A note on the Felix/Mendenhall decision

[Concord]

Check this out...

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

Enough said!

AWESOME!

This guy is going to do some great things for us.

 

[jbsg02]

I think we would have picked Stewart had he fallen instead, I like the Felix Jones pick BECAUSE we still got Mike Jenkins at 25.

 

[Doomsday]

He accelerates so fast. Its nice to see a runner with some vision, especially after watching JJ run into the back or our Olinemen every other play, he is setting up the secondary before he gets through the front 7. He should make some big plays for us this year.

 

[Kobal]

He has great vision. Great pick. I'm happy now.

 

[gazmc_06]

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.

He's really not, people say a lot of things about Mendenhall but most f them are nonsense. I still would have liked Mendenhall although I'm open minded to see what Felix can do in Dallas and I hope he has a great career with us.

Felix is very fast and we could use that so I'm sure he will fit well with the Cowboys and help out our running game, he can only be an improvement over Julius.

 

[Clove]

The highlight video was good, and I did watch a few of his games where he was ripping up 9 and 10 yards a pop even with McFad out of the game. And the ENTIRE WORLD knows that all they do is run the ball, so for him to still rip off that type of yardage is very nice to see.

The passing game will be the key again to take pressure off the running game. ALL FANS OF THE COWBOYS should pray right now that Standback is all we're hearing about, cause if he is, look out.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Felix and Jenkins.....we were lucky

 

[VACowboy]

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.

He doesn't look like "primarily a speed back" to me. He broke a lot of tackles in that vid.

As far as big holes and "outrunning slower college kids," Jones faced by far the fastest defensive collegians in the country, week in and out. College kids play each other, and Felix did what he did against the best that there were.

Did Mendenhall play against pros?

 

[BuckyG]

He doesn't look like "primarily a speed back" to me. He broke a lot of tackles in that vid.

As far as big holes and "outrunning slower college kids," Jones faced by far the fastest defensive collegians in the country, week in and out. College kids play each other, and Felix did what he did against the best that there were.

Did Mendenhall play against pros?

Don't get me wrong, I like Jones and I think he was the right pick. My post was generally very positive, but Jones isn't perfect. (And I'd dispute that he faced the fastest defenders in the country week in and out, considering that Troy, North Texas, Chattanooga, and Florida International were on Arkansas' schedule.) My point is that he's a speed back, and that advantage drops considerably in the pros, where everybody is faster. Reggie Bush murdered defenses in college, but he's having a far tougher time in the pros, because the game speeds up, but the individual player doesn't. Jones has excellent vision and incredible acceleration, and that will serve him well. But he's really not much of a tackle breaker: I read that last season he had something like only 22 runs where he gained yardage after first contact. He's tough and runs hard, but he's not a powerful guy, and he runs fairly upright. Luckily, I don't think the Cowboys need him to be an inside guy for him to have a large impact. the Boys have Barber to play smashmouth and Jones to get the ball in space and make big plays. If Dallas were looking to draft more of a workhorse back, I think Mendenhall would have been the better choice. But with Barber likely getting more carries than last year, Jones brings more of a change of pace, and I think he's more dangerous than Mendenhall. Actually, it wouldn't surprise if Tashard Choice gets a few reps each game to spell Barber with Jones being more of a third-down and passing situation weapon. With that and kick returns, he's still likely to get 12-15 touches a game, which is about what he got at Arkansas.

 

[tyke1doe]

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.

You have to be more mentally tough being a running back because running backs are constantly getting hit.

The only mental toughness you need as a corner on a consistent basis (aside from taking down a big lumbering running back) is getting over getting beat. And hopefully, that doesn't happen to often.

 

[TheCount]

Check this out...

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

Enough said!

Looks like he's also getting some terrific blocks in most of those plays to me. He's not getting touched till he's like 5 yards past the line, if at all.

As opposed to the Cowboys, where our RB's tended to meet opposition at the line if not in the backfield last season. I really hope we get that run blocking sorted out.

 

[Doomsday101]

Looks like he's also getting some terrific blocks in most of those plays to me. He's not getting touched till he's like 5 yards past the line, if at all.

As opposed to the Cowboys, where our RB's tended to meet opposition at the line if not in the backfield last season. I really hope we get that run blocking sorted out.

Barber did not have a big problem bouncing plays or cutting back to find the open hole. Not all of J. Jones problem was bad run blocking a lot of it was poor vision on his part. Seldom will a back see holes that a truck can drive through part of it is the back reacting to day light and adjusting on the move

 

[DFWJC]

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

They already have a better back than Mendenhall, so there will be some shared duty there too.

 

[zrinkill]

Tony Romo is gonna love having this kid in the backfield ...... he is gonna be a hell of a weapon when Romo starts his usual add libbing.

If they can get on the same wave length it will be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses.

 

[TheCount]

Barber did not have a big problem bouncing plays or cutting back to find the open hole. Not all of J. Jones problem was bad run blocking a lot of it was poor vision on his part. Seldom will a back see holes that a truck can drive through part of it is the back reacting to day light and adjusting on the move

You're right, but there were time where even Barber couldn't wade through all the guys that were waiting for him.

JJ obviously sucked, but Barber often got his big gains making something out of nothing and battling through tackles. Felix isn't going to be able to do that, our guys will have to create at least come gaps for him to accelerate through.

In the highlights, Felix had a lot of gaping holes to accelerate through, he won't have as many of those in the NFL.

His acceleration when he sees a gap is pretty ridiculous though, some of the LB's absolutely froze in their shoes because they didn't think he'd be on them so quickly.

 

[zrinkill]

His acceleration when he sees a gap is pretty ridiculous though, some of the LB's absolutely froze in their shoes because they didn't think he'd be on them so quickly.

Glad you noticed that ..... and I think that will be the difference.

I think our O-line do open holes .... they just do not stay open long enough for Barber (because of his lack of speed) or Julious (because of his lack of vision and his hesitation)

I think F Jones will find then and hit them in time ....... at least that is what I really hope.

 

[Doomsday101]

You're right, but there were time where even Barber couldn't wade through all the guys that were waiting for him.

JJ obviously sucked, but Barber often got his big gains making something out of nothing and battling through tackles. Felix isn't going to be able to do that, our guys will have to create at least come gaps for him to accelerate through.

In the highlights, Felix had a lot of gaping holes to accelerate through, he won't have as many of those in the NFL.

His acceleration when he sees a gap is pretty ridiculous though, some of the LB's absolutely froze in their shoes because they didn't think he'd be on them so quickly.

I don't disagree that F. Jones will not see as much room going through the line as he did with the razorbacks but I think he has the ability to slide and cut back to the open lanes. Only time will tell though and same goes for all the RB who will enter the NFL this year.

 

[TheCount]

Glad you noticed that ..... and I think that will be the difference.

I think our O-line do open holes .... they just do not stay open long enough for Barber (because of his lack of speed) or Julious (because of his lack of vision and his hesitation)

I think F Jones will find then and hit them in time ....... at least that is what I really hope.

I hope so too, I'm excited for things to get going here so we can see him in action.

 

[Bungarian]

There was at least 3 horse collar tackles in the vid.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

Glad you noticed that ..... and I think that will be the difference.

I think our O-line do open holes .... they just do not stay open long enough for Barber (because of his lack of speed) or Julious (because of his lack of vision and his hesitation)

I think F Jones will find then and hit them in time ....... at least that is what I really hope.

I think it should also be noted that Julius looked to simply fall down in the nearest pile.