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.