Miami Running Back position worries me | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Miami Running Back position worries me

Intrigued by Grigsby.

Daniel Thomas is a rookie 2nd/3rd rounder with 4.6 speed, a power back that played too tall in college to show that power as often as he should have. He's only in his 3rd year playing tailback after moving from Wildcat QB in JUCO. I can't imagine why anyone would doubt him in his rookie season.

And Reggie Bush, that's just a durable, fantastic natural tailback worthy of featuring on every down. I dare anyone to tell me different. [/sarcasm]
 
Believe it or not I think Hilliard is the dark horse for carries here. Sure he really is just a downhill runner nearly incapable of cutting, but he is a big back, and with our power blocking o-line, Hilliard can probably rip off 4-10 yards in a clip running downhill in a straight line. What worries me most is the fact that our RBs ability to pass block is virtually unknown. Sure, Thomas is a big back, but can he block at the NFL level?
 
datruth55 said:
Kid has had injury issues with his shoulders. Not exactly a good spot for a RB.

Our backfield is very unproven, doesn't mean they won't be successful just means we don't know what we have until the real games start.
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No injury is a good injury but keep in mind Ricky's dealt with shoulder problems for most of his pro career. And he's a power back. Grigsby isn't. Just saying. Not proclaiming mission accomplished on signing Nic Grigsby, but I'm intrigued. It would have been a better signing if we hadn't made the mistake of trading for Reggie Bush.
 
Nope. Not worried at all. I think we have a good group of guys here that compliment each other well.
 
Daniel Thomas = big back but doesn't play big and is not a bruiser, he's also slow, he fumbles, and carries the ball like a loaf of bread.. all that is not a good combination for a back.

Bush = terrible between the tackle runner who has very poor vision in tight traffic spaces. He's most useful as a slot receiver, not at running back. He's a very predictable runner when he takes the handoff because he lacks so much and defenses have the book on him as a runner (many Saints fans have noticed this and talked about it quite a bit). That's partly why his yards per carry average on grass is a piss poor 2.8

Lex Hilliard is crap and just a one dimensional guy.. and you can find hundreds of guys who can do that one dimension so it's not even a rare dimension to have.. Defenses know where the ball is going when he's in - just straight line = Easy to stop once defenses adjust quickly and get used to his non-cutting style. But I'm sure the book is out on him too.

Yes, we should be worried about the RB position.
 
I'm not overly worried about it. RB is the easiest hole to fill in the NFL, we could go into the season with Hilliard, Grigsby, and Sheets, and if they stayed healthy, could probably get decent production out of them, if our O-Line is providing proper blocking.
 
ckparrothead said:
No injury is a good injury but keep in mind Ricky's dealt with shoulder problems for most of his pro career. And he's a power back. Grigsby isn't. Just saying. Not proclaiming mission accomplished on signing Nic Grigsby, but I'm intrigued. It would have been a better signing if we hadn't made the mistake of trading for Reggie Bush.
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Good point CK, I really want to see him in preseason games> I think the first two alot of fringe and young guys will get a vast majority of the reps considering coaches are having to make decisions faster then they are accustomed to.

Bush wont play much, DT will play some but not alot considering he is defiantly on the team, so IMO that means Grigsby, Hilliard and Sheets will get a bulk of the carries in the first few weeks of preseason the one who stands out and makes some plays will be our 3rd back.

And considering what kind of skill set you have to have as an NFL RB I see Grigsby as the most intriguing.
 
Greyboy said:
Daniel Thomas = big back but doesn't play big and is not a bruiser, he's also slow, he fumbles, and carries the ball like a loaf of bread,

Bush = terrible between the tackle runner who has very poor vision in tight traffic spaces. He's most useful as a slot receiver, not at running back. He's a very predictable runner when he takes the handoff because of he lacks so much and defenses have the book on him as a runner (many Saints fans have noticed this and talked about it quite a bit). That's partly why his yards per carry average on grass is a piss poor 2.8

Lex Hilliard is crap and just a one dimensional guy.. and you can find hundreds of guys who can do that one dimension so it's not even a rare dimension to have.. Defenses know where the ball is going when he's in - just straight line.

Yes, we should be worried about the RB position.
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Well stated. I agree on Daniel Thomas, I think most people take that to mean I don't think Thomas will ever pan out but that's not true. I just think the guy has problems, which means he WILL have a learning curve...and I don't see any justification for this common thought that oh well a running back should be able to come into this league and tear it up right away as a rookie.

As for Reggie Bush, he's defensible. Defenses can crash the outsides and they'll be able to defend him. Don't let him speed to the corner, and don't let him find the sharp cutback. If you keep those shut down and force him to run between the tackles, he's not going to do anything. Three yards and a limp fall to the ground at first contact.

As for Lex Hilliard, I think he's Jason Snelling, basically. Nothing real exciting there. Could probably gain some yards if given carries. He'll break some tackles too.
 
Dolphinator530 said:
Good point CK, I really want to see him in preseason games> I think the first two alot of fringe and young guys will get a vast majority of the reps considering coaches are having to make decisions faster then they are accustomed to.

Bush wont play much, DT will play some but not alot considering he is defiantly on the team, so IMO that means Grigsby, Hilliard and Sheets will get a bulk of the carries in the first few weeks of preseason the one who stands out and makes some plays will be our 3rd back.

And considering what kind of skill set you have to have as an NFL RB I see Grigsby as the most intriguing.
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Oh I think Daniel Thomas is going to play a lot in the preseason. He needs the work. Again there's kind of this accepted notion which I think is false that rookie running backs just come right in and it's like plug and play. I'm telling you that's not really the case. They do have a learning curve. It may be among the shorter learning curves, but it's still there. Daniel Thomas needs that preseason work all the more BECAUSE he's going to be counted on in the regular season. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him a preseason game where he carried 20+ times. Maybe more than one of those.

But you're right about Reggie Bush. I don't expect him to play much. Too injury prone. Plus they'll probably want to keep a tight lid on how they plan on using him, so as to not give anything away to the Patriots.

Actually I think Lex Hilliard is the guy that could get very few carries. They've seen enough from him, I think they know what they have. Kory Sheets missed all that time last year, and Nic Grigsby is new...so they have more reason to want to see what they can do.
 
Zounds said:
I'm worried. Bush isnt a true #1 RB, and I'm not sold on Thomas. While RB's may make the easiest transition into the NFL, there are plenty of successful college backs who are unsuccessful in the NFL. Ronnie Brown, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Sammie Smith, Lorenzo Booker, J.J. Johnson, John Avery. Busts.
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You have issues if you place Ronnie Brown in the same class as the other running backs. Ronnie Brown was not a superstar nor a bust, but he was solid for us for 6 years.
 
SebasMiamiFan said:
Nope. Not worried at all. I think we have a good group of guys here that compliment each other well.
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I find our RB position to be more interesting than scary. We have good speed there now and a couple pounding backs. A good mix and about 5 guys that I think are capable of being an NFL Runningback. Injury shouldn't be much of a concern with that many RBs, especially if one needs to be called up. It really depends on the O-line and our passing attack. We can't be predictable and "run it down their throats" with the wildcat and other 1 WR formations. We need to spread the field, mix in the draws, pitches, misdirections with the standard power O, stretches or iso runs. Utilize the speed we never had and bruise when need be.

If we can't throw, we can't run. I think we should set up the run with the pass, something we have't really tried to do in a very long time. That doesn't mean abandon the run either, it just means to open up the field. So I think the running game rests #1 on the Oline, #2 on Henne/Daboll calling the right plays, and making the right throws. I think it will be fun to watch for once.
 
should have taken mark ingram and we' be set...dudes killing it in saints camp...killin it
 
if their is any position in football to not really worry about it is the rb position. sure everyone wants a superstar back but there are so many rb's around the league who are capable of doing a good enough job. I'm more worried about the right side of our offensive line.
 
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