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Zac Stacy Hype Train - Rams (1 Viewer)

Maven

Footballguy
Surprised no thread on this guy...

First watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcgHXKMiXi4

He is the first Vanderbilt player to rush 1,000 yards back to back, and the first to pass 3,000 yards (3,143). Stacy had the longest rush (90) for a Vanderbilt player, he was the 8th player in SEC history to rush back to back 1,000 yards, and the 30th player in NCAA to pass 3,000 rushing yards in a career.

He compiled a total of 2,334 rushing yards during his final two seasons, more than any other SEC running back totaled from 2011-12. His rushing touchdown total in that time period, 24, tied for first with Eddie Lacy, the former Alabama back the Green Bay Packers selected with the 61st pick. Stacy also averaged 5.7 yards per carry in that span (remember this is the SEC).

He was drafted in the 5th round mainly due to his size ... 5'8 216, however he's a physically strong runner. Put up 27 reps on the bench press at the combine, good for 4th overall for running backs.

Early in camp he has shown to be a good blocker

With Pead out for a game for substance abuse and Richardson not solidyfing his spot atop the depth chart after his mediocore efforts last year, Stacy has the skillset to step in right away!

No ones talkin about this kid but dont be surprised if he lands the starting gig

 
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Pead is out one game. Also, Stacey has lined up exclusively with the second and third unit so far in camp.

 
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Best case scenario: smallest part of three-headed committee. Likelihood - slim.

Every other scenario: pine jockey. Likelihood - near certain.

I'd like him better if he had a little more size. Fisher seemed inclined to give Lendale White every chance in the universe to be part of a thunder/lightning approach. But to me, Stacy just brings more of what they've already got tons of in Pead and Richardson. Even without being big, I suppose he's short enough that his powerful build was big enough to play that game at Vandy. But I don't think he's pushing anybody around in the NFL.

I'll root for him because I like Fisher, but I have trouble seeing where and how he fits in beyond maybe special teams.

 
Best case scenario: smallest part of three-headed committee. Likelihood - slim.

Every other scenario: pine jockey. Likelihood - near certain.

I'd like him better if he had a little more size. Fisher seemed inclined to give Lendale White every chance in the universe to be part of a thunder/lightning approach. But to me, Stacy just brings more of what they've already got tons of in Pead and Richardson. Even without being big, I suppose he's short enough that his powerful build was big enough to play that game at Vandy. But I don't think he's pushing anybody around in the NFL.

I'll root for him because I like Fisher, but I have trouble seeing where and how he fits in beyond maybe special teams.
Dunno. He's got 15+ pounds on those guys in a much denser package. Doesn't seem in their mold to me. He did 27 reps at the combine. This guy isn't going to be a pushover, even at the NFL level.

 
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Best case scenario: smallest part of three-headed committee. Likelihood - slim.

Every other scenario: pine jockey. Likelihood - near certain.

I'd like him better if he had a little more size. Fisher seemed inclined to give Lendale White every chance in the universe to be part of a thunder/lightning approach. But to me, Stacy just brings more of what they've already got tons of in Pead and Richardson. Even without being big, I suppose he's short enough that his powerful build was big enough to play that game at Vandy. But I don't think he's pushing anybody around in the NFL.

I'll root for him because I like Fisher, but I have trouble seeing where and how he fits in beyond maybe special teams.
I don't see this as being a very open minded outlook. With Pead out week 1, Stacy will have a great opportunity to showcase his skills and earn himself a real role in the offense. Richardson looks to be mostly a space player, not really a between the tackles guy. I think Stacy has a shot to grab the bull by its horns as it were and his best case scenario is 15 carry a game guy on an offense that looks to be more wide open than last year.

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
Really tough question, with no good answer. Seems like he should have gone higher, so it does put a damper on my enthusiasm.

I was mostly just disputing the notion Stacy was "more of the same". He's not much like Pead or Richardson.

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
Really tough question, with no good answer. Seems like he should have gone higher, so it does put a damper on my enthusiasm.

I was mostly just disputing the notion Stacy was "more of the same". He's not much like Pead or Richardson.
Right. I see Richardson as a 3rd down back. I see Pead as someone who hasn't proven anything yet. I have nothing to base an opinion on other than he has an excellent chance to be the RB1 based on his competition. And that same argument can be made for Stacy. It's a convoluted mess. I wouldn't feel comfortable rosting any one of the three without the other two. I don't want to waste that many roster spots for 1 RB

 
I drafted Stacy 9th overall in my 16 team PPR dynasty last month and I liked everything I was reading on him and it didnt seem like he had that big of a hurdle with "only" two 2nd year RBs to beat out for the job. But as the weeks went on the hype train began to get out of hand and it just seemed like the beat writers and fantasy talking heads alike were looking for the "sleeper" back this year and Stacy seemed to fit the mold. Now don't get me wrong, he could definitely live up to the hype but once you step back and emotionally detach yourself from the situation, it seems like his ceiling is a mediocre NFL running back at best.

so, with that said, I traded Stacy + Denard Robinson for Eddie Lacy a couple weeks ago. Here's my thinking on him and maybe it's flawed, but in my occupation as an equities trader, there are instances which are deemed to be a "crowded trade" and after stepping back and looking at the situation at hand, I believe the hype around Stacy is definitely a crowded trade. This is different than someone like Alfred Morris last year who's hype was only coming on after he performed in the pre-season. I believe the expectations have been set too high for him and decided to sell into the fluff. In return, I got a back that doesn't come without his risks and flaws, but on the contrary of Stacy, no one seems to like at all.

 
have to admit i haven't seen much of him...

when i did look, i wanted to like him a lot being a rams fan, i came away with the impression he had very little wiggle, and wasn't sure how his skills would translate...

i think it is very possible there is a division of labor and this is a three headed monster...

stacy, having the best size and strength, and seemingly best inside runner, could be short yardage and goal line specialist...

these days most teams do use at least two RBs if not three (like saints), the trent richardson's of the world are rare... if pead or richardson are injured (with two of them, i guess double the chance ONE of them could miss some time), he could be thrust into a bigger role...

just conjecture, but i think they want pead to take lead in RBBC...

pedigree didn't matter last year, perhaps for whatever reason richardson was better prepared and made the college to NFL transition quicker and more smoothly... but i can't completely ignore and dismiss fact that they had respective 2nd and 7th round grades on them in 2012, so if pead is more "caught up" in preparation and transitioning, knows the play book and can play faster, the perceived talent gap the scouts, coaching staff and front office thought they saw last year (thus the pedigree gap or interval) could begin to assert itself more...

of course, if pead isn't as prepared mentally as richardson (who showed a lot of professionalism and maturity in 2012 , to his credit), all bets are off, and i would immediately recommend richardson...

but again, this is conjecture... what else could it be, not sure the coaches even know how the distribution of carries in expected two or three player RBBC (maybe stacy more intended as depth, insurance), until we see how pead and richardson look with another year of development, behind a better OL (jake long, wells healthy for now, saffold should be upgrade at RT), with exponentially greater receiving weapons (cook & austin, particularly, who are not only among the quickest and fastest at their respective positions in the game today... but maybe EVER?) to help create more space for the RBs to operate with and in...

richardson has the weight of history and last year's precendent in his favor... it doesn't require any imagination or exotic extrapolations, to think that, simply and straightforwardly, BASED ON 2012, the coaches like him better than pead.

* i didn't end up with stacy in any of six dynasty leagues in offseason... i asked for pead to be included almost as a throw in with one trade, otherwise i don't have pead or richardson on any of the teams... and sometimes that is partly flukey, not having pick in area he was taken, etc...

but i do have a few concerns with stacy...

that the light goes on for pead, and the second round pedigree asserts itself...

pead is shiftier, and maybe better fit for what looks like it could be a base spread offense like what bradford ran at oklahoma (cook = gresham) or like prolific, record breaking w. virginia "air raid" passing attack of HC dana holgorsen that put up historic numbers (drafted not only austin but his even more productive teammate and fellow WR stedman bailey)... he could have a lot of space to operate in...

saving the biggest and imo most important concern for last... with all the extra picks (for second year in a row, two 1sts in 2014), and because fisher had success with upper echelon RBs like eddie george and chris johnson, he may try and replicate that in the near future once he has the other pieces in place of the surrounding passing attack...

don't get me wrong, i like ogletree a lot and great idea to add an athlete, a playmaker and one of the best at his respective positions (and a pretty important position if he becomes a tone setter and another plus defender with laurinaitis at second level, after stockpiling talent on DL with three 1st rounders and at CB with one of top 2012 free agents finnegan and one of top cover CBs from class of '12 in janoris jenkins) on offense and defense, to sort of strengthen and weaponize both sides of the ball at the same time (they did after all, have TWO 1st rounders)... a better defense will help the offense and vice verce... and they didn't have a 2nd round pick due to climbing the ladder to get from 1.16 to 1.8 to snipe austin... but, just imagine or wrap your mind around how even SCARIER the STL offense would look on paper if they had drafted giovani bernard this year instead of the bengals?

more than likely, the rams concluded it was too early to give up on second year, second rounder pead, and they wanted to give him at least one more year to see what he can do more favorably positioned for success, as he should be in 2013 - maybe somewhat mirroring the rationale, and for some parallel reasons (if not as fateful or momentous), for not prematurely pulling the plug on bradford last year for historically good QB prospect RGIII, opting instead to surround him with upgraded OL and skill position weapons in free agency, and in the next three drafts ('12-'13-'14), with the bounty rams parlayed from the RGIII trade)?

took pains to relate that scenario, because unless a RB already on team (in which case i would think more likely pead, for reasons already outlined above, or richardson) lights it up, than imo the future at the RB position is very possibly not on the roster as it is presently constituted, and there is a high degree of liklihood that this is addressed by the franchise with one or more potentially more talented RBs in next few years, perhaps as soon as next year... pead would be tough to drop as 2nd rounder, rams traded two draft picks to move up in 5th and get stacy, but richardson was a 7th, so i don't think they would blink if it comes to replacing him in 2014, 2015, whatever...

in fact, trying to look around the corner or a few steps ahead, the rams fisher and snead have seemingly drafted pretty well in 2012-2013 both in terms of elevating collective talent level, but also filling important needs (in free agency as well - finnegan, wells, ex-MIA DT, etc. in 2012, long and cook in 2013)...

in the near future, it is possible that one of the bigger candidates for talent elevation happens to be RB (safety also, maybe OL to get younger than wells and dahl, and especially if RT saffold leaves in free agency)...

 
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Has anyone seen any of Rams camp and can report how carries haven been split so far?
As a Rams fan I follow the camp pretty closely. According to tweets, and knowledgable fans attending camp it seems Pead and Richardson are getting all of the work with the 1's and 2's. Stacy has been looking good against his competition though. Ganaway has been getting more work than him if that helps.

 
Has anyone seen any of Rams camp and can report how carries haven been split so far?
As a Rams fan I follow the camp pretty closely. According to tweets, and knowledgable fans attending camp it seems Pead and Richardson are getting all of the work with the 1's and 2's. Stacy has been looking good against his competition though. Ganaway has been getting more work than him if that helps.
Before practice moved inside because of rain, Richardson opened up the day with the ones. Right now, I'd say that Pead and Richardson are neck-and-neck with Pead having performed slightly better, but also having the 1 game suspension. Ganaway has likely outplayed Stacy so far.

Scrimmage tomorrow will be the first real look at how guys look in game conditions.

 
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
SJ looked slow last year. He didn't bring much to the Rams that Pead, TRich and Stacey can't bring, besides leadership and blocking. He's a great blocker. But as far as running, he's too slow for me and probably Fisher too. He was easily expendable especially for the direction the Rams are headed. SJ's savings allowed the Rams to sign Cook and Jake Long.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
I'm certain the Rams had no intentions of bringing SJ back. They needed to clear him off the books. Rams told him before FA started that they will be going another direction.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
Huh? It was quite obvious when the news came out about allowing Jackson to opt out of his deal that they didn't want him back. He was playing for a contract last season, and not from the Rams.

 
Yeah, I can't believe there isn't a thread on this already either.

Well, except for this 9 page monster
Thats not a hype train post..thats a dynasty outlook, but nice try.
You said there was "no thread on this guy", and that no one's talking about him. There clearly was, and people were indeed talking about him - to the point that some thought FBG dudes were hyping him up too much. It's cool if you want to be The Guy Who "Started" The Hype Train, though.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
Huh? It was quite obvious when the news came out about allowing Jackson to opt out of his deal that they didn't want him back. He was playing for a contract last season, and not from the Rams.
All the quotes I had heard were that the team wanted him back and he wanted to be back with the team. It wasn't until around February or March that Jackson changed his tune. There was no way they were going to keep him at the salary he was making, so it's true he was playing for a contract, but that contract could have just as easily been with St Louis as anyone else.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
Huh? It was quite obvious when the news came out about allowing Jackson to opt out of his deal that they didn't want him back. He was playing for a contract last season, and not from the Rams.
All the quotes I had heard were that the team wanted him back and he wanted to be back with the team. It wasn't until around February or March that Jackson changed his tune. There was no way they were going to keep him at the salary he was making, so it's true he was playing for a contract, but that contract could have just as easily been with St Louis as anyone else.
Nothing but lip service. He was never in their plans. Partly because they knew he was going to be more expensive than they wanted to pay.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
Huh? It was quite obvious when the news came out about allowing Jackson to opt out of his deal that they didn't want him back. He was playing for a contract last season, and not from the Rams.
All the quotes I had heard were that the team wanted him back and he wanted to be back with the team. It wasn't until around February or March that Jackson changed his tune. There was no way they were going to keep him at the salary he was making, so it's true he was playing for a contract, but that contract could have just as easily been with St Louis as anyone else.
Nah. The writing was on the wall the second they restructured his contract to let him walk. In fact, I'm not sure I ever saw any comments like that once the season ended. The Rams told Jackson's agent before FA that they will not be offering a contract.

 
Stacy is very similar to Doug Martin as far as physical metrics are concerned.

Zac Stacy

Height 5'8

Weight 216

40 Time 4.53 (1.56)

Short Shuttle 4.17

3-Cone Drill 6.70

Broad Jump 10.50"

Vertical Jump 33.0"

Bench Press 27 Reps

Doug Martin

Height 5'8

Weight 223

40 Time 4.46 (1.60)

Short Shuttle 4.16

3-Cone Drill 6.79

Broad Jump 10.00"

Vertical Jump 36.0"

Bench Press 28 Reps

The player on the Rams roster that really intrigues me is Benny Cunningham. He tore an ACL late in the season last year, but he did run the 40 for scouts a few days before the draft. He ran a 4.51. The only other thing he was tested on was the bench press. He threw up 26 reps at 209 pounds. Since he wasn't drafted, I'm not sure what kind of opportunity he'll get in camp but the kid is talented. From the few mentions I've seen, he's doing well and he's impressed in pass protection. If you aren't familiar with his game, you really need to watch the videos below:

vs Louisana-Monroe (14 carries, 64 yards, 2 TDs -- 4 receptions, 42 yards)

vs Georgia Tech (27 carries, 218 yards, 5 TDs -- 1 reception, 12 yards)

He torched FIU in Week 6 for 230 yards rushing and 55 receiving before tearing the ACL late in the game.

If he shows well in the preseason, I'll be surprised if he doesn't bump Gannaway off the roster at a minimum. He's certainly worth a flier in dynasty.

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
Huh? It was quite obvious when the news came out about allowing Jackson to opt out of his deal that they didn't want him back. He was playing for a contract last season, and not from the Rams.
All the quotes I had heard were that the team wanted him back and he wanted to be back with the team. It wasn't until around February or March that Jackson changed his tune. There was no way they were going to keep him at the salary he was making, so it's true he was playing for a contract, but that contract could have just as easily been with St Louis as anyone else.
Fisher has said he would have liked to have another year to work with Jackson. The reason that did not happen is because the Rams are a rebuilding team and Jackson only has a few years left. This is one of those situations where things have worked out for the best for both parties. That does not mean the Rams and Fisher did not want Jackson to be a part of their team. It was Jackson's option to stay if he wanted another year, but he wanted to play for a team competing for SB this year. Atlanta is a perfect fit for everyone all around I think, including the Rams who are in the process of developing new talent to become a contender in the near future. 2014 is when they plan to be in a really good position to contend. They made that decision when they made the trade with the Redskins last season. NFL teams are smart and plan ahead. This is an example of what I try to do with my dynasty teams as well. Always be planning ahead.

As has been pointed out upthread, they did not want to pay Jackson what he deserves with needs for that money to be used at other positions, and at 30 years old, on a young rebuilding team, he does not fit their current team goals.

I like Zac Stacy a ton and I think he is going to be the main inside runner for the Rams. But Pead is going to get his shot as well so just waiting to see how things shake out in camp.

 
Yeah, I can't believe there isn't a thread on this already either.

Well, except for this 9 page monster
Thats not a hype train post..thats a dynasty outlook, but nice try.
You said there was "no thread on this guy", and that no one's talking about him. There clearly was, and people were indeed talking about him - to the point that some thought FBG dudes were hyping him up too much. It's cool if you want to be The Guy Who "Started" The Hype Train, though.
Also started this gem http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=661122&hl=

I guess I feel a bit less confident in Stacy now that Maven is pimping him. :(

 
Junior McSpiffy said:
My thing about Stacy (and all the Rams backs) is this:

The Rams let SJax go. When they did, it was primarily with the expectation that he would test the FA market, then take an offer back to the Rams and let them match it. But then in the offseason, Fisher told Jackson that they were going to go with a committee approach, and Jackson felt he still deserved to be "The Man." (He was right, BTW.) So the Rams said "Fair enough" and they parted ways.

If the Rams are -that- committed to going RBBC that they would let the face of the franchise go without even making some sort of offer (especially considering how reasonable the price tag would have been), I'm gonna say that one hot game by any back won't be enough to win the job for them. I think that for at least this year, this is a lock to be a RBBC. I used to be all about scoring one of these guys... and even toyed with getting two to make sure I was getting the best shot at winning the lottery, but the more I think about it, the more I see this being a backfield that won't produce a good fantasy line for any of them.
Huh? It was quite obvious when the news came out about allowing Jackson to opt out of his deal that they didn't want him back. He was playing for a contract last season, and not from the Rams.
All the quotes I had heard were that the team wanted him back and he wanted to be back with the team. It wasn't until around February or March that Jackson changed his tune. There was no way they were going to keep him at the salary he was making, so it's true he was playing for a contract, but that contract could have just as easily been with St Louis as anyone else.
Nah. The writing was on the wall the second they restructured his contract to let him walk. In fact, I'm not sure I ever saw any comments like that once the season ended. The Rams told Jackson's agent before FA that they will not be offering a contract.
Feb 22:

Sounds Like Steven Jackson Wants To End His Career As A Ram

Feb 24:

Rams Want Steven Jackson Back

March 7:

Steven Jackson Says Rams Wanted Him To Take A Reduced Role

March 7:

Steven Jackson didn't want committee role

Looks to me like SJax wanted back, the Rams wanted him back, they talked some before FA started, the Rams said we want to go RBBC, Jax said "Thanks but no thanks." The Rams knew there was zero chance they'd pay him $7 mill, so they redid the deal to let him out at the end of the year. If the idea wasn't to try and bring him back, why not just cut him once the season ended? Because they wanted him back and he felt he would want to come back. Let him see what the market would bear, then the Rams see if that's what they want to pay. But this wasn't how it came down once the Rams said RBBC.

If someone can tell me why the Rams would renegotiate with the intent to lose him rather than just cutting him after the season, I'm willing to listen. But until that one gets explained to me, the scenario I laid out is the only one that makes sense to me.

 
I do think there is something to the Rams wanting to run a RBBC as well. There are looks that can be given by personnel and formation that can help fool the defense and I have heard Bri Schotty eluding to that a bit in some of his statements. They actually wanted to do this more last season, he just could not justify taking Jackson off the field.

Some basics on the Don Coryell offense that is one of the main influences on the offensive coodinator Brian Schottenheimer-

The Coryell offense is a combination of deep and mid range passing and power running.[14] The offense relies on getting all five receivers out into patterns that combined stretched the field, setting up defensive backs with route technique and the Quarterback throwing to a spot on time where the receiver can catch and turn upfield. Pass protection is critical to success because at least two of the five receivers will run a deep in, skinny post, comeback, speed out, or shallow cross.

Overall the goal of the Coryell offense is to have at least two downfield, fast wide receivers who adjust to the deep pass very well, combined with a sturdy pocket quarterback with a strong arm. The Coryell offense uses three key weapons. The first is a strong inside running game, the second is its ability to strike deep with two or more receivers on any play, and the third is to not only use those two attack in cooperation with each other, but to include a great deal of mid-range passing to a TE, WR, or back.

The Coryell offense introduced the concept of a tight end that ran wide receiver-type routes with Kellen Winslow in 1980.[15] Tight ends previously were primarily blockers lined up next to an offensive lineman and ran short to medium drag routes.[16] Winslow was put in motion so he would not be jammed at the line, or he was lined up wide or in the slot against a smaller cornerback.[15] Former Chargers assistant coach Al Saunders said Winslow was "a wide receiver in an offensive lineman's body."[16] Back then, defenses would cover Winslow with a strong safety or a linebacker, as zone defenses were not as popular.[17] Strong safeties in those times were almost like another linebacker, a run defender who could not cover a tight end as fast as Winslow. Providing another defender to help the strong safety opened up other holes.[18] Former head coach Jon Gruden called Winslow the first "joker" in the NFL. He could line up unpredictably in any formation from a three-point stance as a blocker to a two-point stance or being in motion as a receiver.[19]

After the Chargers in 1980 acquired running back Chuck Muncie, the offense started using a single set back featuring Muncie as the lone running back and adding a second tight end into the game. When defenses countered with extra defensive backs, the offense would run the ball. Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame coach and then-Chargers offensive coordinator, said that marked "the evolution of the one-back offense."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Coryell
Now Pead and Richardson are running with the 1st team while Zac Stacy and Ganaway work with the 2nd team. But this also may have been a split in the types of run plays being practiced as well. If there is a outside/inside running back role which I think BriSchotty has said is what they want to do, have 2 distict RB roles in the offense, then this could be Pead/Richardson competing for the outside role (and its counters) in the offense while Stacy and Ganaway compete for the inside role (and its counters) in the offense.

What I have observed with Jeff Fishers draft history is that he has put higher priority on the outside/speed type RB than the inside RB in terms of draft position invested in the player. But due to the history of the Coryell single set offense I can see the player who wins the inside role possibly having an edge in the number of carries and pass protection responsibilities. I also think the outside RB role will at times have Austin rotating into the backfield. Richardson/Pead will be asked to change roles with him to WR at times I think. So their ability to block and catch will be a factor in their playing time.

At the 1 min mark the OC says Zac Stacy has had a great camp: http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center/videos/OC-Brian-Schottenheimer-Press-Conference/9db16770-a9f0-4508-800a-bed5e0d26ab5

Although Austin is most likely going to be the main kickoff and punt returner they are also having Pead compete for a role there as well.

 
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Actually, he mentioned Stacy in passing, and said "he's had a good camp." He didn't use the word great.
mmmkaay anyone can hear what he says for themselves.

"We feel good about the backs we have here, Isiah, Daryl, good pick up with Zac Stacy, he is having a good camp"

 
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Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
Really tough question, with no good answer. Seems like he should have gone higher, so it does put a damper on my enthusiasm.

I was mostly just disputing the notion Stacy was "more of the same". He's not much like Pead or Richardson.
Right. I see Richardson as a 3rd down back. I see Pead as someone who hasn't proven anything yet. I have nothing to base an opinion on other than he has an excellent chance to be the RB1 based on his competition. And that same argument can be made for Stacy. It's a convoluted mess. I wouldn't feel comfortable rosting any one of the three without the other two. I don't want to waste that many roster spots for 1 RB
This is my thought as well. When you have three running backs you most likely have none.

 
TRANSCRIPTS: Fisher and Les Snead, Zac Stacy, CB Brandon McGree, OL Barrett Jones

====================
TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead, Press Conference, 4-27-13
Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead
Press Conference – April 27, 2013

(On trading up to draft RB Zac Stacy)
Snead: “I think he was one of probably the last guys on our board that we were really, really jacked about. The rest was just going to be people we liked, but not jacked about, so at that point in time we said, ‘Hey, let’s go get him.’ We had been managing that running back board a little bit, and he was a guy we’ve liked for a while. It went from deep to thin pretty quickly so we went and nabbed him.”

(On if trading up was an indication that the talent in the sixth and seventh rounds were similar to undrafted free agents)
Snead: “I think time will tell on that one. I’m sure there’s going to be some guys in the sixth and seventh that are picked and are going to make it, but for us that player was worth giving up those two picks.”

(On Stacy)
Fisher: “Zac is a very explosive runner. He averaged, I think, over six yards per carry in that conference, which is something to be said. He’s an outstanding young man. He’s smart. He’s good out of the backfield. He’s a pass protector. He’s a complete back. He’s a strong inside power runner that kind of gives us a change of pace. You can’t have too many of these guys. We’re looking forward to Isaiah (Pead) taking a step and Daryl (Richardson) continuing to improve, and Terrance (Ganaway), but this was a guy we felt like had a chance to make some plays for us.”

full transcripts located at: http://www.RamsFans.com

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
The guy played in the SEC but he did NOTHING against the good teams. He no where NEAR DOMINATED ANYTHING.

174 yards against Presbyterian.

169 yards against a horrible Auburn defense.

180 yards against Wake Forest.

He did not rush for over 100 yards against ANY legitimate team.

He had 4 games of UNDER 50 yards rushing.

He only played Alabama ONCE. 4 carries for 4 yards. Wow. Impressive. That was in 2011. Not even last year.

------->http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/483439/year/2012/zac-stacy

Yeah he really dominated the SEC. Wow. Do some research before you post stupidity in the shark pool.

 
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Actually, he mentioned Stacy in passing, and said "he's had a good camp." He didn't use the word great.
mmmkaay anyone can hear what he says for themselves.

"We feel good about the backs we have here, Isiah, Daryl, good pick up with Zac Stacy, he is having a good camp"
:lmao: You're the one who misquoted him, not me. So try not to act like king ####.

 
Actually, he mentioned Stacy in passing, and said "he's had a good camp." He didn't use the word great.
mmmkaay anyone can hear what he says for themselves.

"We feel good about the backs we have here, Isiah, Daryl, good pick up with Zac Stacy, he is having a good camp"
:lmao: You're the one who misquoted him, not me. So try not to act like king ####.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paraphrase

You sure got me on that one...

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
The guy played in the SEC but he did NOTHING against the good teams. He no where NEAR DOMINATED ANYTHING.

174 yards against Presbyterian.

169 yards against a horrible Auburn defense.

180 yards against Wake Forest.

He did not rush for over 100 yards against ANY legitimate team.

He had 4 games of UNDER 50 yards rushing.

He only played Alabama ONCE. 4 carries for 4 yards. Wow. Impressive. That was in 2011. Not even last year.

------->http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/483439/year/2012/zac-stacy

Yeah he really dominated the SEC. Wow. Do some research before you post stupidity in the shark pool.
Why are you shouting?

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
The guy played in the SEC but he did NOTHING against the good teams. He no where NEAR DOMINATED ANYTHING.

174 yards against Presbyterian.

169 yards against a horrible Auburn defense.

180 yards against Wake Forest.

He did not rush for over 100 yards against ANY legitimate team.

He had 4 games of UNDER 50 yards rushing.

He only played Alabama ONCE. 4 carries for 4 yards. Wow. Impressive. That was in 2011. Not even last year.

------->http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/483439/year/2012/zac-stacy

Yeah he really dominated the SEC. Wow. Do some research before you post stupidity in the shark pool.
Why are you shouting?
I like to make a point.

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
The guy played in the SEC but he did NOTHING against the good teams. He no where NEAR DOMINATED ANYTHING.

174 yards against Presbyterian.

169 yards against a horrible Auburn defense.

180 yards against Wake Forest.

He did not rush for over 100 yards against ANY legitimate team.

He had 4 games of UNDER 50 yards rushing.

He only played Alabama ONCE. 4 carries for 4 yards. Wow. Impressive. That was in 2011. Not even last year.

------->http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/483439/year/2012/zac-stacy

Yeah he really dominated the SEC. Wow. Do some research before you post stupidity in the shark pool.
Which teams in the SEC do you consider good? Is Alabama the only one?

How about the Gators? Are they good? Stacy had 24 carries 84yds 1TD 1 catch for 16 yards against them. Or Georgia? 12 carries for 83 yards against them although he did lose 3 yards on his only catch.

I think you make a valid point that Stacy did not dominate these contests. But considering that Vanderbuilt is not really on the same level of talent as these teams, Stacy did do well in some of those difficult match ups. 4 carries for any RB is not really enough to evaluate them. Lacy had a similar stat line against Auburn in 2011 4 carries for 6 yards. Lacy does have more consistent and better overall performance than Stacy against the better teams but he also has a much better supporting cast. These imbalances between college teams makes it very difficult to compare players fairly even in the same conference.

 
If he was from a small school or had a small sample I'd have some hope.

The fact that he had as much or more tape to evaluate him than any of the rb prospects is a bad sign.

Everyone knew what they were getting with Stacy and he fell deep into the draft. He's a known average player based on what evaluators saw from his extensive tape. Those guys are pretty much wasted roster spots in FF

 
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
The guy played in the SEC but he did NOTHING against the good teams. He no where NEAR DOMINATED ANYTHING.

174 yards against Presbyterian.

169 yards against a horrible Auburn defense.

180 yards against Wake Forest.

He did not rush for over 100 yards against ANY legitimate team.

He had 4 games of UNDER 50 yards rushing.

He only played Alabama ONCE. 4 carries for 4 yards. Wow. Impressive. That was in 2011. Not even last year.

------->http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/483439/year/2012/zac-stacy

Yeah he really dominated the SEC. Wow. Do some research before you post stupidity in the shark pool.
Why are you shouting?
I like to make a point.
That technique works to weaken your point. Just a bit of advice.

 
This is a quote from the St. Louis Post Dispatch which was released by Jeff Gordon after practice.

Zac Stacy showed nice acceleration while preparing to become the lead back in this offense.
Who is the person being quoted?

The head coach?

The offensive coordinator?

The writer?

A fan?
a random local writer. everything i've read is that he's practicing with the 2nd/3rd teams, but keep the train chugging.

 
i don't know of any other local writer (jim thomas, bernie miklasz, brian burwell, etc.) that has suggested the rams have chosen a lead RB yet... at any rate, to early for anything definitive, but fisher himself has suggested that there may not be a lead RB...

 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
Yitbos69 said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
This is a quote from the St. Louis Post Dispatch which was released by Jeff Gordon after practice.

Zac Stacy showed nice acceleration while preparing to become the lead back in this offense.
Who is the person being quoted?

The head coach?

The offensive coordinator?

The writer?

A fan?
He's the Rams beat writer.
Jim Thomas is the beat writer for the Rams. Gordon is a columnist. Writes about whatever he wants to write about... He is an insider with every team in St. Louis, but not someone who specializes on the Rams.

 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
Yitbos69 said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
This is a quote from the St. Louis Post Dispatch which was released by Jeff Gordon after practice.

Zac Stacy showed nice acceleration while preparing to become the lead back in this offense.
Who is the person being quoted?

The head coach?

The offensive coordinator?

The writer?

A fan?
He's the Rams beat writer.
Jim Thomas is the beat writer for the Rams. Gordon is a columnist. Writes about whatever he wants to write about... He is an insider with every team in St. Louis, but not someone who specializes on the Rams.
And not someone anyone should put any stock in. He's a hack.

 
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ItsOnlytheRiver said:
Size - Check

Speed - Good enough

Dominated in the SEC - Check

So why does he fall to the 5th?
The guy played in the SEC but he did NOTHING against the good teams. He no where NEAR DOMINATED ANYTHING.

174 yards against Presbyterian.

169 yards against a horrible Auburn defense.

180 yards against Wake Forest.

He did not rush for over 100 yards against ANY legitimate team.

He had 4 games of UNDER 50 yards rushing.

He only played Alabama ONCE. 4 carries for 4 yards. Wow. Impressive. That was in 2011. Not even last year.

------->http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/483439/year/2012/zac-stacy

Yeah he really dominated the SEC. Wow. Do some research before you post stupidity in the shark pool.
Why are you shouting?
I like to make a point.
That technique works to weaken your point. Just a bit of advice.
It's called emphasis.

 
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