News: Cowboys’ Darren McFadden: You saw glimpse of what I can do in space vs. Vikings

[RonSpringsdaman20]

do it 19 more times this year, and maybe I will be impressed.

 

[gimmesix]

If that were generally true, then all teams would always run first.

More than a creative or good read is needed if there just isn't yardage there.

We were a run-first team last year because it was true. And we say we want to be a run-first team this year, so it has to be true. If we're going to try to impose our will on teams on first down, then whoever is out there at running back is going to have to be able to make that eighth man miss or power through him. He's going to have to slither and dodge and fight through loaded fronts.

If he isn't able to do that, then we're going to be in second-and-10 or second-and-12 a lot. Then, eventually, we're going to be throwing on first down more than running to avoid those situations.

This remains my concern with this running game until the backs prove something other than they can run through really big holes.

 

[gimmesix]

What made Emmitt great was his burst through the line of scrimmage, his vision and his ability to slither through tacklers while maintaining his balance. His first 5 yards were as fast as Herschel Walker's and Tony Dorsett's. All three looked like they were shot out of a cannon.

I thought Emmitt's balance was just amazing. He wasn't a big man, but he could shrug off tackle attempts. Of course, his movement skills made him difficult to square up on.

I think vision is one of the most important traits a back can have. That's why I always look for the backs in the draft who show they can negotiate in traffic. You're are just not going to get very many clean holes in the NFL, or ones that stay clean too long, no matter how good your line is. You've got to be able to have the ability to take advantage of those big holes but also the ability to find what's there when the big holes aren't.

 

[CCBoy]

We were a run-first team last year because it was true. And we say we want to be a run-first team this year, so it has to be true. If we're going to try to impose our will on teams on first down, then whoever is out there at running back is going to have to be able to make that eighth man miss or power through him. He's going to have to slither and dodge and fight through loaded fronts.

If he isn't able to do that, then we're going to be in second-and-10 or second-and-12 a lot. Then, eventually, we're going to be throwing on first down more than running to avoid those situations.

This remains my concern with this running game until the backs prove something other than they can run through really big holes.

Fair comment, Gimmesix.

 

[conner01]

I've said all along
Ability is not going to be a problem with dmac
Availability is the only real question
He is not Murray, he is not going to get the power yards that Murray did but he has the ability to get more yards when they are there
I don't think any of our backs are going to pound a defense into submission but they do have the ability to break their will by making those big runs
I fully expect us to pass more this year but still be reasonably balanced
We may pass more on first down but what really matters is that we can stick to the run and that doesn't mean we have to have the same number of carries but the ones we have be effective
Our best weapons are in the passing game and if we use them a few more times each game I have no problem with that at all

 

[TheFinisher]

Learn it, Love it

 

[Bullet22]

DMC was healthy last season and is healthy now...He will have a great season and so will the boys....If I remember when Smith played...he lead the league in yards gained before being touched...so he had some big holes to run thru also...Because of DMC's speed he will get more yards on less carries....So him getting the touch yards Murray got...does not apply......

 

[KJJ]

I thought Emmitt's balance was just amazing. He wasn't a big man, but he could shrug off tackle attempts. Of course, his movement skills made him difficult to square up on.

I think vision is one of the most important traits a back can have. That's why I always look for the backs in the draft who show they can negotiate in traffic. You're are just not going to get very many clean holes in the NFL, or ones that stay clean too long, no matter how good your line is. You've got to be able to have the ability to take advantage of those big holes but also the ability to find what's there when the big holes aren't.

Emmitt was short but stocky and his height enabled him to get small. He shrugged off a lot tackles and was hard to knock off his feet due to his great balance. There were times it looked as if he was going down but somehow would come out of a pile chugging down the field. He had a great nose for the endzone which kept Irvin from catching many TD's and Aikman from throwing many.

 

[Frozen700]

I like the attitude, anyway.

Agreed.

Really rooting for this guy

 

[cowboys2233]

For all the criticism Murray has received (some justified), he knew when to cut away from the expected hole and bounce to the outside and he knew when to power through a tight gap to get everything he could. That's what I need to see from these backs.

This is what worries me the most about our current crop. Win and losses are all about redzone efficiency and if you have a hammer like Murray, you can power through the tight, confined spaces near the goal line. I'm not sure if I see that guy on this roster. I see guys who will do great between the 20s -- you know, the part of the field where you gains stats that don't really matter?

 

[CF74]

If Run DMc succeeds, we all win...

 

[dallasdave]

I feel like this is a really big "no duh" statement. A RB saying he looks good when he has huge holes is like a track star saying he can beat anyone in a foot race if he has a head start.

Well put , Dallas needs a hard nose RB that can get 1 to 3 yards in the middle of the line with a small window.

 

[Bullet22]

Well put , Dallas needs a hard nose RB that can get 1 to 3 yards in the middle of the line with a small window.

I'd rather have a back that take it to the house from anywhere, anytime..Makes Romo's life easier....He can lower his shoulder and get that tough yard if needed....He is not a bowling ball...He is a taller rb..not 5 7, 225 pounds...this is not the 3 yards and a cloud of dust league anymore...you need playmakers and he is that...

 

[DFWJC]

We were a run-first team last year because it was true. And we say we want to be a run-first team this year, so it has to be true. If we're going to try to impose our will on teams on first down, then whoever is out there at running back is going to have to be able to make that eighth man miss or power through him. He's going to have to slither and dodge and fight through loaded fronts.

If he isn't able to do that, then we're going to be in second-and-10 or second-and-12 a lot. Then, eventually, we're going to be throwing on first down more than running to avoid those situations.

This remains my concern with this running game until the backs prove something other than they can run through really big holes.

Why do you assume well face loaded fronts?
Teams would crazy to do that vs this passing game

 

[Hoofbite]

Story of this guys' career. Glimpses and injuries.

 

[gimmesix]

Why do you assume well face loaded fronts?
Teams would crazy to do that vs this passing game

We faced eight in the box quite often on first down last year because teams knew we were most likely to run the ball. If we choose to continue running into them and daring them to stop us, they will continue to play them.

 

[AsthmaField]

Emmitt was short but stocky and his height enabled him to get small. He shrugged off a lot tackles and was hard to knock off his feet due to his great balance. There were times it looked as if he was going down but somehow would come out of a pile chugging down the field. He had a great nose for the endzone which kept Irvin from catching many TD's and Aikman from throwing many.

Emmitt could come bursting out of the back of a pile sometimes and people would just go, "What the???".

Also, in an earlier post you made, you mentioned Emmitt's initial burst and how quick his first 10 yards were. That is absolutely correct too. The guy's acceleration helped make him special.

Like you are saying above, his balance was terrific. Being 5'9" and 215 pounds, his center of gravity was so low that it was very difficult for anyone to knock him off his feet. It also helped him win the leverage battle and helped him in picking up the blitz. His legs were strong as an ox, too. He would explode into blitzers and put them on their backs. I remember hearing that he leg pressed 1200 pounds in offseason training.

What made him one of the best ever, IMO, was his vision and run instincts. Of course, his balance, strength, and low center of gravity helped him take advantage of his vision and run instincts... but it was his vision and instincts that moved him into the GOAT conversation.

Emmitt could set up blocks and use angles to embarrass guys. He was just born with an ability to know when to cut and how to put defenders at a disadvantage. He understood the physics of it all. He would get a defender leaning one way and then cut back the other and all the defender could do is stick out an arm and try to bring him down... and we all know Emmitt wasn't going down on an arm tackle very easily. Sometimes, when a defender was trying to arm tackle him, Emmitt would grab their wrist and throw their arm off of him.

He was just a tremendously instinctive RB who, like the great ones always are, was just born with the instincts for the position. Watching him through the 90's was one of the great joy's of the football part of my life.

 

[trickblue]

McFadden is not a finesse back... his first few years were marked by defenses not wanting to tackle him...

He's a bounce back with extreme skills in the open field...

He'll lower the shoulder and punish...

 

[dallasdave]

McFadden is not a finesse back... his first few years were marked by defenses not wanting to tackle him...

He's a bounce back with extreme skills in the open field...

I agree, just hope he can stay healthy. In college he was TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

 

[trickblue]

I agree, just hope he can stay healthy. In college he was TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

I hope he still has it... if he does, Cowboy fans will see a force...