Who do YOU think the 49ers starting RB is? (1 Viewer)

[gregjcross]

The running game should improve and Gore will //if he shakes injuries// show some level of consistency. Considering the overall state of the 49ers injuries and rookie QB from 2005, generally Gore still looked strong and a breakaway/breaktackles runner while Barlow simply looked fairly good and better than the previous year.

SF Drafted a good OG in D. Bass from Michigan last year and brought in OT Larry Allen.

Good lord help Gore if he cant beat out Barlow.

Well I think that might be taking it a bit far. A couple year ago Barlow was going to be a 'stud' and people on this board had him ranked in the top 7 or 8 RB's if memory serves.The debate rages on, does Barlow stink or is it that bad O-line, lack of weapons around him....? Who knows. I think this year will be tell tale with a healthy set of TE's in Davis (and Eric Johnson, who everybody forgets), Smith in his 2nd full year at QB, I just think now we'll be able to tell who the real deal is. But this entire poll has been fascinating.

just wondering, were gore and barlow running behind a different oline last year? It was terrible but gore looked good. Barlow didnt

A great point. I don't have the stats to back it up, because I am lazy and unwiling to go find them, but I seem to remember San Fran being in total and entire shambles at that point. Barlow injured, not sure if Smith played all 3 games or if they were into the Dorsey/Pickett rotation due to injuries or something, but I question if Gore looked better because teams were just taking the entire team for granted at that point or not. Like I said, I'm unsure and this could be a great point. I will say the cross section for Gore is only a couple games, where as Barlow looking bad was over a lot more of a period.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Good lord help Gore if he cant beat out Barlow.

Well I think that might be taking it a bit far. A couple year ago Barlow was going to be a 'stud' and people on this board had him ranked in the top 7 or 8 RB's if memory serves.The debate rages on, does Barlow stink or is it that bad O-line, lack of weapons around him....? Who knows. I think this year will be tell tale with a healthy set of TE's in Davis (and Eric Johnson, who everybody forgets), Smith in his 2nd full year at QB, I just think now we'll be able to tell who the real deal is. But this entire poll has been fascinating.

just wondering, were gore and barlow running behind a different oline last year? It was terrible but gore looked good. Barlow didnt

A great point. I don't have the stats to back it up, because I am lazy and unwiling to go find them, but I seem to remember San Fran being in total and entire shambles at that point. Barlow injured, not sure if Smith played all 3 games or if they were into the Dorsey/Pickett rotation due to injuries or something, but I question if Gore looked better because teams were just taking the entire team for granted at that point or not. Like I said, I'm unsure and this could be a great point. I will say the cross section for Gore is only a couple games, where as Barlow looking bad was over a lot more of a period.

He may prove me wrong but I dont think Barlow is a very good RB. It may just be he sucked the last two seasons because he didnt have much competition and didnt work hard and was complacent, not sure. The thing is, Gore did well behind the same line. He cant do worse than Barlow thats for sure, so the job should be his to lose.

You might want to consider few things...Gore had an 80 yard TD run against the Redskins when 2/3 of the defenders on the field were backups at the end of a blowout. That single run adds over half a yard to his YPC. Sure, it counted, but it was a meaningless run and not one you can count on happening... unless you think they'll face a lot of backups.

Gore did well in the starts at the end of the year - with fresh legs running against 3 worn out, terrible run defenses. Houston and St. Louis were 2 of the 3 lowest ranking run defenses in the league.

Barlow had a stretch of games 3 through 8 against Dallas, Arizona, Indianapolis, Washington, and Tampa Bay where he ran exceptionally well, and it was a more impressive stretch of games than anything Gore did the entire year. By almost all accounts, he ran well last year just to get the yardage he did.

 

[kevthegrad]

Good lord help Gore if he cant beat out Barlow.

Well I think that might be taking it a bit far. A couple year ago Barlow was going to be a 'stud' and people on this board had him ranked in the top 7 or 8 RB's if memory serves.The debate rages on, does Barlow stink or is it that bad O-line, lack of weapons around him....? Who knows. I think this year will be tell tale with a healthy set of TE's in Davis (and Eric Johnson, who everybody forgets), Smith in his 2nd full year at QB, I just think now we'll be able to tell who the real deal is. But this entire poll has been fascinating.

just wondering, were gore and barlow running behind a different oline last year? It was terrible but gore looked good. Barlow didnt

A great point. I don't have the stats to back it up, because I am lazy and unwiling to go find them, but I seem to remember San Fran being in total and entire shambles at that point. Barlow injured, not sure if Smith played all 3 games or if they were into the Dorsey/Pickett rotation due to injuries or something, but I question if Gore looked better because teams were just taking the entire team for granted at that point or not. Like I said, I'm unsure and this could be a great point. I will say the cross section for Gore is only a couple games, where as Barlow looking bad was over a lot more of a period.

He may prove me wrong but I dont think Barlow is a very good RB. It may just be he sucked the last two seasons because he didnt have much competition and didnt work hard and was complacent, not sure. The thing is, Gore did well behind the same line. He cant do worse than Barlow thats for sure, so the job should be his to lose.

You might want to consider few things...Gore had an 80 yard TD run against the Redskins when 2/3 of the defenders on the field were backups at the end of a blowout. That single run adds over half a yard to his YPC. Sure, it counted, but it was a meaningless run and not one you can count on happening... unless you think they'll face a lot of backups.

Gore did well in the starts at the end of the year - with fresh legs running against 3 worn out, terrible run defenses. Houston and St. Louis were 2 of the 3 lowest ranking run defenses in the league.

Barlow had a stretch of games 3 through 8 against Dallas, Arizona, Indianapolis, Washington, and Tampa Bay where he ran exceptionally well, and it was a more impressive stretch of games than anything Gore did the entire year. By almost all accounts, he ran well last year just to get the yardage he did.

As a Barlow owner last year I had no choice but to pay attention to the crutty 49ers, and you know, those were some very tough D's that Barlow faced too....Dallas, Washington, Tampa...I remember a stretch of games thinking I'd be lucky to see Barlow crack 40 yds against them.Dammit...this entire situation is a mess.

 

[Lombardi's Orphan Son]

they beat Tampa that game and almost beat the Cowgirls. i picked up Barlow out of the two as an RB4 or 5 and am going to ride that puppy out til i know for sure.

-orphan

 

[Steelers4Life]

Good lord help Gore if he cant beat out Barlow.

Well I think that might be taking it a bit far. A couple year ago Barlow was going to be a 'stud' and people on this board had him ranked in the top 7 or 8 RB's if memory serves.The debate rages on, does Barlow stink or is it that bad O-line, lack of weapons around him....? Who knows. I think this year will be tell tale with a healthy set of TE's in Davis (and Eric Johnson, who everybody forgets), Smith in his 2nd full year at QB, I just think now we'll be able to tell who the real deal is. But this entire poll has been fascinating.

just wondering, were gore and barlow running behind a different oline last year? It was terrible but gore looked good. Barlow didnt

A great point. I don't have the stats to back it up, because I am lazy and unwiling to go find them, but I seem to remember San Fran being in total and entire shambles at that point. Barlow injured, not sure if Smith played all 3 games or if they were into the Dorsey/Pickett rotation due to injuries or something, but I question if Gore looked better because teams were just taking the entire team for granted at that point or not. Like I said, I'm unsure and this could be a great point. I will say the cross section for Gore is only a couple games, where as Barlow looking bad was over a lot more of a period.

He may prove me wrong but I dont think Barlow is a very good RB. It may just be he sucked the last two seasons because he didnt have much competition and didnt work hard and was complacent, not sure. The thing is, Gore did well behind the same line. He cant do worse than Barlow thats for sure, so the job should be his to lose.

You might want to consider few things...Gore had an 80 yard TD run against the Redskins when 2/3 of the defenders on the field were backups at the end of a blowout. That single run adds over half a yard to his YPC. Sure, it counted, but it was a meaningless run and not one you can count on happening... unless you think they'll face a lot of backups.

Gore did well in the starts at the end of the year - with fresh legs running against 3 worn out, terrible run defenses. Houston and St. Louis were 2 of the 3 lowest ranking run defenses in the league.

Barlow had a stretch of games 3 through 8 against Dallas, Arizona, Indianapolis, Washington, and Tampa Bay where he ran exceptionally well, and it was a more impressive stretch of games than anything Gore did the entire year. By almost all accounts, he ran well last year just to get the yardage he did.

As a Barlow owner last year I had no choice but to pay attention to the crutty 49ers, and you know, those were some very tough D's that Barlow faced too....Dallas, Washington, Tampa...I remember a stretch of games thinking I'd be lucky to see Barlow crack 40 yds against them.Dammit...this entire situation is a mess.

And the thing is, those 3 games were part of the best stretch of the season for Barlow. You'd expect inconsistency from a running game with no viable QB option, questionable WRs, and no OL. But he looked very strong against some good competition.

 

[kevthegrad]

A big FU to Kevan Barlow chronic lame-###.

Well thought out and logical. I hope you voted twice. The battle rages on.

 

[noneother]

do hicks and Mrob have a resonable shot here? o r do we wait for Peterson or Lynch next year??

 

[kevthegrad]

do hicks and Mrob have a resonable shot here? o r do we wait for Peterson or Lynch next year??

I think Barlow and Gore duke it out this year, it's still WAY too early to look past Gore in terms of determining what he will mean to this team.

 

[kevthegrad]

MRob is an experiment, will never be a starting RB.

Hicks has too many issues with his oragamy. Won't ever pan out as a 24 touch per game guy.

 

[el centro]

MRob II

Good, can you explain it to me please?

Sure, I'll throw in my take on the situation. ALL of the SF RBs have issues. None of them were drafted higher than the 3rd round so the 49ers don't have a ton invested in any of them. Barlow is 27 and has yet to really show any consistency as the starting RB and nobody can say he didn't have his chances. Gore is young and had massive potential before his injuries but the guy just can't stay healthy with injuries to both his knees in college and now surgery on both his shoulders. I just don't believe he's the kind of guy you can rely on for a full season as your starting RB. Now add to that, that the 49ers just drafted Michael Robinson in the 4th round as a RB , not a WR as everyone thought, and I think they may be looking to the future. Sure Robinson is RAW and yes he needs a lot of work but if we are looking at 2007, I think he has a legitimate shot to win the starting job.Taken from NFL.com Draft Profiles...

SUMMARY

It is always hard to predict how a player will do playing a position that he has not played a ton of in college. Robinson is definitely athletic and smart enough to make the switch, but learning the nuances of a new position in the NFL is extremely difficult. Teams will need to be careful not to over-draft him based on his post-season workouts because he is still an athlete trying to make a position switch. For every Hines Ward or Drew Bennett, there are many who never were able to make the switch -- Woody Danzler and Eric Crouch are just a few of the recent big names to fail. In the end, Robinson should succeed in his switch to receiver -- he will develop into a good No. 3 receiver who can make big plays after the catch because of his open-field running ability.

STRONG POINTS

Robinson is a top-notch athlete with the foot quickness, explosiveness and playing speed to make big plays as a receiver. In limited opportunities, he has shown good hands and the ability to pluck the ball easily away from his body. He is a dangerous open-field runner and will be able to turn short passes into big plays. He is a tough football player who has consistently taken hard hits and stayed in the lineup. He is a smooth and fluid athlete who can make very sharp cuts -- as he gains experience as a receiver, he will be able to burst out of cuts to get separation easily.

WEAKNESSES

Robinson's only glaring weakness is that he was primarily a quarterback at Penn State and, even though he played receiver at times in career, he will need to learn to play the position at the highest level possible. While he has shown real toughness as a quarterback, it is impossible to predict his willingness to go up and make tough catches on high passes in traffic.

I think Adrian Peterson is more likely the starting RB for SFF in 2007.

 

[gman8343]

from Sportingnews.com:

49ers To Use RB By Committee?

The most contentious position battle could be among RBs Frank Gore, Kevan Barlow, Maurice Hicks and rookie Michael Robinson. Gore and Barlow have the most experience, but both are coming off injuries. Dennis Georgatos of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the 49ers could emerge from camp with a tailback-by-committee approach if none of the current running backs emerges above the above the pack.

 

[kevthegrad]

Oh screw them. We're too far into this poll to add names and start over.

It will be Gore or Barlow, and that's all we will hear of it.

The Board

 

[kevthegrad]

"Narles Barkley is not the Led Zeppelin of today!!"

-Artie Lange, July 17/06

 

[Boone22]

Link to article from the Blogger

http://49ers.scout.com/2/547539.html

 

[kevthegrad]

bump

Training camp is open, some comments are rolling around about Gore and Barlow....I figure it's time to get this poll going again for those of you who haven't weighed in already.

 

[nygiants56]

Good lord help Gore if he cant beat out Barlow.

Well I think that might be taking it a bit far. A couple year ago Barlow was going to be a 'stud' and people on this board had him ranked in the top 7 or 8 RB's if memory serves.The debate rages on, does Barlow stink or is it that bad O-line, lack of weapons around him....? Who knows. I think this year will be tell tale with a healthy set of TE's in Davis (and Eric Johnson, who everybody forgets), Smith in his 2nd full year at QB, I just think now we'll be able to tell who the real deal is. But this entire poll has been fascinating.

just wondering, were gore and barlow running behind a different oline last year? It was terrible but gore looked good. Barlow didnt

A great point. I don't have the stats to back it up, because I am lazy and unwiling to go find them, but I seem to remember San Fran being in total and entire shambles at that point. Barlow injured, not sure if Smith played all 3 games or if they were into the Dorsey/Pickett rotation due to injuries or something, but I question if Gore looked better because teams were just taking the entire team for granted at that point or not. Like I said, I'm unsure and this could be a great point. I will say the cross section for Gore is only a couple games, where as Barlow looking bad was over a lot more of a period.

He may prove me wrong but I dont think Barlow is a very good RB. It may just be he sucked the last two seasons because he didnt have much competition and didnt work hard and was complacent, not sure. The thing is, Gore did well behind the same line. He cant do worse than Barlow thats for sure, so the job should be his to lose.

I think Barlow is good, just unprofessional..maybe he kinda quit last year? didn't want to get hurt in a meaningless season!?Joe Horn quit last year , too. not saying barlow doesn't have question marks surrounding him,but, many poeple would be just like Barlow if they played for SF, too..

I like Gore too, but he's a potato chip, and can break at any moment..

he always has broken down, and always will, IMO..

 

[TheFanatic]

Hmmmm, wonder what way this will go now?