Terry Pluto wrote another nice article on Richardson and Shurmer's historic reliance on a strong running game. I just sure hope he's wrong about the over 300 carries part.
Rookie running backs can absolutely hit the ground running and excel in the NFL, but they aren't accustomed to the much longer season, and tend to run out of gas in the last 4-5 games. Giving Richardson that many carries right off the bat would be a mistake.
Nor is it neccessary. Hardesty was a top flight running back in college. The only reason he wasn't a first or high second round pick--on par with Ryan Matthews--in his draft was his injury history. It's not too early to second-guess that Heckert trade-up/pick, but that's not the point here:
He is healthy for the moment, and can take some carries off Richardson to help keep him fresh.
No need to go over the whole stable, but the survivors of the current competition will yield quality depth for every down, and it should be used to preserve the rookie's stamina and health through the transition to the much longer NFL season.
Jim Brown was the greatest, but was never a coach, manager, or talent scout. He is bitter, and I believe less than objective, including with himself. His comments need to be taken in context. Almost every person who's job it is to evaluate players disagrees with Jim Brown about Richardson being "ordinary".
I'm certain that Jim loves Adrian Peterson, because Peterson is very similar to Brown himself.
Richardson is more like Emmitt Smith...if Smith were more powerful and faster. JB doesn't seem to regard exceptional recieving skills of any value (especially in a West Coast scheme). He might also have a gut-level thing against short guys.
In Brown's day, he himself was actually bigger/taller than some of his own blockers and the defensive linemen. In Brown's day, short running backs might not have done so well. But today, everybody is a skyscraper, and it's really hard for them to get down low enough to prevent a Richardson from getting under their pads and knocking these much bigger guys on their cans.
Richardson is also a "70 or 80-yard back", meaning that it would take a typical defense that long to catch him from behind. Peterson can take it to the house from his own goal line. I'm happy to trade the extra 20 yards for TRich's value as a reciever in this scheme.
Being repetitive once again (sorry), the Browns offense with Peyton Hillis was much much better than without him, including the passing game. And that had more to do with his pass-catching than with his running. In Richardson, they got a faster, younger, healthier Hillis.
It was harder to put a rush on the quarterback with Hillis hanging around to stone the extra passrusher (who came out of coverage), or when certain blitzes made Hillis the hot reciever--or simply as McCoy's plan B.
Teams last season moved some of their speediest passrushers over right tackle to exploit that weakness. After all, it's pretty hard to get by Joe Thomas, so why try?
Now in Schartze, they got an unspectacular guy of whome Gil Brandt said "You watch all his tapes, and after awhile you realize: His guy never made a play!" A guy who shut everybody out all of Senior Bowl week and then in the game. You can bash the Hughes pick, but not this one.
So now, right tackle is no weak spot.
Ok, so defenses also targetted both guards with stunts and blitzes. Pinkston improved with experience, but Lauvauo is taking longer, and remained a target. This doesn't mean that with that experience under his belt and a full offseason, he won't be a solid starter.
Both sides and the middle of the offensive line looks excellent right now, and that's as in better than most of the teams in the NFL. Every projected starter except Schwartze--playing outside-has now had one full season together. Continuity on an offensive line is more important than talent, in the opinion of most coaches.
The young guards will be better through experience, but more importantly, the unit will be better as they anticipate how the other guys will react to split-second situations.
So, with Richardson and this offensive line, why do the Memorex Morons ass ume that the quarterback won't have time to throw? Because they didn't last season...sans Hillis? Really, can't we consider new players, experience, and the obviously predictable at all? Can't we think?
"Grand Canyon sized hole at wide receiver". Thanks, coach.
Not really. I'm a little disappointed not to be hearing Mitchell's name coming up much yet, but still have hope for him, and remain aware of his existance and potential.
I'm thrilled that Greg Little has worked so hard in the offseason to come back looking and running more like a true wide reciever than the running back he used to be. Especially since he got open all last season even as a bigger, slower guy.
So far, he's not dropping 20% of the passes thrown to him either! I am fairly confident that this guy and Braylon Edwards are miles apart in heart and mind. Little is dead serious about this one thing, and that only.
Even as a big converted running back, it was rediculous for some amateur scouts to have labelled Little a "possession reciever" with a sub 4.5 40. Now that he's 10 lbs lighter, this guy could really explode. The gap between Little and Julio Jones was something like one tenth of a second in the 40. I'm not sure you can blink that fast!
Little could be a number one. A real double-team commanding number one.
I hope.
Massequoi is the other starter for now, and rightfully so. He's not playing hurt this season, and did NOT NOT NOT drop many passes last season no he didn't that was Little dammit!
He played IN 14 games, but didn't start them all and was frequently replaced by extra tight ends and occasionally Josh Cribbs--probably because he wasn't healthy.
When MoMass is healthy, he gets open and he catches well. He will run good patterns and be where he's supposed to be.
Massequoi is not a number one, but can be a very good number two, especially in this offense.
The WR coach had high hopes for rookie draft pick Travis Benjamin. Like nearly every reciever in every draft going back to the caves, some scout somewhere said he rounded off routes or looked sloppy sometimes or something.
But he comes from a pro-style offense and was used to elite competition. He is quick as well as fast, and running good routes is, for him, simply a matter of discipline. It might be harder for the much taller Carlton Mitchell, but not for this guy.
That coach talked about using him outside as well as in the slot, too, which surprised me since he's such a shrimp, and since, in the West Coast, those guys cross and slant a lot and take serious shots.
Norwood is already here, and until Benjamin came along was the fastest player on the offense. Norwood was a bright spot, reminding me of Keenan McCardell.
Everybody ass umes that big/tall recievers are the way to go in perpetuity, but it's not neccessarily true, even in a West Coast. Already, defenses draft defensive backs with the "big nickle" in mind. That's because of the emergence of wide reciever/TE hybrids like Moore, Cameron, (Winslow and Newsome), and the preponderance of big recievers like Green, Jones, Little, etc.
There were a lot of exceptional cornerbacks who've been drafted low or not at all solely because of their short stature. Conversely, a corner who's 6' or 6'1" and needs a lot of work is drafted taken much higher than their talent warrants.
Now the Browns have two smurfs who can run circles around the NFL's "ideal" cornerback, who is built to cover big, tall recievers!
Oh, no they won't demote MoMass unless one of the smurfs outperforms him, and we can pretty much put Little in as number one in ink. But these guys will be very useful in the slot and as rotational/matchup guys.
Between Cameron (who I have confirmed still exists as well), Moore, and even still Ben Watson the Browns are loaded with dangerous pass-catching tight ends, and on the other side of the scale, now have two smurfs. There are all sorts of ways to mix them in to give defenses a hard time.
Finally, Brandon Weeden is decisive and quick. It's a very complex scheme, but presumably they'll cut the playbook down at first and then spoon-feed him more plays as it goes along to minimize his mistakes, but he'll make some for sure. I just don't think that holding onto the ball will be one of them.
I've looked into Brad Smelley some more and think he'll make the team, and maybe bounce Marecic off the roster.
Ah! there's another stupid comment I read: Hillis didn't do as well last season because he didn't have Vickers blocking for him. The guy was oblivious to the fact that a new offense had been installed! NO version of the West Coast offense features a "blocking" fullback.
Marecic was thought to be a good West Coast fullback project because he was a good reciever. But now, here's Smelley, who played mainly tight end and caught over thirty passes. He's undrafted, but may well be a better West Coast fullback than Marecic...who was a rookie last season, ok?
A good West Coast fullback is more of an H-back who can go in motion, line up in the slot, etc. as well as lead block. Smelley seems a little faster, and much more accomplished as a reciever. In-line blocking is much different than lead-blocking or pass-protecting from the backfield, but Smelley's blocking experience vs. much bigger people is meanigful too.
Of course, I'm ready to watch him get cut...what do I know?
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