lb like Penny.
There is clearly a view of NFL front offices that is biased against smaller RB. That is evident in the difference between their draft position.

To say his game didn't translate to the college level is obviously not true. He may not get the chance to show if his game will translate to the NFL. However small players such as Warrick Dunn have translated before. It takes a coach and front office willing to give such a player a chance though.

No biggie. I just disagree with your statement that Penny was better than Pumphrey in college, when it seems pretty clear that he wasn't.

 
:excited:  That was good!! 

Actually he continued to get more total yards from scrimmage every year, so I am not sure why you think 2014 was his best season?

He didn't have many opportunities at all in 2015. 61 rushing attempts 8 receptions. I suppose you are inferring the yards per carry and yards per reception on the small sample size? 

In 2016 Penny did more than 2015 but his use was still dwarfed by Pumphrey.

He clearly didn't do more than Pumphrey did.

Huh above you said that some people scoff at the awards you are citing. However your tone changes when those awards are going to Penny Strange.

If Penny was measurable 'better' than Pumphrey than how come he couldn't win the starting job?

Not to me.

There is clearly a view of NFL front offices that is biased against smaller RB. That is evident in the difference between their draft position.

To say his game didn't translate to the college level is obviously not true. He may not get the chance to show if his game will translate to the NFL. However small players such as Warrick Dunn have translated before. It takes a coach and front office willing to give such a player a chance though.

No biggie. I just disagree with your statement that Penny was better than Pumphrey in college, when it seems pretty clear that he wasn't.
Lots to dissect there @Biabreakable but a couple that jump out are: I said people may scoff at a MWC OPOY but you can't scoff at being an All-American.

And Penny did more with his opportunities not more overall yardage. Averaging 0.7 YPC on his small sample size in 2015 and then he increased that margin to 1.4 YPC better on his larger same size in 2016. And he performed even better in 2017.

I think Pumphrey was at his best in 2014 but I won't argue with those who say 2015 or 2016 was his best year. Dude was a baller at SDSU.

So, yes while Penny did perform at an amazing level there was simply no reason to bench Pumphrey. Incumbent, performing at a high level.

 
FWIW I like Penny more than Pumphrey. However one of my doubts about Penny is because from watching both of them, I am not really sure that Penny was better than Pumphrey was. So this question or doubt in my mind was related to your statement that Penny was signnificantly better than Pumphrey, when I don't really think he was. That is part of what makes me hesitate and wonder about how good Penny will be.

I think Chris Carson is a good RB also, but I would still rather have Penny.

 
FWIW I like Penny more than Pumphrey. However one of my doubts about Penny is because from watching both of them, I am not really sure that Penny was better than Pumphrey was. So this question or doubt in my mind was related to your statement that Penny was signnificantly better than Pumphrey, when I don't really think he was. That is part of what makes me hesitate and wonder about how good Penny will be.

I think Chris Carson is a good RB also, but I would still rather have Penny.
His efficiency on the same team was unquestionably better. But I did already concede that significantly may have been too strong a word because Pumphrey was amazing too.

 

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