ECU's Chris Johnson Named 1st Team All-America

[MichaelWinicki]

Originally Posted by FuzzyLumpkins

Which ones becasue Ive heard this and never seen it. No web pub whatsoever does and Lindys has him as either the 4th or 5th back in the country.

Ive seen pubs that say hes going to be able to do both. Not that he needs to do only WR.

I believe Ourlads is one... I can't verify. My office is being redecorated this week and all my stuff is in boxes... but I seem to recall seeing in there.

[TEUFELI]

Originally Posted by FuzzyLumpkins

This is complete and abject BS. Westbrook is slow and when he gets through the line almost always a LB has time to react, slide over and try and make a tackle. That means that he has to make a cut and he is able to do so well because he is agile.

When CJ gets through the line his burst is so much that typically there is not a LBer to make a play. that is why so often in his runs you see LBer s lunging or attempting to make arm tackles which he just runs right through.

This notion that he cannot cut is BS. He makes sharp cuts runnging at full speed. Now granted sometimes especially on KO returns he rounds off instead of cuts but when he does cut its a thing of beauty.

[View Full Quote]Westbroom runs a 4.57 CJ runs 4.24. That means hes .35 faster thats the difference between a 4.45 and a 4.8 or in other words the difference between your average RB and your average DE. Westbrook is a fast as most 4-3 LBers so of course he has to make cuts to get away from them constantly.

CJ hits the hole and as often as not the defender cannot react so hes gone that what you saw in the highlights but if you were paying attention youd also notice him come up on a LBer or a safety taking a good angle and surprise surprise he makes a cut or spins away. He makes the cuts at full speed which is very impressive.

you mistake him not needing to cut for not being able to cut. When he does cut Ive seen him cut from behind the center out to the tackle with one plant of his foot. Thats waht Rice does as well.

And for foot quickness he chops his feet and sets up blocks and cuts and everything else. People that say this tripe dont know wth they are talking about.

As for vision I doubt youve seen one game of him and as such you are in no position to judge that.

Thats cool and all, but CJ should HOPE to be the NFL back that westbrook is. People tend to understate how good current NFL players are and overestimate how good prospects will be at the next level. (its natural this time of yr)

And were you an ECU fan? Did you see him play? One game? Two? How do you know that "the notion that he cannot cut is BS?" If you have truthfully watched alot of game film on the kid...okay, i will gladly accept your analysis. But if you have simply watched a couple youtube clips and read some prospect profiles from various draft sites...

[TheCount]

Originally Posted by DaBoys4Life

Oh but when ray rice gets the Emmitt Smith comparison its all gravy.

Yes he needed some press because during the combine ESPN only talked about Dmacs 40 time i don't even think they showed CJ run at all.

A) I've never said the Rice/Smith comparison was a legit one.

B) Emmitt dropped to the 17th pick, no one is saying take Rice in the 1st round. Seems only the Chris Johnson fanatics think we should ignore his 2nd round rating and take him early just to be sure we get him.

C) DMAC's 40 time didn't get as much press as even I thought it would, but DMAC has hype because he's considered by many to be one of the top prospects in the draft. They paid as much attention to Chris Long's workout, so give me a break.

There is no Anti-Chris Johnson conspiracy, just a disagreement between the fanatics and the level headed. You picked what side you would be on quite some time ago.

Originally Posted by TEUFELI

Thats cool and all, but CJ should HOPE to be the NFL back that westbrook is. People tend to understate how good current NFL players are and overestimate how good prospects will be at the next level. (its natural this time of yr)

I agree absolutely. This time of year, everyone thinks all 7 picks will be hall of famers.

[jobberone]

Originally Posted by MichaelWinicki

I've seen a couple draft guides talking about this Johnson kid potentially being moved to WR.

That's not a ringing endorsement of his running ability as a back.

Michael I'm sure there is some or at least one if you remember it that way. However, that is not a ringing endorsement of his inability as a RB. It is a ringing endorsement to his speed and receiving ability which is way above average even for a 1-2 rd pick. The kid is a pretty good all around RB. He's not a power back (not saying he's not able to break tackles some though) and that's the only thing I have against him. That and being a rookie RB from ECU and not a big school. Not a small school either.

Originally Posted by FuzzyLumpkins

Which ones becasue Ive heard this and never seen it. No web pub whatsoever does and Lindys has him as either the 4th or 5th back in the country.

Ive seen pubs that say hes going to be able to do both. Not that he needs to do only WR.

This is spot on. He's been mentioned as being able to catch the deep ball and somehow this has been transformed into the perpetuated myth of 'he's gonna be moved to WR' then the leap to he must not be a very good RB. It's all BS.

Originally Posted by TheCount

A) I've never said the Rice/Smith comparison was a legit one.

B) Emmitt dropped to the 17th pick, no one is saying take Rice in the 1st round. Seems only the Chris Johnson fanatics think we should ignore his 2nd round rating and take him early just to be sure we get him.

C) DMAC's 40 time didn't get as much press as even I thought it would, but DMAC has hype because he's considered by many to be one of the top prospects in the draft. They paid as much attention to Chris Long's workout, so give me a break.

There is no Anti-Chris Johnson conspiracy, just a disagreement between the fanatics and the level headed. You picked what side you would be on quite some time ago.



I agree absolutely. This time of year, everyone thinks all 7 picks will be hall of famers.

Just because someone is excited about the possibility of Dallas drafting a RB in the first or second round and then looking for candidates to satisfy the urge is not being fanatic. I like several of the top RBs. But we aren't going to get the first three and likely four-five whichever they be.

I like Ray Rice a lot. But I think there are several RBs who will be a better fit for us. But I'll still be excited if we draft the kid. I think he'll be at least servicable and perhaps better. Of the RBs we have a chance to draft I like F Jones and CJ the best. I'd pick Stewart over them if I knew his toe injury was not going to be a problem. And there wasn't a CB deserving of that pick.

I'll bet you there are more like me than fanatics. And I didn't think you were even talking about me. I just think this is a 'level-headed' approach.

[dbair1967]

Originally Posted by FuzzyLumpkins

Which ones becasue Ive heard this and never seen it. No web pub whatsoever does and Lindys has him as either the 4th or 5th back in the country.

Ive seen pubs that say hes going to be able to do both. Not that he needs to do only WR.

It's in the PFW magazine version, says his "best shot may be at receiver" and then there's one guide on the newsstand that has him actually rated in the WR category...

David

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Originally Posted by TEUFELI

Thats cool and all, but CJ should HOPE to be the NFL back that westbrook is. People tend to understate how good current NFL players are and overestimate how good prospects will be at the next level. (its natural this time of yr)

And were you an ECU fan? Did you see him play? One game? Two? How do you know that "the notion that he cannot cut is BS?" If you have truthfully watched alot of game film on the kid...okay, i will gladly accept your analysis. But if you have simply watched a couple youtube clips and read some prospect profiles from various draft sites...

Look man you can get a good idea how agil someone is by having them run the 3 cone or the 20 yard shuttle both of which are over in mere seconds. I have seen him plant and cut at full speed, I have seen him do all the things i said. Notice how i said there were certain things you cannot look at short clips and tell like consistency, vision, toughness and the like and you will also notice that i have never touted one of those things.

The dudes athleticism absolutely jusmps out on you in film. From a physical standpoint, he has all the tools that you would like in a running back sans about 20 or so pound to be able to really pound it in there. Of course that does not mean that he is going to be able to put it all together. i am not that obtuse.

The umbrage i have is towards those that deny that which should be obvious to those that dont have obnoxious bias towards their pet cats. This most recent idea that he only cuts once on runs for example is quite funny. Its as if they are simply willing themselves into ignoring that which is plainly in front of them.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Originally Posted by dbair1967

It's in the PFW magazine version, says his "best shot may be at receiver" and then there's one guide on the newsstand that has him actually rated in the WR category...

David

Where did it rank him as a RB?

[dbair1967]

Originally Posted by FuzzyLumpkins

Where did it rank him as a RB?

PFW magazine has him 10th, the PFW draft guide has him 9th

TSN has him 7th, USA Today has him 6th

David

[DaBoys4Life]

Originally Posted by dbair1967

PFW magazine has him 10th, the PFW draft guide has him 9th

TSN has him 7th, USA Today has him 6th

David

u didn't answer my question

[Bob Sacamano]

there's a difference between saying he could play WR than he has to move to WR because he's weak

[TheCount]

Originally Posted by Bob Sacamano

there's a difference between saying he could play WR than he has to move to WR because he's weak

I don't think they are saying either of those things.

Not that I agree at all, but they are saying that some teams are considering moving him to WR. Not that they think his receiving skills are so good he could excel at WR or that his running skills are so poor he'd have to play WR to have a chance in the NFL.

[dbair1967]

Originally Posted by DaBoys4Life

u didn't answer my question

did you ask one?

David

[SDogo]

If we were looking for a full time replacement for Marion Barber I would be concerned with picking Chris Johnson but the matter of the fact is we are looking for a compliment back which you can get with Johnson. The added dimension is the threat he gives you catching passes, splitting out at WR and returning kicks. It's an added dimension this offense lacks. There are arguably 2 open RB positions. You can take the luxury of drafting Johnson and still find a "true" RB later.

[DFWJC]

Originally Posted by DaBoys4Life

Yes he needed some press because during the combine ESPN only talked about Dmacs 40 time i don't even think they showed CJ run at all.

Oddly, this is partially true. They actually cut to commercial on both of CJs runs....which was just crazy. They went on and on about Dmac the entire program (but he DMac did deserve some press). However, toward the end they starting giving CJ some love and after the combines were over, Johnson got a crazy amount of press....which he too, deserved. But yes, during the show, Dmac was getting all of the love. Hey, he is the top rated back afterall.

[DFWJC]

Originally Posted by Bob Sacamano

there's a difference between saying he could play WR than he has to move to WR because he's weak

That's right...huge difference. One is a complement on skill level and the other is a bit of a dis.