Lex and Spiller.... thunder and lightening. 2 perfect backs for our system with our Oline, Sparano, and the best blocking full back out in front. Imo we need someone who is fearless & non-tentative following their blocking so they can explode through the hole right as it's opening. Sounds easy but not a lot of guys can do it as you know, Boom. Plus CJ is the ultimate 3rd down back bc he can run, catch down field at a high level, and block ANYONE on a blitz. Spiller & Lex would make us temporarily forget about Ronnie and Ricky. LOL Posted via Mobile Device
just curious if you wouldn't mind elaborating on that in case I'm missing something? What is the one trick, and why is there not more than one trick? Ted Ginn comparison? WR-RB. These 2 couldnt be more different of players in all regards, mentally included. ONLY similarity is top end speed. Thats it. Do you considering catching out of the backfield to be a trick? Do you consider great blocking to be a trick? Do you consider punt return or KO return to be a trick? No disrespect, but that's 3 tricks right there and we haven't even gotten to running the ball yet. . If you add supreme leadership and unparalleled dedication/drive/passion/ & heart, that could be considered another trick bc the mental make up is as important as any physical tools. Side note: what is "hole off"? We're Dolphin fans here, not 49ers. LOL. Posted via Mobile Device
yes... but how many games did he start over Joe Montana? That was my point, token pain in the butt. Posted via Mobile Device
you're entirely missing the point on Lex. It doesn't matter how highly touted you are coming into the league before ever seeing an NFL snap. By what you're saying, those 40 million reasons should have made Steve good enough to leap frog Montana on the depth chart. So youre saying you wouldn't want Michael Turner who was a 5th round back who played in the shadow of LT in San Diego. Turner is a very similar back as Lex. The point is- that you can't say someone doesn't have a huge future just because they're not able to beat out a premier NFL player at their same position. Ronnie was no slouch in case you didn't notice. A lot of quality starting NFL backs would be sitting the bench with Ronnie and Ricky on their team. This is the very same scenario for Young and Montana. Young is one of the best QB's to ever play and would have started on any other team in the NFL, but he was a clipboard holder in SF early on. Your 40 million reasons is meaningless and naive. Sorry, but the money doesn't dictate the player. Posted via Mobile Device
or we could double up again this draft and draft c.j spiller in the 1st and dwyer in the 2nd. would your head explode if we did that?
She whines that her arthritis hurts her wrists too much when she engages. Personally, I think she's a little soft. Grammy used to be a 2 way player.... but lately she's had a problem stopping the runs, so coach is easing up on her. Lots of excuses from her really. Next it'll be "I forgot the play coach" or "I didn't realize I was running the wrong way". Now she's too friggin lazy to even put her mouth piece in..... something about taking her dentures out before the game & **** on a bull.
Wow. Is there another CJ Spiller in the country that I'm unaware of? You sure you have the right person? LOL. By the way, Jhavid Best would be the backup at Clemson. I promise you that. Why do you feel you need to emphatically "so I repeat my choices" like your opinion carries weight? You've given zero evidence to back what you say other than speaking vague opinions. Telling us that Spiller can't male people miss or isn't elusive only makes it seem like you have never watched a Clemson game in the past 4 years, while giving you zero credibility. Saying Spiller isn't elusive is like saying Michael Jordan can't dunk.... or that Favre and Elway have noodle arms.
if I didn't like Lex so much, a 1-2 punch of Spiller/Dwyer would be unfriggin real. I honestly feel Lex is a 1200 yard caliber back. Posted via Mobile Device
My worry regarding Lex is that he is pretty reliant on a manufactured hole. He doesn't strike me as the type of back that can pick his way through trash very well. If we ran a zone blocking scheme ala Denver, then he may very well be a 1200 yard back. His running style has it's merits, especially if we run draws and delays, as he will attack the LOS, but to be honest he really needs more carries. Over the next 3-4 weeks, we will find out what we have in Hilliard.
Yeah my head would explode in rage that we draft 2 runningbacks when are primary needs are ILB and Receiver. In my eyes we take a step back. I wouldn't mind drafting 1 of those guys but to double up back to back would be frustrating. In any case I think we double on LB's in the first 2 rounds. 1 being a ILB the other being a OLB.
As things stand, I want 2 pass catchers (some combination of TEs and WRs) and 2 LBs in the 1st 4 rds. It's too bad we probably won't be interested in Dorin Dickerson, but I hope we are interested in Andrew Quarless.
I appreciate your input Con. . I was under the impression that Lex is better suited when he has a specific, designed hole to hit so that he can better utilize every ounce of his extreme inertia. Lex reminds me of a kamikaze pilot.... that he works best when you tell him ahead of time where the run needs to go and let his fearlessness blow it open. IMHO for Lex, if you remove his initial thinking from the equation, it allows him to use his extremely quick burst to get from point A to point B ASAP without having to analyze where point B is (while hoping the Oline and/or FB do their jobs in the process). The thing that I like most about Lex is how how quick and powerful he is to and through a hole..... he's there before defenses have a chance to fully react and get into position to make a play. So they're left a step late, off balance on the balls of their feet, and without any quality leverage to make a tackle on a 240lb bowling ball moving as fast or faster than Steve Slaton & Ahmad Bradshaw in short distances....and statiscally just a hair slower than Darren Sproles. His combination of balance, pad level, quickness, and awareness for his size has me totally salivating. There are 3 players who come to mind when I see Lex, and I honestly feel he can be as good as them: Jerome Bettis (early years & college), Jamal Lewis, and Michael Turner.....except Lex is quicker than Turner.
I missed the first half, of the game the other day..are you really talking about our Lex Hilliard in such glowing terms.. Thats cool man, tell me what your really seeing? what inspired you to such revelations... and what darren sproile statistics?
He had few good runs now Lex Hilliard is Jamal Lewis love it. He looked sharp on Thursday but lets not get ahead of ourselves.
Yup..... that's how I really feel. . I believe Lex can prove to be better than Marion Barber, and he's very similar size, strength, power, balance, and running ability as Michael Turner but with slightly looser hips IMO. I honestly could see a few ProBowls out of him with a healthy line and Polite leading the way. I couldnt imagine that being whacked by Lou and Lex all day is what an LB or safety would envision as an enjoyable day. Talk about smash mouth football!! Inspired revelation? Hmmm. For me it's bc I feel Ronnie is in the process of hitting his decline as a runner (also including injuries and FA). Wether or not he's slightly fallen out of shape, he's clearly lost a step in top end and exceleration IMO. I love Ronnie, but I'm all for the future and for the best back to run out of proset now that Henne looks to be a future star. Ricky and Lex have shown us that we can successfully run out of base, and in our base offense I'd rather have Ricky at HB than Ronnie to be honest. Oh.... regarding Sproles and Lex- they're very similar in short yard excelleration, burst, hips, balance, body control: 10 yd dash (1.55 vs 1.56), 20 yd dash (2.62 vs 2.68), cone (6.96 vs 6.93), and shuttle (3.96 vs 4.03). Sproles has a higher top end of course, but I could really care less if Lex gets caught from behind after busting through a defense for 40 yards. Turner has an equally quick 10 & 20 BUT is slower in shuttle and much slower in cone. 240lb Lex is even .09 seconds faster than 198lb Ahmad Bradshaw if you combine their 10, 20, and shuttle. That's friggin moving. Wreckin ball, baby!! Posted via Mobile Device
I love TP optimism its something this fan base needs. Ive built players up only to be let down by them I do it less and less but I hope Hilliard can become a guy like Lewis because what a steal Hilliard will be.
I agree Buck.... but I have pretty strong convictions about him dating back to his Montana days. He seemed like 1st round talent to me in college and slipped through the cracks like Michael Turner bc of level of competition played. He just exhudes the "it factor" IMO for the qualities I look for in a top pro. He seems like a total package: ability, talent, drive, dedication, leadership, competitiveness, coachability, heart, fire, passion, fearlessness, instincts, awareness. He's all of these at a high level. Unless he gets hurt, I can't picture him falling short of his potential. Posted via Mobile Device
yup, and Michael Turner was mid 5th rounder who's playing like a top 15 pick. If Lex went to a big school facing quality competition, he might have been 1-2 round talent. He's a better back than Mendenhall IMO, and I'd rather have him than Shonn Greene. Posted via Mobile Device
thanks Buck. I hear ya. Nothing hurts more than eating that stale sandwich. If you go back over the years, very, VERY few backs have his combination of size, strength, exceleration, balance, vision and hips.....so I'm highly optiPhinistic about Lex. Posted via Mobile Device
Check out these similarities: Lex Hilliard vs Jerome Bettis college days and Jamal Lewis. (Physically, all 3 are 5'11 with similar builds and frame... Lex is 240 lbs, Bettis was 243 when he came into the league IIRC, and Lewis is 245 ) [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMWZpM0TxbI"]YouTube- Lex Hilliard University of Montana Highlights[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-MEt60Y0f8"]YouTube- Jerome Bettis[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZG9XOGckVA"]YouTube- Jamal Lewis Dragging Tacklers[/ame]
Call it fact. But to really even possibly fathom that Hilliard would fill the role of Patrick Cobbs. Different running backs. Everyone knows that.
Well, we sure as hell know our identity now movin forward, Rick, Lex and Lou poundin fools, Big strong offensiveline movin people, and Henne thrown lasers. If ginn can stretch the field consistently with his speed, it will make it even more scary from a physical standpoint.. sounds real good, i'am all about that, and, i could care less to see one snap of the wildcat without Ronnie, its futile imo without him. If they wanna run it for sh$#s and giggles from time to time, ok.
The more I think about it the more I believe Ronnie's injury won't have much of an effect on our draft in 2010. 1. Come April he will probably still be under contract and 100% recovered from his injury. 2. Looking at today's games I realized that injuries and running backs go together like peanut butter and jelly. Ladell Betts got knocked out of today's game. Clinton Portis, Brian Westbrook, Donald Brown, Julius Jones, Leon Washington, Cedric Benson, Reggie Bush, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, James Davis, Jerious Norwood, and Michael Turner were all out due to injury. Too many others to name have missed games due to injury. If not this year than last year. Steven Jackson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Brandon Jacobs, Frank Gore, Ray Rice, Rashard Mendenhall, Pierre Thomas, Marion Barber, Willis McGahee, Joseph Addai, Felix Jones, Cadillac Williams, and Laurence Maroney. They've all missed time. Really when you stop to think about it who are we going to bring in who won't get injured? There isn't a running back out there who won't get banged up. So to knock Ronnie Brown by saying he's injury prone or can't go an entire season is to knock just about every back in the league.
Let's all just be a little bit careful about annointing Hilliard as the next big thing based on 4 carries and 1 catch against one of the worst run defences in football.
Have you watched Lex Hilliard at all? He is nothing at all like Patrick Cobbs. For one thing he is 3 inches taller than Patrick and weighs about 35 pounds more. Cobbs is more of a third down type back who can't run up the middle and Lex is a big tough inside runner who can flat run you over. These two are nothing alike. When Lex caught the pass out of the backfield the other night it was obvious the Dolphins were trying to use him like Cobbs which was dumb as hell. He looked like a fish out of water out there catching the ball. He isn't that type of player. Lex belongs between the tackles. You are way off base but good effort.
I see that you stated an opinion that Hilliard wasn't that good before he ever had a carry in the NFL and you were proven wrong and now you are making excuses for why he made the plays he made. He did a great job with the limited opportunity he was given and if he gets more opportunities he will continue to be impressive. Why do you think the team has kept him around and developed him. If to play special teams is your answer then that is laughable. He is a future back here. Get used to it. You are so wrong about Lex Hilliard.
Dude, he's had a grand total of 4 carries. I want Hilliard to be great, but don't get ahead of yourself.
Not sure I see that, Boom. He seems to run with awesome pad level to me. IMO he runs like he's a few inches shorter than his height. All of his runs we've seen so far shows him trucking people, and there are 8 minutes of highlights showing him run with a great center of gravity, balance, and pad level. Isn't that a little hard to do if you run high? If Lex runs too high, then so does Barry Sanders. LOL. I just looked up his Lex's Player Analysis:
At one point in their careers, Michael Turner and Jamal Lewis only had 4 carries, too. If someone back then had said that they would be great, would they have been wrong? I also had strong convictions about Wake being like Miami getting an extra 1st round pick before he played a single snap here. I dont think I was too far off base with that assessment. LOL.
At no point after any game in their careers did they have only 4 carries. Each player had 5 carries in the games they received their 1st carry in. Both got those carries during their rookie year, not 1/2 way through their 2nd. So those aren't necessarily good examples because their careers really don't parallel each other. Lamar Smith got his 4th career carry in year 2 though.
So Turner jumped from carry 3 to carry 5 and completely skipped carry #4? Someone could've posted their thoughts immediately after carry #4 but before #5 that they felt he was destined for greatness. Did carry #5 come in hurry up immediately after carry #4? I never said 4 carries after a game. I only said after 4 carries. Thanks for altering my post though to suit your argument butt head. I should have concluded my previous post with: Cue Stitch in 3....2....1..... Turner started 1 game in 4 years at SD..... and in the 07 season <before he was signed by Atlanta> he had only 316 yards and 1 TD with the Chargers. This is the same back that would a year later run for 1699 yards and 17 TDs and be listed as one of the top backs in the league? He had 442 yards and 11 TDs more in his 1st year starting in Atlanta than he did in 4 years at SD. However, Atlanta thought highly enough of his 316 yards and 1 TD to give him a $16 mill contract. So there!!!!
