Fins now have their short yardage back--OLLIE GORDON! | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Fins now have their short yardage back--OLLIE GORDON!

Can't wait to see Olive Garden bring the All You Can Score Touchdown Bar to the Miami offense.
 
Nappy Roots said:
…he’s a 6th rounder. Dudes barely going to see the field, if at all.
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Less so much 6th rounder, and more 3rd stringer would be his issue. He’s behind both Achane and Wright.

My beef is why do we roster a FB when he can’t be counted on to get the tough yard. If we’re planning on using a valuable roster spot on a battering ram, does this mean Ingold is on the outs? (Except from what I’ve read, this rook can’t block worth a damn soooo …)
 
Bumpus said:
Less so much 6th rounder, and more 3rd stringer would be his issue. He’s behind both Achane and Wright.

My beef is why do we roster a FB when he can’t be counted on to get the tough yard. If we’re planning on using a valuable roster spot on a battering ram, does this mean Ingold is on the outs? (Except from what I’ve read, this rook can’t block worth a damn soooo …)
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Behind Wright on the preseason depth chart.

I don't dislike Wright, but fo we really know how "good" he is at this level? 68 carries for 249 yds. (barely 3.5 per), with a tiny 17% of offensive snaps.

It may be a valid debate that he was under used. It also may be that McD didn't trust him or saw something he didn't like. Say what you want about our HC, he seems to know RBs, and how to get the most out of them.

I guess my point is I wouldn't automatically assume Wright is the #2 on opening day.
 
I like Ollie Gordon, but I think people are off when they bill him as a power back or a short yardage back. He's not Derrick Henry. He's not even Gus Edwards. He's not a 240 or 250 pound bulldozer. His style and size is closer to someone like Joe Mixon. He's bigger than your average back, but he's not Larry Csonka.

I'm just saying this because I think he's a plus in short yardage situations or late in the game when you need to grind out yards, but he's not a cure all for all of Miami's struggles in those situations.
 
gregorygrant83 said:
I like Ollie Gordon, but I think people are off when they bill him as a power back or a short yardage back. He's not Derrick Henry. He's not even Gus Edwards. He's not a 240 or 250 pound bulldozer. His style and size is closer to someone like Joe Mixon. He's bigger than your average back, but he's not Larry Csonka.

I'm just saying this because I think he's a plus in short yardage situations or late in the game when you need to grind out yards, but he's not a cure all for all of Miami's struggles in those situations.
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I don't even consider Heny a true "power back". To put Henry into perspective if he even wanted to be close to the rushing record he needs 7,000 more yards after the age of 30 (no back has ever done this). That's actually insane to think about so guys like Smith, Payton, Csonka, Campbell, they are in a different era and league.

I think now a "power back" like Henry and maybe Ollie if he proves to be one are just a bit larger and in-line runners and not the RPO slash/cut-back runners. While not a true power back their styles are not the same as most other "scat backs" which was the term in the 80's and 90's and basically originated with Dave Meggett and then evolved into guys like Ray Rice and Curtis Martin (smaller but tough).

To be honest, I'd take 3/4'ers of Derek Henry at this point, if Ollie proves to be a tough inside runner that can convert 3rd and short, that's a huge win but the key there is not to be one dimensional, everyone knows you're gonna pound the ball if you have a big back so keeping them guessing without getting cute is half the battle.
 
Dane Brugler write up on Gordon, RB 14

A two-year starter at Oklahoma State, Gordon was the centerpiece in offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn’s multiple run scheme. He put himself on the NFL radar with a unanimous All-America sophomore season (FBS-best 1,732 rushing yards), although he had a tough time matching that production during his junior season (his carries of 20 yards or more plummeted from 21 to six).

Gordon has somewhat of an identity crisis as a runner, because he has a wide, balanced gait and the acceleration to make defenders miss. But what he faced in the Big 12 wasn’t close to the NFL pursuit he’ll see, and he must embrace his size to be more of a banger through contact. Overall, Gordon runs with life in his legs that makes him a threat any time he touches the rock, but he must improve his decision-making and physicality as a finisher to be a consistent down-to-down runner. His promise as a blocker and pass catcher will help his chances on an NFL depth chart.
GRADE4th Round

Testing
TYPE HT WT HAND ARM WING 40 20 10 VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
Combine 6013 226 91/2″ 323/4″ 80″ 4.61 2.72 1.62 341/2″ 10′0″ DNP DNP DNP No SS, three-cone, bench (choice)
Pro Day 6010 227 93/4″ 321/2″ 793/8″ DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 12
Glossary
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Strengths
Sports good-sized, athletic build
Galloping speed once he stretches out long-legged strides
Open-field burst to destroy second-level pursuit angles with acceleration
Presses line and angles body to make tight turns and maneuver around defenders
Runs with tempo to navigate through weeds
Aggressive in pass pro, diving and taking out legs of rushers or using hands to keep blitzers busy
Catches ball well — didn’t register a drop in 2024 (on 38 targets)
Sixth player in school history to rush for 1,700 or more yards in a season
Served as a captain in four games in 2024

Weaknesses
Runs upright and struggles to make himself small
Needs to embrace and tap into power element to send messages when finishing
Guilty of slowing/stopping his feet, instead of dropping pads and driving through impending contact
Often impatient and overly committed, a bad combination
Late to locate and access alternate run lanes
Need a microscope to find explosive plays on 2024 tape
Holds ball too loose at times (four fumbles over past two seasons)
Arrested and charged with DUI by a person under 21 and transporting an open container of alcohol (June 2024,

Background
Ollie Gordon II was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, with his mother (Tarona Smith). He started playing football at the pee-wee level and became one of the best youth players in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in middle school. He played a lot of running back and grew up idolizing Derrick Henry, although Gordon was primarily a quarterback in junior high and going into high school (saw himself as a Cam Newton-style player).

Gordon enrolled at Trinity High in Euless, Texas, where he started at quarterback and safety on the freshman team in 2018. He moved up to varsity as a sophomore and shared starting running back and wide receiver duties, finishing with more than 700 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns to earn district newcomer of the year. As a junior, Gordon became the featured weapon in the Trinity offense. He helped lead the team to an 11-2 record and the 2020 district championship, despite missing three games with a fractured clavicle.

He earned district MVP and first-team all-state honors in 2020 with 2,083 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns, including a record-setting performance (49 carries for 455 yards and six touchdowns) in an upset over football powerhouse Allen. Despite sharing some of the quarterback duties as a senior in 2021, Gordon posted even better production, as he again led Trinity to an 11-2 finish and another district title. He finished his final season with 257 carries for 2,546 yards (9.9 yards per carry) and 35 touchdowns, rushing for 100 or more yards in all 13 games and adding six other touchdowns (three passing, two receiving, one punt return).

A four-star recruit, Gordon was the 19th-ranked running back in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 37 recruit in Texas. The summer before his junior season, he picked up his first scholarship offer from Iowa State (July 2020). The recruiting floodgates burst open during his breakout junior year, including offers from Arkansas, BYU, Houston, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas Tech, USC, Utah and his hometown TCU. However, he felt a connection with the coaches at Oklahoma State and committed in February 2021. Despite a late push from Texas before signing day, Gordon stayed committed and was the second-ranked recruit in head coach Mike Gundy’s 2022 class. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree (Dec. 2024). Gordon skipped his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl and was voted the National Team’s top running back during the week of practice.
 
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NY8123 said:
I don't even consider Heny a true "power back". To put Henry into perspective if he even wanted to be close to the rushing record he needs 7,000 more yards after the age of 30 (no back has ever done this). That's actually insane to think about so guys like Smith, Payton, Csonka, Campbell, they are in a different era and league.

I think now a "power back" like Henry and maybe Ollie if he proves to be one are just a bit larger and in-line runners and not the RPO slash/cut-back runners. While not a true power back their styles are not the same as most other "scat backs" which was the term in the 80's and 90's and basically originated with Dave Meggett and then evolved into guys like Ray Rice and Curtis Martin (smaller but tough).

To be honest, I'd take 3/4'ers of Derek Henry at this point, if Ollie proves to be a tough inside runner that can convert 3rd and short, that's a huge win but the key there is not to be one dimensional, everyone knows you're gonna pound the ball if you have a big back so keeping them guessing without getting cute is half the battle.
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Not sure I follow. Henry has more rushing yards than Csonka and Campbell and has averaged more than a 1/2 yard more per carry than both. Campbell is still definition of a power back to me, but when you use the total rushing yards as justification when the others have fewer yards I'm not sure I understand.
 
gregorygrant83 said:
Not sure I follow. Henry has more rushing yards than Csonka and Campbell and has averaged more than a 1/2 yard more per carry than both. Campbell is still definition of a power back to me, but when you use the total rushing yards as justification when the others have fewer yards I'm not sure I understand.
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I'm saying it's a different era of running now, power now isn't what it used to be. Those guys used to look for contact and some of their hits running the ball were more vicious than anything seen today on either side of the ball.

Henry is the modern definition of a powerback, those guys were powerbacks. If the running back position was still a valued position, you'd see RBs being taken with the 1st overall pick like they used to be, offeses simply don't run thru the running game anymore like they once did, it's a passing league now, pass to setup the run, you used to run to setup the pass.
 
They still need rb. Qb choke in playoff. Without good running games.
 
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NY8123 said:
I'm saying it's a different era of running now, power now isn't what it used to be. Those guys used to look for contact and some of their hits running the ball were more vicious than anything seen today on either side of the ball.

Henry is the modern definition of a powerback, those guys were powerbacks. If the running back position was still a valued position, you'd see RBs being taken with the 1st overall pick like they used to be, offeses simply don't run thru the running game anymore like they once did, it's a passing league now, pass to setup the run, you used to run to setup the pass.
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