A note on the Felix/Mendenhall decision

[Chocolate Lab]

Maybe this was already mentioned... I was out this afternoon.

But on NFLN they keep replaying the same war room footage that Theebs uploaded. At first glance, at least to me, it's just Jerry saying something like <blah blah lipsmack> mental toughness <blah>. Then a shot of Wade gesturing with his hands and <blah blah> something I didn't understand. Then Jerry says, "Let's take Jones." It almost looked like the idea popped into Jerry's head of its own accord and it was all his decision, or that Jerry already had his mind made up.

The three comments didn't even look necessarily related to me -- like they could have been just pieced together from different discussions.

After seeing it a few times and understanding what they are saying, my pea brain put it together.

Jerry says, "That is a bad place not to have a mentally tough guy."

Then Wade says, "You're getting a great work ethic from one guy..."

Then Jerry: "Let's take Jones."

And in the postdraft PC, Jerry went on and on about how Felix's coaches said he had a great, great work ethic... That if you told him to run, he'd run himself into the ground if you didn't tell him to stop.

So I think the work ethic/attitude question is part of what made their decision. You've seen little hints that Mendenhall might have gotten sulky or disinterested at times... It sounds like that really was a key deciding factor.

In other words, it wasn't all about "wow factor" or style or Jerry's alma mater, but work ethic. Which is more than legitimate reasoning for choosing one player over another IMO.

 

[theanimal23]

Is there a link to watch this clip online.

Thanks to everyone on the board. I had a lot of fun reading about the draft and all the discussion that followed soon after.

Lets hope Felix and Jenkins kick butt.

 

[dbair1967]

Yes, that was pointed out by Werder too I think, that scouts and some people around the league wondered what the deal was in 2006, that Mendenhall maybe didnt try as hard once he knew he wasnt going to start ahead of that udfa guy (I think the Saints have him now, name escapes me)

Definitely deserves consideration, as Mendenhall was definitely not going to get to start here

David

 

[InmanRoshi]

Mickey said they had Mike Jenkins' name written on the card ready to take it the podium, and at the last minute Jerry changed his mind to Felix. So it was probably a debate of Jenkins vs. Felix. I don't think there was much debate (in Jerry's mind) of Mendenhall vs. Felix.

 

[Tyronosaurus77]

Mickey said they had Mike Jenkins' name written on the card ready to take it the podium, and at the last minute Jerry changed his mind to Felix. So it was probably a debate of Jenkins vs. Felix. I don't think there was much debate (in Jerry's mind) of Mendenhall vs. Felix.

And Jerry took both. I dont believe that Mendenhall had what we needed, he is a good back but Jerry wanted someone proven and someone that 2 or 3 years down the road would not cry about getting more carries. I love the addition of Tashard Choice as well, I love the way both of our backfields are looking.

 

[JBS]

I got this from another board - and I am not sure if it is accurate but it might help some feel better about the decision.

People are mad that the Texans passed up on Rashard Mendenhall but I have to tell you that there is more than one team who used the "p-word" when describing Mendenhall. I never heard anyone from the Texans use it, but there is a thought that he is soft. If Jonathan Stewart had fallen to them at 18, I'm not sure that there isn't more conversation in the war room about him. I could be wrong on that one because Brown was clearly a player they had targeted. The fans have been outraged about the lack of offensive line selections in the first round so I guess those fans shouldn't complain much about Brown.

http://blogs.chron.com/fantasyfootball/

Here is another blurb - dont have a link to the actual quote for this one - just saw it on another board.


3. RASHARD MENDENHALL, Illinois (5-10, 225, 4.42, 1) - Third-year junior didn't start until '07, when he gained 1,681 yards and was Big Ten offensive player of the year. "He's going to be a really, really good back," Buffalo VP of college scouting Tom Modrak said. "He's big, you don't catch him, he makes people miss." Straight-line style somewhat reminiscent of Herschel Walker. "He can't break down, cut and change direction," one scout said. "I was surprised how stiff he was. He takes a beating because he can't avoid people." Graduated from Niles West in Skokie, Ill., and scored 23 on the Wonderlic. "I think when adversity strikes he may fold tent," another scout said. "I don't see grinder mentality with him. I see analytical." Said a third scout: "I just don't know how he's wired. I don't know how competitive he is. I don't know how much he wants to take the beatin' he's going to take."

 

[MONT17]

I feel really bad 4 the steelers... I hope they will be able to survive Draftin Mendenhall!!!

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

I've done a 180 and I'm really excited about Felix. Not because of this thread, it's a combination of factors learning about and studying the two more and more over the last 48hrs.

 

[maxsports]

The more I read about Felix Jones, the more excited I get.

 

[jimmy40]

Maybe this was already mentioned... I was out this afternoon.

But on NFLN they keep replaying the same war room footage that Theebs uploaded. At first glance, at least to me, it's just Jerry saying something like <blah blah lipsmack> mental toughness <blah>. Then a shot of Wade gesturing with his hands and <blah blah> something I didn't understand. Then Jerry says, "Let's take Jones." It almost looked like the idea popped into Jerry's head of its own accord and it was all his decision, or that Jerry already had his mind made up.

The three comments didn't even look necessarily related to me -- like they could have been just pieced together from different discussions.

After seeing it a few times and understanding what they are saying, my pea brain put it together.

Jerry says, "That is a bad place not to have a mentally tough guy."

Then Wade says, "You're getting a great work ethic from one guy..."

Then Jerry: "Let's take Jones."

And in the postdraft PC, Jerry went on and on about how Felix's coaches said he had a great, great work ethic... That if you told him to run, he'd run himself into the ground if you didn't tell him to stop.

So I think the work ethic/attitude question is part of what made their decision. You've seen little hints that Mendenhall might have gotten sulky or disinterested at times... It sounds like that really was a key deciding factor.

In other words, it wasn't all about "wow factor" or style or Jerry's alma mater, but work ethic. Which is more than legitimate reasoning for choosing one player over another IMO.

The most important thing is Julius Jones is gone, I don't give a damn if it was Mendenhall, Felix Jones or Shirley Jones.

 

[ThatsmyQB]

When the made the pick of Jones, You see a HUGE SMILE come cross Garett's face saying YEAH really loud and high fiving Wade, so obviously Garrett likes him a LOT and that's good enough for me, even though I've been pumping up Jones for over a month now as the perfect pick at #22.

 

[Michael88Irvin]

Check this out...

Felix Jones: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2132301675565791230&q=felix+jones&ei=IsAUSJ__AY-eqgOE_cDUBA

Enough said!

 

[Little Jr]

Mickey said they had Mike Jenkins' name written on the card ready to take it the podium, and at the last minute Jerry changed his mind to Felix. So it was probably a debate of Jenkins vs. Felix. I don't think there was much debate (in Jerry's mind) of Mendenhall vs. Felix.

That could be it as well. Wasnt there a question with Jenkins mental toughness. That at times he had to be motivated to play? Maybe that was what Wade meant when he said thats a bad place to have a guy his not mentaly tough. You do have to be mentally tough to play CB. Although it wouldnt make since for us to trade back up to get him.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Felix has MB3 character and attitude. You gotta love having those 2 guys toting the rock for us this year.

 

[burntricersx]

I wasn't crazy about the Felix Jones pick...but if all the good stuff I've been reading about the kid is true...I'll be fine with it. Didn't know Mendenhall was such a primadonna.

 

[T-New41]

After seeing that highlight reel, I cant wait to see this kid on the field for us. I didn't keep up with college football much this year, so I don't have much of an informed opinion on our draft picks. He has some sick cuts. What really impressed me there was a lot of his highlights were against some pretty darn good defenses.

 

[speedkilz88]

Mickey said they had Mike Jenkins' name written on the card ready to take it the podium, and at the last minute Jerry changed his mind to Felix. So it was probably a debate of Jenkins vs. Felix. I don't think there was much debate (in Jerry's mind) of Mendenhall vs. Felix.

It was about the two rbs, Jerry even said that they debated the two rbs in the pc. They planned to get Jenkins anyway, so there wasn't any need to debate their abilities. The only debate between those two was which one did they have a chance to get in a trade up with 28.

 

[morasp]

Check this out...

Felix Jones: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2132301675565791230&q=felix+jones&ei=IsAUSJ__AY-eqgOE_cDUBA

Enough said!

He looks pretty good to me. Draft insider said he had the best running instincts in the draft and compared him to Reggie Bush. They said he had cat like quickness and a burst to get to top speed quickly when he sees an opening. Picture Julius hitting the hole and running right at the defender. I don't see this guy doing that.

 

[lane]

The most important thing is Julius Jones is gone, I don't give a damn if it was Mendenhall, Felix Jones or Shirley Jones.

word..

 

[BuckyG]

He looks pretty good to me. Draft insider said he had the best running instincts in the draft and compared him to Reggie Bush. They said he had cat like quickness and a burst to get to top speed quickly when he sees an opening. Picture Julius hitting the hole and running right at the defender. I don't see this guy doing that.

Thanks for the link to the highlight reel. My impression of Jones is that he's primarily a speed guy. His acceleration through holes is tremendous, and he's very smooth. While he may not have elite top-end speed, he seems to accelerate to top speed as fast as anybody. You look at his runs, and he's pretty north-south with some ability to bounce laterally at speed; he doesn't have that dynamic lateral cutting stop/start ability like a Reggie Bush or Marshall Faulk. Even his long returns are pretty much straight up the field or rolling outside and just outrunning slower college kids. In the pros, he's going to have to bring a little more to the table. His speed and burst will make him valuable, but he's never going to see the kind of gigantic holes he saw in college. I suspect what he really needs to do is work really hard on his receiving skills and bulk up ten or fifteen pounds to be more effective taking on NFL tacklers.

If Jones can become a reliable receiver, he could add a dynamic presence to the offense. He clearly has downfield speed, and while he's a smallish back, he's bigger than most corners and faster than linebackers and safeties, so if he can really work on routes and catching the ball with his hands away from his body, he could be that matchup problem who gives defensive coordinators fits. This is the kind of player I expect to see getting fifty-plus catches a season as opposed to getting a lot of carries. I suspect we won't see the 60/40 carry split we saw with Barber and Julius Jones; more like 70/30 with Jones being worked in more as a third-down back, playing in the slot on other downs, etc.

The good news is that his work ethic is reportedly topnotch, and he obviously doesn't have an issue being a second banana, something that Mendenhall may not be as comfortable with.

Combined with the new TE, Marcelleus Bennett, another guy athletic enough to move outside some for favorable matchups, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jason Garrett crafting a more varied look to the offense, utlizing the size of Bennett and the speed of Jones situationally to put greater pressure on the defense. With Jones, a lot will depend on how quickly he develops as a receiving threat.