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Something new from Ronnie Brown

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LeftCoastFinFan

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I saw something new from Ronnie Brown in the Bears game that I have been waiting to see for the past year and a half. He actually got creative and made a play!
Anyone remember the play that he was supposed to run to the right, looked like off tackle, but there was nothing there and he quickly reversed field and went left for a pretty good gain? That is the kind of things thta very good running backs will do to make something out of nothing. Ricky used to do that all the time.
When RB started playing last year, he was doing that "dancing" thing in the backfield and losing yards. Way too slow and way too tentative. Then it looked like someone told him to just run the play into the assigned hole and take what you get, because he started running right into the back of his own linemen and falling down if the hole wasn't there. I would get frustrated watching him do that, knowing that he should be bouncing it outside with his speed, trying to make a play. Now I know Ronnie is not a scatback type, but great backs find a way to make plays, and for the first time in watching him I saw the potential to be a great back.
Did anyone else notice this as well?
Thanks!
:dolphins:
 
I think Ronnie realizes his line is playing better so he can choose his holes more. Before, he could not. when the play goes to one side, but nothing there, but still has time and space in which to change direction, that says to me that we are playing good straight ahead blocking and holding those blocks longer.
 
:billsbite :jetssuck:
LeftCoastFinFan said:
I saw something new from Ronnie Brown in the Bears game that I have been waiting to see for the past year and a half. He actually got creative and made a play!
Anyone remember the play that he was supposed to run to the right, looked like off tackle, but there was nothing there and he quickly reversed field and went left for a pretty good gain? That is the kind of things thta very good running backs will do to make something out of nothing. Ricky used to do that all the time.
When RB started playing last year, he was doing that "dancing" thing in the backfield and losing yards. Way too slow and way too tentative. Then it looked like someone told him to just run the play into the assigned hole and take what you get, because he started running right into the back of his own linemen and falling down if the hole wasn't there. I would get frustrated watching him do that, knowing that he should be bouncing it outside with his speed, trying to make a play. Now I know Ronnie is not a scatback type, but great backs find a way to make plays, and for the first time in watching him I saw the potential to be a great back.
Did anyone else notice this as well?
Thanks!
:dolphins:
Click to expand...
:yeahthat::dolphins:
 
finfan54 said:
I think Ronnie realizes his line is playing better so he can choose his holes more. Before, he could not. when the play goes to one side, but nothing there, but still has time and space in which to change direction, that says to me that we are playing good straight ahead blocking and holding those blocks longer.
Click to expand...

There is definitely some truth to this, but I maintain that a truly great back will do it in spite of his O-line. Of course, there has to be SOME O-line, but a great back, or even a very good back, can make a mediocre line look good. Is Ronnie great, very good, or merely good? That is what I am wondering at this point.
ya know?

:dolphins:
 
This isn't the first time I've seen him do that since his first game with the Finz. Good post but I disagree with it. People complaining about his ability to be creative are reaching. I think he does try and get creative from time to time....which is where the complaints about him dancing too much come from. Him dancing is a direct result of holes closing (or never opening in the first place) with defenders in the backfield right when or before he's actually given the ball. The dancing is what I would consider creative because he's trying to find running room where there is none. Sorry for the roundabout explanation. I tried being as detailed as possible.
 
the funny part about his "dancing" is that with his "dancing" against the bears he got 154 yards. In fact this was one of the games where I have seen him "dance" the most and it is quite effective when the offensive linemen make their blocks. His explosion when he finds the hole is awesome.
 
I've watched every Fins game Ronnie has played in, and I have never seen him reverse field like that in the back field and create a play. Not once. It was decisive. It was confident. That being said, I used to see Ricky do it all the time, and Ricky wasn't playing behind a Pro Bowl O-line either.

Now I am not criticizing Ronnie, and I know that his ineffective dancing around in the backfield in his rookie year were attempts at making something out of nothing. I get that. But it was ineffective, and I believe it was partly due to inexperience on his part... not being used to the speed of the game, not understanding that you can't do the same types of things in the Pros that you could get away with in college. And he suddenly stopped doing this and ran the to the hole that was called, regardless of whether of not something else was open. Like Nick pulled him aside and said "just run the play the way it is drawn up".

My hope is that he has enough experience and confidence to begin making these adjustments on the fly, and that we will see him reach the next level in terms of developing his ability. I believe he has all of the tools to be great!

:dolphins:
 
I think Ronnie is still learning, especially now that the Ol is blocking a little for him, he'll probably show us lots of stuff we didn't know he could do. He's going to be a beast, as long as the OL keeps run blocking well. And he'll keep getting better at picking his holes and seeing them as well, knowing when to cut and when to bull rush into a situation. Like any good RB our RB will continue to get better as he gains more experience.
 
ronnie is good and needs to reverse field like that more often than he does now. think its the first time he tried it all season and it worked pretty well.
 
Ronnie learned a lot DURING that game. There was a play in the first quarter where Dan D. said something about him missing a cut-back. There were a couple plays where he didn't go where the blockers thought he was going and he missed some yards. As the game went on, he started using those blocks and using his cut-back lanes when they were there. He seemed to trust his line a little more and had his eyes up. Hopefully, he will continue where he left off...
 
Hasta said:
Ronnie learned a lot DURING that game. There was a play in the first quarter where Dan D. said something about him missing a cut-back. There were a couple plays where he didn't go where the blockers thought he was going and he missed some yards. As the game went on, he started using those blocks and using his cut-back lanes when they were there. He seemed to trust his line a little more and had his eyes up. Hopefully, he will continue where he left off...
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He didn't miss the cut-back, he missed the freaking hole.
 
He did do some things that were very different in this game but I attribute it to the fact that he's gotten so little opportunities to carry the ball 20+ times.

There is no doubt, when he gets into his 20+ carries he gets into a zone. He sees the field so much better than on his first 15 carries. He has a better feel for the blocking and for the defense's tendencies.

Thing about the patience and vision is when it works it is "patience" and "vision", and when it doesn't work, it is just "dancing" and "hesitation".

Here's an example. In 2002, Ricky Williams had great "patience" and "vision" and it helped him make a number of explosive plays. In 2003, he was "hesitating" and "dancing". It was the same mentality! But the OL blocking had changed.

But all backs have that problem. It is up to every back to decide how much patience to show in the backfield, and how aware they need to be of the cutback. That gets easier when you get 20+ carries though because the game itself has told you all you need to know about how much patience or urgency you need.

Maybe now that he's got more faith in the OL he'll run with more patience instead of slamming the hole as fast as he can before it closes up.
 
BTW, this phenomenon perfectly illustrates why Lamar Smith was the right back for us in 2000 but not 2001.

Lamar Smith was by nature an extremely patient back. He took steps, kept things slow, and decided where to attack...then sped up. That worked back in 2000 because we had a halfway decent OL that didn't necessarily blow people off the ball but did ease into their blocks as the play went on. By 2001 our OL regressed and they had trouble sustaining their blocks, and so we needed a back that could hit the hole faster.
 
Dol-Fan Dupree said:
He didn't miss the cut-back, he missed the freaking hole.
Click to expand...

Yep, that one had me yelling at the TV. Hole big enough to drive a truck through. That is what I am hoping he starts to see better. I even Tivo'd it back and forth to show my son.
:)
 
ckparrothead said:
BTW, this phenomenon perfectly illustrates why Lamar Smith was the right back for us in 2000 but not 2001.

Lamar Smith was by nature an extremely patient back. He took steps, kept things slow, and decided where to attack...then sped up. That worked back in 2000 because we had a halfway decent OL that didn't necessarily blow people off the ball but did ease into their blocks as the play went on. By 2001 our OL regressed and they had trouble sustaining their blocks, and so we needed a back that could hit the hole faster.
Click to expand...

Yes, but Lamar Smith never had the talent or speed of Ricky or Ronnie. He was just a pound it out kind of back. You HAVE to have a good O-line with a guy like that. Goes back to my comment about a great back vs. a very good back vs. just a good back.
:dolphins:
 
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