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Thread: Running Back

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Running Back

    this thread is not for all the "lollipop and candy cane" fans. if you can not discuss the team, go away.


    i have seen Jamal's dance for too long. it is time for him to get benched. sure, the play calls of constantly running between Ogden and Edwin is partially to blame, but this guy runs like a fragile sissy. he does not hit a single hole hard. when he finally does, he gains a few, but still reverts back instead of learning. i just do not see this offense getting anything going unless our RB position can produce.

    Musa Smith should be starting for this team. Mike Anderson should not be benched the way that he has been. the depth is unreal and there is only 1 ball to go around, but you go to the guys that produce. when Musa is in, the defense has to watch for the pass or the run and he hits the hole hard and fast. with Jamal, when there is a hole, it closes while he dances. even when Anderson is in, you have to wonder what is going to happen. the last couple weeks, at least 80% of the time. when Jamal is there, it is a running play. for that reason alone, he should sit down.

    i thought Jamal was going to kill this year. his preseason running was great. he slammed forward just killing people in the limited time he had. since those first few carries, he has gone back to the "dance machine" and we have suffered for it.

    i have missed some of the things i wanted to say and i do not have time to go any further, thoughts?





  2. #2

    Re: Running Back

    I think most of Jamal's problem is that he's trying to do too much.

    Stuttering or dancing around he's looking around for some big hole or a cut back when sometimes, especially, with a guy his size, you just power into that hole, truck the safety or linebacker and go.

    Musa Smith is really a better back for a Fassel offense anyhow. Look at how Tiki Barber is used in NY and you'll find that Musa Smith is more like Barber than Jamal by a long shot.

    Jamal's still not bad...he's got some time to figure things out and better or worse, he's going to start the rest of the year unless somehow Musa or Anderson can really make him look bad. The Denver game will be telling.

    If Jamal can't get to elite status again, I think we'll end up trying to trade then cutting him. Anderson's got good power as a change of pace to Smith, but that's all moot offseason discussion and there are so many more games this is premature.

    Jamal's also not getting the sheer number of carries as before, that can also play a factor.





  3. #3
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    Re: Running Back

    I do agree that at times Jamal 'the dancing bear' Lewis looks tentative. I think the coaching staff must take some of the blame. As you have already mentioned when Jamal is in it is a 'Run up the Gut play'. So teams can tee off on him. Jamal is capable of catching the ball and was called upon to do so during the Super Bowl run. The coaching staff must change up the play calling while Jamal is in to help improve his game.

    I do like what I see from Musa, but I don't necessarily think he should take the bulk of the carries yet. And as you have already mentioned 'kind-of', where has Anderson been?

    For now I let Jamal get the bulk of the carries, but the other two should be worked in, and if Jamal does not start to show the determination he has in the past, then he should be demoted.
    Section 106 from start to finish!





  4. #4
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    Re: Running Back

    You make some good points, IJ. I did notice that in preseason Jamal was busting off runs like the Jamal of old, but the happy feet have returned. I saw him do it several times lately. Why not just hit the hole and bore through?
    Is it because he misses Alan Ricard leading the way?
    I like the versatility that Musa and MA bring to the huddle, the defense has to respect the fact that they can catch a pass out of the backfield. Jamal seems to have stone hands at times.
    "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused" - Elvis Costello






  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Mount Airy, MD.
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    Re: Running Back

    I agree with you IJ. Sitting in 513 I can see his running very well and he does dance way to much. By the time he sees a hole to run in it closes up by the time he gets to it. He needs to pick a lane and got full speed...he's got the power to run people over.

    I'd like to see more MA and see what he can do. Or put MA as a FB and be able to make quick hits with him.
    M&T Bank Stadium - Section 513
    Proud Season Ticket Holder since 1998





  6. #6
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    Re: Running Back

    I wish I knew whether to agree with you on Jamal or not. I don't know if he has the same skills that made him a terror a few years ago. I may never know. This offensive line isn't opening holes for anybody, and here's a news flash: even with a former MVP at quarterback and three top receiving options, our passing attack sucks. So that's not helping to take pressure off our running game either. Will putting Musa in help? Maybe. I have no idea. I just know that our offensive line does nothing well right now. Jamal, at least, has something on his resume, to show that he has NFL skills. Right now Flynn, Vincent, and Pashos are letting him, and us, down.





  7. #7
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    Re: Running Back

    Good points but it's very unlikely the coaching staff would do something that drastic, especially while the team is winning. I expect the coaching staff will stick with Jamal until the last possible minute.

    I would like to see a lot more of Musa but it's not going to happen.

    FHRaven





  8. #8
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    Re: Running Back

    You have to put some of the blame on BB. One of his faults is he sticks to what worked in the past too much. (TT, Flynn, Grbac, Searcey, etc.) Brian seems to hate change, even when the rest of the world knows you have to make some.

    In 2003, you handed the ball off to Jamal. In 2006, you bench him and go with one or two of the other four guys.

    In 2007, you try to get the best draft choice for him; then you draft a better halfback.
    ENFORCE THE 1ST AMENDMENT WITH THE SECOND, NEVER DISARM





  9. #9
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    Re: Running Back

    You cannot bench Jamal and then still get any sort of draft choice for him. I'm not saying that benching him would be right or wrong, but just know that no one is likely to offer anything, especially given his contract structure. They would wait for us to cut him.





  10. #10

    Re: Running Back

    I think Jamal was actually playing pretty well until this past game. I wouldn't bench him just yet, but I do wonder why the hell we even signed Mike Anderson. Jamal was getting nothing done yesterday, so why not give Anderson a few carries? Or Musa? We have really good depth at RB but we aren't taking advantage of it. Jamal had 15 mostly ineffective carries yesterday, and Musa and Anderson had three combined. Why?

    Then again, I also didn't understand why we constantly ran Jamal up the middle on what seemed like almost every first down, leading to constant second and eight situations. It wasn't working, so why did they keep doing it?





  11. #11
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    Re: Running Back

    Quote Originally Posted by highwater View Post
    I think Jamal was actually playing pretty well until this past game. I wouldn't bench him just yet, but I do wonder why the hell we even signed Mike Anderson. Jamal was getting nothing done yesterday, so why not give Anderson a few carries? Or Musa? We have really good depth at RB but we aren't taking advantage of it. Jamal had 15 mostly ineffective carries yesterday, and Musa and Anderson had three combined. Why?

    Then again, I also didn't understand why we constantly ran Jamal up the middle on what seemed like almost every first down, leading to constant second and eight situations. It wasn't working, so why did they keep doing it?
    We've all seen quite a few Ravens games where Jamal hits the 20 carry mark and suddenly he's just gashing the opponent. We weren't able to get him there because we weren't able to sustain early drives. But your point about running into the middle is accurate. Jamal Williams is a very solid NT and we couldn't move him all day (no surprise there, with Flynn and company attempting to do so). We needed to start getting our RBs outside. Would we have to deal with their fast LBs? Yep. Is Jamal not an outside runner? Let Musa or Anderson or even PJ Daniels give it a try. But they had our middle shut down very effectively, and we just kept hitting our heads against it. It was disappointing, to say the least. Even if the outside runs only get a couple of yards themselves, it might have loosened up the middle and kept their defense on its heels a bit more.





  12. #12

    Angry Re: Running Back

    Jamal is washed up...he stinks..period.

    Give MA and Musa a lot more touches and that way you can see if the running issues are more b/c of the line or the RB. I say it's more the RB at this point. What is the point of pre-season if Musa does great and then collects dust in the regular season? Why did we even sign Anderson? Billick and Fassel really need to wake up on this issue or a promising season will go to waste.

    FM





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