RB

[305to954]

This is our best running back room since 2009..I haven’t heard anyone jump to the early 2000s yet

I disagree with the OP about a transfer. Our RB situation is good and a strength. A transfer RB isn't needed.

That being said - I can see the "This is our best backfield since 2001" hype train has left the building, and there are no brakes. Posters be damned if you say anything critical about our RB's.

I hope there's a faction that understands we might have a collection of good RB's, but none that are great/special (fingers crossed on Chaney).

Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

This is our best running back room since 2009..I haven’t heard anyone jump to the early 2000s yet

Yeah, hard to say "best" when 2 of the 5 have not yet reported to campus.

But probably one of the most talented, from positions 1 through 5.

 

[TheMatador]

We have 5 RB's on the roster including Burns (?) and a walkon. To expect a new entry RB to be ready for Bama is a reach. Also injuries don't always recover and those returning need to get in condition and prepare fully.
From 247: "That means a three-man competition at running back between Chaney, Cam’Ron Harris, and Jaylan Knighton is now down to two. "
We have our leading RB back, great, a 600 yard RB. Throw in the fact we had no legitimate TE's for spring so blocking schemes that include TE's have not been practiced.
Butch always had a room full of RB's and used them all. I hope at least one of our RB's is comparable to Butch's RBs.

Butch had an extraordinary group, probably best that I can remember at the U: James Jackson, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport. I guess, but don't remember for sure, that Frank Gore overlapped with some of those guys at the end. Our great teams of the late '80's never had that kind of talent.

I thought we were going to have some super backs in the late '60's when we had Vince Opalsky and Bobby Best together, but it never turned out that way.

 

[TheMatador]

View attachment 145807

I thought it was a joke when he said it...but there it is, it really happened.

 

[OriginalCanesCanesCanes]

Anxiously awaiting a Fraggle “we need more safeties from the portal” thread.

 

[Geddy Lee]

Anxiously awaiting a Fraggle “we need more safeties from the portal” thread.

Or one of MackMiller’s famous threads saying we need a portal qb now.

 

[bshaw28]

I don’t get this

Would you rather:

A) Give 80% of the carries to 1 "Elite" RB, and split 20% of the carries between 4 "Below Average" RB's?
B) Split 100% of the carries between 5 "Above Average" RB's?

 

[bshaw28]

Chaney had ran away with the starting job , it was done. Cam and knighton would’ve been the two and three. Cam as a backup or rotation guy is good anywhere. The guy can play , and is a great pass blocker. Now with Chaney being out and coming back in fall I’d expect a committee, at least until mid year. Which is a good problem to have. That’s a really good backfield and five quality backs.

Anyone that thinks we need a sixth back needs to layoff off the narcotics. That’s a really good five.

I think Chaney is our best RB, but the "Chaney ran away with the starting job" narrative may be true, but it doesn't pass the sniff test to me. I'll believe when I see it.

Hope springs eternal and it's overrating season. For example:

Spring 2020 - Knighton was looking "special" after a couple practices. Dalvin Cook/Duke Johnson were the comps. Me - "He's not as good as Duke Johnson". Verdict - He wasn't as good as Duke
Spring 2019 - Cam is going to be "special" and will start over Deejay. Me - Deejay is better. Verdict - Deejay was better
Spring 2017 - Walton is one of the best RB's in America and if he gets hurt we're screwed. Me - Homer is better. Verdict - Homer was better, and Walton's injury allowed us to move Deejay to RB, and Deejay was also better.

I can go on and on between Tyrone Moss, Javarris James, Joe Yearby, Graig Cooper, etc. on false Greentree narratives

 

[bshaw28]

OK, I think we are making an apples-oranges salad here.

5.1 YPC is not bad, when you consider that Cam had over 100 carries. Any RB with that many carries gets their share of the "slam into the line on 1st down" runs. Only 50 running backs in 2020 had a YPC of 5.2 or above AND had over 100 carries. I don't put the blame on Cam as much as I put it on our ****TY run-playcall-design, which hurt ALL THREE of our running backs in 2020. We've got to do more than just inside veers, particularly when you have (relatively) fast running backs in SoFla.

I'd also point out that even if we had Barry Sanders in the backfield, if King pulls the ball and runs it himself, that will still decrease ANY running back's carries.

I think Cam and Don can handle 150-200 carries in 2021, but because we have five blue-chip running backs (and would prefer not to lose any to the Portal), I think "bell-cow" for 2021 will NOT involve over 150 carries. Again, just my 2 cents, and that is not factoring in any injuries during the season.

5.1 ypc isn't bad, but it isn't good. It's very average.

I wish the default wouldn't always be to blame the OL & Play Calling - but that's a cycle that will never be broken.

Here's the YPC of our last 10 leading rushers:

Travis Homer - 5.9 & 6.0
Deejay Dallas - 6.0
Duke Johnson - 6.3, 6.8 & 6.8
Lamar Miller - 5.6

Cam - 5.1
Walton - 5.3
Yearby - 4.9

The better RB's had higher YPC's becuse they were better RB's. It's simple as that. The OL didn't magically get worse when our less talented RB's were in.

Example - In 2020:

Cam Harris lost yards on 27 of his 126 carries (21.4%)
Chaney/Knighton/Burns lost yards on 6 of 136 carries (4.4%)

The OL doesn't just fall apart whenever Cam gets the ball. Cam loses yards because of his style - he either freezes or tries to bounce - he doesn't fight to get back to the LOS like he should, The problem is on him.

BTW - did you see him not cross the LOS in 3 of his 4 carries in the Spring game? He is who he is. This isn't changing.

The whole point is Cam is average. Now if Chaney isn't better than an average RB to the point where his talent demands he gets way more carries than cam - then our backfield is also average - no matter what the depth.

 

[bshaw28]

This is our best running back room since 2009..I haven’t heard anyone jump to the early 2000s yet

Maybe this will be true. Right now this is just a recycled saying.

Remember 2020 when 1, 2, 3 games into the season we were killing it? Same thing was being said.
Remember 2018 when we had Homer & Deejay and were adding Cam & Lingard? Same thing
Remember 2016 when Thomas Brown was saying between Walton/Yearby/Gus we had 2 maybe 3 elite RB's? Same thing
Remember 2010 when we had 6 4 star RB's in our backfield - Miller, James, Cooper, Berry, Storm, Clements? Same thing

It Rinse & Repeat - but if people keep saying it over and over eventually they'll be correct

Right now - any backfield with Miller or Duke is better than what we have now. Again - fingers crossed for Chaney. Maybe he'll get to a Lamar/Duke level - I think it's possible but far from a given and it seems like people are acting like he's already there. I want to see it.

 

[pacusmc]

I agreed there's no reason to add a transfer. We have plenty of depth and good players at RB.

What I'm saying is I can tell fans are thinking we have more juice at RB than we actually do. And I can see the backlash coming.

I think "Depth" and being "Better" is skewing away from the most important question which is - how good is our starter?

If we don't have a starter on the level of a Lamar Miller/Duke Johnson that we can give the ball 225+ times to, then what does it matter if our 4th-6th RB is better than it usually is? Forget the Butch backfields - they shouldn't even be mentioned.

Right now we're hoping Chaney can reach the Miller/Duke level but have no evidence of that yet and the shoulder is a setback. Cam & Knighton aren't that level.

Duke and Miller had dudes that opened wholes for them. And they did it in a pro set system. Some of those dudes played significant snaps at the highest level. I agree we shouldn’t crown dudes. But let’s also put some positive perspective on things.
If the oline has progressed as much as people are saying, then the run game is gonna be this team’s strength.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

5.1 ypc isn't bad, but it isn't good. It's very average.

I wish the default wouldn't always be to blame the OL & Play Calling - but that's a cycle that will never be broken.

Here's the YPC of our last 10 leading rushers:

Travis Homer - 5.9 & 6.0
Deejay Dallas - 6.0
Duke Johnson - 6.3, 6.8 & 6.8
Lamar Miller - 5.6

Cam - 5.1
Walton - 5.3
Yearby - 4.9

The better RB's had higher YPC's becuse they were better RB's. It's simple as that. The OL didn't magically get worse when our less talented RB's were in.

Example - In 2020:

Cam Harris lost yards on 27 of his 126 carries (21.4%)
Chaney/Knighton/Burns lost yards on 6 of 136 carries (4.4%)

The OL doesn't just fall apart whenever Cam gets the ball. Cam loses yards because of his style - he either freezes or tries to bounce - he doesn't fight to get back to the LOS like he should, The problem is on him.

BTW - did you see him not cross the LOS in 3 of his 4 carries in the Spring game? He is who he is. This isn't changing.

The whole point is Cam is average. Now if Chaney isn't better than an average RB to the point where his talent demands he gets way more carries than cam - then our backfield is also average - no matter what the depth.

Look, here's the problem in this discussion. You can cite the stats, and I don't deny the stats. But I'm also using the eye test, and I saw the same crappy CONSTRUCTION of the runs that we've had for a few years.

Take a look at what I actually wrote. I didn't blame the OL. I didn't blame "playcalling" in a vacuum. I very specifically addressed the TYPES of runs we were doing, when we kept running into the interior of the opposing D-lines WITHOUT having a dominant blocking scheme or a large-bodied runner who can churn out yardage. THAT is what does not make sense. Cam, Chaney, and Knighton are all fast enough to get outside to pick up extra yardage. I even conversed with Lance about one particular play when there was wide open grass to the outside, yet Cam stuck to the inside where there were multiple defenders, which was an indicator of how the running backs commit to the plays and are not even thinking about taking advantage of open field to the outside.

So you spent a lot of time defending the OL when I didn't even criticize the OL. I am simply talking about using the size/speed of our RBs to the best advantage, and not forcing the inside running game if an opposing team has a solid front 7. That's not a case of simple "personnel" or general "playcalling", it is about trying to gameplan and construct a running attack that will maximize our strengths and exploit the defensive weaknesses instead of playing into the defensive strengths.

And I don't understand you using 10 years worth of running back stats while somehow giving the impression that the OL performance was consistent. You say that the "better stats" indicate the "better runners", without acknowledging that the OLs (and coaches) were completely different at different times (not to mention the blocking and overall offensive schemes).

I also don't understand this "did you see him not cross the LOS in 3 of his 4 carries in the Spring game" nonsense. A. Sample size. B. He ran the plays that Lashlee called. C. Let me reiterate NOT running into the teeth of the defense with a non-bulky, speedy runner. But hey, let's pretend that Cam should be blamed. Honestly, what is Cam supposed to do? Freelance? Not run the plays that Lashlee calls? I understand that Lashlee WANTS to have a big bell-cow running back, but how long will he be at UM and how long do we have to wait until we get him the personnel he wants? Why can't he scheme for the personnel that he HAS?

That's all. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Lashlee for not finding a compromise. I'm not saying "never" run Cam or Don or Knighton up the middle, but it has to be a bit more surprising, and we have to utilize the outside lanes more. Even our own fans can see how predictable our running game has been under Richt, Enos, AND Lashlee, so I can only imagine that highly paid opposing coaches and consultants are going to be able to spot our glaring tendencies too. Other teams have separate consultants/coaches who coordinate "running game" and "passing game", maybe we need to take "running game" off of Lashlee's plate for now. Whatever we do, we need to find more variety in our running game under the RPO, we can't have 60-70 percent of our plays originating with "King turns to the right" or "King turns to the left".

Again, the point is not to argue "5.1 YPC is soooo fantastic", but to say that I watched every snap of every game and I'm sick of seeing the give-up runs up the middle (where if the hole isn't there, the runner is essentially forced to give up momentum) and knowing how that brings down the YPC average.

Come on, man, put down the stat pipe and watch the games. If you want to slam Jerome Bettis up the middle 20 times to weaken the DL, that's fine if you have Jerome Bettis, but if you have Cam, Don, and Rooster, we just don't have the personnel for that approach, and we need to harness their strengths.

See? And I didn't even blame the OL.

 

[mainecane]

 

[bshaw28]

Look, here's the problem in this discussion. You can cite the stats, and I don't deny the stats. But I'm also using the eye test, and I saw the same crappy CONSTRUCTION of the runs that we've had for a few years.

Take a look at what I actually wrote. I didn't blame the OL. I didn't blame "playcalling" in a vacuum. I very specifically addressed the TYPES of runs we were doing, when we kept running into the interior of the opposing D-lines WITHOUT having a dominant blocking scheme or a large-bodied runner who can churn out yardage. THAT is what does not make sense. Cam, Chaney, and Knighton are all fast enough to get outside to pick up extra yardage. I even conversed with Lance about one particular play when there was wide open grass to the outside, yet Cam stuck to the inside where there were multiple defenders, which was an indicator of how the running backs commit to the plays and are not even thinking about taking advantage of open field to the outside.

So you spent a lot of time defending the OL when I didn't even criticize the OL. I am simply talking about using the size/speed of our RBs to the best advantage, and not forcing the inside running game if an opposing team has a solid front 7. That's not a case of simple "personnel" or general "playcalling", it is about trying to gameplan and construct a running attack that will maximize our strengths and exploit the defensive weaknesses instead of playing into the defensive strengths.

And I don't understand you using 10 years worth of running back stats while somehow giving the impression that the OL performance was consistent. You say that the "better stats" indicate the "better runners", without acknowledging that the OLs (and coaches) were completely different at different times (not to mention the blocking and overall offensive schemes).

I also don't understand this "did you see him not cross the LOS in 3 of his 4 carries in the Spring game" nonsense. A. Sample size. B. He ran the plays that Lashlee called. C. Let me reiterate NOT running into the teeth of the defense with a non-bulky, speedy runner. But hey, let's pretend that Cam should be blamed. Honestly, what is Cam supposed to do? Freelance? Not run the plays that Lashlee calls? I understand that Lashlee WANTS to have a big bell-cow running back, but how long will he be at UM and how long do we have to wait until we get him the personnel he wants? Why can't he scheme for the personnel that he HAS?

That's all. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Lashlee for not finding a compromise. I'm not saying "never" run Cam or Don or Knighton up the middle, but it has to be a bit more surprising, and we have to utilize the outside lanes more. Even our own fans can see how predictable our running game has been under Richt, Enos, AND Lashlee, so I can only imagine that highly paid opposing coaches and consultants are going to be able to spot our glaring tendencies too. Other teams have separate consultants/coaches who coordinate "running game" and "passing game", maybe we need to take "running game" off of Lashlee's plate for now. Whatever we do, we need to find more variety in our running game under the RPO, we can't have 60-70 percent of our plays originating with "King turns to the right" or "King turns to the left".

Again, the point is not to argue "5.1 YPC is soooo fantastic", but to say that I watched every snap of every game and I'm sick of seeing the give-up runs up the middle (where if the hole isn't there, the runner is essentially forced to give up momentum) and knowing how that brings down the YPC average.

Come on, man, put down the stat pipe and watch the games. If you want to slam Jerome Bettis up the middle 20 times to weaken the DL, that's fine if you have Jerome Bettis, but if you have Cam, Don, and Rooster, we just don't have the personnel for that approach, and we need to harness their strengths.

See? And I didn't even blame the OL.

I hear you - I can totally understand if you don't agree with the play calling. And appreciate the insights. I think scheming to get Cam to the outside more would be smart. But for me, I think that's because the outside is where Cam is headed anyways.

I watch all the RB's closely, so I'm not just throwing out stats. When I watch Cam, I don't see him trying to jam it up inside, I see him trying to bounce too much. I see him freezing when he sees any type of penetration. He kills his own momentum. And when he tries to bounce (usually to his right because that's his comfort zone), he also doesn't change direction well, so it gets him in trouble. Cam is best when there's a clear hole and he can run hit & hard and fast. Erasing angles on a straight line with his speed is where he excels. But he needs a runway to get going & be effective. He's good at making a side step or slight changes in direction, but you can't ask for too much. Sharp cuts or changes in direction, or when he needs to get creative to make something for himself - that's where Cam struggles. Cam makes rounded cuts, so outside runs where he has to make one cut and get upfield I don't think work well for him. In the open field he has 1 move, which I call the "Top Gun". He slams on the brakes and hopes the defender runs right past him. But again, he just straight killing his own momentum so often. That's a reason why he goes down so easy - he has no forward momentum to hit the defenders with force. He makes it easy for them. He's not really big on being physical.

I'm no Lance Roffers - but I'll put up some pics later to show why Cam just isn't a good decision maker and demonstrates what I wrote above. It's in the open field, so it's independent of OL & Scheme.

The stats I use to backup aren't to "blame" Cam, it's to point out he shares in the blame (more than most think IMO). Cam, the OL & Scheme all play a part.

To me, there's a reason why these things like this happen that are independent of Scheme & OL:

- 60% of Cam's runs are to the right (because it's just in his DNA to turn right and get to the sidelines)
- Cam has by far the worst Yards Per Catch of any RB the last 5-6 years (because he's pretty stiff and not a good open field runner)
- Cam is losing yards 20% of the time compared to 5% for the other RB's (it's his decision making & running style)

I'm much more of a players are more important than coaches & scheme - but that always a debate with no right or wrong answer.

What demonstrates this to me is - look at the YPC for Duke & Lamar vs the 2nd best RB running that same scheme.

2010 - Miller 6.0 - Damien Berry 4.7. Miller +1.3 YPC
2011 - Miller 5.6 - Mike James 3.8. Miller +1.8 YPC
2012 - Duke 6.8 - Mke James 4.2. Duke +2.6 YPC
2013 - Duke 6.3 - Dallas Crawford 4.1. Duke +2.2 YPC
2014 - Duke 6.8 - Joe Yearby 5.9. Duke +0.9 YPC

Same scheme - drastic different results, simply because there's a huge difference in talent. Same thing why under Enos - Dallas averaged 6.0 and Cam averaged 5.1. Because Dallas is just better. Kind of like how we missed Shaq at LB last year, we missed Dallas at RB. Results would've been better.

So I get not liking the scheme - but IMO the scheme would look much better if we had more talented players running it. To me - we need more talent than Cam Harris as our starting RB.

 

[305to954]

Maybe this will be true. Right now this is just a recycled saying.

Remember 2020 when 1, 2, 3 games into the season we were killing it? Same thing was being said.
Remember 2018 when we had Homer & Deejay and were adding Cam & Lingard? Same thing
Remember 2016 when Thomas Brown was saying between Walton/Yearby/Gus we had 2 maybe 3 elite RB's? Same thing
Remember 2010 when we had 6 4 star RB's in our backfield - Miller, James, Cooper, Berry, Storm, Clements? Same thing

It Rinse & Repeat - but if people keep saying it over and over eventually they'll be correct

Right now - any backfield with Miller or Duke is better than what we have now. Again - fingers crossed for Chaney. Maybe he'll get to a Lamar/Duke level - I think it's possible but far from a given and it seems like people are acting like he's already there. I want to see it.

In 2010 coop was coming off that knee injury that’s y I didn’t used that. But 2009 everybody was healthy. Berry became that 3rd guy early in the szn, Mike James TF , cooper was proven, Miller (RS), Javarris James was proven.

2016 that running back room was suspect coming in with Yearby and mark the only two healthy guys. Gus was a “jag” according to CIS and coming off a foot injury.

2018 that running back room was a question mark aside from glimpses of deejay as a TF but was making a transition to rb . Travis was seen as serviceable coming in. Lingard was coming in as TF. Hype train was there for him tho.

fast forward to 21 and there no question marks whatsoever. Cam is a solid starter at the very least and has proven he can break off a big one. There’s absolutely no questioning Rooster and Chaneys talents. So that’s 3 guys who we know can get it done..the you add Franklin and brown in the fall. Yeaa this is the best shape the room has been since 09.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

I hear you - I can totally understand if you don't agree with the play calling. And appreciate the insights. I think scheming to get Cam to the outside more would be smart. But for me, I think that's because the outside is where Cam is headed anyways.

I watch all the RB's closely, so I'm not just throwing out stats. When I watch Cam, I don't see him trying to jam it up inside, I see him trying to bounce too much. I see him freezing when he sees any type of penetration. He kills his own momentum. And when he tries to bounce (usually to his right because that's his comfort zone), he also doesn't change direction well, so it gets him in trouble. Cam is best when there's a clear hole and he can run hit & hard and fast. Erasing angles on a straight line with his speed is where he excels. But he needs a runway to get going & be effective. He's good at making a side step or slight changes in direction, but you can't ask for too much. Sharp cuts or changes in direction, or when he needs to get creative to make something for himself - that's where Cam struggles. Cam makes rounded cuts, so outside runs where he has to make one cut and get upfield I don't think work well for him. In the open field he has 1 move, which I call the "Top Gun". He slams on the brakes and hopes the defender runs right past him. But again, he just straight killing his own momentum so often. That's a reason why he goes down so easy - he has no forward momentum to hit the defenders with force. He makes it easy for them. He's not really big on being physical.

I'm no Lance Roffers - but I'll put up some pics later to show why Cam just isn't a good decision maker and demonstrates what I wrote above. It's in the open field, so it's independent of OL & Scheme.

The stats I use to backup aren't to "blame" Cam, it's to point out he shares in the blame (more than most think IMO). Cam, the OL & Scheme all play a part.

To me, there's a reason why these things like this happen that are independent of Scheme & OL:

- 60% of Cam's runs are to the right (because it's just in his DNA to turn right and get to the sidelines)
- Cam has by far the worst Yards Per Catch of any RB the last 5-6 years (because he's pretty stiff and not a good open field runner)
- Cam is losing yards 20% of the time compared to 5% for the other RB's (it's his decision making & running style)

I'm much more of a players are more important than coaches & scheme - but that always a debate with no right or wrong answer.

What demonstrates this to me is - look at the YPC for Duke & Lamar vs the 2nd best RB running that same scheme.

2010 - Miller 6.0 - Damien Berry 4.7. Miller +1.3 YPC
2011 - Miller 5.6 - Mike James 3.8. Miller +1.8 YPC
2012 - Duke 6.8 - Mke James 4.2. Duke +2.6 YPC
2013 - Duke 6.3 - Dallas Crawford 4.1. Duke +2.2 YPC
2014 - Duke 6.8 - Joe Yearby 5.9. Duke +0.9 YPC

Same scheme - drastic different results, simply because there's a huge difference in talent. Same thing why under Enos - Dallas averaged 6.0 and Cam averaged 5.1. Because Dallas is just better. Kind of like how we missed Shaq at LB last year, we missed Dallas at RB. Results would've been better.

So I get not liking the scheme - but IMO the scheme would look much better if we had more talented players running it. To me - we need more talent than Cam Harris as our starting RB.

I've enjoyed the conversation, but I'll keep my response (relatively) brief.

When the DL gets penetration (which happens a lot, so that's my one shot at the OL), all of our RBs suffer, not just Cam. I think it impacts Cam more, as he gets more reps, he plays earlier in the game, and in 2020 it seemed he would never quite get untracked before Don or Jaylan were in for relief.

Again, I want to point out, I am not trying to make Cam out to be da gawd. I am just saying that he has experience and production, and that we shouldn't set our clothes on fire because Don has a minor shoulder issue. Yes, Cam can do certain things better, but I am pointing out that Lashlee could HELP HIM harness the things he does well by not trying to use him as a battering ram.

I'm not sure how the "60% to the right" stat means anything, as the playcalls are set in advance. As for the passing stuff, I was just focused on the rushing side of things. As for the "losing yards percentage" stuff, there is merit there, but I would also point out "small sample size" and the fact that Don/Rooster have come in once Cam has tenderized the DL a bit. It's still a relevant stat, I just think there are things that explain it better.

As for your RB comparatives, in some ways you kind of make my point for me (with Duke's stats). Duke was MUCH more productive going to the outside because he was a smaller, faster back. I would EXPECT him to get more YPC than a bigger/more physical back. In fact, the narrowest gap of the 5 years you provided was between Duke and Yearby, who were similar-style runners. Also (and I've mentioned this before) it is hard to do these comparisons when one runner is much more senior/experienced, or a different build, or they are getting the ball in very different situations. That's not a criticism of you, it's a reflection that these kids can be very different from freshmen to senior years, and we only have them for a few years. An interesting comparison would be between Edge and JJ when they were (almost) the same age in the same backfield. Anyhow, it's a minor quibble, not a huge issue.

Finally, I'll wrap up by reiterating that my point was never to say that Cam is the best and most talented back we've ever had, only that we should be fine if Don needs some extra time to heal, and that we don't need a JuCo transfer. And also, in spite of Cam's relative weaknesses, I don't think that Lashlee is calling the right running plays to take advantage of Cam's best traits.

That is all.

 

[bshaw28]

In 2010 coop was coming off that knee injury that’s y I didn’t used that. But 2009 everybody was healthy. Berry became that 3rd guy early in the szn, Mike James TF , cooper was proven, Miller (RS), Javarris James was proven.

2016 that running back room was suspect coming in with Yearby and mark the only two healthy guys. Gus was a “jag” according to CIS and coming off a foot injury.

2018 that running back room was a question mark aside from glimpses of deejay as a TF but was making a transition to rb . Travis was seen as serviceable coming in. Lingard was coming in as TF. Hype train was there for him tho.

fast forward to 21 and there no question marks whatsoever. Cam is a solid starter at the very least and has proven he can break off a big one. There’s absolutely no questioning Rooster and Chaneys talents. So that’s 3 guys who we know can get it done..the you add Franklin and brown in the fall. Yeaa this is the best shape the room has been since 09.

The problem is we're dealing with revisionist history. People rarely own up to how much these players were hyped at the time

Graig Cooper was a 5 Star who people were comparing to Reggie Bush on Greentree.
Yearby - a TON of people were saying he'd be better than Dalvin Cook. I was arguing with Admin's on this site who were saying Yearby had a chance to be one of the all time Cane greats up there with Edge & McGahee - and that was AFTER his Sophomore year.
Walton - Was hyped as one of the best RB's in the county. Mark Richt called him the best football player he ever coached. Thomas Brown - who had just coached Melvin Gordon, Nick Chubb, and Sony Michel was calling him & Yearby "elite"
2018 - Travis Homer was coming off a 900 yd 6.0 ypc season (you forgot that), Deejay had a TF season that was more impressive than either Chaney or Knighton was last year - and Lingard was the #2 RB / #25 overall RB in the country, and many people thought Cam was better. I know I was hyping the sh*t out of this backfield.

It's easy to forget or dismiss how much the hype for these guys was at the time. But the same hype happens almost every year.

Now - I'm totally on board with the 2021 backfield being very talented. My issue is you're acting like it's a 100% given.

Cam was disappointing last year, and might start this year. If our starter is "solid" as you say - that doesn't sound like "best backfield in 10 years"
Chaney only averaged 4.7 YPC - and missed the end of Spring and might miss most of Fall with a shoulder. But there's no questioning him?
Rooster averaged 4.0 YPC and had 3 fumbles and fumbled again in the Spring. But there's no questioning him?
The 2 Freshman aren't even ranked as Top 200 players - but there's no questioning them?

I think out backfield will be very talented. But IMO if you have no questions, then you're not looking that closely.

Your statements like this is a given, and there's no questioning it....that's why I say the hype train has left the station with no brakes.

 

[BoxingRobes]

clown post.

RB room has a few guys that will get carries in the NFL.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

The problem is we're dealing with revisionist history. People rarely own up to how much these players were hyped at the time

Graig Cooper was a 5 Star who people were comparing to Reggie Bush on Greentree.
Yearby - a TON of people were saying he'd be better than Dalvin Cook. I was arguing with Admin's on this site who were saying Yearby had a chance to be one of the all time Cane greats up there with Edge & McGahee - and that was AFTER his Sophomore year.
Walton - Was hyped as one of the best RB's in the county. Mark Richt called him the best football player he ever coached. Thomas Brown - who had just coached Melvin Gordon, Nick Chubb, and Sony Michel was calling him & Yearby "elite"
2018 - Travis Homer was coming off a 900 yd 6.0 ypc season (you forgot that), Deejay had a TF season that was more impressive than either Chaney or Knighton was last year - and Lingard was the #2 RB / #25 overall RB in the country, and many people thought Cam was better. I know I was hyping the sh*t out of this backfield.

It's easy to forget or dismiss how much the hype for these guys was at the time. But the same hype happens almost every year.

Now - I'm totally on board with the 2021 backfield being very talented. My issue is you're acting like it's a 100% given.

Cam was disappointing last year, and might start this year. If our starter is "solid" as you say - that doesn't sound like "best backfield in 10 years"
Chaney only averaged 4.7 YPC - and missed the end of Spring and might miss most of Fall with a shoulder. But there's no questioning him?
Rooster averaged 4.0 YPC and had 3 fumbles and fumbled again in the Spring. But there's no questioning him?
The 2 Freshman aren't even ranked as Top 200 players - but there's no questioning them?

I think out backfield will be very talented. But IMO if you have no questions, then you're not looking that closely.

Your statements like this is a given, and there's no questioning it....that's why I say the hype train has left the station with no brakes.

Stop the madness.

NEITHER of the two main recruiting services use "Top 200". Of which Cody Brown WAS (Rivals). They both use, essentially, a Top 250, of which BOTH players were, on BOTH services.

4 and 5 stars are considered "blue chip recruits", particularly those in the Top 250.

Just...stop...what's next..."the 2 freshmen aren't even ranked as Top 175 players"?

 

[TheOriginalCane]

Come on, dude, can't you be honest?

In 2021, we will have FIVE consensus (both services) 4-star running backs.

2019 - we only had FOUR running backs notch carries, all other rushers were QBs or WRs - Cam, Deejay, Bobby Burns...and JIMMY MURPHY
2018 - Homer, Deejay, Cam, Choc, 5-star Lingard, and Bobby Burns
2017 - Homer, Walton, Deejay, Choc
2016 - Walton, Yearby, Gus, Homer...and MARQUEZ WILLIAMS
2015 - Yearby, Walton, Choc...and WALTER TUCKER
2014 - Duke, Yearby, Gus, Choc...AND RONALD REGULA AND WALTER TUCKER
2013 - Duke, Dallas, Gus, Eduardo Clements...AND MAURICE HAGENS AND DEANDRE JOHNSON AND JAMESON LABADY
2012 - Mike James, Duke, Eduardo Clements, Dallas...AND MAURICE HAGENS AND DARRIS HUGHES
2011 - Lamar, Mike James, Eduardo Clements...AND MAURICE HAGENS
2010 - Damien Berry ("I'm not even supposed to be here today"), Lamar, Mike James, Coop, Storm, Eduardo Clements...AND PATRICK HILL
2009 - Coop, Javarris, Damien Berry, Lee Chambers, Mike James...AND JOHN CALHOUN
2008 - Coop, Javarris, Derron Thomas, Lee Chambers, Shawnbrey McNeal
2007 - Javarris, Coop, Derron Thomas, Shawnbrey McNeal...AND JERRELL MABRY
2006 - Javarris (4-star), Ty Moss (5-star/4-star), Charlie Jones (5-star/4-star), Derron Thomas (3-star), Andrew Johnson (4-star)

Yes, we can sit around and debate things like "actual production", but in the off-season, in THIS off-season, you cannot deny that this is the most talented (on paper, of course) backfield that we have had since 2006.

What they will accomplish, who knows.

Again, remind yourself what this thread was started for...to argue that we need to go out and get a Portal RB. But we are sitting on THOSE FIVE RUNNING BACKS, and only one has a minor shoulder injury.

Come on, now...