CFL Edmonton Eskimo's runningback Jerome Messam signs with the Miami Dolphins | Page 6 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

CFL Edmonton Eskimo's runningback Jerome Messam signs with the Miami Dolphins

He had some nice runs but I dont think he makes the team this year.
 
Watching videos of Messam and he looks like nothing but a soft upright runner with little power who doesn't bust through tackles. He is NOT a bruiser and not physical. I will be very surprised to see him make the final roster.
 
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, and to each his own, but I'm pretty comfortable in my determination that pad level was not a problem in Edmonton and was actually pretty remarkable at times considering you're looking at a man that stands 6'4" tall.

I think a lot of people aren't looking at it right. I could give two ****s what his pad level is out in open grass where his top priority is getting to full speed and maximizing his angles. You have to look at his pad level in TRAFFIC and as he heads into contact. The only footage anyone is seeing really is his CFL highlight stuff but on those highlights he's got ideal pad level in traffic, which is remarkable for a 6'4" runner.

I don't see a soft player, either. I see a guy that regularly creates yardage after contact. I also see a guy who has natural instincts for shaking loose of open field tacklers, even after having to deal with contact at the line of scrimmage. It's tough to deal with one threat and then quickly turn around and deal with another, but he showed the ability to do that multiple times in Edmonton this year.

He also showed potential as a blocker. This is going to be an interesting player. Some would be shocked if he makes the roster. Based on his talent, I'd be shocked if he DIDN'T make the roster. And if he doesn't, like I said before, my money is on his attitude being the issue not the talent.

I wonder what other teams were after him. He'd have been PERFECT in Houston or Washington.
 
ckparrothead said:
I think there's a difference between running "upright" and being 6'3" or 6'4" tall. He's tall and lengthy and so there's going to be a big target no matter what he does, but at Edmonton he didn't really run upright. The length can be a blessing or a curse. It makes you less likely to break contact completely and create a missed tackle, but more likely to fall forward for an extra yard and be effective in goal line situations. That's one of the reasons it's so hard to defend Cam Newton on the goal line. Same with Tim Tebow and, if the Bills would take their heads out of their ***** long enough to see it, Brad Smith. It's one of the reasons Brandon Jacobs is so difficult to defend on the goal line. I thought I heard someone in this thread say that Brandon Jacobs is no longer an effective goal line back. Nothing could be further from the truth. He ran 13 times this year on Goal-to-Go and scored 7 TDs, which is an absurd percentage for a true tailback that doesn't even bring throwing possibilities to the table. What I see from a pad level standpoint is a guy that learned in Edmonton to bring his pads down before contact and it paid off. I see a guy whose legs got stronger in Edmonton and so he could sit and explode better.

Could the guy fizzle out? Yeah, definitely. But if he does my money says it has more to do with attitude than talent. He wants to be a star and might not be very receptive to some of the roles Miami wants him to play before he can earn his stardom. But signing Messam is like getting another draft pick. I like it.
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Good post CK. I don't think there is anything wrong with running upright. If you guys take a good look at Eric Dickerson, he ran upright, but he had great speed and size and made running with the ball look effortless. Messam looks more like a Fullback, but he doesn't have that low forward lean like a Larry Csonka or Mike Alstott, who bowled and dragged guys forward. I think he can give Hilliard competition in camp, so let the best man win. It's cheaper then drafting Trent Richardson. :up:
 
I don't think Messam looks like a fullback at all. He looks like a tailback to me. He runs in the 4.4's and 4.5's. He sets up his blockers like a tailback. This isn't like trying to take Adarius Bowman who ran a pair of 4.75's, away from the CFL where he's a star, and put him in the NFL...although let's be honest here Adarius does need to be given a chance...this is a guy that is 6'4" and 250 lbs and runs in the 4.4's and 4.5's at that size.

If his tape were college tape and you were evaluating him for the Draft, you'd consider him at least right around the 3rd-4th round area. At least.
 
i don't know...only limited looks but it looked to me like he got run down on one of those video plays where if he had top end true speed he would have walked in untouched...anyways...i had no idea the kid was almost 6 ft 4 so yeah thats gonna make you look a little more upright than you probably are to begin with but i'm not sure i see a guy again in limited looks who runs under his pads all that well...at the same time though he's into the 2nd level untouched on a lot of stuff i've seen...i don't see micheal bush or legarret blount or brandon jacobs physicality though...i see more of a make you miss game in a big body...he doesn't look the part of a 245 lb guy on tape to me...lawrence philips i think is a pretty good comparison i would say and theres a back i think that used to play for jax that he seems eerily similar to for me but i don't think that guy ever amounted anything in the pros...

definitely don't see a fb or a te though...where people are getting that from those video cuts is beyond me...the feet look ok...not special to me
 
On one of the plays after that double-deke that left a safety on the floor with his ankles broken, he got caught about 1 yard shy of the goal line by another safety. When I look at that play though, I just think he got tired at the end of that run. He made cut to the right in the backfield, cut to the left in order to set up the safety, cut back to the right to leave him in the dust, and then he tried to maximize his distance as best he could versus another safety or corner that was in pursuit. After three really sharp cuts like that, it's hard to re-attain your top speed. I've spoken to people that say it's impossible, your muscles just aren't built that way.

I mean I'm watching all of the Edmonton footage and I see him and I see the other running backs, like McCarty...and it's clear that this guy Messam is fastest in addition to being the biggest and strongest. Everyone wants to take a big guy and a small guy and make it thunder and lightning...but the big guy is bigger, stronger AND faster than the small guy, whom you can tell is just kind of good for his level of competition.

I think you have it right that he's more of a player that's trying to run away from defenders in the open field, than a guy that locks onto a defender and starts charging full speed, lowering the shoulder to make a hit. He's vicious like an Adrian Peterson. But he's got North-South instincts which teach him to keep the space between he and the end zone as short as he can and run through people to get into it if he must. He doesn't waste much track generally speaking, and he wastes even less once he gets close to the end zone.

If he were a college player with this kind of tape and a clean character background, you'd draft him at least in the 3rd or 4th round, IMO.
 
Where the rubber meets the road here on the Messam thing is, to me...I'm no longer looking for a draft running back. I would have been before, someone in the mid to late rounds, but I'm not anymore. Maybe that's counting on Jerome Messam a little too much given his character history, but to me it's not just Messam, it's Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas and Lex Hilliard as well. I just think Jeff Ireland has found a clever way to scratch that one off the list. Fullback is still a need though, because Messam is not a Fullback in this system. Hilliard might be, though.
 
traptses said:
Have signed him officially yet? If not, does anyone know any news on it?
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No he has not officially signed, and the holdup is that he wants a signing bonus and the Dolphins didn't offer one. With that said, there was an Edmonton radio sports guy who said earlier today that he talked with the "Messam camp" and they expected a signed contract with the Dolphins within the next 24 hours. Perhaps one of the sides budged or they are just hopeful the Dolphins will budge.
 
if fb in this system is still a need i think that kid from umass igwenagu would fit nicely...he's a pretty solid talent...i liked what i saw from him at the senior bowl week
 
I was on the field with him at B.C Lions camp. He became a totally different player in Edmonton. He was fighting with Harris and Lee for a spot as a Canadian running back in B.C. It was pretty even between Harris and Messam. I must say he seemed much more coachable in Edmonton. My only real knock on him is he is a long strider and gets clogged up in traffic sometimes. Again, he seemd better in Edmonton. He is STRONG.
 
Seems to be the same type of runner as DT, big but more of a finesse type big guy. I dont see Messam's upside as a workhorse starter type, but more a good good fit to share time with Bush in a 1-2 punch RB duo... So lets say he does good and stays calm off the field, what does that mean for DT? I feel Lex could eventually learn the FB craft, but DT and Messam are both fighting for a spot right now IMO...
 
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