Gauging the runningbacks

[iRobot]

http://azbirdgang.com/?p=76

After spending a Sunday afternoon and the University of Phoenix Stadium watching the Cardinals in their first padded practice, I started thinking about what I saw from the running backs. While each running back has their positives and negatives in their game, one thing that has stood out in these practices is that Mendenhall is almost always the back running with the first stringers.

If you break down the experience and stats, you can understand why Mendenhall is given preference beyond his ties to head coach Bruce Arians.

See my blog for more..

Who thinks Mendenhall starts week 1 and loses starting job soon after to one of the rooks?

 

[GuernseyCard]

http://azbirdgang.com/?p=76



See my blog for more..

Who thinks Mendenhall starts week 1 and loses starting job soon after to one of the rooks?

If he loses the job it probably means we have o-line problems.

 

[HoodieBets]

No way mendenhall sits unless he gets hurt

 

[jbeecham]

With Ryan Williams still having knee problems and struggling in pass protection, it's looking more and more likely that he gets cut or barely beats out Alfonso Smith for the 4th RB:

http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and...His-Knee/8ef0ef06-fad0-4bf0-9dfd-f847f42b45a9

If Mendenhall stays healthy then he's probably the starter... it usually takes rookies a while to adjust to the speed of the game, the size of the defenders & the power of the hits. If Mendenhall goes down then we're counting on 2 rookies & either an average back (Smith) or one that can't stay healthy (RW).

 

[Mulli]

:championship:

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I don't see how Williams can be endearing himself or teammates when, first, he admits to being scared and now, even though the initial MRI came back clean, he wants to get a second MRI to "be sure".

Sounds to me like he's still afraid and comes across on the wimpy side. I've changed my mind and doubt he's on the final 53.

 

[iRobot]

I don't see how Williams can be endearing himself or teammates when, first, he admits to being scared and now, even though the initial MRI came back clean, he wants to get a second MRI to "be sure".

Sounds to me like he's still afraid and comes across on the wimpy side. I've changed my mind and doubt he's on the final 53.

I can agree with your assessment which is why I said he could be missing from the final 53.

I think Mendehall only loses the job for these reasons:

1) Injury
2) Fumbling
3) Outplayed by rooks

Will it happen this season? I dont know, but I think any of those 3 are a REAL possiblity when it comes to Mendenhall.

 

[Duckjake]

Thanks to a couple of lucky or crafty draft picks Ryan Williams is now irrelevant in Arizona because we have solid depth at RB for the first time in a while.

I told you guys that Williams was going to wash out when they picked him in the 2nd round because every RB the Cards have selected in the 2nd has been an NFL bust for over 40 years.

 

[Mitch]

Think of this:

Beanie Wells (1st Rd.) and Ryan Williams (2nd Rd.)---

 

[Buckybird]

I don't see how Williams can be endearing himself or teammates when, first, he admits to being scared and now, even though the initial MRI came back clean, he wants to get a second MRI to "be sure".

Sounds to me like he's still afraid and comes across on the wimpy side. I've changed my mind and doubt he's on the final 53.

Plus I just think he's too small to play the physical style in the NFL thats required. I watched him get freaking abused on some 1 on 1 blocking on the official website.

IMO his days in Cardinal land are numbered

 

[Buckybird]

I told you guys that Williams was going to wash out when they picked him in the 2nd round because every RB the Cards have selected in the 2nd has been an NFL bust for over 40 years.

How bout name a draft pick, not named Anderson or Mitchell And, no others who left & succeeded don't count.

And mostly everyone was gushing over that pick! I hated it!
I sooo wanted a OLB over him...and Brooks Reid was once of those players. Gotta luv the Cardinals

 

[kerouac9]

Think of this:

Beanie Wells (1st Rd.) and Ryan Williams (2nd Rd.)---

Steve Keim, super scout.

 

[Buckybird]

Steve Keim, super scout.

Or Rod Graves ******* GM & Ken Whisenhunt don't know jack about the running game

 

[GuernseyCard]

Steve Keim, super scout.

Yes. How he couldn't spot their knee problems in advance is beyond me.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Steve Keim, super scout.

Agenda pushing. Watch for this theme in EVERY post by the above for the next 3+ years although the notion is easily debunked and has no way of being proven accurate based on the way the organization was previously set up.

Dont let the brainwashing get to you. Keim is the man and I doubt youll find one paid local or national writer who would disagree with that sentiment.

Only contrarians who like to mix it up on message boards.

 

[kerouac9]

Yes. How he couldn't spot their knee problems in advance is beyond me.

His injury concerns derailed his redshirt sophomore season a VaTech. He also had a MAJOR knee surgery in high school.

It doesn't take clairvoyance not to take an injury-prone running back with the 38th pick in the NFL draft.

Also, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves writing down that Williams never fumbled in college.

 

[kerouac9]

It's either that Steve Keim was an exceptional talent evaluator who lead the team to the draft classes that we've had the last four or five years, or he's been a yes man and toady for the front office's poor draft decisions for the last four or five years.

Does he get credit for the draft classes? If so, then he gets demerited for the bad picks, too. It makes no evaluative sense to write off every poor decision that he had a hand in.

 

[GuernseyCard]

His injury concerns derailed his redshirt sophomore season a VaTech. He also had a MAJOR knee surgery in high school.

It doesn't take clairvoyance not to take an injury-prone running back with the 38th pick in the NFL draft.

Also, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves writing down that Williams never fumbled in college.

His last year in College was derailed, to a degree, by a nagging hamstring pull. Hardly a reason to turn a blind eye to his talent. Guess you would have passed on Frank Gore.

 

[kerouac9]

His last year in College was derailed, to a degree, by a nagging hamstring pull. Hardly a reason to turn a blind eye to his talent. Guess you would have passed on Frank Gore.

With the 38th pick? I would have. Not with the 65th pick, which is where he was actually taken.

Of course, we don't all get the benefit of your 20/20 hindsight. I'm sure you were expressing that Frank Gore was the top running back in the 2005 draft. Out there alone in the wilderness.

LOL. The dumb Jets took kicker Mike Nugent in the second round of that draft.

EDIT: I notice that Darren Sproles was in that 2005 draft class. THERE'S a guy that I remember agitating for. I wanted Chris Henry and Darren Sproles and Russ Smith accused me of wanting to put together a 4x100 team and not a football offense.

 

[GuernseyCard]

With the 38th pick? I would have. Not with the 65th pick, which is where he was actually taken.

Of course, we don't all get the benefit of your 20/20 hindsight. I'm sure you were expressing that Frank Gore was the top running back in the 2005 draft. Out there alone in the wilderness.

LOL. The dumb Jets took kicker Mike Nugent in the second round of that draft.

EDIT: I notice that Darren Sproles was in that 2005 draft class. THERE'S a guy that I remember agitating for. I wanted Chris Henry and Darren Sproles and Russ Smith accused me of wanting to put together a 4x100 team and not a football offense.

Well, we certainly get the benefit of your 20/10 hindsight. (lol)



Daryl Washington.

 

[Buckybird]

His injury concerns derailed his redshirt sophomore season a VaTech. He also had a MAJOR knee surgery in high school.

It doesn't take clairvoyance not to take an injury-prone running back with the 38th pick in the NFL draft.

Also, I'm pretty sure it wasn't Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves writing down that Williams never fumbled in college.

Sounds like a trend...Ryan Swope with scrambled eggs for a brain. But it's ok when he's a 6th rounder lol

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yes. How he couldn't spot their knee problems in advance is beyond me.

um...correct me if i'm wrong, but he could he not spot their injury histories with the volumes of history he had to look at? Williams' knees were already questionable and he had missed a lot of time in both college and high school.

and the big knock on beanie coming out of college was that he was injury prone.

didn't take a crystal ball to see that those guys were pretty injury prone, ESPECIALLY Williams.

 

[Buckybird]

um...correct me if i'm wrong, but he could he not spot their injury histories with the volumes of history he had to look at? Williams' knees were already questionable and he had missed a lot of time in both college and high school.

and the big knock on beanie coming out of college was that he was injury prone.

didn't take a crystal ball to see that those guys were pretty injury prone, ESPECIALLY Williams.

 

[GuernseyCard]

um...correct me if i'm wrong, but he could he not spot their injury histories with the volumes of history he had to look at? Williams' knees were already questionable and he had missed a lot of time in both college and high school.

and the big knock on beanie coming out of college was that he was injury prone.

didn't take a crystal ball to see that those guys were pretty injury prone, ESPECIALLY Williams.

Williams major injury was in High School, which didn't hamper him in College. His one set back at that level was a a nagging hamstring issue in his last season. And Beanie had nicks in College that did not keep him out of the lineup, as I recall.

Everyone is prone to injury in contact sports and I would venture that half the first round in any given year has seen the knife or worn a cast at some point.

The crystal ball would tell us that Washington made a mistake in drafting RG111 given that he blew out that same knee a few years back.

 

[kerouac9]

Well, we certainly get the benefit of your 20/10 hindsight. (lol)



Daryl Washington.

I dunno. I was against the Williams pick from Jump Street. I think I wanted Brooks Reed. Maybe I wanted Da'Quan Bowers. I really don't remember.

As for Daryl Washington: Is right now really the time for Daryl Washington triumphalism? I've come correct that I was wrong on being so down on him, but the limitations that I was afraid of are still very much there, but his positives have really outshined them, and he's managed to put on a ton of weight without losing speed and explosiveness (my main concern on draft day).