Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide

[Russ Smith]

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And btw, the team drove down the field for scores with BOTH backs in there. JJ may not be a good pass blocker, but he isn't terrible. And Shipp isn't "good" by any means either...just better than JJ.

Yep, part of me was mad they pulled JJ in the redzone on that drive, the other part of me was hoping Shipp would score so we could have a thread about his redzone ability.

I don't care who plays as long as we win I just take exception when someone says we've seen the best of JJ when he gets 5 yards in a game, but apparently that was just hyperbole so let's move on.

 

[Russ Smith]

That was ugly! If he just cuts right a little, and turns on the speed, he's got a legitimate chance for 6. One thing for sure, the next time he breaks a tackle will be the first time as a pro.

again unless you were at the game in the endzone so you could see the 3 guys not visible in the picture posted on the other thread, you have no idea if going right was going to be the way to go.

Do I think he should have made a cut, yes, but I also think it was his first carry in his first NFL game and he was probably on sensory overload and just concentrating on hitting the hole and running.

Jerry Rice dropped the first pass he ever saw in an NFL game, and was throwing up before every game well into the late stages of his rookie year(nerves). Hell I can think of 4-5 plays last year where Emmitt, who might have had better vision than any RB in history, ran into a tackler when it looked like he could have made a cut and gone.

Given how the preseason went JJ was probably also stunned there was an actual hole.

 

[D-Dogg]

Rewatch the game D. Shipp had two very good runs that he actually had to work to get they were about 8 and 6 respectively. They were by far more impressive that Arringtons 12 yards run where he had the one hole about 7 yards wide to run through and tokk it and ran right into the defender downfield.

And Arrington is absolutely terrible in pass blocking. Shipp is at least adequate!

You see what you see because you love Shipp. I understand that. You don't see JJ cutting in those holes, and you still pretend he didn't have another 5-6 yard run where he made a nice cut.

I'm more impressed with a guy who can take it the distance than a guy who plows through blocks for a quarter of a season, then is too dinged up to be effective.

I did rewatch the game, paying attention to the Oline and to the RBs blocking. Shipps better there, yeah...but he isn't a better runner. Overall, JJ and Shipp are pretty even, and JJ's potential big play threat puts him over the top, IMO.

We won't ever agree on this one...when in Rome??

 

[Duckjake]

And Shipp didn't do anything out there that JJ couldn't have done.


Point? They're both fine backs and would be a fantastic 1-2 punch if we had paid blockers of some kind in front of them.

Watching highlights from games this weekend I saw several backs with no hole whatsoever make huge gains by making guys miss, cutting back, or breaking tackles. Willie Parker/Steelers on one play got hit in the backfield as soon as he got the ball, bounced off the guy and ran around right end for 45 yards.

Why do our guys need holes the size of MAC Trucks to be able to gain 4 yards?

I know our line didn't play worth a darn but the backs need to earn their pay as well.

 

[Russ Smith]

Watching highlights from games this weekend I saw several backs with no hole whatsoever make huge gains by making guys miss, cutting back, or breaking tackles. Willie Parker/Steelers on one play got hit in the backfield as soon as he got the ball, bounced off the guy and ran around right end for 45 yards.

Why do our guys need holes the size of MAC Trucks to be able to gain 4 yards?

I know our line didn't play worth a darn but the backs need to earn their pay as well.

I saw that run on NFL.com and it wasn't quite the same, it wasn't a 300+pound DT hitting just after he got the ball it was a blitzing safety, Tank Williams, diving at his ankles after he got the ball. Unless I'm watching the wrong play. Parker did break several tackles in the game but he had a full head of speed to do so, I didn't see him break tackles when he was just getting started.

Very impressive player by the way, for people who think he's just some guy behind a great OL apparently he's the fastest player on the Steeler roster and a guy they've been desperately trying to get on the field more. He apparently played very little in college so he's very unorthodox and often takes the wrong hole etc but Cowher said he's the fastest RB in the NFL.

But I do agree, RB's have to make some yards on their own now and then.